Archive for June, 2010

RAW: High School Cabaret – Cab Festival

Jun 23rd

Posted by Peter in Cabaret

The reality of the ‘world premiere’ of High School Cabaret, featuring creative arts students from Seaview and Norwood Morialta High Schools perhaps did not live up to the hype of the billing. However, after an uneasy start, some real potential stars started to emerge – four in particular stood out.

Year 10 student, Sam Trenwith took to the stage and the microphone with the competence, composure and charisma to suggest we have another highly talented individual in the wings to fully emerge on the local theatrical scene. Beautiful Mel Pal drew attention in her attractive black dress and with increased strength and confidence in her voice has the potential to be a real star in the making. Amongst the many dancers, Tyson Nunn’s crump gyrations, complete with grasped groin, suggested an athlete capable of mixing it in any of the myriad forms of modern dance available. Finally, Sheridan Deslandes dominated proceedings with her various acts but particularly her rendition of Chain of Fools. Her confidence and desire to command her audience was impressive for one just in Year 12 – another Queenie Van de Zandt or even Natalie Cole in the making.

High School Cabaret was an ambitious project. There are so many performers nowadays who can dazzle at the youngest ages and hence one’s expectations of the ‘world premiere’ were set high. However, this town has developed such a reputation for young artists of all kinds – the music industry in particular – that ensuring projects like this get going and offer up opportunities for both the students as well as for audiences to see stars in the making is important, so well done to all involved, especially the two schools and the Cab festival organisers for committing to such a night.

Kryztoff Rating 3K

, , , , , , , , ,

RAW: Grown Ups – Film – Out Thursday

Jun 22nd

Posted by Peter in RAW: Film

When their high school basketball coach dies, his old and only successful team reunites after 30 years to mourn and celebrate the July 4th weekend. Lenny (Adam Sandler) is now a successful Hollywood agent and his wife, Roxanne (Salma Hayek) is big in fashion. Rob (Rob Schneider) is into natural medicines and therapies while Marcus (David Spade) is still a rampaging single. Together they join with teammates Eric (Kevin James) and Kurt (Chris Rock), their wives and children in a lakeside cabin, the boys’ old hunting ground. From there some predictable mayhem ensues.

Directed by Dennis Dugan and co-written by Sandler this is no classic but ideal school holiday fare. The humour is a combination of sight gags and potty jokes but they keep on coming and the film never lets up the fun even in its more sombre moments. As such parents will enjoy as much as the children and the poignancy of how the generations of children have moved on as wealth and status needs have escalated are well handled and will resonate with the older generation.  All the icons of holiday season in the US are there – the lakeside retreat, water fun parks, July 4 fireworks and the total mix of characters ensures chaos reigns supreme.

A light, fun and agreeable school holiday flick with Sandler, Spade and Schneider in great form.

Kryztoff Rating  3.5K

, , ,

RAW: I Am LOve – Film – From Thursday 24th June

Jun 22nd

Posted by Peter in RAW: Film

When an industrial baron leaves the Recchi business to both his son, Tancredi (Pippo Delbono) and grandson, Edoardo (Flavio Parenti) tensions appear in this Milanese family. Edoardo is young, highly principled but somewhat naive and when he introduces his former athletic competitor, Antonio, into the house as chef, his mother, Emma (Tilda Swinton) seeks solace with him in place of Tancredi, her cold but devoted husband.

Written and directed by Luca Guadagnino, I Am Love is superbly shot with lavish sets and scenes that invoke all the wonders of enormous wealth and northern Italy. Swinton dominates the film and does a supreme job, in Italian. Her role is sure to win many prizes. Parenti is also excellent and his expose of the wealthy son wishing the best in the world and for his family is convincing.  The clash between what is meant to happen in such a family and the reality is magnificently conveyed. The musical score also adds mightily, making nuanced emotions turning points and bringing together the enormity of the film’s conclusion.

The trouble is Swinton overly dominates the picture and at times the pace drags almost to a halt when more time spent on the motivations and experiences of the very many bit characters may have been more useful (or don’t have them at all.) Her husband, a key player, is hardly known at all by the end.

A visual and emotional treat, especially for Swinton fans.

Kryztoff Rating  3.5K

, ,
BTF17

RAW: Ben Todd Album Launch of 20TEN at Wheatsheaf

Jun 21st

Posted by Peter in RAW: Music

Ben Todd’s album launch at The Wheatsheaf last week underscored what a talented musician this young man is. On a whirlwind trip home from his residency in Japan, touring with Circus de Soleil, Ben’s nine track album, 20TEN, achieves what many drummers don’t; compositions of depth and interest highlighting drum virtuosity without dominating the sound and boring everyone.

Put down in Adelaide’s Chapel Lane studios, Ben utilised the same recording crew, the Ben Todd Band, for his launch night and the playing was remarkably tight and professional. The undeniable talent shone through with Adam Page dominating on saxophone and flute, Dave Innocente working earnestly on guitar with Damien Steele Scott, Steve Todd in the darkness on percussion, Shane Ellery on keyboards and mixer and co-producer Paul White holding things together on the Hammond.

The music itself is groove jazz, the tunes eminently listenable with Ben’s drums always and superbly driving away in the background. The titles of many of pieces, as well as some of the music itself, reflect the influence and benefit of his time away in Japan and the collaboration involved in putting this together across national borders testament to the internet and modern day communications.

That Ben works with superior and older musicians and garners their support augurs well for his band’s future recordings as well as the development of Ben’s own career in the years ahead.

Kryztoff Rating  4K

, , , , , ,

RAW: Sex & Crime with Fraulein Antje – La Boheme

Jun 20th

Posted by MiriamK in Cabaret

Amongst the lush surrounds of La Boheme, the audience settled in as Chris Martin, on upright piano, played a delightfully jazzy introduction and Antje Guenther took to the stage. Guenther will be familiar to Adelaide audiences, having appeared in recent plays with State Theatre Company, but this is her inaugural solo appearance on the Adelaide Cabaret scene.

The audience was taken on a light-hearted expedition through a dozen or so songs fitting under the banner of “Sex & Crime”. These were frequently amusing, with laughs abounding during To Keep My Love Alive, I Got It From Agnes and I Hold Your Hand in Mine, while at other points they explored both the more risqué and serious sides of the theme. Adding to the variety, several of the pieces (as well as a rather amusing story explaining the birds and the bees to young children) were presented in Guenther’s native German.

The quality of the singing varied across songs. Those in the higher register, such as Die Lotusblume and Barbara Song, were more successfully produced while the lower, throatier songs tended to be a little flat. Nerves also appeared to contribute to these issues at some points. Happily, the banter between songs was pleasing and genial – an exhibition of Guenther’s acting talent – and this helped to offset the abovementioned problems. Despite its flaws, this was an agreeable, cheeky and amusing afternoon of entertainment.

 Kryztoff Rating  3K

, , , ,

RAW: The Lonely Man By Jamie Jewell – Format Space

Jun 20th

Posted by Peter in Cabaret

Jamie Jewell is extraordinary in this one-man cabaret show exploring loneliness through abandonment, unrequited love and not fitting in. The Format Space is the ideal venue for this intimate production and together this one man’s isolated yearnings, despairs and hopes draw out his audience’s empathy before its shocking conclusion.

Jewell is a highly skilled and experienced performer with a professional dance and theatre career spanning more than 20 years with credits in productions such as CATS, Moulin Rouge and Le Grand Macabre. This record shows as he most skilfully works his modest props to full effect – dice, scattered playing cards, plants in tins, stuffed toys and the like. Jamie’s singing is strong and his songs span all genres with a particular emphasis on classics – hymns of hope, then of reflected joy and finally anthems of total dismay. The performance is much enhanced by excellent use of light.

This is very different cabaret, more theatre than a jolly sing-a-long or another burlesque excess. At close quarters it makes for a memorable experience. Further shows on June 22, 24 and 26.

Kryztoff Rating  4K

, , , ,

RAW: Stevl Shefn and His Translator Fatima – La Boheme

Jun 18th

Posted by MiriamK in Cabaret

This is a comedy show with a difference – the comedian, Stevl Shefn (Steve Sheehan), never utters an understandable word for the hour he’s on stage. Instead, he interacts with the audience in two ways; via his monotone, burka-clad translator Fatima and through the inspired physical comedy present in both his and Fatima’s demeanours.

To refer to this show as “cabaret” is stretching the truth a little; though there are a few song-based interludes, I don’t know that you’d call any of them a musical number. Having said that, it does provide one of the more interesting duets you’ll come across, as well as a chance for you, the audience, to engage in a sing-a-long in a “foreign” language.

Covering subjects as wide ranging as the intricacies of thesis writing, interspecies relationships and rainbow-chasing, you never know which direction the show is going to take next. The beauty of it is in the absurd places it goes and the pace at which it does so.

The material comes close to crossing the line of decency several times but, somehow, the calm no-nonsense voice of Fatima manages to keep it on the right side (just) and make it even funnier. Stevl and Fatima have been around for a few years now, popping up during Fringe Festivals (winning this year’s Adelaide Fringe award for best comedy) and the like, and although those who have seen them before may recognise some of the jokes there is also new material to enjoy.

Kryztoff Rating  4K

, , ,

RAW: Tim Rogers – Festival Theatre

Jun 17th

Posted by Peter in Cabaret

Reviewer – Jenna Munday

Superbia, Avaritia, Luxuria, Invidia, Gula, Ira, Aceda. Or, if you don’t understand Latin- Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy and Gluttony. Yes, they’re the seven cardinal sins, or Saligia, and Tim Rogers was in town recently to explain them all.

Running for three nights as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Tim’s show Saligia captivated me for the show’s entirety. Taking us through and singing about the seven deadly sins, Roger’s had the packed out audience in awe. This man can perform. He’s charismatic and funny, making jokes about the fact that he did go to school, football teams and asking that all important question, “why did Big Star close?”

In a show put together especially for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Rogers’ seven piece band, featuring Xani Kolac, Ben Franz, Iain Grandage, Ian Kitney, Shane O’Mara and Melanie Robinson, shone. The stage was filled with candelabras giving a very European feel and humorous and quirky illustrations depicted Rogers’ punishment for committing the sins spoken of.

This show deserves to be performed outside of the three date Adelaide Cabaret Festival. I hope Mr Rogers performs it around Australia because it is a truly wonderful seventy-five minutes of art.

Kryztoff Rating   4K

, ,

RAW: Why Muriel Matters – La Boheme

Jun 17th

Posted by MiriamK in Cabaret

An interesting piece of cabaret theatre, this tells the story of local woman, Muriel Matters, who left Australia at the beginning of the twentieth century to become an actress in London. After at first progressing in this area, she finds herself drawn to the Suffragette movement, joining the campaign to win voting rights for British women.

Presented primarily as a monologue by Muriel (Teresa De Gannaro) we follow her from the streets of Adelaide to bustling London and then all around the British Isles as she takes the message to the people. The storyline is interspersed with various songs; of the time as well as new compositions by writer Sheila Duncan.

De Gannaro does well in the role, embodying Muriel with a likable enthusiasm for life and social change. Her performance is not flawless – some lines were stumbled over – but she has a fantastic singing voice and a vitality that makes up for this. Ably supporting her is Carol Young, providing piano accompaniment and pleasing harmonies in several songs. She also inhabits the other citizens in the story, moving seamlessly from one character to another.

This show is, essentially, a history lesson, but one that is pleasurable and appealing. Despite her being Adelaide born and bred and having played such an important role in history, few people will have heard of Muriel. This piece offers a brief overview of her life, which informs the audience about this remarkable woman and why she matters.

 

Kryztoff Rating  4K

, ,

RAW: Get Him To The Greek – Film

Jun 16th

Posted by Peter in RAW: Film

When plump Aaron Green (Jonah Hill), working in a struggling record company, comes up with the idea for his boss, Sergio, (Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs) of a ten year reunion concert for Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), a kind of Jim Morrison / Michael Hutchence tribute, things come together except for the fact that Aaron must get Aldous from London to New York and then Los Angeles (home of The Greek auditorium) in 72 hours.

When he arrives, he (and we all) finds Aldous has the maturity of an eight year old and the self discipline of a tearaway undergrad. From there the main threads holding this mess together are jokes centred around the mid-drift, front and back and for both genders. Sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and no shortage of vomit keep us enthralled for the next 90 minutes.

Frat boys may see this as the new Animal House. Oldies may reflect on Spinal Tap, while others still will see nothing much more than another road movie with a Vegas romps in the middle and all the production values of The Room.

But to draw comparisons with classic films like these would be odious. Undergrad males may revel in the coarseness and lack of subtlety (the language used often would make even Andrew Johns blush). Brand holds his part together well and to be sure there were some humorous things said, though most of these for me seemed to sail way over the heads of those around me at the screening who were delighting in the film generally.

This film offers little new and even less left for the imagination.

Kryztoff Rating    3.5K for Frat Boys; 1K for the rest of us

,
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »