Leigh Warren Dance. Leigh Warren Dance Studio. 16 Jul 2015
Michel Fokine choreographed iconic Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova’s signature dance The Dying Swan on her in 1905, creating choreography filled with lithe melancholic romanticism, weighed in deep aching sadness. Pavlova’s quick, sharp pirouettes, graceful wing like arch of shoulders and arms, mournful bows and dips encapsulate a beautiful creature of nature in their dying throes.
Fokine’s inspiration finds choreographer Daniel Jaber and dancer Kialea-Nadine Williams profoundly transcending the boundaries of Fokine’s choreographic intent, realising a work as equally powerful and demanding of a dancer as Fokines’ A Dying Swan.
Jaber’s creation is uniquely original from the Russian modern classic. He redirects focus of the work choreographically from a swan like woman, to a woman like swan. Jaber and Williams remain true to the innate emotional thematic thread at the heart of Fokine’s creation, even as they completely redefine its subject.
They have transferred the agonising, inescapable slow grip of death upon a beautiful living creature of nature, to that of a woman closed off, caught in the inescapable clutch of loneliness, the barriers it throws up and inevitability of death.
What a remarkable blend of power, gentleness, enlightenment and pain is A Dying Swan. Jaber’s choreography is quite deliberate in its capacity to carefully draw out a sense of a woman both recognising and fighting barriers within her as much as around her.
Fantastically, Williams gives physical expression to the gentlest of moments holding as much raw, aggressive power as they do the softest of touches.
The swan in the woman we watch turning, pushing, running, falling in injury and clutching at mirages of solace sources an unbearable sense of private pain hard to watch.
Jaber’s blend of careful, hard edged contemporary form, delicately iced with classical references is as complex and masterful as is Jason Groves’ in the round white performance space and simple sharp lighting palette, enhancing the whole. Costumier Catherine Ziersch’s simple white dress completes the production’s emphasis on less is more.
Williams’ powers of expression are pushed, as Pavlova’s were, in an extreme test of artistic prowess. A test she surpasses so greatly, that as Fokine’s A Dying Swan was Pavlova’s signature dance of her core artistic genius and sensibility of her times, so is Jaber’s A Dying Swan Williams’ very own personal signature of her power.
David O’Brien
When: 10 to 18 July
Where: Leigh Warren Dance Studio 1st Floor Lion Arts Centre
Bookings: Sold Out
Windmill Theatre and Metro Arts. Space Theatre. 11 Jul 2015
The ‘Bear Experts’ arrive to a cabaret styled performance space, with taped cardboard boxes for tables and floor cushions for seats. We have all brought our very own bear – well at least the kids have – and everyone gets in on the performance.
This well-crafted show is splendid in its simplicity. Carrying the themes of resilience, optimism, friendship and humour, it asks us to consider the important role that our teddy bears play in our lives. “They always say exactly what needs to be said…”
The show has been created by Metro Arts and is being presented by Windmill Theatre in conjunction with the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Designed as a “playful and gentle introduction to theatre for very young audiences”, the program invites the children to participate as much or a little as they are comfortable, both outwardly and inwardly. The kids can sit quietly with their families and emulate the onstage action with the security of their parents, or they are welcome to the front to virtually join the performers on stage.
Incorporating both storytelling and song, there is a section dedicated to famous bears throughout time (Winnie the Pooh features amongst others), a game of peek-a-boo which works in a clever projection, and a funny song about bottoms!
The adults and kids alike just love it. It is engaging and entertaining.
Paul Rodda
When: 7 to 19 Jul
Where: Space Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
Matt Byrne Media. The Arts Theatre. 3 Jul 2015
Lauren Potter arrives onstage in a flurry, adorned in a tailored green velvet coat with trademark parrot head umbrella and laced leather boots with a perfect turn-out. Potter’s Poppins is practically perfect in every way, and her arrival signals a significant lift in the show thus-far. She truly makes it.
Opening in Adelaide this week, it is Matt Byrne Media’s South Australian Premiere of Mary Poppins that has Potter landing at the Arts Theatre. The audience is unusually loaded with preadolescents, joining their parents and grandparents to witness the magical story which inspired theirs and the imaginations of thousands world-wide.
It’s a tough ask to recreate a story that means so much to so many. Potter makes it so. She is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and whenever she graces the stage the scenes are thoroughly ‘spit-spot’. Her excellent performance however is just not quite enough to save the show from desperately long scene changes, and a general lack of pace – particularly during the dialogue.
The remaining ensemble cast are consistent; solid performers with a few standouts amongst them. Megan Humphries’ scenes as Miss Andrew deliver the gusto the show is really craving. When Humphries performs opposite Potter the energy is electric. Penni Hamilton-Smith and Callum Piotr Byrne, as Mrs Brill and Roberson Ay respectively, create loveable characters that inject a little life and laughter. Chris Bussey’s Bird Woman performance and rendition of Feed The Birds is both poignant and heart-warming.
The Banks children, Michael and Jane, are well crafted by Sebastien Skubala and Shalani Wood. Whether working off each other, or individually these two youngsters perform with self-assurance beyond their years and truck loads of talent.
Brendan Cooney imbues Bert with cockney charisma; Ellonye Keniry’s Winifred Banks has some effecting moments; and James McCluskey-Garcia’s George Banks starts to shine in the second act when his characters stern veneer begins to crumble.
Byrne’s design goes some way to solving the complicated locations and changes required in the show, but it also hinders much of the flow. The lighting design (Mike Phillips and Ian Barge) was confusing and poorly executed; often washing out the projected backdrop; a mix of the wrong colours; cued late or altogether incorrect; and occasionally leaving performers in the dark.
The choreography, by Sue Pole, also feels short of the mark, not delivering the energy the show needs to get us bopping in our seats. There are some moments of production genius where all of the elements work in perfect harmony; the silhouetted chimney sweeps in tableau on the roof tops against the digital background for Step In Time, is a particular highlight. But these moments are few and far between, and any momentum is quickly lost by the following scene change. Gordon Combes’ musical direction has drawn the best out of his singers, and the orchestra are tight. Sue Winston and her costume team have smashed it out of the park; Winston ought to be in line for another award nomination.
Overall, it is frustratingly close as a production; one that has all the makings of a good show. If the run tightens up and the set and light cues are improved it will get there. Just prepare the kids for a late one.
These shows don’t often make it to Adelaide due to our reluctant local audiences. Support local theatre and do book a ticket.
Paul Rodda
When: 2 to 18 Jul and 23 Jul to 1 Aug
Where: The Arts Theatre and The Shedley Theatres
Bookings: mattbyrnemedia.com.au, 8262 4906 or bass.net.au
Naomi Young/Neil Gooding Productions. Something On Saturday. Piano Bar. 20 June 2015
Whilst you might not recognise her, it's very likely you've seen Naomi Young perform ALOT. This versatile artist currently has puppeteer-and-voice of Giggle and Hoot's Hootabelle at the top of her resume.
In addition to her day job as children's television royalty, Young is busy writing, recording and performing as Nay Nay, the high-energy songstress extraordinaire. Hitting the Piano Bar for Something On Saturday, her Tinkertime show entertains with songs, dancing, stories and games.
Young easily wins her young audience over with a heady mix of catchy tunes and buckets of enthusiasm. It's an interactive and tactile performance, with musical instruments, call-and-response songs, bubbles and giant "blocks". The latter bring the mini-audience alive with excitement as she builds them up, up, up and knocks them down, down, down.
With her debut album hitting the stores later this year, get ready to spend more Tinkertime with Nay Nay!
Nicole Russo
When: Closed
Where: Piano Bar
Bookings: Closed
Barry Humphries. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Festival Theatre. 20 Jun 2015
In Adelaide during the Cabaret Festival, Barry Humphries can do no wrong no matter how hard he tries.
Hence, audiences laughed and whooped approbation of Sir Les Patterson's most offensive attacks on political correctness. He pushed the proverbial envelope as far as his expelled saliva could go - which, according to the number of people who donned the supplied raincoats, was about four rows deep in the stalls.
Love Songs for Sir Les was the Humphries book-end closer of the 2015 CabFest. It had begun with Dame Edna featured in the sell-out Gala opening show.
Expectations that the love songs would be serenaded to the grotesque parody of a sozzled Ocker polly were not met. Fortunately. The torch singers took turns to own the stage, accompanied by the wonderful Adelaide Arts Orchestra. Sir Les appeared betwixt and between, doing star entrances surrounded by his dancing girls, each time attired in a different soup-stained outfit. Each appearance afforded a song and some new old shtick - priapic promotions of his "purple-headed warrior", jokes about how fat the wife, Gwen, had grown, exercises in P and F words for super spittability.
On the F word front, this was Humphries' chance to spit in the face of those early earnest declarations as CabFest artistic director that there would be no F words in his festival. On that last night, he effed his way across the stage in a contentment of expostulation, racking up enough F words to bring home the irony to even the most obtuse audience member.
She was sitting in the front row, by the way. Humphries described a woman with a face so hard you could strike a match on it. Amazing how he seems to see her in the front row of all his shows.
It was hard to tell who was the MC of the show. Ali McGregor opened the evening and came and went throughout, singing some nice but not riveting songs. Sir Les did some of the introductions and acknowledgements. But there was something missing and, in retrospect, it was Eddy Perfect. The big festival closing show needed a man in the lineup.
That is not, on that flower-bedecked stage, to cast nasturtiums at Trevor Ryan who shone above the women with the brilliant Shirley Bassey of his I'm Every Woman show. He is a national treasure.
From America, Lady Rizo gave a big-voiced Broadway touch of pizazz to the lineup, contrasted by the utter sweetness, beauty and impeccable harmony of the divine SongBirds.
Amelia Ryan looked beyond sensational in a silver lurex sheath but performed a song which was so convoluted that the audience simply lost focus. Where were you, Andy Packer? In both content and movement, she seemed in dire need of a director. But, oh, she did dress the stage well. As did the lovely dancing girls (Adelaide’s The Silhouettes) who, in one Sir Les routine, performed while eating Balfours pies and green frog cakes. Was this history being made? I have never seen dancers eating while hoofing.
Sir Les would not have been Sir Les without featuring his aphorism-ridden Too Many Poofters in the Arts song which has become a classic, nay an anthem, of political incorrectness. But, to give credit to the vile configuration of physical and intellectual repugnance which is Sir Les, he not only gets away with it, but has gays laughing in unison with homophobes. No mean feat.
Now the shows are over. Sir Les has effed off with Dame Edna and their suave alter ego.
And, the city settles down to wait on what wonders Perfect and McGregor will bring to fire up another Adelaide winter.
Samela Harris
When: Closed
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed