The Arch. Holden Street Theatres. 10 Feb 2015
It's the first five-star review of The Fringe.
‘Mush and Me’ hits the spot in every category - plot, players and production.
From England, it tells of a Jewish girl who falls in love with a Muslim boy. But it is no mere Romeo and Juliet story. It is a dissection of contemporary religious impasses, a study of the subtle difference between cultural practice and religious belief. One can practice a faith without necessarily believing. One can be ruled by traditions and trapped by belonging. Yet, despite seemingly implacable differences, Judaism and Islam share historic roots. Mush calls them "cousins".
The pair meets in a call centre. This scene alone is worth the price of a ticket. It is not just the phone-answering and gazing outwards through invisible monitors but also the acerbic satire on the con games of the callers. It is deliciously wrought and wickedly funny.
It is here that the first flicker of chemistry becomes apparent between the two. But it is really just too impossible. Surely. and indeed, it is fraught, driving the couple to ever-deeper debates on the merits and perils of belief and religious conventions.
They're vivid exchanges made more so by the beautiful rapport between the actors. Their performances are not just skilled and professional but also very sweetly nuanced. Both actors, Daniella Isaacs and Jaz Deol, evoke absolute credibility in their characters so, as they play out their family issues, their differences and reconciliations, the audience is softly drawn into the intricacies of their emotions. The script, which seems to have been a collaborative affair inspired by the experience of Isaacs' 102-year-old great aunt, manages to segue from satire to humour to pathos as it tells its touching story. That's why it works so well. It is neatly-honed, intellectually astute and alive with, but not vulgarised by, vernacular.
The production values are also satisfying. The set consists of an array of white crates in the sort of configuration one recalls from student flat days. Several larger white boxes serve as desks and tables in scenes which fluidly are changed by the actors in brief blackouts.
The sad thing is that the quaint, no, plain awful name of ‘Mush and Me’ gives no hint to the rich and relevant nature of this classy little show.
Samela Harris
When: 14 Feb to 15 Mar
Where: Holden Street Theatres – The Arch
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
Tea Tree Players. Tea Tree Players Theatre. 4 Feb 2015
I have lived in Adelaide - on and off - since 1982, and have been reviewing theatre for thirteen years, but I have not packed a snack and made the trip all the way up to the eucalyptus forests of Surrey Downs to see theatre, until the opening night of ‘Noises Off’. What I found was a beautifully restored old institution building made of slate lovingly converted into a quaint theatre with newly upholstered seats and freshly painted walls. I was the youngest of all the audience and I could sense the huge support for, and pride in, this theatre. And this same dedication was evident in the Tea Tree Players' successful production of ‘Noises Off’ - perhaps the most technically difficult comedy known to man.
English playwright Michael Frayn got the idea for ‘Noises Off’ while watching one of his earlier plays from the wings, and thinking, "By Jove, this is funnier from behind than in front!" In the first act, it's 1 am, and we see Otstar Productions in their final dress rehearsal of the first act of ‘Nothing On’, and not ready at all for the opening. Frayn populates the stage with eccentric theatre types in growing levels of dysfunctional relationships. In the second act of ‘Noises Off’, the first act of ‘Nothing On’ is hilariously reprised but viewed from back stage - a month into the tour and things are more tetchy. The third act - the slightly unnecessary third act - is again the first act viewed from the stalls, but ten weeks later when we see how the disintegrating relationships spill onto the stage - Frayn seems to know every actor's nightmare of things going wrong.
The challenge of the play is the split-second timing required in ever more frenetic farcical door-slamming, prop mishandling, and slapstick comedy, with actors dovetailing their stage character and their stage character's character. Director Robert Andrews has his cast operating with the precision of a military tattoo earning much laughter and continuous amusement and amazement. The crispness required in performance to make it look haphazard and breezy is not to be underestimated. Bravo!
The cast do a fantastic job. Damon Hill in a relatively minor role shows how to underplay for comic effect. Amber Platten, looking pretty comfortable in Victoria Secret, was also suitably deadpan. Adrian Heness was precious. The opening night audience witnessed some over-exaggeration amongst the others, and thank God that's over.
You couldn't pull this off without Don Stuart's super-functional set, nicely decorated by Damon Hill, that somehow got turned around in each interval. The set itself adds to the farce as Stuart squeezed all those doors next to each other and shortened the staircase to the second floor to about one metre to fit the confines of the stage.
Frayn even provides a programme for ‘Nothing On’ complete with fake biographies and much more, but Theresa Dolman (Programme) mixes up the fictional and non-fictional credits, making it hard work to get the joke. Hats off to Beth Venning (Props). Bravo!
‘Noises Off’ was a great way for me to be introduced to the Tea Tree Players. Well worth the trip.
David Grybowski
When: 4 to 21 Feb
Where: Tea Tree Players Theatre
Bookings: teatreeplayers.com
Adelaide Festival Theatre. 16 Jan 2015
For the third time in as many years, The Illusionists ‘brand’ returns to Adelaide, sporting an impressive line-up of magicians, conjurers and tricksters to dazzle and amaze Australian audiences. Sadly the reputation of a sequel has rung true with this production, and it fails to reach the same heights as its predecessors.
It is only on comparison that one would note the difference however; and many of the audience (including those who see fit to give a standing ovation on the second night) appear to enjoy the show.
The pace is slower in this production, and it is felt.
Charlie Frye, ‘The Eccentric’, is the blundering, clumsy performer who brought a vaudevillian style to the show. His tricks ranged from magic rings, to juggling just about anything and levitating a bowling ball. Whenever Frye took to the stage the energy was high.
Rick Thomas as ‘The Immortal’ uses contraptions to aid in his illusions, but is at his absolute best during a routine where he reveals dove after dove seemingly from thin air. His levitation illusion closes the show with a bang as he flies high above the stage before his assistant vanishes right before our eyes.
Armando Lucero is ‘The Maestro’ and revels in the incredibly complicated sleight of hand. Card tricks and disappearing coins abound; though it is always more spectacular when viewed in person rather than via a big screen.
‘The Showman’ and ‘The Conjuress’ are husband and wife duo Mark Kalin and Jinger Leigh. Together they partake in everything from sawing people in half to linking the jewellery of unsuspecting audience members and performing a famed ‘bullet-catch’.
‘The Daredevil’, Jonathan Goodwin turns the audience’s collective stomach with his pain endurance routines and Thommy Taen and Amelie van Tass as ‘The Clairvoyants’ do a clever mind-reading demonstration which leaves you confused, and yet still slightly underwhelmed.
Visually the show is impressive, and the costumes and sets are perfectly themed. The pace and the energy are a huge let down however, and despite a noticeable lift in the second act the show still fails to reach the heights of the first.
Paul Rodda
When: 15 to 25 Jan
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
Adelaide Festival Theatre. 2 Jan 2015
‘Thriller Live’ is a kind of concert cum juke-box musical with no plot line or real historical relevance which, despite these theatrical flaws, still manages to impress. It is the music that does the work, and that is what executive director and original creator Adrian Grant has wholly aimed for; a celebration of the music. With a less familiar artist or fewer chances for spectacular dance numbers it would be a terrific flop – and yet, ‘Thriller Live’ is not.
The show opens slowly and takes quite a while to warm up. Numbers that really get the audience going include ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Black or White’. The set is practical with a few uncomplicated levels to add interest. A flank of screens adorns the wings and upstage entrance which play colourful moving graphics to decorate the stage. The quality of the graphics is pretty low, and some of the images belong in a clip-art gallery, but for the most part the effect supplements the performances fine.
The two hour concert features many of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5’s best known hits including ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Man In The Mirror’, ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’. Tracks from the albums ‘Thriller (1982)’ and ‘Bad (1987)’ are the most popular amongst the audience, but a rousing performance of "They Don't Care About Us" from ‘HIStory (1995) and a touching version of “She’s Out Of My Life” from Off The Wall (1979) do well to showcase some earlier and much later work.
All of the performers are strong in their own right, but there are definitely standouts who rate a mention. The principal cast consists of six soloists who share the tracks throughout the performance. Alex Buchanan, hailing from Manchester in the UK, strikes the best balance of vocal and dance ability amongst the leads. Sean Christopher, also out of the UK, demonstrates outstanding physicality as he recreates many of the famous Jackson dance moves – including the ever popular moonwalk. J Rome bursts with energy and look unmistakeably like Usher from mid-way back in the auditorium and Wayne Robinson oozes class with every note he sings, filling out the bottom register with delicious dulcet tones.
The dance troop is also a force to behold and tear up the Adelaide Festival Centre stage with bucket loads of energy. Again, all give110 percent, but it is hard to take your eyes of off pocket rocket Leah Hill who hits every step as sharp as a knife; Tom Remaili who is amongst the best of the boys in the choreography; and Jessica Powell and Rose Wild whose long slender physiques mark every line with perfection.
There are a few sound issues with band levels being too high and hand mics occasionally too heavy on the bass. All said and done however ‘Thriller Live’ gives a real insight into what it might have been like to experience a live performance from the man himself.
Musical theatre aficionados might leave wondering what they just saw, but Jackson fans are unlikely to be disappointed.
Paul Rodda
When: 30 Dec to 11 Jan
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
Image Gallery
Retrospect Arts. The Bakehouse Theatre. 17 Dec 2014
Philip Zachariah has been performing his one-hander ‘A Christmas Carol’ around Australia for several years now. The work - one of Charles Dickens's most popular - was written in 1843, and it has never been out of print. Reaching the stage the following year, Dickens himself publicly read an abbreviated version of his novella over a hundred times, and this show, I'm sure, is an enlivened re-enactment of the same.
For those who have missed this important part of Christmas all their lives, the pejorative "Scrooge," "Bah, humbug!", Tiny Tim, and the film, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, all originate from this tender tale of redemption. The miserly and miserable Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas, until he is visited on Christmas Eve by ghosts that convince him otherwise. The famous 1951 film, staring Alastair Sim, was obligatory viewing on Christmas Eve in the Grybowski household in Canada, and unfortunately saved us the trouble of reading the book.
Zachariah, resplendent and startling in period formal attire and beard, would be at home in a Chekhov play or a Dostoevsky novel. He vividly and energetically portrayed all the characters with sharp distinction and individualised expression. Alongside conveying many heartfelt moments and humorous situations and vignettes, Zachariah resorts to dance and often demonstrates a surprising physical capacity in his aged protagonist.
However, I think Dickens's diction could have been delivered with more clarity. Scrooge was rendered as a small, withered man, tight as a dried prune, and this often resulted in a choked vocalisation, culminating when Scrooge was giddy with Christmas, but expressed with a forced and annoying laughter. Perhaps director James Adler, uncredited in the program, should have another listen.
You have only one more night to succumb to Zachariah's enchanting performance. Scrooge's transformation to generosity and love puts the awe back into Christmas, and Zachariah leads the way.
David Grybowski
When: 17 to 18 Dec
Where: The Bakehouse Theatre
Bookings: Closed