Feast Festival. Nexus Cabaret. 16 Nov 2014
Bling go the strings of my heart.
It's Willsy, bedazzling in the ultimate be-spangled garb, the human mirror ball of Feast Festival 2014.
Anne Wills is out of retirement and, with Peter Goers as director, host and compere, she has emerged as the new queen of the gay night. She's had so many husbands, she's settled for gay men as the companionship of a sensible life, she declares. And she has claimed Goers as father of the grown child of her senior years, the divine Matt Gilbertson.
Matt is a gay icon at one end of the Adelaide spectrum and Willsy at the other. With the wit and wisdom of Goers, radio icon of the Naughties, this show is the almost too hot to handle. But wait, there's more. Sister Susan sparkles out to trill as the girls did in Vietnam and then, none other than Mark Trevorrow, Bob Down's alter ego, who left Mr Kitsch at home to do a showman's tribute to Willsy. Consummate performer that he is. And the show's nothing less than an icon overdose.
The hour opens with a comfortable interview routine, Goers prompting Willsy to tell stories of her career. Goers warns that Willsy is a funny girl and Willsy confirms it with a torrent of self-derogatory tales of weather girl experiences in the wild old days of nascent TV not to mention adventures with assorted superstars - Michael Parkinson and William Shatner most famously among them.
Willsy makes her own costumes, which explains the uber-bling and she wears shimmering follow-me-home shoes which, she says, are sitting shoes, absolutely not meant for walking. She has them off before the show is over.
The audience is in seventh heaven. They're mainly Boomers, just like Willsy. Love is in the air.
Then the faux love child swans out. The vastly tall and utterly adorable Matt Gilbertson has left his fish-netted performance persona, Hans the German, on some cabaret catwalk to be the other Matt, the talented pianist. He sings as he accompanies, duets of love with his ersatz stage mum.
Lightning on-stage costume change. A Feast show needs feathers. Willsy flutters coquettishly in a sparkling fluffy confection of a coat and is joined by sister Susan, who emerges in twin garb and flouting a scrap of material which was what passed for a frock back in the mini-dress 60s. The audience is right there on the nostalgia ride. The sisters, looking more and more like their late mum, Queenie, sing a couple of sentimental songs to show they still have the 70s "it".
Mark Trevorrow bounds forth as the climactic act. Willsy, of latter years, has done guest spots on his Bob Down stage shows and he's reciprocating. He's got all the moves. He's stand-out showbiz - capping a fantastic cast. They partner expertly
At show's end, Goers has morphed into Barry Humphries mode, funny and long-suffering amid a song-and-dance grand finale lineup of ebullient good spirit. Retro reigns in all its glory - and then Gilbertson twerks Goers.
Samela Harris
When: 16 and 19 Nov
Where: Nexus Cabaret
Bookings: feast.org.au
Independent Theatre. Odeon Theatre. 14 Nov 2014
This show is a treat, a piece of rivetingly good story-telling.
It is unbelievably tense and suspenseful, superbly acted and directed.
For two hours, it keeps its audience members in rapt attention.
Time becomes immaterial. Interval, coming at a cliffhanger moment, is unbearable. Then again, perhaps one needs a drink.
Certainly the characters do. Their sleep has been broken at 4am by unnerving drama.
It's all pretty breath-taking stuff and this is a credit to Rob Croser's seasoned direction and his astute choice of cast.
The play, lushly written by Alexi Kaye Campbell, is set in Yorkshire in 1937 in a grand but decaying country house occupied by Harold Pritchard, a ruthless mining magnate, impeccably played by Brant Eustice, and his wan wife Elizabeth, still racked by grief at the death of their 12-year-old son a decade ago. Alicia Zorkovic plays this stricken soul with a conviction which ends up searing into the heart. The couple is attended by just one servant, the very busy and capable Eileen who is embodied by a singularly assured and able year 11 student called Heather McNab - definitely a young actress to watch.
Action takes place in the plush old living room with its grand staircase and high crimson-curtained windows. Rob Croser and David Roach's set design is on an imposing scale which creates a dense sense of intimacy in the old Odeon Theatre. A fire crackles in a hidden hearth. A storm rages unstoppably outside, flares of lightning occasionally flashing through the window. The sound is beautifully balanced - prevailing while never dampening dialogue.
Out of the stormy night comes the mining operations man, John Bailey, to make a desperate pitch to save the jobs of 140 of Pritchard's mine workers. Angus Henderson delivers this brave working man with great feeling - the passionate and evocative words of the playwright pulling powerfully on the heartstrings.
Pritchard, in an oversize red smoking jacket but, annoyingly, minus the smoking which would have been very much part of his era, pours himself a drink, hears the man out, and is unmoved. New machines, progress and profit are his business plan. And he has houseguests, old friends from London.
Enter the Avery family. Michael Eustice as Geoffrey, ebullient and immediately likeable. Lyn Wilson, plays his sweet, outgoing wife and it is a performance of power and beauty. She's a beautifully nuanced actress.
Their son, Terence, is a languid and smooth-talking Oxford dropout, a would-be writer who has been exploring the Greece and the classics. He and the Pritchard's dead son, Edgar, were best friends in a childhood he is soon recalling as he visits the house for the first time since his playmate's tragic fate on Bracken Moor.
Will Cox is exquisitely effete as this decadent and opinionated young man and, as the plot evolves, his athleticism and dramatic skills deliver a performance of immense excitement. Complemented by the attendant focus and intensity of the other cast members, some unforgettably gripping scenes are achieved.
David Roach plays Dr Gibbons. Roach is an accomplished actor one loves to watch, but here his character is really just a plot device. He is crucial to the chemistry of the play, but the audience must suspend disbelief. Called to the house at 4am, this funny old doctor casually tells his patient he will be with him later, and lingers in the living room to engage in story-telling.
Sometimes making the hair stand on end or having one jumping in the seat, sometimes to shed a tear, this play makes for a thrilling ride. It delves into some truly terrifying territory. But it also is a well-written think-piece, a morality tale of sorts, which tackles issues of grief and guilt, of workers' solidarity and corporate greed, of war profiteering, of human compassion, of altruism, justice and redemption.
Leave Midsomer Murders and Poirot and catch this night of satisfying suspense in the real live theatre. You won't be sorry,
When: 14 to 22 Nov
Where: Odeon Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
The Hills Musical Theatre Company. Stirling Theatre. 7 Nov 2014
Legally Blonde the musical tells the story of Elle Woods, a Delta Nu sorority girl who unexpectedly enrols at Harvard Law School to follow the love of her life, Warner. Based on the novel ‘Legally Blonde’ and 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, the themes explored include self-belief, integrity, stereotyping and honesty.
The musical doesn’t quite have the same poignancy as the film, but it is so much fun to watch, and in the hands of David Sinclair (Direction), Mark DeLaine (Musical Direction) and Linda Williams (Choreography) The Hills Musical Theatre Company’s production is a winner. Sinclair has assembled an outstanding cast; the whole ensemble shines.
Williams’ choreography and the player’s execution is a particular highlight of this production. With everything from Irish dancing to an athletic skipping routine the whole cast relishes every step and takes maximum advantage of the small Stirling Theatre stage. The set, designed by Sinclair, is remarkably simple despite its technical complexity. The entire stage cyclorama has been clad with plasma screens to create a multimedia wall which offers up both locations and video interludes to string the scenes together. The effect is brilliant and, when supplemented with simple, uncluttered furniture, really delivers.
Mark Oakley’s lighting design is slick and bright. The far sides of the stage are occasionally in the dark leaving a few faces under-lit. The scrim, energetically drawn back and forward all night long, is slightly too transparent but otherwise very successful during quick scene changes. Costuming by Sue Winston and Michelle Davy is extraordinary and easily the most successful production element, transforming and transporting individual characters and the whole show into the American University cum cheerleading stereotype.
The orchestra plays soundly with direction from DeLaine, though my key disappointment was the sound mix and levels which left many of the song lyrics (sung at speed) inaudible. These improved in the second half, but the lead players are particularly difficult to understand when accompanied by the chorus.
All of the players excel and it is difficult to single anyone out, but the leads are deserving of a mention; Tegan Gully as Elle, Brady Lloyd as Emmett, Fiona DeLaine as Paulette, Matt Prime as Warner, Rebecca Raymond as Vivienne, Nicholas Bishop as Professor Callahan and Shenayde Wilkinson-Sarti as Brooke Wyndham.
The popularity of the show has seen the entire season (bar about 3 tickets) sell prior to opening, so if you are not booked you may have missed out this time. With a few tweaks to the sound levels this production will go down as one of the best for 2014.
Paul Rodda
When: 7 to 22 Nov
Where: Stirling Community Theatre
Bookings: SOLD OUT
Marie Clark Musical Theatre. Goodwood Institute. 31 Oct 2014
I had a very happy Halloween at the South Australian premiere opening of funny man Mel Brooks's comic musical masterpiece, ‘Young Frankenstein’. ‘Young Frankenstein’ played for over a year on Broadway around 2008, not long after his other comic musical masterpiece, ‘The Producers’. Both were popular films before stage hits.
Young New York brain surgeon Dr Frankenstein (say Frank-en-steen) sojourns to Transylvania merely to receive the estate of the late Dr Frankenstein - the one from the 1931 movie. Instead, he is enchanted and encouraged by Igor (say eye-gore) and Inga - the comely country girl cum lab assistant (Is that what you call it these days?) to continue his grandfather's work of monster-making in the old lab. The chorus of local yokels are endlessly fascinated and fascinating.
Director Brian Godfrey, musical director Ben Stefanoff and choreographer Rachel Dow are so simpatico with Mel Brooks' shtick that you couldn't tell where the writing genius ended and the production expertise began. Chris Daniels as the transplanted Frankenstein was absolutely delightful - he danced and sang the storyline and charmed his way through his every scene, which was nearly every scene. One look at Kristin Stefanoff as Inga in her cute little milk maid dress was enough to bring out the monster in me. Her numbers and nuances were fully professional. Katharine Chase accomplished the bitch of a role as the shallow fiancé through which Brooks mirrored the excesses of Manhattan. Shay Aitken made the monster come alive, finding the right balance between malice and cute. The ‘Puttin' On The Ritz’ number was a real boot scooter thanks to his monster's mal-footedness. Penni Hamilton-Smith landed a role that is totally aligned with her signature vocality and stage presence. Her solo number was an absolute hoot. Igor got the Anton Schrama treatment of complete head-to-toe transformation in a perfect blend of expectations and surprises. Schrama has a unique virtuosity comprising emotional sensitivity and theatrical craft that I can only marvel at. Bravo!
The creative triumvirate of Godfrey, Stefanoff and Dow led the chorus into wow territory for business, song and dance. Lighting designer Rodney Bates supplied watts needed except he did not oblige with the obligatory lightning and sparks that many expect to accompany the animation of the monster. Not enough noise either in my view. And the costumes? Not only was Renee Brice busy with the Singers, and in procuring and coordinating, but her movie quality make-up for the monster was magnifico. Bravo!
What's not to like about this show? From the opening number to the closing reprise, I was laughing when I didn't have a smile on my face. It was eye candy to watch, melodious to listen to, and multi-layered in comedy. Bravo!
David Grybowski
When: 31 Oct to 8 Nov
Where: The Goodwood Institute
Bookings: trybooking.com
State Opera of South Australia. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 28 Oct 2014
Verdi’s penultimate opera Otello is based on Shakespeare’s famous play The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. I won’t dwell on the plot – one can easily resort to Google if needed – except to say that Otello is a successful general who runs foul of Iago, his ensign, by promoting someone else (Cassio) above him. From then on Iago manipulates those around him to cause Otello’s downfall in spectacular fashion. Otello murders Desdemona, his wife, because he has been duped into mistakenly believing she has committed adultery with Cassio. When he realises Iago has manipulated him, Otello commits suicide.
Verdi ignores Act 1 of the play – well at least his librettist does – and other scenes are abbreviated, but the key theme of racism is not omitted. Otello is a Moor, but director Simon Phillips has taken the decision not to have the artist playing the role wear at least a swarthy complexion. This choice immediately eliminates the possibility that Iago’s hatred of Otello is racially motivated, at least in part, but it also (thankfully) removes the obvious and somewhat cliché (offensive?) imagery of good versus evil with a ‘black’ Otello and a ‘white’ Desdemona.
In his director’s note, Simon Phillips opines that Verdi’s opera Otello “surpasses its source”. This statement probably waves a red rag to a bullish Shakespeare devotee, but even if it was true, Phillip’s production has one major flaw – he locates it in present time and sets it entirely in the confines of a lower deck on an aircraft carrier. There are two aspects of the plot that do not translate well into such a time and setting: a lost handkerchief being proof-conclusive of Desdemona’s infidelity just doesn’t wash; and Otello’s cruel and humiliating treatment of Desdemona in full view of a prestigious military assembly is simply unbelievable. A different setting in a past era avoids such anachronistic absurdities. But, some aspects of the setting did work extremely well, such as the closed-circuit TV monitors that allowed Iago to spy unseen on others around him.
However this is grand opera and belief is to be suspended after all, so perhaps such things don’t really matter - but I think for many of the audience they did.
Together Bradley Daley (as Otello) and Miriam Gordon-Stewart (Desdemona) lacked chemistry in their love scene, ‘Gia nella note densa’, but individually they excelled. Daley’s aria of vengeance, ‘Si pel ciel marmoreo giuro’ was chilling, and Gordon-Stewart’s ‘willow song’ in the final Act, as she recollects a sad story about one her maids, was a high point of the production. Douglas McNicol played Iago with extreme cynicism and brooding hatred. His ‘Credi in un Dio crudel’ (I believe in a cruel God) was sung with authority and total believability (he deserved his copious ‘boos’ and jeers from the audience in the curtain calls!). Catriona Barr was excellent as Emilia, Pelham Andrews was resonant and commanding as Lodovico, and Jason Wasley (Roderigo), Thomas Millhouse (Montano) and Jeremy Tatchell (Herald) convincingly rounded out the minor principals.
The pleasant surprise of the night was Bernard Hull’s inspired performance as Cassio. He has never sounded or looked so confidant and at ease on the SASO stage. Bravo!
Brad Cohen extracted the very best from the mighty Adelaide Symphony and the superb SASO Chorus.
Kym Clayton
When: 25 Oct to 1 Nov
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au