Adelaide Cabaret Festival. The Banquet Room. Festival Theatre. 14 June 2014
Picture Perfect is a relatively new song cycle written by New York Composer Scott Evan Davis that explores, through song, the real life moments “either side of the perfectly composed family portrait”.
The production draws on original material in Davis’s debut album ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ and is in the thick of its developmental stages, growing from a concert to a stage review and now transforming into a song cycle. As an evolving work it is incredibly difficult to review, so I’m going to try and only make observations through a mixture of ordered thoughts and feelings about what I saw.
Thematically the show still feels a little raw, but all of the ingredients in this production seem just right. Individually the songs evoke powerful emotions, each connecting in different ways for different people. Musically the production is incredibly complex; undergoing multiple key changes from song to song - perhaps a symptom of the songs not originally being written with the whole in mind, but certainly contributing to the not-so ‘picture perfect’ feel of the piece.
Narratively speaking the cycle loosely begins with the early stages of relationships and progresses through to parenthood and family. Emotionally the focus is quite heavy; predominantly targeting the most challenging and life changing moments of the panoply of characters. As the characters suffered in their own personal emotional turmoil, the audience are taken on a sad, occasionally depressing rollercoaster, with only a few moments of light heartedness or comedy for relief.
The work is perfectly pitched for cabaret, and a better genre could not be imagined for such a show. Director, David Lampard, in conjunction with the Independent Arts Foundation has made this work possible, but the tight rehearsal timeline has clearly made mounting the show challenging. The whole cast and production team should be commended for bringing it together as quickly as they have.
Boasting some of Adelaide’s, and Australia’s, most well-known performers the show was in very safe hands. The production starred David Harris, Johanna Allen, Amity Dry, Naomi Eyers and Paul Talbot. The standout numbers in the show included the opening track ‘Cautiously Optimistic’, which featured all five performers and was a little tongue in cheek, ‘Walk A Little Slower’ sung by Naomi Eyres and Paul Talbot was very touching, the ensemble piece ‘Everyone Has A Vice’, which succeeded in lightening the mood of the heavy-going first half, Johanna Allen’s ‘He’s Perfect’ which was delightfully cheeky, ‘Someone Elses Eyes’ on which David Harris’s vocals were given the chance to absolutely soar, and ‘I Can Be’ where Amity Dry sang beautifully from the heart.
Composer and Lyricist, Scott Evan Davis, takes on the role of Musical Director and Pianist in the production and plays beautifully against the mellowed tones of the Cello, superbly played by James Clark. Davis’s writing talents are indisputable, even reminiscent of Jason Robert Brown. I think some inspired direction that compliments the lyric, and even slight reordering of the numbers, could help to focus the big picture themes in the production. One to watch and one I would love to see again with a few more years and incarnations under its belt.
Paul Rodda
When: 14 to 15 Jun
Where: The Banquet Room
Bookings: adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au
Blake Bowden & Phil Scott. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Festival Theatre. 14 Jun 2014
Phil Scott is the critic's dream. He does the job for us by reviewing his own show during its performance.
He rightly says that the show takes liberties and that Blake Bowden's beautiful tenor voice is still not Mario Lanza. He also says that the "old bloke" is lousy, which is not right.
The "old bloke" is one of Australia's cultural treasures and, if he knows piano and satire, he also knows how to craft a show.
The Mario Lanza bio show is a very neat piece of work.
Written with a light hand, it traces the singer's life from teen bloom, through Tanglewood tuition, a stint in the army and into the realms of MGM and doomed stardom. Lanza died at only 38 and, until today, the cause remains disputed. His rapid weight gain and loss was doubtless a factor and it is a phenomenon well played out in this lively hour-long production directed by Eamon Flack. That there may also have been a link with the Mafia is too juicy a suspicious to ignore, so it is in there, too.
The narrative is delivered by Lanza in exchanges with the main influences in his life, a panoply of characters all played by Scott who does quick changes in the half light of a smoky cabaret stage. In assorted garb, he also is the accompanist.
It is not a conventional bio show. It is more of a double act, since despite his clear artistic generosity, Scott is still a star in his own right. He does accents and amusing cameos, and lifts the entertainment value with some virtuoso piano business - so much so that one is tempted to wild imaginings of Liberace accompanying Lanza.
Bowden's voice is young and clean and pure and beautiful. He's a sweet tenor. He looks nothing like the late Italian he's embodying but he has the acting skill and Scott-driven chutzpa to convince the audience that it must be so.
And then there are the songs - the old hits and movie songs of the Lanza era. Nostalgia reigns.
It's a fine confection of musical history.
Samela Harris
When: 14 & 15 June
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au
Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Her Majesty’s Theatre. 11 June 2014
‘Little Bird’ is a State Theatre production in association with the Adelaide Festival Centre and co-presented by the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. It is a new solo performance work and features the inimitable Paul Capsis, who is the perfect choice for the show.
The creative team includes the likes of Geordie Brookman (Director), Nicki Bloom (Playwright), Cameron Goodall (Composer), Quentin Grant (Composer/MD) and Geoff Cobham (Set & Lighting Designer). They are all celebrated award winners with impressive CVs and, with the support of other talented and well credentialed musicians, choreographers and sound designers one would expect a quality result.
The show looked striking: the set and the lighting were stunning, with surprise after surprise. The original songs were delivered with the usual style and idiosyncratic bravura that is the trademark of Capsis. The original music was masterfully performed by Belinda Gehlert (violin), Harley Gray (double bass), Jonathan Sickerdick (percussion) and Dylan Woolcock (guitar). And so on. All the production elements were as good as the State Theatre has ever managed. However, take all this away and what you are left with is the bare text, the story, the raw material with which the company must deal with, and unfortunately it is not robust stuff, and the show ultimately suffers because of it. The production elements needed to be first rate, and it needed someone like Capsis, otherwise the whole thing would have been tedious and trifling.
‘Little Bird’ is the story of Wren, a young boy, who is born to doting parents whose marriage ultimately breaks down leaving Wren in the care of his father. Eventually tiring of a sheltered and isolated existence, Wren leaves home and sets out into the wide world to discover himself. He falls in love, marries, and falls out of love. He makes the acquaintance of a cross-dressing ex-woodcutter (and this is where the narrative really takes a turn for the worst – surely Monty Python have said all that needs to be said on that subject!), and eventually the circle of life returns him back to where he started. It’s a story of self-discovery and it has been told many times in many different guises, and probably doesn’t need to be told again. Indeed, Bloom’s text offers us nothing new, and one member of the audience was heard to mutter ‘derivative’ as she left after the final curtain went down.
But, such misgivings aside, the production is strangely appealing. It was so easy to get lost in Capsis’ artistry, and the music, and the lighting, and the magical forest that appears on stage, and the house that deconstructs itself. It draws you in, and shuts the real world out for an hour, which feels longer, and the audience were demonstrably appreciative.
Kym Clayton
When: 6 to 22 Jun
Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
Adeladie Cabaret Festival. The Space Theatre. 8 June 2014
Take ten of the world’s most fabulous divas who were strutting their stupendous stuff in the 1960s – including Shirley Bassey, Eartha Kitt, Nina Simon, Dusty Springfield and Judy Garland – and link them all with a highly improbable, tongue firmly in cheek and highly amusing narrative and you have Sven Ratzke’s cabaret tour-de-force ‘Diva Diva’s’.
What is a diva anyway? According to Ratzke a prima donna complains when the champagne is too cold or too warm, whereas a diva squeals approval that champagne is on offer but announces in grand style she will return when the temperature is ‘just right’! Such is Ratzke’s off beat humour which infuses the show and has the audience howling with laughter.
Ratzke is a consummate entertainer from the moment he pokes a white satined leg through a split in the curtain announcing his imminent arrival, to the final ecstatic note of his last encore as he peremptorily leaves the stage and whisks his long-time collaborator, music director and talented jazz pianist Charly Zastrau away with him.
His costume was almost an homage to Liberace, and his diamante studded shirt just shouted at you that he would at some point belt out ‘Diamonds are Forever’ made famous by Bassey, which of course he did, and it was impressive. Ratzke has a strong melodic voice and his register comfortably sits in the upper baritone range. However, he can go as low and as gravelly as you like, and it’s almost unsettling – the stuff of horror movies! He is almost a Foley artist as well, creating many amusing vocal sound effects to embellish his storytelling.
Ratzke’s version of Dusty Springfield’s 1968 classic ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ was outstanding story telling. His reading of Judy Garland’s classic song ‘Over the Rainbow’ was less satisfying. It is essentially a song of innocence and should not have its chordal and interval structures put to the sword! The highlight was an impassioned rendition of ‘The Windmills of Your Mind’, which he sang in several languages, including the original French, amply demonstrating his versatility and internationalism.
‘Diva Diva’s’ is true and first-rate cabaret, and Ratzke is arguably first amongst equals in this year’s outstanding festival line-up.
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: Space Theatre
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Festival Theatre. 7 June 2014
For one night only, Michael Falzon, Matt Lee, Luke Kennedy and Ben Mingay transformed the Adelaide Festival Theatre into a swinging 60s boys club. Their soundtrack was resplendent with samplings from Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra, Irving Berlin and Oasis (yes you read that correctly!). It wasn’t just classic swing that made it into the packed two hour set. We were treated to ‘swingified’ versions of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’, ‘Tainted Love’ sung beautifully by Kate Ceberano, ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis, and ‘New Sensation’ by INXS.
All of the staples where there; Sinatra’s ‘One More For My Baby’, ‘It Had To Be You’, ‘Me And My Shadow’ and ‘Night And Day’, Sammy Davis Jr’s ‘Mr Bojangles’, Ray Charles’ ‘Hit The Road Jack’, Bobby Darin’s ‘Mack The Knife’ and Cab Calloway’s ‘Minnie The Moocher’ to name a few.
The show started out sounding like a live performance of Robbie Williams’ 2001 album release ‘Swing When You’re Winning’ and youngster, Luke Kennedy, joked that Williams was the originator of many of the songs they sang!
But, it was the onstage banter between the boys that really gave the show some personality. Ribbing and heckling each other during numbers, they each took on respective roles as the bad boy, comedian, dancer and newbie, and filled the stage with a feeling of fun and camaraderie that translated beautifully onto the audience.
The not-so-surprising arrival of Kate Ceberano for ‘guest spot’ was fun, and gave the boys somewhere to focus their youthful energy. Highlights of the night included the three, totally unplanned(!), encores, Matt Lee’s solo tap routine as he sang Mr Bojangles, and every time the four talented artists came together in harmony practically lifting the roof off the theatre.
The 18 piece Adelaide Art Orchestra were perfectly on song and the show was just plain good fun! With a bar onstage for the boys and wine and beer enjoyed throughout the auditorium the evening felt intimate and personal despite the enormity of the theatre. Bravo!
When: Closed
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed
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