Adelaide Festival. Kip Williams/Sydney Theatre Company. Her Majesty’s Theatre. 4 Mar 2023
If ever a plot could thicken, it is that of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
It is a dense and convoluted plot of switching identities and drugs.
Australian new-age theatre maestro Kip Williams has taken the now classic 19th Century novella and, following the success of his extraordinary one-actor multi-media stage triumph The Picture of Dorian Gray, delivered The Strange Case as a two-actor, mega-crew, multi-screened artwork this critic dubs a stage “techtacular”.
Not only but also, as is the vogue these days, Williams has “reimagined” the intention of the author and reinterpreted the nature, not of Jekyll and Hyde, but of Jekyll/Hyde’s relationship with his/their London-lawyer friend Gabriel Utterson, who is narrator of this wild and wonderful Gothic story. As Williams extrapolates in his excellent, must-read Director’s Notes, there are some important “binaries” inherent in the Stevenson story. And, indeed, Williams works upon them in this eye-popping, eye-rolling contemporary production.
The two actors, Matthew Backer and Ewan Leslie, are consummate professionals with the sort of exquisite voices one relishes hearing in the theatre. Their skills of articulation are sorely but successfully tested by the rapid-fire delivery required to fit the Stevenson text into the constraints of production time. The audience concentrates madly to keep up.
The show is “techtacular” insofar as it is aesthetically and physically multi-layered; the actors visible, working at their craft onstage, while simultaneously live-videoed by black-clad camera operators moving around them. Their video images are delivered to the audience in black and white on a series of screens above the stage, leaving the colours of the tangible world in a muted miniature perspective below. Indeed, it is fascinating to be able to see those two realities: the filmic scene and behind the scene. It surely is wondrously clever theatre, albeit with perhaps too many screens. How did actors down on the stage climb those vivid non-existent stairs? How come there are more faces on the screens than there are on the actors onstage?
Festival audiences are swarming to witness this emergent “techtacular” theatre.
But what of the content and the intent?
Here, the critic must step back into the original intentions of a Victorian author and ponder the old-school known against the newly-assumed possibilities. It is a ripe field.
The director reiterates the word “binary” in his notes - and the Stevenson concept of Jekyll and Hyde as a schizophrenic, two-in-one, personality-disorder phenomenon sings forth as understood Freudian logic.
But, Williams suggests one can be more than two. Human nature is as chaotic as nature itself and, indeed, people keep huge parts of themselves secret. We all have multiple facets.
So it comes that Dr Jeckyll, under the influence of his chemicals, besports in the dark worlds of sleaze and night life deviation, being not the same straight man that his old friend Utterson has assumed.
And thus, with a splendour of artful inventiveness, does Williams take his audience into an otherworld of drug-fuelled psychotic and carnal passions.
From the crimes of evil Hyde, his theatrical imaginings soar to manic triumph and tragedy, all the while, on many screens, described in machine-gun torrents of dialogue by STC’s brilliant actors. Theirs are bravura performances and then some.
From the classic elegance of filmic monochrome, the rising denouement is something akin to an acid trip and the binaries take flight.
The audience either claps or gapes.
At the end of the night, the audience is satisfied that this had been a festival-worthy experience, but its members wander off contemplating where film ends and theatre begins. It is a challenging melange of genres.
Lights, cameras, action, suspense and sophisticated effects.
This show has the lot.
Samela Harris
When: 4 to 12 Mar
Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au
Adelaide Festival. Belarus Free Theatre. Dunstan Playhouse. 4 Mar 2023
Anarchic and dangerously accurate. How prescient was Alhierd Bacharevič to write Dogs of Europe in 2017 and for the Belarus Free Theatre to bravely premier their derivative play in the capital Minsk in 2020. In February 2021, the real shooting war began. The Russian attack on Kyiv poured across the Belarusian border. Dogs of Europe is banned in Belarus and its author lives in exile.
Dogs of Europe deals with personal accountability in a dystopian totalitarian state. In only four years, Bacharevič’s vision of an expanded Russian empire aligned with China – set in 2049 - became an immediate post-pandemic threat.
President Lukachenko since 1994 has steadily deteriorated democracy in Belarus and allowed his country to be fully captured in a Russian orbit. Director Nicolai Khalezin and co-director Natalia Kaliada have held political asylum in the UK since 2011. In 2007, the entire company was arrested in the middle of a performance. All the players and creatives cannot return to their homeland. From the stage, they ended the performance displaying a banner of support for Ukraine.
Early in the play, we see typically lackadaisical but patriotic students in 2019 inter their hopes in a time capsule, but thirty years later, a gigantic wall slashes across Europe between the League of European States and a New Reich (expanded Russia). 2049 is a world of political menace and suspicion of Orwellian dimensions.
Dogs of Europe is a complicated three-hour extravaganza charged with absurdity and theatrical symbolism like a Wagnerian opera. It is a physical and audial feast of unending surprises and ideas with an undertone of sly wink-nod humour. How about what looks like a naval officer representing the State when Belarus is land-locked, or a giant ball of books falling like a meteor out of the sky? Exaggerated expressions often break into choral solidarity from composer Sergej Newsky or communal choreography designed by Maria Sazonova. Nicolai Khalezin’s set design is inventively versatile with constant interaction between people, objects and sometimes crazy and discombobulating video imagery. To the Australian audience, even with the benefit of back screen translation, the details are no doubt difficult to follow. However, the company has mastered the visceral language of immediacy. They have conveyed in no uncertain terms how people feel in their environment of dysfunction and mistrust. The empathy is gut-wrenching, especially when one accepts this is happening – right now - in Russia, Belarus and elsewhere - too many elsewheres.
Still, it’s an unrelentingly trenchant and too long. A man runs nude in a circle for the entire intermission and one realises what a tough gig this theatre company must me. Nothing compared to self-banishment from your homeland. Ethereal, soaring, mood-altering vocals, string instruments and sound effects provided onstage by Balaklava Blues at times evoke heart-rending pity.
This is the theatre of hitting back and the company’s commitment to motivate their countrymen and notify the world of the immediate danger is brave and awesomely compelling. Bravo!
David Grybowski
When: 2 to 6 Mar
Where: Dunstan Playhouse – Adelaide Festival Centre
Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au
★★★1/2
Adelaide Fringe. Nineteen Ten. 4 Mar 2023
007-Licence to Thrill is a sixty minute high energy show of burlesque cabaret performers strutting their stuff to iconic sound tracks from James Bond movies. It’s not a drag show – there is no lip syncing for your life – although some members of the enthusiastic and capacity audience clearly knew most of the songs and mouthed along anyway.
Presented by Skye High Burlesque, a Perth based production company and burlesque school, the antics of the performers have almost nothing to do with James Bond, except that the chosen songs provide a framework around which to choreograph their strip tease routines and for the MC to keep us plied with interesting Bond trivia. Occasionally there is considerable effort to ‘match’ the song to the dance. For example, in their performance of No Time to Die, two dancers – a guy and a girl – are engaged in an erotic and sexy fight that leads to his watery death (yes, there’s a swimming pool!), as a sort of nod to James Bond meeting his end on an old WWII island.
No Time to Die was the only routine that included a male burlesque performer. All the others featured exotically and scantily clad women who celebrated their curves and teased, thrilled, and titillated the mixed audience as they tastefully undressed.
Diamonds are Forever, sung by Shirley Bassey, was performed in a shimmering winged cape that glistened with LED lights and shimmered in sync with Bassey’s powerful tremolo. Writing’s on the Wall was performed as a high-energy fan dance with the performer dancing on the tables amongst the audience. A titanic rendition of You Know My Name from Casino Royale, was belted out live by Adelaide performer Lady Cara.
Skye High Burlesque’s owner and director Delza Skye performed You Only Live Twice and to the theme music from On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
With the benefit of a water curtain, the The World is Not Enough was given an exciting wet treatment, and Goldfinger culminated in the performer pouring a gold coloured syrup all over her glistening body but stopping short of inviting audience members to lick her clean (though some clearly wanted to)!
The show finished with a fiery performance of Another Way To Die from Quantum of Solace. Dressed in bondage style leathers and sporting multiple body piercings and tattoos, the performer kept the audience on the edge of their seats as they were treated to a spirited dance routine that featured fire eating and breathing, and transferring flame over her body. Impressive. Exciting, and all close enough so that you could feel the heat in your loins, literally!
Great fun. Thrilling!
Kym Clayton
When: 4 to 5 Mar
Where: Nineteen Ten
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
★★★★
Adelaide Fringe. Adelaide Theatre Academy. Norwood Concert Hall 4 Mar 2023
Who knew that on a theatre-school budget, a company could turn on an extremely acceptable production of a blockbuster musical? Lucky old Fringe audiences. Using young student talent as an ensemble and some well-trained performers as the principals, along with lots of rehearsing and some really good talent in the workshop, it has a young people’s hit on its hands.
Yes, that serenaded car comes up trumps as the official star of the Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman musical inspired by Ian Fleming and, with the MGM film out there and lots of big budget theatre shows, it's a big call to compete. But compete the Adelaide Theatre Academy does and succeed they do, too, thanks to the skills of one Kim Wilson in creating that magical car itself.
The production’s other secret weapon is its well-chosen background video projections which not only put scenes into context but bring them to life. From the word “go”, they are classy, well-co-ordinated and effective.
As for the cast, director Georgia Brass has gathered some impressive seniors to carry the show and surrounded them with a bevy of beautifully-costumed and well-disciplined Theatre Bugs children.
Ethan Joy is a gentle charmer as Caractacus Potts, the eccentric inventor dad who builds that remarkable flying car. Amber Fibrosi, with a clear soprano voice, partners very nicely as Truly Scrumptious and Jayden Ayling is simply outstanding as the pukka granddad. Emma Palumbo and Jenna Saint ham it up a treat as the wicked clowns Boris and Goran - to the vast amusement of children in the audience. James Pearce and Vasileia Markou, along with Lachlan Anderson are among the many who merit mention in this joyfully ambitious show, never to forget the two youngies who are the catalyst for the plot. Elliot Purdie and Amelia Lees are most endearing in the roles of the Potts children.
Annoyingly summoned away, this critic did not see the end of the performance but praises it confidently in knowledge of the discipline, hard work, and expertise of the Adelaide Theatre Academy.
Samela Harris
When: 4 to 19 Mar
Where: Norwood Concert Hall
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
Adelaide Festival. 3 March 2023
The School of Montserrat is associated with the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat and is one of the oldest musical schools in Europe with a history going back to the 13 Century – the monastery was established in 1025. Escolania is also the appellation for the boys’ choir comprised of primary school-aged students. It’s a popular day trip from Barcelona in Catalonia to visit the abbey and the surrounding national park and mountains, and to hear the midday rendition of Salve Regina or other concert events. Indeed, the fifty boys of the Escolania – aged 9 to 14 – perform 450 times a year. All the students receive three hours of musical education every day and participate in daily prayer. Numerous graduates have become composers and performers including within the Escola Musical Monserratina.
Looking a bit bewildered, the best forty boys of the Escolania march down the central aisle and onto the stage of Adelaide Town Hall for their Australian premiere. Conductor Llorenç Castelló leads the best forty boys of the Escolania through a program of devotional music followed in the second half of the hour by whimsical Catalan folk songs, sung poems and an example of the sardana, a typical Catalan dance. The boys never seem to relax – poor things – and move uncertainly to the conductor’s ample signals for rearrangements of the choir to suit the various pieces and in the good practice of accepting the copious applause of the highly appreciative audience.
Each song was a heaven to listen to. One is caressed into meditative compliance only to be alerted as if from a dream by soaring solo sopranos ascending above the chorus. The program includes familiar work like Magnificant and Ave Maria. There is the daily-sung Salve Regina, and the concert opened with a Gregorian chant as the boys made their way to the stage. The program includes compositions and arrangements by Escolania graduates. The training and hard work of the boys and their mentors are evident in the accurate intonation, timing and sensitivity. Accompanist Mercè Sanchis mastered Town Hall’s giant organ and Steinway.
I can’t believe I’ve been to Barcelona and didn’t know about this school, so I look forward to one day visiting these mountains and monastery and once again hearing the beautiful music devotion to the Virgin Mary has inspired. Bravo!
David Grybowski
When: 3 to 5 Mar
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au