Cameron Mackintosh in association with GWB Entertainment. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 5 Jan 2024
It is a visually spectacular depiction of Saigon we are met with as the curtain rises at the Adelaide Festival Theatre, we are not merely witnessing another performance of Miss Saigon, but rather an evocative reminder of the profound impacts of war on human lives. This production, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, delves into the heartrending realities faced by those caught in the crossfire of battle.
Deeply rooted in the horrors of conflict, the foundation of the story poignantly addresses the profound and lasting effects of war, focussing on the turmoil and moral dilemmas of the show’s protagonists, Kim and Chris. Particularly heart-wrenching is the plight of the half-Vietnamese, half-American children, often referred to as 'bui doi' or 'dust of life' they were born of the ‘relationships’ between Vietnamese women and American soldiers. Abandoned and ostracised, these children symbolise the long-lasting scars of war, embodying a generation born from turmoil and left to navigate a world that views them through a lens of prejudice and hardship. Miss Saigon lends a voice to their often overlooked and long forgotten stories, with a particular focus on the child born to Kim and Chris, a living symbol of fractured worlds, broken promises, and the lasting human cost of war.
In the role of Kim, Abigail Adriano not only captures the essence of a young woman caught in the unforgiving tide of war but also showcases an exceptional vocal prowess that is a cornerstone of this production. Her portrayal of Kim's evolution, from innocence to confronting her grim reality, is equal parts moving and profound. Adriano's voice, commanding in both the upper and lower ends of her register, brings a nuance to Kim that reflects the varying shades of her emotional journey. Whether in moments of tender vulnerability or passionate outcry, her voice resonates with a power that captivates the audience. Adriano's embodiment of a mother's love and a woman's desperation against insurmountable odds is not just seen but felt. Brava! On opening night, Kim’s son Tam is played with bravery and grace by Michael Nguyen Chang.
Nigel Huckle's portrayal of Chris masterfully captures his character's internal conflicts. His performance underscores the emotional and psychological toll of combat and brings to life the struggle between duty and personal morality. Huckle's exquisite operatic tones deftly navigate the score's intricacies, even in its more formulaic moments. An exceptionally skilled actor to boot, Huckle's chemistry with Adriano is electrifying. Their dynamic pairing creating a palpable connection that forms the backbone of the story's tragic love narrative.
Seann Miley Moore embodies the complex, morally ambiguous, and pivotal character, The Engineer. Moore's performance is a compelling exploration of human nature's duality, masterfully navigating the chaos of war with a perfect blend of cunning and charisma. Moore's portrayal is a tour de force! Described in their bio as "an embodiment of queer Asian excellence," never a truer word was written. Moore 's performance of The Engineer stands out as the most exceptional one has seen. They completely make the role their own, skilfully combining the character's humour, sensitivity, and self-loathing with aplomb.
The supporting lead characters of John, played by Lewis Francis, Thuy, played by Laurence Mossman, Ellen, played by Kerrie Anne Greenland, and Gigi, played by Kimberley Hodgson all offer exceptional support and round out the talented cast with individually solid performances. The opening act 2 number Bui Doi, led by Huckle with Laurence Mossman and the male ensemble is a vocal highlight of the production.
The ensemble's performance also resonates deeply, capturing the narrative's intense emotional subject. Their vivid depiction of the streets of Vietnam embody the vibrant yet scarred spirit of the Vietnamese people. This production doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of its setting either. It features scenes of overt sexual acts and extreme violence performed with a raw honesty that adds an unmistakable layer of authenticity to the brutal reality.
The set design by Matt Kinley and Totie Driver, enhanced by Associate Set Designer David Harris, significantly elevates this production. The versatile, multi-tiered set facilitates smooth transitions across various scenes. A highlight is the evacuation scene in Kim’s Nightmare (Fall of Saigon 1975), where mobile embassy fencing is employed to effectively convey the chaos and urgency with stunning choreography (Richard Jones). The helicopter is particularly remarkable, as a full-scale chopper dominates the stage, creating a breathtaking spectacle. This scene reaches its climax as the helicopter dramatically takes off with principal cast members hanging from its sides, a powerful visual that captivates the audience and combines the best of lighting, sound, production, and performance. Despite these strengths, Bruno Poet's lighting, while intending to be mood-setting, is occasionally overly dark, at times obscuring the finer details of the performance and affecting the visual storytelling's clarity. The orchestra, under the Musical Direction and Batton of Geoffrey Castles is exceptional.
The direction of this production, by Laurence Connor, cleverly intertwines the spectacle with intimate storytelling, ensuring that important messages are not lost. This production of Miss Saigon is a stirring testament to the cast and creatives. It invites the audience to reflect on the less visible casualties of war, at one point through a stirring projection of the faces of some of the 'bui doi' (projection by Luke Halls). Miss Saigon has always been a slower burn than its contemporaries, however this is a production that will not only resonate with the audience but also challenge them to confront the uncomfortable truths about war and its aftermath.
Paul Rodda
When: 2 to 28 Jan
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: ticketek.com.au
State Theatre Company South Australia with Caitlin Ellen Moore and Tim Overton. Slingsby’s Hall of Possibility. 29 Nov 2023
Director Tim Overton says Sarah Ruhl’s play, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, is about connection, but there is a behemothly blaring disconnection to start the whole thing off. Dead Man’s Cell Phone is an early career hit for the American playwright in 2007, and still somehow her nominations for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (twice) and a Tony Award for best play have not brought her the gong, and judging by this little gem, that’s a shame.
Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Thought I’d just say it again because it has a great ring to it. We are all now familiar with the possibility of a grotesque afterlife on social media. Back in 2007, though, Sarah was musing about disembodied voices on mobile devices that are sourced from anywhere, or maybe nowhere - different to the known location of a stationary voice at the end of a hard-wired telephone.
It would lessen your experience of this remarkable production by giving too much away except, yes, literally, it has a lot to do with a dead man’s cell phone. The elements of discovery and surprise, the transposition of time and place, and the mix of the seemingly normal and something besides that are in the script have been amplified by terrifically disconcerting performances. As well as theatrical movement directed by Overton and choreographer Zoë Dunwoodie, stark lighting by Vanessa van de Weyer, Wendy Todd’s ever-shifting set, and composer Dave McEvoy’s live music and sound effects integrated into the performance – all this provides the surrealism and bizarre surprises found in a David Lynch film.
James Smith’s virtuosity stunned me in Theatre Republic’s How Not To Make It In America in 2021, and that consummate capacity is again on display here. His masterful movement and voice versatility are fun and awesome. He is the dead man and his bro. Bravo! Annabel Matheson as Jean grips our hand as she takes us along on her surreal sojourn. From the time she answers the dead man’s phone, her naïve duplicity leads us down the rabbit hole into the Alice’s Wonderland-like unreality of the dead man’s life. It’s difficult for us to shake away Shabana Azeez’s exotic character when she’s supposed to be a disappointed and rather ordinary housewife; it is the former where she is supremely successful. Continuing the Alice in Wonderland metaphor, stalwart performer Carmel Johnson is The Queen but doesn’t reach the required authenticity.
In the end, white lies can make a difference and a peripatetic love story conquers all. Dead Man’s Cell Phone (I love this title) is a lively evening of munificent magic and discombobulating delectation. Bravo!
David Grybowski
When: 29 Nov to 10 Dec
Where: Slingsby’s Hall of Possibility
Bookings: events.humantix.com
State Opera South Australia. Her Majesty’s Theatre. 16 Nov 2023
First-time main stage director Nicholas Cannon and State Opera South Australia have nailed it! Their production of Mozart’s much-loved (and much performed) opera The Marriage of Figaro is just wonderful. It deserves to be playing to full houses, and especially to anyone who thinks that grand opera is stuffy, elitist, or inaccessible. This production is none of those things. It has everything: fine singing, splendid sets, rib-tickling humour, lovely costuming, terrific lighting, and delightful music played by an orchestra at the top of its game. And, it’s sexy to boot, with just enough ribald humour to keep it all kicking along at a cracking pace.
Cannon has adapted the two-hundred-and-fifty-year-old story to the corridors of the Australian parliament in Canberra, and it is a stroke of creative genius. It smacks of a deep understanding of the thematic material in the story and a knack for knowing what will stand up to modernisation, and what will not.
Too many modernisations of classic operas fail to impress, because not everything is sufficiently well thought out. There is often something that grates, that is anachronistic, or that simply doesn’t work in some way. Indeed, State Opera has on occasions been found wanting in this regard, such as the production of Salome being set in a slaughterhouse, and Otello on the decks of a modern aircraft carrier. Cannon’s modernisation, with the inspired assistance of designer Ailsa Paterson, is as close to perfect as can be. The joy of what they have achieved is quite simply that the themes inherent in Da Ponte’s libretto speak afresh to a modern audience in a convincing and effective way. This production is accessible to all, and that is precisely what Mozart intended, and it was achieved with a largely local team of artists and creatives. This is something that South Australia can be enormously proud of.
The story of Figaro is well known, and it’s not necessary to recount it here. In the title role we have tenor Jeremy Kleeman. He is energetic, personable, acts well and sings even better. We don’t really get to see whether he can dance, but if he can, then it’s safe to say he’s a ‘triple threat’, but he’s not alone. This production has an embarrassment of riches with many fine singers and actors gracing the stage. Figaro’s love interest is Susanna, who is played and sung superbly by Jessica Dean. Her Susanna is flighty, quick thinking, witty, and cunning, and her pairing with Kleeman brims over with chemistry. Nicolas Lester plays Count Almaviva and gives him arrogant assuredness as he plays out his misogynistic misconduct (just like some politicians we all love to hate). Lester sang the role particularly well. Petah Cavallaro plays his wife, the Countess, and carefully evokes sympathy from the audience as the betrayed wife. Emily Edmonds was a standout as the mischievous Cherubino, and Pelham Andrews gives another fine performance as Dr Bartolo, as does Mark Oates in the smaller role Basilio (but he is so talented that he makes the role stand out). The principal cast is rounded out with Cherie Boogaart as Marcellina, Lucy Stoddart as Barbarina, Jiacheng Ding as Curzio, and Jessica Mills and Courtney Turner as First and Second Bridesmaid respectively. Jeremy Tatchell was wonderful as Antonio and looked very much like ABC’s Costa Georgiadis!
The State Opera Chorus play various roles including courtiers, hangers-on, reporters, staffers, and the like. Chorus Master Anthony Hunt has again drilled them to near perfection, and they, like the principal cast, move around the stage with purpose, elegance, and precision. (The program does not acknowledge a choreographer, and so one assumes that director Cannon must take the credit for this. His training as an actor clearly pays a dividend to the production!)
Ailsa Paterson’s scenic design is excellent and evokes the modern grandeur and stature of a parliament. (Some of the painted stonework looked a little less convincing than it might have, but who cares.) Nigel Levings lighting was again superb, and the occasional use of a follow spot was a pleasing addition.
The Adelaide Symphony is conducted by Tobias Ringborg, and he carefully manages the competing tensions of playing too loudly for the soloists, and not loud enough to overcome the occasionally troublesome acoustic of Her Majesty’s. He sets a perfect tempo during the overture and never wavers from it.
This production is so very good in almost every respect. Nicholas Cannon and State Opera South Australia’s The Marriage of Figaro is breezy, unpretentious, and manifestly able to be easily enjoyed by everyone (if the infectious enthusiasm of the opening night audience is anything to go by!). Don’t miss this production – it’s surely the beginning of a new and exciting period for State Opera.
Kym Clayton
When: 16 to 25 Nov
Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Bookings: ticketek.com.au
State Theatre Company South Australia. Space Theatre. 14 Nov 2023
“Is it you creating you, or am I creating you?”
Vi’s (Erin James) ponderous querying of the growing new life in her womb succinctly sums up many conundrums with delightful humour. Here’s a remarkably wide eyed, sharp, fresh take on the baby thing in Anna Goldsworthy’s stage adaptation of her book Welcome To Your New Life.
Director Shannon Rush’s production is a beautifully balanced one.
Intricate interloping layers of childlike innocence and confused, deliciously droll adult awareness are expressed in deft child orientated playfulness by the cast of three exploring the journey to parenthood, and beyond.
The work has a beautiful, soothing rhythm, buoyed along by Composer/Musical Director Alan John’s perfect set of songs evoking those ting ding-a-ling style sounds and feels of babyhood. James’ proves the right voice for these songs.
Rush’s approach is solidly supported by Designer Simon Greer’s terrific oversize child’s playroom set, featuring gigantic white double doors and massive number and letter play blocks, as well as a light-halo doubling as a humongous crib mobile.
Speaking of the light-halo, Lighting Designer Gavin Norris deploys it with great effect in the design mix. Norris’ series of colour washes interspersed with crisp spot lighting enhances and reinforces the sense of living within a child’s play world in which grown up people things become games to play out. For starters, did you know birth pain is a social construct? Truly!
Matt Crook and Kathryn (Kitty) Adams provide absolutely smashing support to James, playing numerous character vignettes which tease the funny bone as much as they prompt more serious introspection.
Crook as father to be Nicholas pairs with James brilliantly. Together, they successfully evoke the wonder and worry of new life to be. They do so in such a way there’s always a sense behind the performance of two kids playing Mummy and Daddy. This adds extra gravitas and comedy combined to the most outlandish and serious things they consider and fret over. In these moments, Adams offers pitch perfect punch lines. “You’re too happy to be in labour” was a crowd pleaser.
In some magical way, Welcome To Your New Life manages to talk about birth, motherhood and parenting in a completely new way. This achievement owes as much to Goldsworthy’s deeply honest, vulnerable writing as it does to a cast who manage to make it all seem so suddenly now in the moment.
David O’Brien
When: 10 to 25 Nov
Where: Space Theatre
Bookings: statetheatrecompany.com.au
Holden Street Theatres Inc. 9 Nov 2023
Thelma (Kathryn Fisher) sits alone hugging a stove pot on a lounge. Draped in a warm, comforting blue night coat, she stares relentlessly into nowhere.
Despite the warm hues of the room designed by Gary Anderson, varied splashes of colour from an oddly disturbing collection of art works on the wall, the overwhelming atmosphere is of grey, deep desperation.
She perks up and begins fussing about the kitchen, talking to daughter Jessie (Martha Lott) who’s off stage. Things seem a bit lighter. More properly homely.
Jessie’s entrance changes that. She emanates an even darker grey desperation; hair tightly bound, dressed in large loose red cardigan, grey track pants and track shoes.
It’s immediately clear mother and daughter have a functioning, but fraught relationship impacted on by dark misery at the core of their individual selves. On this night, it will be challenged and irrevocably changed when Jessie announces she intends taking her life.
Marsha Norman’s play fields a multitude of difficult, crippling experiences to be found in dysfunctional, codependent or controlling relationships involving private suffering. Her profound achievement is to get past blame games and seek what real truth beneath such living there is, even if it’s not a positive one.
This is an intensely difficult, and in many ways very dangerous, thing to attempt. Traps are everywhere in this work waiting to pull actors down to the level of dogmatic, schmaltz laden moralising.
Director Peter Goers and cast do not fall for them.
Goers’ direction works to pace the emotional interaction and duelling between mother and daughter in such a way it seems we are offered momentary views of the significant interior life moments that have shaped them. Interior moments of experience that are for Jessie are her truth, for Thelma, her curse.
“What is truth?” asked Pontius Pilate. Well might we ask them same of this theatre experience. Fisher and Lott’s daring, vulnerable performances are in service of ‘truth’ being unburdened of caveats and predetermined expectations. It is a partnership shorn of stylistic affectations and technique laden trickery into which the audience is irresistibly drawn in to share the disquieting experience of confronting what is best ignored.
David O’Brien
When: 7 to 25 Nov
Where: The Studio, Holden Street Theatres
Bookings: holdenstreettheatres.com