Thursday 16 July 2015

Hamlet, Bell Shakespeare, July 15, 2015 *** FULL REVIEW


FULL REVIEW
Hamlet by William Shakespeare, by Bell Shakespeare
Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, July 15 to 25, 2015
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***



Any company staging Shakespeare’s masterful tragedy, Hamlet, confronts an intimidating history of exceptional productions, unhelpful comparisons, high expectations, and the challenge of finding a novel interpretation of a play that has been analysed to its last word.

Prince Hamlet’s (Josh McConville) Denmark is a country riddled with internal and external conflict, secrets and lies, the consequence being that no one trusts anyone.

In his production, director, Damien Ryan, pushes the boundaries of this inherent mistrust and deception, depicting Denmark as a Stasi-like police state with its royal palace of Elsinore littered with eavesdroppers, bugging devices and spies.

Hamlet’s character is intricate and his behaviour is often illogical or contradictory, but his introspection, self-doubt, vanity, intelligence and self-righteousness are catalysts for some of Shakespeare’s most achingly beautiful speeches.

McConville is unexpected casting for the role of Hamlet and his interpretation is often surprising and offbeat, giving Hamlet the manner of a smart but scruffy street brat rather than an entitled, rich brat.

He is a feisty and unpredictable Hamlet who is often entertainingly impish and playful, but his physical clowning undercuts the dramatic tension of scenes such as the final, poisonous fencing match against Laertes (Michael Wahr).

It appears that experiments that may have worked in rehearsal have interfered with the meaning of the play and fail to illuminate the character, the result being that McConville’s performance sometimes looks unbalanced or contrived.

Sean O’Shea is compelling and convincing as Claudius, a smiling villain whose good cheer masks a private paranoia that he will be unseated from his newly obtained throne.

Ryan mines the play to find interesting subtext, introduces quirky, contemporary references to engage the audience and establishes a sense of place by intermittently inserting Danish language.

Some unusual casting choices detract from the production; casting women as the soldiers on the parapets (Julia Ohannessian, Catherine Terracini) diminishes any sense of the collapse of male courage in the face of the supernatural.

Making the Player King a woman (Terracini) changes his camaraderie with Hamlet and, in the dramatic reenactment of Hamlet’s father’s murder, it reduces the acerbic parody of Claudius and Gertrude (Doris Younane) and the sexual tension between them.

Matilda Ridgway plays Ophelia as a modern, opinionated girl with no apparent weakness of mind but this makes her collapse into madness unlikely and ultimately unconvincing.

Although the ghost scene is not spooky, the final scene is not tragic and Polonius’ (Philip Dodd) murder looks like a scuffle, this production will appeal to an audience that wants a new, capricious Hamlet that refuses to take its lead from past interpretations.

By Kate Herbert

Director Damien Ryan 

Hamlet Josh McConville
Claudius  Sean O’Shea
Gertrude Doris Younane
Ophelia Matilda Ridgway
Polonius Philip Dodd
Horatio Ivan Donato
Laertes Michael Wahr
Rosencratz /Reynaldo Robin Goldsworthy
Marcellus /Player Queen Julia Ohannessian
Player King /Bernardo Catherine Terracini

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Hamlet, Bell Shakespeare, July 15, 2015

Hamlet by William Shakespeare, by Bell Shakespeare
Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, July 15 to  25, 2015
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: TBC
Part review will appear in the next post at 5pm today, after publication online in Herald Sun on Thurs 16 July 2015. KH


Any company staging Shakespeare’s masterful tragedy, Hamlet, confronts an intimidating history of exceptional productions, unhelpful comparisons, high expectations, and the challenge of finding a novel interpretation of a play that has been analysed to its last word.

Prince Hamlet’s (Josh McConville) Denmark is a country riddled with internal and external conflict, secrets and lies, the consequence being that no one trusts anyone.

In his production, director, Damien Ryan, pushes the boundaries of this inherent mistrust and deception, depicting Denmark as a Stasi-like police state with its royal palace of Elsinore littered with eavesdroppers, bugging devices and spies.

Hamlet’s character is intricate and his behaviour is often illogical or contradictory, but his introspection, self-doubt, vanity, intelligence and self-righteousness are catalysts for some of Shakespeare’s most achingly beautiful speeches.

McConville is unexpected casting for the role of Hamlet and his interpretation is often surprising and offbeat, giving Hamlet the manner of a smart but scruffy street brat rather than an entitled, rich brat...continues. KH


By Kate Herbert




 

Sunday 12 July 2015

West Side Story, July 11, 2015 ***1./2


Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Produced by The Production Company
State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, until July 18, 2015 
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2
 Review also published in print in Herald Sun, Mon July 13, 2015 and later online. KH
West Side Story was first staged in 1957 but is still the perfect recipe of Romeo and Juliet love story, New York hoodlums, a thrilling score, evocative lyrics and audacious choreography.

In this inspired musical set in the mid-1950s, the Upper West Side of New York is a seething hotbed of discontent, social upheaval, racial tension and territorial skirmishes between two gangs of delinquents: Jets and Sharks.

The Sharks are recent, Puerto Rican immigrants while The Jets consider themselves true Americans, despite many being second-generation migrants.

Arthur Laurents’ provocative story about disenfranchised youth is complemented impeccably by
Leonard Bernstein’s impassioned score and Stephen Sondheim’s boldly witty lyrics in an unforgettable repertoire that includes Maria, Tonight, America and Somewhere.

Orchestra Victoria, under Musical Director, Guy Simpson, plays Bernstein’s score with fervour and distinction.

The icing on the cake is Jerome Robbins’ pulsating and ferocious choreography, recreated faithfully by Michael Ralph in this production directed by Gale Edwards.

Thursday 9 July 2015

Theatresports™: 30th Anniversary show

Well, people, for those who don't know, I was one of the first people to do Theatresports in Melbourne. 

I was a judge for the first ever Melbourne show in September 1985 at St Martins Theatre. I then played from Week 2 for 20 years, and still do on special TS occasions.

On that first night in Sept 1985, I'd just returned from Italy, studying theatre with Dario Fo, and Edinburgh where I studied with Phillipe Gaulier. I was also learning Italian in Perugia.

When I came back, I got the call to judge Theatresports, probably because I had been working with David Lander's Impro company for a while.

One of my fellow judges was Ian Shrives. We looked at each other at one point and said, "I wanna do that!" We decided that we would each pick our favourite person to perform with and we'd form a team.

I chose lovely Carole Patullo, with whom I went on to do Stand-up/Character comedy for four years. Shrives picked his wonderful pal, John Thompson.

We became 4 by 4s,  a phenomenal improvising team that did characters, stories and knew theatre styles really well. One vivid memory is our Cinderella in the style of Bertolt Brecht. Whoopeee!

More of all of my improvising history later.

Theatresports turns 30 this year, and I'll be there improvising with old buddies.

KATE xx


From Media Release- Impro Melbourne

The phenomenon of Theatresports™: 30 years and still going strong !

It's not just Neighbours celebrating 30 years in Australia. The improvisation phenomenon Theatresports™ is also celebrating 30 years on Australian stages.

In July 1985 at the then newly formed Belvoir Street Theatre Sydney and in September 1985 at St Martins Theatre in Melbourne, groups of actors and comedians came together to pore over notes from Loose Moose Theatre, Canada, about the competitive theatre format that sees teams of improvisers compete against each other to be judged the winners of the night. Within 6 months of those initial tentative performances, the floodgates opened and theatres across Australia were filled with audiences shouting for their favourite teams, booing the judges when they felt the scores were unfair, and seeing live theatre that embraces both comedy and pathos. It was so successful, so quickly, the ABC immediately commissioned a televised national competition in 1986.

Originally created by Keith Johnstone in 1977, as a response to the restrictive censorship laws in the UK, Theatresports™ creates an old style vaudeville atmosphere where the audience is an integral part of the performance.

As Keith says: “It creates an evening of theatre that engages the audience in a way that makes them respond openly, as one might do at a sporting event, and has them thinking and talking about the performance afterwards.”

Theatresports™ is now performed in 73 Cities in 28 Countries around the globe from Scandinavia through the UK, Europe, China, Japan, Canada, USA to South America, New Zealand and Australia.

Here in Australia it has been performed every year for the past 30 years in Sydney and Melbourne and over the years in all the major capital cities with seasons this year also in Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra.

Johnstone’s philosophy of making your partner look good, jumping and risking, listening and lateral thinking is now taught in schools, universities and drama schools across Australia.

Many of our now famous and well respected Australian comedians and actors have passed across the Theatresports™ stage: Geoffrey Rush, Anthony La Paglia, Gia Carides, Jai Laga’aia, Andrew Denton, Rove McManus, Colin Lane, Frank Woodley, Cal Wilson, Denise Scott, Julia Zemiro, Andrew O’Keefe, Adam Spencer and Glenn Robbins to name but a few.

Melbourne celebrates this year with a massive season of events from July to September: www.impromelbourne.com.au
Celebrity Theatresports™ Saturday,July 25th
Theatresports™ season Sundays, July 19th to Sept 6th
30th Anniversary Celebration show:  Friday, Sept 11th
Theatresports™ Grand Final: Saturday Sept 12th
Sydney celebrates with events from August to November: www.improaustralia.com.au
Celebrity Theatresports™ August 15th
Cranston Cup season: Sept 6th to Nov 15th
Theatresports™ Cranston Final: Nov 28th

Saturday 4 July 2015

Will I be Victorian Teacher of the Year 2015?

If you are reading this blog, you know me as a Theatre Reviewer.

You may also know me as a Theatre Director and Playwright.

You my also know that I have a very long history as an Improviser in Australia and the US and that I as a Stand-Up Comedian and Actor for a long time too.

The other stream of my work life has involved 30 years of teaching writing and theatre at tertiary levels.

So, somebody noticed that last bit of my life and evidently thought I was doing a good job at it.

I am one of three finalists short-listed for:

Victorian Training Awards Teacher of the Year 2015.

The Award is for teachers in Vocational Education (VET) and is based on my current work running Professional Writing & Editing courses at Swinburne University and past decades running Theatre training at NMIT, BHI and NICA (all in Victoria, Australia).

The Minister of Education announces the winner at a fancy-schmancy dinner at Crown Palladium on Aug 28.

It sounds like the Oscars of VET teaching.

Fingers crossed!

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/awards/Pages/vta.aspx?Redirect=1


Friday 3 July 2015

Saltwater, July 2, 2015 ***1/2


By Jamie Lewis (Part of Double Bill: Saltwater & Letters Home by Joe Lui) 
Theatre Works, until July 12, 2015
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2
 Review also  published in Herald Sun  in print on Tues July 7, 2015 & later online. KH


As her dinner guests arrive, Jamie Lewis sits quietly at a large, round dinner table, plucking the scruffy bits from a pile of bean sprouts.


She invites the 15 of us to help her pluck sprouts then directs us to hang our coats and bags.

Before we start the sprout plucking, she gently washes our hands in a soothing ritual that involves orange-scented soap and a hanging garden of washing bowls and carafes of warm water.

What follows is an hour of dinner-table conversation, food preparation and eating that engages the guests/audience as co-creators of this evening of – can we call this performance, or is it a social experiment with artistic process?

Whatever we call it, Jamie (I can’t call her by her surname after dining with her) is charming, warm, and pensive and the perfect host that makes all her guests feel comfortable and welcome.

The plain, wooden table is spread with sheets of Chinese language newspaper piled with bean sprouts. Some guests pluck silently and meditatively while others chatter nervously until Jamie eventually starts to talk.

She unobtrusively shifts the focus to herself as she tells autobiographical stories about her mother, her Singapori culture, identity, marriage and food.