THEATRE WRAP UP 2000
Reviewer: Kate
Herbert
The millennium year
was a good one for theatre with a few corkers in both fringe and main stage.
Small companies may have disappeared off the face of the earth with government
funding cuts over the past few years, but projects and cooperatives are still
going strong.
Two Australian shows were highlights this year was A
Beautiful Life by Brisbaneís Matrix
Theatre, a poignant, beautifully written
and realised production based on a true story of an Iranian immigrant arrested
for terrorism in Canberra. The Theft of Sita, one of the few shows to travel
from Adelaide Festival to Melbourne, was a startling combination of traditional
Indonesian and contemporary Australian art.
The Melbourne Theatre Company had a critical and artistic
success in Hannie Raysonís Life After George. The Chairs, The Unexpected
Man and The Beauty Queen of Leenane were
all fine examples of local productions of overseas plays.
What we need now is more support for the development of
local product and new work to the same level. We need scripts that have been
tried and edited and developed before they hit the mainstage.
There were several outstanding individual performances.
Julia Blake in Life after George, was luminous.
Brian Lipson in A Large Attendance in the Antechamber, demonstrated his
comic genius. John Gaden was powerful in The Unexpected Man and Paul Blackwell and
Julie Forsyth were hilarious in The Chairs.
In Quartet, a little
La Mama late show, Susan Bamford was magnificent and outrageous as the French
countess. Jim Daly was a juggernaut in The Procedure. Bob Downe, wins accolades
as the funniest man on the planet.
The fringe scene had several hot properties although none of
them were locally written. Laurence
Strangioís Portrait of Dora about Freudís patient, was a superb piece. The
eccentric show, Happy 1000, used Australian sign language, English and
Indonesian. In the Fringe Festival, The Good Thief, had strong acting and
exceptional direction while Crave and Canít Stand Up for Falling Down were
well-acted and written, albeit tragic plays. The music theatre parody,
Forbidden Broadway, was also hilarious.
Playbox had a mixed year. Meat Party was theatrically their
most interesting and innovative play. The Goldberg Variations and Sweet Road were
disappointing but Crazy Brave had its moments. The Inside 2000 season of short
plays by new writers had a good ensemble but the plays were limited.
The commercial stage was confused and uninteresting. Carmen was more glitz than substance. In the
musical genre, Sound of Music never quite made the grade and Fame was more like
a TV show on stage.
There were a couple of lowlights over the year. The Watch in
the Window was a long night in the theatre as was Escape from the Living Dead.
But the ultimate excruciating show award must go to the farce, Donít Dress for
Dinner, a distressingly unfunny night at Crown Ballroom.
La Mama continues to produce more plays than any company and
to save many artists from depression, insecurity and underemployment. A new
venue, The Storeroom, produced shows above a pub in Fitzroy.
Chapel off Chapel and North Melbourne Town Hall provide
venues for many new works while The Black Box at the Arts Centre is
highlighting the fringe. Non-theatre spaces are being used: a Backpackers
hotel, 3RRR, Sunbury Jail, Ripponlea and old Mechanicsí Institutes.
We no longer have shows in smash repair garages but who
know? 2001 might be the year of the cheap alternative venue again, given nobody
has much funding.
By Kate Herbert
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