In this radio spot, I talk with Arts Weekly producer, Nick Tolhurst, about Frankenstein, adapted by Shake & Stir, and Mother by Daniel Keene with Noni Hazlehurst directed by Matt Scholten.
Saturday 7 September 2024
Friday 6 September 2024
Mother REVIEW 5 Sept 2024 ***** (5)
THEATRE
Mother by Daniel Keene
At Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, until 21 Sept 2024
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***** (5)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 7 Sept 2024. KH
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| Noni Hazlehurst in Mother_photo Brett Boardman |
Mother by Daniel Keene is an unforgettable theatrical experience. It is a jewel that doesn’t sparkle, but burns with the pain of Christie (Noni Hazlehurst), a homeless, alcohol-addled, ageing woman.
In this provocative and heart wrenching solo performance as Christie, Hazlehurst grabs us by the scruff of the neck and shakes us about like a rag doll, not releasing her vice-like grip until the tragic end.
Keene’s dialogue and Hazlehurst’s vivid performance are unsentimental but sympathetic, bold but sensitive, hurling us from aching hilarity to searing tragedy in a moment. Not a breath can be heard by the awful last moments of revelation.
Directed with muscularity and delicacy (Yes, I know that sounds impossible!) by Matt Scholten, Hazelhurst’s audacious characterisation is nuanced and impeccably detailed. She is totally credible as this homeless, loveless, hapless woman and captures her physical friability with fluttering hands clutching at her stained clothing, tottering steps that barely keep her in balance and filthy bare feet that tell the story of the long and painful track Christie has trod to bring her to this place.
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| Noni Hazlehurst in Mother_photo Brett Boardman |
Hazlehurst spends 70 minutes on a stage that is littered with dead leaves, the detritus left behind by others and her own meagre collection of items. She hugs to herself a grubby sling that seems to hold something precious as she moves painfully through yet another relentless day. We travel through Christie’s memories of her baby boy, her husband Lenny, her drinking “the good stuff” with Mrs. Kennedy, blackouts, visits to the hospital, pubs and back streets. The environment is expressed simply and clearly with just the call of a magpie, the ding of a tram or the distant chime a church bell.
Keene’s dialogue is both lyrical and gritty, capturing the grime of street language and the poetry of the heart. He is back in territory that feels like theatrical home for him. Many decades ago, I savoured every season of the Keene/Taylor Theatre Project, and his short plays about the underclass, the disenfranchised and dispossessed, many of which were performed in venues as down-at-heel as the characters he depicted.
We would pass Christie on the street and swipe our gaze away, deleting her from our view. Her history and herself may be obscured from our vision, and she may appear to us as a dirty, down-and-out drunk, but she never gives up and has the will to continue to live her life, such as it is. Somebody else might be worse off – but not many, she quips wryly.
Mother is theatre at its best – and what an impressive and thrilling team this actor, writer and director make!
By Kate Herbert
Cast
Performed by Noni Hazlehurst
Creative Team
Directed by Matt Scholten
Associate Director Andrea Mina
Produced by Hey Dowling
Set, Props and Costume by Kat Chan
Lighting Design by Tom Willis
Sound Design by Darius Kedros
Thursday 5 September 2024
Frankenstein REVIEW 25 Aug 2024 ***
THEATRE
Adapted from Mary Shelley by Nelle Lee
By Shake & Stir Theatre Co
At Princess Theatre until 1 Sept 2024 (then Sydney 28 Sept to 13 Oct)
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: *** (3)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 7 Sept 2024. KH
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| Frankenstein-Darcy Brown, Jeremiah Wray (screen) |
The stage production of Frankenstein, adapted by Nelle Lee from Mary Shelley’s horror novella, captivates audiences with its stunning visuals that effectively create a sense of location and atmosphere throughout the performance.
The elaborate set design and evocative lighting and special effects in Nick Skubij’s production, transport us to19th-century Geneva and the eerie laboratories where young, ambitious scientist, Victor Frankenstein (Darcy Brown) conducts his secret experiments.
The compelling visual elements of Frankenstein are a testament to the talent of the creative team: Josh McIntosh’s intricate set design, dynamic lighting by Trent Suidgeest, Guy Webster's atmospheric sound, as well as Steven Boyle’s grisly body make-up for the Creature (Jeremiah Wray).
This undeniably impressive design detail creates a visually stunning experience for audiences. However, the production does not balance spectacle and substance. The human drama at the heart of the story is dwarfed by the visual spectacle, overshadowing the onstage action and the delicate, psychological drama that is at the heart of Shelley’s narrative: Victor is driven to create humanity, the Creature is driven to make human connection. When this human warmth and relationship is denied the Creature, he lashes out in a vengeful torrent of destruction.
There is too much narration taken from Shelley’s prose and the characters remain two- dimensional and lacking emotional layers. Victor trembles with excitement then trepidation and, eventually, horror at the result of his disastrous experiment but his behaviour becomes repetitive and predictable.
Elizabeth (Chloé Zuel) is loving, concerned and reminds him of his home, Victor’s father (Tony Cogin) is supportive and long-suffering, Henry (Nick James), Victor’s lifelong friend, is buoyant, unwitting, loyal and relentlessly cheerful, while their housekeeper, Justine (Anna Lise Phillips), is maternal and protective. There is little light and shade in any of them, except perhaps, the Creature.
Wray’s Creature is statuesque and perhaps too beautiful an example of the human species to be truly horrific. He is athletic and physically adroit and his “birth” in Victor’s lab and ensuing attempts at simple movements as he scrambles across the floor are alarming and extraordinary.
With more equilibrium between its spectacular visual elements and the emotional core of the narrative, Frankenstein could truly be a standout theatre experience.
By Kate Herbert
Cast
Darcy Brown -Dr Victor Frankenstein
Jeremiah Wray -The Creature.
Chloé Zuel -Elizabeth.
Anna Lise Phillips - Justine
Tony Cogin – Father of Frankenstein
Nick James - Henry
Creative Team
Director & Creative Producer - Nick Skubij
Adaptor -Nelle Lee
Designer - Josh McIntosh
Creative Producer- Ross Balbuziente
Lighting Designer – Trent Suidgeest
Sound Designer & Composer – Guy Webster
Movement & Fight Director – Nigel Poulton
Creature Make-up Design -Steven Boyle