This Year's Ashes, March 21, 2014 ***

By Jane Bodie, Red Stitch Actors Theatre
Red Stitch Actors Theatre, March 21 until April 19, 2014
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on March 21
Stars: *** 
Review also published online in Herald Sun on Wed March 26, 2014 and later in print. KH

Jeremy Stanford   & Rosie Lockhart; Photo by Jodie Hutchinson

The early scenes of This Year’s Ashes, Jane Bodie’s play about a woman’s self-destructive response to grief, showcase both Bodie’s crackling dialogue and an impressive cast.

Despite Bodie’s witty writing and well-observed characters, the second half of the play, directed by Tim Roseman, is less successful because it becomes repetitive and has several false endings.

Ellen (Rosie Lockhart) is 30-something, lives in inner-Sydney surviving on vodka and frequent, anonymous, sexual encounters with men.

When her father (Jeremy Stanford) arrives unannounced after an unexplained, two-year absence, Rosie absents herself from her marketing job to watch The Ashes with her beloved dad – in the discomfort of her chaotic studio flat.

Lockhart balances vulnerability and toughness as Ellen, shifting from drunken harridan to demanding child as she negotiates the unpredictable terrain of her relationships with her father and the men she seduces in the over-sized bed that dominates the stage.

The entire cast delivers Bodie’s whip-sharp dialogue with commendable comic timing, but Daniel Frederiksen relishes playing Ellen’s assorted lovers and is hilariously goofy as warm-hearted, hopeful Tom who is determined to coax Ellen back into the world.

Neighbourhood Watch, March 20, 2014 ***

By Lally Katz

Melbourne Theatre Company presents Belvoir Street production 

MTC Southbank Theatre, Sumner, until April 26, 2014
Reviewer: Kate Herbert  

Stars: ***
 Review also published in Herald Sun online on Friday, March 21, 2014 and later in print. KH

 Robyn Nevin (Ana), Megan Holloway (Catherine) Photo © Jeff Busby

In her compelling portrayal of Ana, a stroppy, Hungarian refugee, Robyn Nevin commands the stage and saves Lally Katz’s Neighbourhood Watch from slipping into banality.

The play, directed by Simon Stone, is a tale of an unlikely relationship between two women from different generations and vastly dissimilar life experiences.

Catherine (Megan Holloway), an aimless, young, unemployed actor, is befriended over the rubbish bins by her eccentric, old neighbour, Ana, and then becomes dependent on Ana’s bizarre wisdom and enamoured of her life stories.

Although there is dramatic potential in the women’s relationship, the play lacks cohesion because its two narrative threads – Ana’s past and Catherine’s 21^st century dilemmas – are not effectively dovetailed.

The primary thread of the play, and its most successful scenes and dialogue, are built around Ana’s stories of love, war, refugee camps, and her life in Hungary, all of which Nevin tells in hilariously broken English interrupted by insults and unsolicited advice.

Ana is maddening, perverse, rude, generous, paranoid and old as dirt, and Nevin fully inhabits her, creating a complex, credible character that makes one want to slap her – or hug her.

The Long Pigs, March 13, 2014

Fortyfivedownstairs
March 13 to 23, 2014
I am not reviewing or seeing this show but I love this team so here is some info. KH

From Media release:
"The Long Pigs is a profound, stylistically and visually arresting performance rooted in physical and black comedy devised and performed by renowned and leading Australian theatre artists: Clare Bartholomew, Derek Ives and Nicci Wilks and directed by Susie Dee."

Empire, March 11, 2014

By Spiegelworld
Spiegelworld's Spiegeltent at Crown Casino

From March 11, 2014
I am not seeing or reviewing this show but here is some info. KH

From Media Release:
Since EMPIRE was last in Melbourne, several new artists have joined the cast. Contortionist Lucia
Carbines has taken over the role of Miss A in a Bubble, performing the iconic aerial sphere act as well
as a brand new, specially-created contortion act. Growing up in Queensland, Carbines is the only
Australian performer in the international cast. American singer Victoria Matlock has taken over the
role of Miss Purple, while Ukrainians Vlad Ivashkin and Aiusha Khadzh Khamed are now
performing the beautiful hand-to-hand adagio act in their roles as Carrot Man and Lime Green Lady.

Madama Butterfly, March 20, 2014

By Giuseppe Puccini
Melbourne Opera
Atheneaeum Theatre, March 21 to 24, 2014 
Alexander Theatre, Monash, May 3 only
I am not seeing or reviewing thisproduction but here is some info. KH

From Media Release: 

"Madame Butterfly tells the moving tale of Cio-Cio San, a young Japanese geisha tricked into marrying cynical American Lieutenant Pinkerton. After the marriage of
convenience he departs, promising to return soon. When he finally does, it is with
tragic results. The opera features some of the most moving and beautiful music
composed by Puccini, including the famous aria One Fine Day.

An outstanding cast is led by international soprano Antoinette Halloran and Chinese-
Australian soprano Emily Xiao Wang who share the role of the doomed Cio-Cio San,
the tragic heroine. It is Emily Xiao Wang’s debut in the role. Powerful tenors Jason
Wasley and David Rogers-Smith will share the role of Lieutenant Pinkerton."

Doomsday Devices, March 14, 2014

By Andy Harmsen, Sly Rat Theatre Company
Revolt Artspace, Kensington
March 14 to 22, 2014

I am not seeing or reviewing this show but here is some info. KH

"Set in a scorching Melbourne summer of the near future, DOOMSDAY DEVICES is the story of a
middle-aged man, suffering from severe mental illness, whose world falls apart when he is visited by a traumatised teenage girl." from Media Release

The Judas Kiss, March 15, 2014 **1/2

The Judas Kiss by David Hare, by Mockingbird Theatre with Theatre Works 
Theatre Works, until March 22, 2014
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on March 15
Stars: **1/2
Review also published in Herald Sun online on Mon March 17, 2014 and in print thereafter. KH

Chris Baldock as Wilde in The Judas Kiss 

The Judas Kiss by David Hare is a clever, albeit wordy, naturalistic play that depicts two short episodes in Oscar Wilde's tragic life immediately before and just after his incarceration for ‘gross indecency’.

Of course, gross indecency referred to homosexuality in 1895 when discreet homosexuality was tolerated, but Wilde (Chris Baldock) was never discreet and his maddening vanity and impracticality did not anticipate public condemnation.

Hare highlights the personal and intimate rather than the public, theatrical Wilde, and his dialogue capitalises on Wilde’s famously witty epithets and notorious flamboyance.

However, Jason Cavanagh’s very static and overly long production does little to animate the text, his choice to enclose the performances in a cramped, box-like set exacerbates the problem, and the acting is uneven.

In the years before the play takes place, Wilde inhabited a fantasy world of happy families, successful theatrical ventures, witty conversation and a secret affair with a pretty, aristocratic lover, Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas (Nigel Langley), son of the Marquis of Queensberry – amongst others.

Sitting With The Fat Man, March 6, 2014 ****

Sitting With The Fat Man: The Songs of Randy Newman, by Mark Jones & Sally Bourne 
Butterfly Club, Carson Pl, Melbourne, until March 9, 2914
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on March 6, 2014
Stars:****

Full review also published in Herald Sun online and in print.  KH

  Sally Bourne & Mark Jones

Mark Jones and Sally Bourne deliver a mischievous, witty and elegant tribute that illuminates and celebrates the work of American singer/songwriter, Randy Newman, in this fine cabaret, Sitting With The Fat Man.

Newman, the titular Fat Man, boasts an exceptional career that includes Oscar nominations and awards, tunes for Pixar movies and a rucksack stuffed with political, satirical songs, many of which are featured in this show.

Jones is a consummate performer with a charismatic stage presence, wicked sense of humour, impeccable comic delivery and, of course, outstanding piano playing and a rich voice.

He pairs with Bourne’s bright, tuneful tones and gentle charm to present a cunningly chosen repertoire that ranges from the cheeky, silly song, Pants (“Take my pants off”) and the infamous Short People, to dark ballads and relentlessly sardonic attacks on US politics.

Jones sits at a piano in front of a scarlet, velvet curtain, while Bourne prowls around the small stage and both engage the audience directly in the warm, intimate space of the Butterfly Club.

The Government Inspector, March 5, 2014 ****

By Simon Stone & Emily Barclay, inspired by Nicolai Gogol; musical by Stefan Gregory
Merlyn Theatre, Malthouse, until March 23, 2104
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on Mar 5, 2014
Stars:****

Full review also published in Herald Sun online March 6, 2014 and in print later. (probably Mar 7)

L to R: Greg Stone, Fayssal Bazzi, Rob Menzies, Eryn Jean Norville, Gareth Davies.

The Malthouse’s production of The Government Inspector unzips, then hilariously turns inside out, Nicolai Gogol’s Russian farce about a corrupt town that dreads a visit from a government auditor, only to discover that he is a fake.

The formidable cast of seven is the greatest strength in this show that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a bit of hoot from go to whoa.

Director, Simon Stone, modernises and transposes Gogol’s farce, placing it in the Malthouse rehearsal room where the actors play heightened versions of themselves, (they use their own names) and confront the collapse of not one, but three shows they are rehearsing.

This new narrative is like an actor’s nightmare: they change shows mid-rehearsal, an actor dies during a tea break, the director resigns, a new director arrives, the show is a mess and cannot be performed so they make up a musical. Yeah, really! It‘s a riot.

This scenario is based on the real-world Malthouse genuinely losing the rights to The Philadelphia Story and having to replace it with The Government Inspector at short notice – scary business for a theatre.

Cock, Feb 13, 2014 **

By Mike Bartlett, Melbourne Theatre Company
Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, and Feb 13 until Mar 22, 2014
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on Feb 13
Stars:** 
This review was NOT written for, or published in the Herald Sun. Sorry it took so long to publish here. KH

The title of this play made me think of James May on Top Gear, when he stacks a Bugatti Veyron, sighing with exasperation and exclaiming, “Oh, cock!”

But Mike Bartlett’s play with its childishly provocative title, Cock, (attention-grabbing anyone!) lacks even the wit and complexity of May’s blunt expletive.

A love triangle with a twist is no novelty – except when it involves a man who cannot choose between another man and a woman. 

Cock is indulgent and repetitive with thoroughly dislikeable characters that spend their time bullying each other or simpering and whining and repeating the same until the end.

Leticia Cáceres’ production is awkward and colourless (surprising given its content) and the static and unimaginative direction and stilted performances do nothing to enhance Bartlett’s repetitive and adolescent script.

Bartlett’s glib dialogue is repetitive and riddled with clumsy interruptions, unfinished sentences and unresolved thoughts that do not illuminate the characters, relationships or issues.

What About Me! Who's a critic now!

Folks,

I rarely ask for feedback on my reviews/review style, but  I'd appreciate an opinion from those who read some or all of my reviews.

There is some debate going on about styles of criticism and the role of the critic in a review etc.  but I don't want to lead you into certain areas of commentary.

Let me know what you think about my writing!
Kate

More Female Parts, Feb 8, 2014 ***1/2

Written by Sara Hardy 

Based on characters from Dario Fo & Franca Rame's Female Parts  

Darebin Arts Speakeasy 2014 

Northcote Town Hall, until Feb 23, 2014 

Reviewer: Kate Herbert 

Stars:  ***1/2

Review also published  in Herald Sun online on Mon Feb 10 and in print on Tues Feb 11. KH 

 

Evelyn Krape on stage in More Female Parts

It is a joy and a privilege to watch Evelyn Krape on stage in More Female Parts, performing updated, rebooted and aged versions of characters that she originally performed in the 80s.

Local playwright, Sara Hardy’s script delivers three, new monologues based on Female Parts written by Italian playwrights, Franca Rame and Dario Fo, in 1977.

Can’t Sleep, Can’t Sleep showcases Krape’s entertainingly idiosyncratic clown style as a rattled, 60-something grandmother who becomes increasingly frantic hunting for lost keys and preparing chaotically for a job interview after decades of unemployment.

This piece is based on Fo and Rame’s original monologue about a frenetic, young mum, but Hardy’s piece is a satirical, political biting commentary on the shrinking workplace for older Australians, the chauvinism of employers and their obsession with youth. Sigh!

The second piece, Penthouse Woman 2044, is comical but grimmer, as Krape portrays a woman incarcerated by her absent husband in her plush apartment where she communicates through a talking computer while her husband keeps her under 24 hour surveillance.

Krape’s intensity, combined with her brittle comedy, makes this a disturbing glimpse into the life and mind of a woman who is oppressed by not only her controlling husband, but her own fears.

The final work, Hip Op, based on Fo and Rame’s The Same Old Story, sees Krape as narrator of a fairy tale about a little girl who leaves her gingerbread house, her ordinary parents and awful big sister to make her mark in the Ivory Tower of academia and in the big corporate world.

This allegorical tale is another political statement, this time about women hitting the glass ceiling in the workplace, and Krape is hilarious playing the quirky characters, especially the girl’s wickedly scatological dolly who guides her on her journey.

Lois Ellis’s direction highlights Krape’s comic skills but the production could be more imaginatively staged and could tighten up the inordinately long scene changes between the first two stories.

Krape is a magnetic performer and a stalwart of Melbourne theatre who we see infrequently on stage these days. Directors, take heed.

By Kate Herbert

Out of the Water, Feb 7 Feb, 2014 ***1/2

By Brooke Berman, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre,
Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, until March 8, 2014

Reviewer: Kate Herbert on Feb 7
Stars: ***1/2
Review also published  in Herald Sun online on Mon Feb 10 and in print on Tues Feb 11. KH 

Brett Cousins & Kate Cole in Out Of The Water. Pic David Parker

Falling in love can be gentle and comforting but it can also be desperate and ravenous, as Polly and Graham find out when they reunite in Brooke Berman’s play, Out of The Water.

Kate Cole is satisfyingly unpredictable and feisty as Polly, the New York cafe-owner who tumbles into a torrid affair with her former stepbrother, Graham, who is played with vulnerability and restraint by Brett Cousins.

15 years ago, Polly’s mother divorced Graham’s unpleasant father, but the pair collide at Graham’s dad’s funeral in Liberty, Iowa, where Graham lives with his deluded, depressed Christian wife and his family.

Despite their former, mutual loathing and vastly divergent lifestyles and beliefs, Polly and Graham’s loneliness and need for intimacy launch them into a passionate, emotionally dangerous and inevitably foolhardy liaison.

When Graham’s conservative, Jesus-loving, teenage daughter, Cat, (Emily Milledge) arrives to retrieve her dad, it is evident that the relationship is doomed and Polly cannot haul Graham out of the water to save him from drowning in his own life.

The problem for Polly is that she cannot save herself from drowning either.

Berman’s loosely allegorical references to Odysseus being held captive for years by the nymph, Calypso, are tenuous, unnecessary and inaccurate, given that Graham pursued Polly to New York and stayed by choice, despite her protestations.

The performances are nuanced and engaging, and director, Nadia Tass, skilfully focuses on the complex emotional layers that are buried beneath these three, confused and needy characters.

Berman’s episodic structure allows time to pass as Polly and Graham’s affair evolves from rampant lust to joyful, but still passionate domesticity, however the long scene changes that Tass carefully masks with music, become tedious after a while.

There is a sense of foreboding throughout for the couple whose need for connection makes them clutch at each other to save themselves from isolation – in a marriage in Graham’s case, and in a teeming city for Polly.

Out of The Water is a snapshot of a love affair that will resonate with many people who risked their hearts on a hopeless love.

By Kate Herbert

Nadia Tass - Director
Brett Cousins as Graham
Kate Cole as Polly
Emily Milledge as Cat

Private Lives, MTC, Jan 31, 2014 ***1/2

By Nöel Coward, Melbourne Theatre Company
MTC Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, Jan 31 until March 8, 2014
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2

Full review will appear after publication in Herald Sun online today, Fri Jan 31, 2014, or in print. KH

Nadine Garner and Leon Ford

In his 1930 comedy of manners, Private Lives, Nöel Coward drapes a gossamer-thin veil of wit and flamboyance over two spiteful lovers, allowing us to laugh at their awful behaviour without feeling too politically incorrect.

By some cruel fate, divorced couple, Elyot (Leon Ford) and Amanda (Nadine Garner), meet again while both are honeymooning with their new spouses in a luxury, French hotel, and their volatile relationship is reignited with disastrous results.

Their rekindled passion sends them fleeing, in a flurry of deceit, to Amanda’s Paris flat where they sip cocktails, dance to gramophone records and lounge about in the languorous afterglow of lust – until the bickering and slapping starts all over again.

Coward’s notorious ‘theatricality’ – these days unmasked as campery – litters the play with his inimitable, entertainingly witty banter, acerbic arguments, clipped articulation, flamboyant costumes and dandyish behaviour.

Ford is suitably cool, sophisticated, foppish and acid-tongued as Elyot while Garner balances posturing elegance and delicious seduction with slapstick.

Their coupling tumbles amusingly from glamorous teasing, posing and pouting, into irrepressible passion that escalates into bitter acrimony and absurd violence.

Despite their characters’ narcissism, cruelty and infantile tiffs, Ford and Garner manage to make them charming and sympathetic.

Lucy Durack is delightfully prim, pretty and demanding as Sibyl and John Leary gives dowdy Victor a feisty edge when he challenges Elyot to fight.

Julie Forsyth almost steals the show in her inspired cameo as French maid, Louise, who sneezes, scoffs and stumbles in a consummate, understated clown act.

Although Sam Strong’s production is set in the 30s, he incorporates contemporary songs with some period tunes that are all played on piano and sung by this versatile cast.

The modern music may engage younger audiences with this period piece, but Coward die-hards may be less enamoured of such musical updating.

The performances are accomplished and colourful and the production enjoyable, but the level of languor, vanity and flamboyance could go up a few notches to make it, well, more Cowardish.

The second act seems to spins its wheels with Elyot and Amanda’s repetitive dialogue until the fighting starts and the deserted spouses arrive.

The elaborate, realistic design (Tracy Grant Lord) emphasises 1930s opulence, and Strong’s use of the revolving stage provides some hilarious opportunities for door-slamming farce, although it is a bit dizzying after too many twirls.

This is a diverting production that may entice a new audience to a love of Coward’s wry humour and 1930s style.

By Kate Herbert

 John Leary, Nadine Garner, Leon Ford, Lucy Durack

Director Sam Strong; 

Set & Costume Designer Tracy Grant Lord;

Lighting Designer Paul Jackson; 
Composer Mathew Frank;
Assistant Director Tanya Dickson