Set in Perth between 1944 and 1964, Tim Winton’s novel is the saga of the Pickles and the Lambs, two families who share a large house in one of the poorer areas of the city. The Pickles inherited the house, which is haunted by the ghosts of badly treated aboriginal girls whose spirits have been trapped there until “love and new life” comes back to the house.

The Lambs, evicted from their farm in Margaret River, move into one side of the house. Their rent, earned from a grocery shop they set up in a front room, saves the Pickles from poverty, but also gives Sam Pickles money for gambling and Dolly Pickles money for drink.

The Lambs are quiet and industrious, but suffer on-going guilt about their son Fish, who suffered brain damage after nearly drowning.

Winton uses the families to describe the many social changes that occurred post World War II in Australia. The adaptation, by Nick Enright and Justin Monjo, summarises their lives in an epic play, usually performed on two consecutive days – or over an afternoon and evening. Adapting the “trials and tribulations” of both families for the stage must have been a daunting task. Directing and managing the resulting epic is just as daunting.

Ainslie Yardley has assembled twenty actors to present forty characters in her edited version of the play that runs, with two intervals, for about four hours. It’s a long haul for the cast, who have many costume and character changes, and the eleven backstage crew who manage several sliding flats, a boat, a tent and a lot of furniture on and off the stage in a multitude of scenes. Yardley and her cast and crew accomplish that long haul with enthusiastic energy.

Stage manager John Bailey and his assistant Gabriel Pope are to be congratulated for ‘corralling’ so many bodies and props backstage with smoothness and lack of fuss. Coordinating scenes changes and lighting cues is always tricky, but actors moving off stage in light can detract from character and effect. Apparent lack of that coordination on opening night may improve during succeeding performances.

Sam and Dolly Pickles, played by Madeleine Sheehy and Shaun Loratet, portray the less savoury aspects of family life. Sheehy’s Dolly is loud and flashy, covering her insecurities with drunken flirtations. Loratet shows how easily Sam gives in to temptation and despair.

Sophie Seaborn and Matt Kelly are Oriel and Lester Lamb. Seaborn uses a steady gaze and firm voice to show Oriel’s steely faith and righteousness. Kelly shows how Lester’s gentleness and caring balances Oriel’s severity.

Quick Lamb and Rose Pickles are the ‘stalwarts’ of the kids at One Cloudstreet. Through them the families’ stories are told most clearly. It is Quick and Rose who eventually bring the family together and free the house of its sad spirits.

Max Jackson is constantly in character as Quick, taking him from childhood to fatherhood in a very appealing performance. His Quick reaches out to the audience with sincerity and consistency.

Mya Pockran shows how young Rose bears the burden of her dysfunctional family, bolstering Sam’s depression, but disgusted by Dolly’s drunken disdain and overt adultery. Eventually she finds some self-respect and independence in work as a telephonist.

Marianne Gibney-Quinteros, as an older Rose, carries that independence into a relationship that takes her to the more sophisticated areas of Perth, but she evetually returns to Cloudstreet where she and Quick find each other, unite the family and free the house of its past.

Through it all, Fish Pickles hovers, a disturbed being who is the only one who is aware of ‘the ladies’ who come to him at the piano in the ‘windowless room’ at the top of the house. This is a difficult role that Josh Stojanovic sustains convincingly, his eyes always looking beyond the moment to watery places only he can see.

Like other companies, Glenbrook has extended the epic nature of the play into a production ‘package’. For a community theatre company that means extra organisation, coordination and a host of volunteers. For example, patrons are offered the opportunity of ordering a meal to be eaten in the long second interval. This is served in the adjoining hall where, under the curation of Robyn and Alan Pope, a collection of photographs donated by local families has been tastefully mounted and displayed. Along with a video of old news articles and advertisements, they depict weddings, christenings, family gatherings and the fashions of the twenty years during which the Pickles and Lambs inhabited number One Cloudstreet.

Ainslie Yardley and Glenbrook Theatre Company are to be congratulated for embracing such a major undertaking and doing it with such enthusiasm and efficiency.

Also published in Stage Whispers magazine

*Opening Night

By Adam Fawcett. Lab Kelpie. Director Lyall Brooks. Riverside Theatre, Parramatta. 19-21 May, 2022

Reviewed : 19 May, 2022*

Tom is an AFL legend. Fit, muscular, toned, he embodies masculinity. He comes from Brighton, a wealthy background. Noah is a cleaner, sent by the agency for Tom’s approval. He is hesitant, shy, tentative, certainly a bit doubtful about taking this job. They are opposites it seems, so why does it feel so tense?

Under the deft direction of Lyall Brooks, Chris Asimos (Tom) and Mason Gasowski (Noah) face each other in this taut opening scene of Adam Fawcett’s carefully crafted play about whether to “come out” … and when …especially if you’re a footballer.

Fawcett draws his characters clearly and sensitively, their relationship developed in a series of skilfully written  scenes. Brooks directs those scenes perceptively, gradually accenting the tension that builds as the relationship strengthens. Designer Tom Backhaus tightens that tension with an incredible soundtrack that captures the mood of each scene and intensifies the effect into the scene that follows. It is a clever device, in the hands of an accomplished, creative musician.

Clever too, are the actors that inhabit the characters that Fawcett created. Both walk gently in the shoes of their character, sensitive to the shifts in the relationship. Their timing is impeccable, especially in poignant moments where expressive pauses emphasise apprehensions that remain unspoken.

Asimos finds both sides of Tom’s persona. The macho sportsman, one of ‘the boys’, fitting the title ‘the general’ shouted by his fans, and the ‘real’ Tom who has hidden his sexuality for years. But though he gradually opens up to Noah, he does so in secret, still not strong enough to face public exposure and the fear of vilification. His performance is contained and compelling.

Gasowski is equally compelling as Noah, becoming increasingly more confident in the relationship, yet wary of the deceit behind the secrecy. Gasowksi is a perceptive performer who uses silence, expression and gesture – shoulders drooping, hands wringing slightly, eyes downcast – as effectively as words.

Together, they find all the underlying implications in Fawcett’s script. With Brooks’ direction they physicalise the characters through tough scenes and many scene and costume changes, never losing their character, even as they clear props or move across a darkened set with Backhaus’ ingenious music hovering in the air around them as impelling as the dilemma that is dogs their relationship.

Adam Fawcett says he doesn’t know the answer to the question that dilemma raises – but his play makes the choices very clear. And Asimos and Gasowski give them depth and believability. This is a fine production. It has been carefully and caringly directed and has so much to say. What a shame it is playing for such a short run!

First published in Stage Whispers magazine

*Opening Night

Music by Jeanine Tesori. Book & Lyrics by Brian Crawley. Lane Cove Theatre Company. The Performance Space @ St Aidan’s – 1 Christina Street, Longueville May 14 – 28, 2022

Reviewed : 14 May, 2022*

Lane Cove is a small theatre company that constantly makes brave decisions. Violet  is another of their productions that raises social issues. Body image, skin colour, sexuality and feminism are all gently explored in a touching play that cleverly blends country, gospel, blues and rock music.

Violet is based on “The Ugliest Pilgrim”, a short story written by Doris Betts. Set in the 1960s, it follows the journey of a disfigured young woman who travels  from her home in Spruce Pine, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma in the hopes of being healed by a televangelist. It’s a strange story on which to build a musical, but Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley tell it simply and poignantly.

The 1960s was a turbulent time in America. The war in Vietnam, racism and treatment of women frame some scenes. Parental guilt and family resentment lie behind others. All are dealt with subtly in the script and Kathryn Thomas respects this in her direction and her judicious use of the small acting space.

A two-level rostrum becomes a greyhound bus and a gospel choir stage; a stool, a window frame and a bed are the only other props. On this minimalist set Thomas allows the characters to come to life through the natural dialogue, the moving lyrics of twenty songs and the emotional energy her cast of nine have invested in their performances.

Violet has carried a scar on her face since an accident with an axe as a child. The young Violet, played by 12-year-old Taylor Swan, appears in flash backs throughout the play, giving insights into the schoolyard taunts that she had to face. Swan handles these scenes well, especially when she accuses her father of never admitting responsibility for the accident. She has a sweet, clear singing voice that blends beautifully with the more mature voices, especially in “Down the Mountain” her duet with her father (Trent Gardiner) and “Look at Me” which she sings with her older self.

That older Violet is played perceptively by Chelsea Taylor. She shows an insightful understanding of the character in a very realistic and but understated performance. She has ‘contained’ Violet’s past, understands the decisions she has made, and clearly shows the practiced confidence and optimism with which she faces the long journey to Tulsa. Taylor has a carefully modulated voice which she uses expressively in her songs – especially “Lay Down Your Head”, and her duets with Flick, Monty and her father.

Lindford Gilmour plays Flick, the young, coloured soldier Violet meets on the bus. Gilmour is an experienced performer who uses his strong voice effectively, especially in “Let it Sing” and the more moving “Hard to Say Goodbye”. The Flick he portrays is gentle, considerate, self-reliant, a strong person who carries the burden of racism and underprivilege with quiet strength.

His fellow soldier, Monty typifies the confident, privileged ‘boy next door’ who is unaware of his over-confident brashness. Tommy Green finds all of this in a buoyant performance. His Monty is bright cheerful, and almost, but not quite, too self-assured. He has a strong voice which blends well with those of both Taylor and Gilmour.

Trent Gardiner brings a wealth of experience to the role of Violet’s father, a widower with the burden of bringing up his daughter alone. Gardiner shows the weariness and weight of this in a moving performance, especially in a scene with young Violet and when he sings “That’s What I Could Do”.

Ten smaller roles are played by the remaining four performers. Though small, the roles are quite challenging  because of relatively quick character changes and the diversity of age and background the actors need to establish – and the different songs and musical genres they perform.

Miriam Rihani is both a nosey old lady and a hotel hooker, while Lucy Koschel is a vigilant hotel receptionist and a music hall and hotel lounge singer. Sam Howes plays a dodgy, flamboyant preacher, a bored Greyhound bus driver and a radio singer.

Isaac Downey takes on four different roles. In one he plays an awkward teenager trying to chat up young Violet. Not an easy task, especially considering the age – and height – difference in the two performers, but Downey does the gawky ungainliness very well.

All four come together with Gardiner, Green and Gilmour as enthusiastic gospel singers.

Musical director, Stephen Dula, on keyboard leads a small band that moves from genre to genre and tempo to tempo with practised ease. In such a small space, the musicians are very close to the action, which makes it difficult to hear some of the more gentle, haunting numbers. Thankfully the company does not allow that problem to affect the decision to mount productions such as this.

Violet combines thought-provoking drama and musical theatre most effectively. Thomas, Dula and the cast make it work just as effectively.

Also published in Sydney Arts Guide.

*Opening Night

Book by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb. Music by John Kander. Blackout Theatre Company. Pioneer Theatre Castle Hill. 13 – 22 May, 2022.

Reviewed : 13 May, 2022*

Chicago isn’t just a musical! It’s an adaptation of a play that’s based on real characters and real crimes that really did occur in Chicago in the 1920s. Crime reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins wrote the original play in 1926. Accused murderers Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner were the “celebrity criminals” on whom she based Roxie and Velma. Both were acquitted of all charges after being represented by lawyers William Scott Stewart and W. W. O’Brien, who became Billy Flynn in her play. After her death in 1969, her estate released the rights to adapt the play to Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb and composer John Kander.

What a context for a musical! Crime and corruption in the “Roaring Twenties”! Speakeasies, jazz and the Charleston! Between them Fosse, Ebb and Kander created a musical extravaganza that that has been delighting audiences – and performers – since 1975.

“Chutzpah” defines the mood of  Chicago. It’s bold and brassy. It gives the performers a chance to “strut their stuff’ with a bit of impudence and nerve – and director Jordan Anderson, with choreographers Daniel Lavercombe and Kim Shelly, give their cast every opportunity to do so. Coming on the back of a Covid-cancelled production of The Boy from Oz, their production brightens the mood with cheeky, chintzy costumes, lots of high kicks – and the jazzy, bright beat of the 1920s played by a thirteen-piece band led by musical director Koren Beale.

Fiorella Bamba, as Velma Kelly, opens the show with the ever-popular “All That Jazz”.  Bamba is a highly qualified and experienced performer who radiates an energy and pizzazz that is sustained throughout the production. Her Velma is sassy, brazen, defiant – and provocatively appealing.

As are the dancers and singers who back her in the opening number – and the songs that follow. Whether behind bars in “Cell Block Tango” or flourishing feathers behind Billy Flynn in “All I care About”, they are, as a chorus line must be, in the moment, in time, and, very important in this musical, in character and audaciously bold. As are guys in the male chorus, who, though fewer in number, depict the flashy ‘spivs’ of the era with energy and dash.

Emelie Woods plays Roxie Hart, who upstages Velma’s popularity with the persistent press and avaricious Billy Flynn. Woods is an accomplished performer who portrays the duplicity of Roxie’s character clearly –  and her crafty cunning – especially when she sings “Funny Honey” and “Me and My Baby”.

When Roxie and Velma come together the musical sparks fly!

Matron “Mama” Morton ‘presides’ over the cells of Cook County Jail, gleefully taking bribes from the prisoners to buy favours from the guards, the magistrates and the lawyers. Janina Hamerlok triumphs in the wicked power of this role. She is a highly experienced performer across all theatre forms, and so gives “Mama” the mischievous muscle and the full vocal power the role deserves.

Alistair Norris is the infamous Billy Flynn, holding the fortunes and future of his clients in his corrupt hands. Amos Hart, Roxie’s hapless husband, is played by Greg Thornton, who epitomises the easily duped, “cellophane”  simplicity of the character in an underplayed portrayal that is very effective.

Andrew Read surprises as a very confident and high-pitched Mary Sunshine, spreading “A Little Bit of Good” among the press gang who besiege the court.

Anderson and his creative team make this production a celebration of being back on stage. He has extended the atmosphere of celebration by taking the audience closer to the stage at cabaret style tables and connecting the performers more closely to the audience through the MC, played very effectively by Robert Hall.

Blackout has spared no expense or energy on this production, which should be a crowd pleaser for theatre-hungry north western Sydney audiences.

First published in Stage Whispers magazine.

*Opening Night

Form Dance Projects. Director: Sara Black. Riverside Theatres.    May 5-7, 2022

Reviewed : 5 May, 2022*

Hearing the heartbeat of her son for the first time led choreographer Sara Black to what became Double Beat, a movement piece based around the different rhythms of beating hearts as they react to the pressures affecting the people whose bodies they charge.

Composer Alyx Dennison recorded the varying heart beats from nine people, combined them with the sounds of birds and wild life, and compiled them into a sound track that reflects the multitude of emotions and reactions that affect the human psyche and are mirrored physically in the changing rhythms of the heart.

To this incredible composition, Black worked with performers Isabel Estrella, Samantha Hines and Sophia Ndaba to create a performance that explores the “the aural and physical responses … to the tempo of our changing natural world”. Working together through the  Covid-19 lockdowns, they created a descriptive physical narration of the different ways the body reacts to both external and internal stimuli.

Using a multitude of movements, from erratic convulsive paroxysms to almost deathly stillness, they explore the range of human emotions and reactions. The calm of contentment, the fitfulness of fear, the immobility of acceptance – all are reflected in a complexity of choreography that excites and confuses, stimulates and, sometimes, perplexes.

Together the performers tell this physical story on a space side-lit by Veronica Bennet to create merging shadows that bring the dancers together, then set them apart as they react to sound – and to each other. At times they are alone, writhing in fear, at others they are together, wrapping around each other, then, suddenly, pushing away, retreating to a safer space, yet looking back … and reaching out – to each other, and their audience.

Also published in Stage Whispers magazine

*Opening Night