Adapted by Steve Rodgers from the novella by Peter Goldsworthy. National Theatre of Parramatta. Riverside Theatres Parramatta. October 18- 27, 2018.

Playwright Steve Rodgers, who adapted this story by Peter Goldsworthy for the stage, says this play “is about love and grief”. Director Darren Yap describes it as a “deeply moving story … full of pain and full of love, where family is everything.” It is all of this – and more – and, as such, it is a play that requires tenderness and understanding, sensitivity and compassion.

Rodgers met this requirement in his loving treatment of the story and the characters who tell it. Yap meets it with delicate perception in his direction. The cast bring it gently and intuitively to life. It is a touching, true-to-life production that demands an emotional commitment that is not usually expected from live theatre.

To say too much about the plot would be unfair to those who have worked so intensely to bring it to the stage. It is important, though, to say it is confronting in its intensity, challenging in its complexity.

Emma Jackson and Justin Smith play Linda and Rick, whose love for each other is only transcended by their love of their children – Ben, played by Liam Lunan, and Emma (Wol) played by Grace Truman, star of the web series Amazing Grace – around whom they try to create a cocoon of love to protect them from the harms of the world. Unfortunately, Fate intervenes …

Both Jackson and Smith are compellingly authentic – in the brief but very poignant opening scene where they first realise the depth of their love – then as that love grows to envelop their children. Both find the emotional strength and complexity of these multi-faceted characters that Rodgers has shaped through sparse dialogue that suggests so much. These are not easy characters to play, but they so with deep insight and empathy.

Grace Truman brings surprising depth and awareness to the role of ‘Wol’. It is not an easy role and . . . .

Review continued in Stage Whispers magazine

by Joe Orton. New Theatre, Sydney. Oct 2 – Nov 3, 2018.

Director Danielle Mass has brought Orton’s provocative attack on hypocrisy somersaulting into 2018 with her cunning cross casting and precision-based direction. She has swept together the farce and the facetious in a production that heightens Orton’s comic genius – and the contemporary relevance of the inequalities that he satirised so subversively … and so well.

The play opens with Dr. Prentice, a psychiatrist, trying to seduce a prospective secretary, Geraldine Barclay, in a job interview. When his wife enters, he attempts to cover up his activity by hiding the girl behind a curtain. But his wife, who is being blackmailed by Nicholas Beckett, promises Nicholas the post as secretary. Add to this confusion, a self-serving government inspector, Dr Rance, a police sergeant, lots of costume exchanges, drugs, alcohol, lust, nudity and a panto-like ending – and you have what New Theatre adroitly advertises as: “this darkest of farces, stuffed full of twists and turns, mishaps and changes of fortune, coincidences and lunatic logic in which six characters gradually lose the plot, their wits and/or their clothes”.

The chaos thus described is accentuated by the sleek realism of production designer Tobias Manderson-Galvin’s set. Cool green and stark white; clean lines and sharp edges; and an obligatory sky-light invoke the institutional reality of the clinic. Careful construction ensures no slamming door causes a wall to shudder. The set is stable and secure – despite the fact that what happens on it is anything but.

Maas and her cast have honed this production to emphasise the qualities that make farce … well … farcical. It is fast-moving and fast-talking. The actors pose and posture with hilarious precision, and – because of the casting – in doing so add layers of innuendo and dimension to the characters and the plot.

Ariadne Sgouros is Dr Prentice. With tight-lipped, ‘upper class’ drawl and quizzical expression, Sgouros makes this role as falsely straight as Orton might have wished – and a perfect contrast to the posturing elegance and contained physicality of Jake Fryer-Hornsby as Mrs Prentice. Together they pace and pose, emphasisng the satire, and pulling off some cleverly timed gags involving bottle-opening, flowers and a brief case.

Amrik Tumber plays the interfering Dr Rance with bold aplomb.. . .

Review continued at Stage Whispers magazine.

Independent Theatre, North Sydney;  Sunday 31^st September 2018

Eight members of the Metropolitan Orchestra (TMO) sneaked away from the mainstream yesterday to ‘wow’ an already expectant audience in a very special ‘gig’. From Bach to Led Zeppelin, Ravel to Metallica, they showed the mellow versatility of this lowest-pitched, second-largest stringed instrument.

Introduced, tongue in cheek, by leader John Benz as “the most important part of the orchestra”, Ezmi Pepper, Caroline Hobbs, Paul Taylor, Steve Meyer, Zenith Chae, Nick McManus and Julienne Guerbois took the stage for an uninterrupted program beginning with two of American 20^th century composer Brian Kelly’s Spanish compositions. The first ,a short atmospheric piece, provided a fitting introduction to the second which conjured the busy bustle of a village market. Motifs intertwined, slow over fast, as the musical interpretation of the scene unfolded.

From Kelly, they moved to JS Bach and Rousseau, their baroque compositions showcasing the depth and flexibility of this instrument, the moods it can inspire, and the energy and emotional concentration it demands of those who play it, whether it be the quiet, pensive final notes of Rousseau or something more upbeat … like Led Zeppelin’s 1975 classic rock hit, Kashmir, where the faster pace, taut pauses and climactic crescendo highlighted the amazing adaptability of the instrument and the musicians.

From ‘heavy’ Rock they moved on to Ravel’ gentle Pavane for a Dead Princess. Here the melancholy of the cello was most evident, the softer, more intense notes merging tenderly with the whisper of the plucked strings.

Shostakovich’s waltz, Suite for Variety Orchestra raised the tempo again – and beautifully demonstrated the various voices of the cellos, the lovely interaction between the performers, and their obvious joy in this stirring mid-twentieth century tribute to waltz-time.

Less cheerful was Wagner’s Pilgrim’s Chorus from the opera, Tannhauser, but this too showcased the emotional control required to create the poignant images and tension in this song where penitent pilgrims praise the peace of God’s mercy.

A little different were the musical messages in Metallica’s 1991 hit, Nothing Else Matters, which once again emphasised the energy of the musicians – and their control, especially in the last lingering notes.

Percussive tapping set the pace for the final item in the program, a tango by Argentinian composer by Astor Izola, the cello a perfect instrument to invoke the sultry atmosphere and precision movement of the dance.

Called back to the stage twice, the group performed a bopping little piece composed by the group’s own Caroline Hobbs – and a rocking reprise of Kasmir that left the audience asking for even more.

By Arnold Ridley. Genesian Theatre, Kent Street, Sydney. September 22 – October 28, 2018.

You may remember Arnold Ridley as Private Godfrey, the gentle, old medic in the British comedy series Dad’s Army, but as well as an actor, he was also a prolific playwright. Of his 19 plays, the best known is The Ghost Train, written in 1923 after Ridley was stranded overnight during a rail journey through Gloucestershire. The play has a long history. Its initial production ran to sell out houses at St Martin’s Theatre from 1925 to 1927. It has been adapted for many film versions, the first a silent film in 1927. An audio version of the play was recorded as late as 2010.

Why? Because it’s a great example of a comedy suspense thriller! And director Stephen Lloyd-Coombs, with his Genesian cast and crew, have really done it justice. His production highlights the melodramatic aspects of the writing by focusing on the ‘stock’ nature of the characters and the use of timing, pace, pause, freezes, vocals, tableaux and innuendo. For anyone studying melodrama – or anyone who values precision acting – it’s a must see.

The play is set in the waiting room of an isolated railway station, where a diverse group of travellers are stranded for the night. Though the station master tries to persuade them to leave, there is nowhere for them to go, so they decide to stay, despite his warning that the ghost of a train wrecked in the area sometimes haunts the line – killing anyone who sees it. Naturally, this leads to a variety of dramatic incidents – and revelations – as well as the climaxes and anti-climaxes one expects of a comic thriller.

Designer Ash Bell has given attention to detail in both her costumes and set. The costumes feature the colours and elegance of the 1920s – and the characters wear them with style. The dusty railway station waiting room in which they are trapped typifies the period, with slatted wooden seats, frosted windows, all very brown and dingy. Michael Schell accentuates this with eerie lighting effects and the spooky rumbling approach of the ghostly train.

Mark Langham plays the station master … and a more sinister character. His station master is suitably frustrated and anxious to lock up and get home, his local burr a contrast to the upper-class accents of the stranded travellers. As the stranger who arrives later in the play – accompanied by his equally sinister off-sider, Dr Sterling, played by Elizabeth McGregor – he is menacing and threatening.

Zoe Crawford and John Willis-Richards are Elsie and Richard Winthrop, whose marriage is falling apart. She is a 1920s feminist, determined and . . . .

Review continued in Stage Whispers magazine

By Alan Ayckbourn. Castle Hill Players. Pavilion Theatre, Castle Hill Showground. September 21 – October 13, 2018.

Staging a play that involves a hotel room in a 40-year time warp is obviously no problem for director, set and sound designer Bernard Teuben. With special lighting effects by Sean Churchward, he has transported Ayckbourn’s 1994 play into the 2038 suite of the Regal Hotel, London, complete with a frosted glass bathroom and a communicating door that, like a neon-lit Tardis, carries its passengers back to 2018 and 1998.

Filmy curtains surround the balcony windows, keeping out the dark of the London night as his well-rehearsed characters take this ‘comic-thriller’ through its paces. Elizabeth Chambers sparkles as the leather-clad dominatrix, Poopay, called to ‘minister’ to aging business man Reece (Stephen Snars). Reece, however, is not interested in her ‘services’. He merely wants her signature as witness to a confession to the murder of his wives by his partner, Julian (Steve Rowe), who hired Poopay!

In a tussle with Poopay, Reece collapses, Julian returns, they carry Reece into the bedroom, and Poopay realises that Julian is the murderer Reece has described. A chase ensues and Poopay runs through a communicating door to be carried back to 2018, where she meets Ruella (Margaret Moir), Reece’s second wife, the night before she is due to be thrown off the balcony by Julian. And that’s just the beginning!

Things get even more complicated when Ruella is time-warped to 1998 and tries to convince Reece’s first wife, Jessica (Jodie Klopf), on their wedding night, of her forth-coming murder. Hotel security man Harold Palmer (Larry Murphy) provides the typical Ayckbourn comic relief as the action gets faster and innuendos abound.

This is one of Ayckbourn’s more complex plays – and one where, as Teuben explains in his program notes, “the women are not the dim-witted, panic-stricken lasses often portrayed, but strong-willed characters taking chances and changing destinies.” A timely revival then!

Chambers is stunning in leather and boots, taking her character from posing prostitute to frightened victim, to concerned rewriter-of-history, in a confident, believable performance. Her pace and energy are integral to much of the action.

Snars ages carefully into the part of seventy-odd Reece, a bit stumbly, a bit shaky, but doggedly determined that the murderer be exposed. Where the character is 40 years younger – cavorting with Klopf  . . . .

Review continued in Stage Whispers magazine

Written and created by Jonathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe. Sydney Theatre Company. Riverside Theatres Parramatta, September 13 – 15, 2018, and touring.

The 2018 Wharf Revue is hitting the road from Parramatta – and why not? It’s the cultural hub of the West; a host of faithful followers have almost booked out the first three-nights of the tour; and Riverside audiences are more than receptive to political satire – they have a Powerhouse of puns to prove it! What better place to perfect its topical pace before the Revue makes its way to the Wharf in November via Penrith, Nunawading, Belrose, Wollongong, Canberra and Wagga Wagga!

This year’s cast no longer includes the multi-talented Phil Scott, who has been the musical muse of the team since its beginning on a makeshift set at Wharf 2 over 15 years ago. His flying fingers on the keyboard, pithy parodies and impish impressions of the longest serving prime minister since Menzies were highlights of revues past – and it doesn’t seem quite the same without him. You are missed, Mr Scott!

Jonathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe, however, remain as the indomitable backbone of the show, their political perception and unbounded energy underwriting a revue that continues to be satirically hard-hitting. They are joined this year by Rachel Beck, Douglas Hansell and musical director Andrew Worboys, in a performance that lampoons state, federal and international politics in the cleverest ways possible.

Imagine Malcolm Turnbull as a page-boy Cinderella on a pantomime set of pale pink striped canopies. Imagine Forsythe as the ugly step mother Abbott, complete with red and yellow frilly lifesaver bonnet. This ‘fairy tale’ rise to power in a panto-style sees Hansell as the dark Prince Dutton, and Rachel Beck as the immediate past PM as she tells of her fate: “Fair weather friends, That’s how it ends … Fallen from grace, Slapped in the face, Poor little me”.

This sets the pace for a scaffold of skits and sketches, not all of them political. The five performers, dressed in plastic body suits and caps, form a plastic percussion. . . . .

Review continued in Stage Whispers magazine.

 

No-one could better describe the premise behind Vicki Van Hout’s clever, creative – and philosophical – piece of theatre than the performer herself:

Even if I am on stage by myself, as an artist, I am never truly alone, as I am bound to bring my family, my community, my peers and mentors to work with me. In this piece, I decided to place the usual behind-the-scenes action of the indigenous arts making process front and centre …

While Australians from all cultural backgrounds create within the framework of cultural arts and community development … there is a particular obligation placed on indigenous performers.

Van Hout has chosen a blend of theatrical forms to highlight her words, and in all of them – dance, drama and film – she manages to incorporate the gentle, but very effective, satirical humour and comic timing that we have come to expect from our indigenous writers and performers. From Jack Davis to Nakkiah Lui, Bob Maza to Leah Purcell, the ability to infuse their special stories with humour as well as truth has earned them a special kind of respect.

Whether in a clever video clip mocking attitudes to the acknowledgement to country, or “auctioning” traditional indigenous and European dance steps; explaining to an invisible elder the ability to tell her stories truthfully without traditional ‘props’ or encapsulating all of them in interpretative movement, Van Hout proves herself a consummate performer. She has a lithe, buoyant energy that injects itself into her performance, an innate ability to use pause, gesture, a tilt of the head, a wry expression to reach beyond the moment and make her truth even clearer.

Van Hout is a skilled dancer, story teller, actor and analyst – with the ability “speak across cultures” in a way that is edifying as well as entertaining.

Review published in Stage Whispers magazine

 

Independent Theatre, North Sydney; Sunday 24^th August 2018

Melbourne cellist Blair Harris joined violinist Emma Jardine and pianist Benjamin Kopp in a wonderful afternoon concert that traced the influences of contemporary music on classical composers – from Haydn in 1795, to Ravel in 1914, to more recent composers such as Paul Schoenfeld (1985), Fazil Say (2012) to young Australian composer Harry Sdraulig (2017).

The harmonious refrains of the motifs in each composition were reflected in the elegant synchronisation of the performers – and their accord as a trio. Moments of eye contact, easily missed by some perhaps, told of their shared passion for the music and the diligent rehearsal that is needed to achieve perfection.

Joseph Haydn’s Trio in G, Gypsy, picked up the gypsy folk music of his time in three movements that conjured the mysticism and romance of those that live a less settled life. It begins in mellow tones, then forces the instruments almost to a race, where they outpace each other “more for fun than for competition”. It certainly puts the musicians through their paces, requiring fast fingers and split-second timing to match the energy of the piece.

Ravel’s Piano Trio, written as The Great War loomed, begins quietly with the rhythmical motifs picked up and echoed, until the rolling patterns of the Pantoum, that reflect pattern of a Malaysian poem where the last two lines of each stanza roll into the next. The fourth movement starts low, with the motif moving higher and higher in scale until it leads into the final movement, that begins with trickling water droplets and ends with the crescendo of a storm.

Every part of this composition demanded faultless timing and a unity of purpose and passion that shone in both the music and the faces of each of the trio.

The second part of the program took the trio to Europe in 2012 and Fazil Say’s musical interpretation of Felix Baumgartner’s jump from a helium balloon 39kms above the earth. The music contemplating the earth from his capsule, then drifting and spinning through the stratosphere and into a dance of joy as he lands safely. All the risks and the exhilaration are iterated in music that trips through the fingers of the three performers as they recapture Say’s interpretation of the feat.

In Harry Sdraulig’s Joybox, composed for Musica Viva, elements of jazz are cycled through a central concept. In Paul Schoenfeld’s Café Music, which is in Kopp’s words, “a wild, free ride” where Schoenfeld “pays homage to all things American”. Suggestions of jazz, soul, and musical theatre come together in a classical pastiche that is obviously as much fun to play as it is for the audience to listen to – and to watch.

The Independent Theatre brings the audience into the close proximity for which chamber music is written … and these three musicians are as thrilling to watch as the music that is their vocation.