1984, Headlong, Playhouse Theatre, Melbourne Festival, Thursday October 22nd 2015

1984, Headlong, Playhouse Theatre, Melbourne Festival, Thursday October 22nd 2015

"1984" was presented by Headlong  at the Playhouse Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne for the Melbourne Festival Thursday October 22nd 2015.  This production was adapted from George Orwell's satirical novel and also directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre.  So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.

"Not bad is a phrase of understatement.  "Not good" can be a reprimand.  "Not Happy Jan" is an iconic phrase that most Australians can quote due to advertising brain washing.   Good and ungood are Newspeak terms.  None of these phrases give this "1984" justice, as it was brilliant.

The arts are subjective and viewpoints can vary.  I am interested to learn about other's viewpoints to understand different perspectives.

I enquired about obtaining a "1984" programme in the upstairs foyer from a helpful Programme Seller who suggested that I ask one of the door attendants.   I asked an usher at Door One and took the opportunity to ask two gentlemen sitting near Door One if they too would like a programme to read before the show.  The usher kindly obliged with two copies.

I am saddened that these programmes should have been given out prior to entry as they had a lot of information  and a substantial Glossary of Terms.  John Truscott would be turning in his grave that the standards of service at the Arts Centre Melbourne have deteriorated and you have to ask for a programme rather than being offered prior to entry.  Note that the Playhouse Theatre is dark inside and it is very hard to read the programme!

In the foyer, an announcement was made at 7.32 pm and then repeated at about 7.45 pm: explaining that if you leave the theatre then you will not be let back in.  Sadly, this over affected voice also enunciated items for patrons attention, with the exception of turning off phones and not taking photography etc.  Inside the theatre, another announcement was made stating such, and sadly they missed a great opportunity to warn patrons "That Big Brother is watching you."  This would have served two purposes to ensure audience members would not be disturbed by technology, and also create an atmosphere of surveillance that this  production would deliver.

The woman sitting next to me behaved as if she was from the Thought Police, because within about 40 minutes from the beginning of the show, her constant sighing and clock watching occurred.  I did not react to her rude and disruptive behaviour.  I cannot understand why she did not leave rather than displaying her "Two Minutes Hate" with her body shifting and disturbing manner.  The main consolation was that no mobile phones went off during this performance.  At the end I applauded so loudly to her patronising "baby claps."

Set design by Chloe Lamford was brilliant.  Though the carpet curling up in the first scene bothered me from a safety perspective.  The opening set was stark and was used so effectively.  As one panel fell down, it gave the illusion of the saying "if only these walls could talk."  A large white area above the main set doubled as a screen allowing us the opportunity to spy upon Winston and Julia in the bedroom. Three cameras in the bedroom provided different angles emphasising the cramped conditions and the loss of privacy.  

The Thought Police arrived and the opening set was opened up to reveal the location of the bedroom upstage.  A sense of urgency and menace was created as the Thought Police de-constructed the opening set.  The staging was slick, cold and calculating to create a dark and sinister scene of investigation with a black out and the requisite torches.

The set was changed again to create the White Room 101.  I adore the use of technology and the way in which sets can be flown in to create walls on the side of the stage.  A large plastic square covers the centre downstage area.  You know something is going to get nasty here.  It was not "X marks the spot" but rather, the plastic square to hide any evidence.  (I wonder if this was their intention or if it was purely a logistical reason to protect the main stage tarkett?)

Lighting design by Natasha Chivers was brilliant to create the opening mundane environment to the harsh and blinding White Room 101.  More importantly the transitions between many of the opening scenes required tight coordination with both the sound designer and the action on stage.

Vocally one actor was harder to hear than the others throughout.  The acting was stylised and appropriate to the satire of "1984".  Winston Smith played by Matthew Spencer took the audience on an emotional journey and allowed us to empathise with his situation.  I particularly liked his restraint that built to sheer terror.  Julia played by Janine Harouni with clinical coldness, until trust could be built with Winston.  The ensemble of actors held me spellbound with their craft and their teamwork. The child actor was especially disturbing. (Apologies as I cannot name and credit which of the three children played at our performance: as no name was supplied.)

White Room 101 had Winston seated centre downstage with six helpers in their white boiler suits sitting like a Greek Chorus, three on each side during the interrogation.  Three helpers selected their equipment and stepped forward to Winston.  Blackout. Then the reveal of Winston and his fingertips cut off.  This was made more gruesome by the director allowing the audience to see the before and after of action, using the unseen to heighten our imagination.

Winston then had electrical apparatus attached to his head and wrists.  He went through the brainwashing of looking at four fingers until he named them as five fingers. This scene was even more sinister when Winston was subjected to the rats in the cage in full view in front of him. The rats' cage was then raised to head height to increase tension, climaxing with the rats' cage put onto his face. This build up made it even more horrific.

Sound design by Tom Gibbons was haunting and electric.  I saw audience members jump at the synchronising of the white flashes of light with the stirring sound.  We sat in P Row and watched bodies jump out of their their seats.  This is theatre that moves you - physically and emotionally!!! Yes!!!  Simple and effective to scare the shit out of you!  His sounds pierced your body, not just your ears.  Mind you, the sound was loud, but not excessively so, which made it even more disturbing.

Video design by Tim Reid was also brilliant as described above with the three camera angles creating intrusive and claustrophobic conditions. The upward close-up camera angle was particularly revealing for each character.

The Actors' Gang production of "1984" by Tim Robbins from 2006 should have played in The Playhouse and not the State Theatre were it was lost.  That production was more clinical than this which gnawed at you throughout.  I thought the Tim Robbins' version used the squealing rats more effectively and the rat cage was more sinister.  Their grey uniforms were characteristically more impersonal than this production with its very 1950's drab and comfortable designs.

The Headlong production of "1984" made sense out of a difficult book.

The scenes which were repeated in the first section remind me of Jenny Kemp's play, "The Black Sequin Dress" with the Natasha Herbert tripping sequence.  This is the third show in this 2015 festival to have this type of repetition and each has worked so well.  Tripping is like a sub-theme of the 2015 Melbourne Festival. (I wrote about how I tripped upon entry to "YOUARENOWHERE").  Yes tripping without drugs and tripping physically!

The staging and movement of "1984" was stylised, robotic and calculated.  The people were lifeless at times.

"1984" is a great companion piece to "YOUARENOWHERE" with the connections of memory, time and the nose bleed.  The other connection was stating the obvious at the conclusion of each play with "This is the end."

The ending of "1984" reminded me of a scene from the movie version of Ray Bradbury's "Farenheit 451" where the characters are reciting their memorised book.  Asking if the writer was real made it so sinister.

Winston sat during this final scene as if he was had not existed or had been unpersoned.  This is so timely with our computer age as people's files are either misplaced, deleted or stolen.  With identify fraud so prevalent in our modern times this scene was made even more relevant.  It is so easy to just un-friend someone on Facebook with the same cold harshness of being deleted in  "1984".

 Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan and Headlong are to be congratulated on creating a wonderfully memorable piece of  accessible theatre with "1984".

Brilliant theatre and I gave this a 9/10 and my partner 8.5/10. (Note my partner has not read the book)

YOUARENOWHERE, Performance Space 122, Arts House, North Melbourne, Melbourne Festival, Monday October 19th 2015

YOUARENOWHERE, Performance Space 122, Arts House, North Melbourne, Melbourne Festival, Monday October 19th 2015

I have written two versions of this review:  one with spoilers for myself and THIS ONE is published without the spoilers.

"YOUARENOWHERE" is presented by New York's Performance Space 122 in conjunction with Arts House, North Melbourne and the Melbourne Festival.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre.  So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.

Wow what a way to spend Monday October 19th 2015!

I have written two versions of my review.  This one for public release is minus my spoilers.  The second version will be printed and stored with my programme.

This is my interpretation of what I saw in this sensational show called "YOUARENOWHERE" by Andrew Schneider and a superb team of collaborators/co-creators.

We were so lucky to have seen the last performance of "YOUARENOWHERE".  The Melbourne Festival can have its hits and misses and this show was certainly up there as one of the most memorable for this 2015 festival.  I am so glad that we took a chance when buying tickets with our package a few months earlier.

The doors opened at about 6.28 and we knew the show would not start on time.  What is new?  As no show we have attended the Melbourne Festival since 1986 has started on time.  We had bets on what time it would begin which was in keeping with the time travelling theme of the show.  We thought the show began at about 6.42 pm.  Well by my watch anyway!  MMMMM!? Or was it the past? Or the future of that time zone?  MMMM!

When entering the theatre I tripped on something which was a cushion.  For safety reasons there should have been an usher with a torch making patrons aware of a potential obstacle.  The theatre filled very quickly and the usher was struggling to locate vacant seats for those who could not sit on the cushions in the front row.  Two young people offered their seats to a smartly dressed couple who could sit on the floor mats in their attire.

Upon entering the theatre two people held long black hanging straps to be kept out of the way of the audience entering the theatre, and for safety reasons.  There was a stark white floor with a white background and black walls on either end of the staging area.  A rectangular shape hangs centre stage at about head height for a tall person.

Black out.  The show begins.  The harsh lighting presents the stark white stage.  Black out and the lights come up again and a man appears.  This repeats a few times with the man appearing and disappearing.  Is he there or not?  Did we really see him?  An instant contract is made with the audience to allow us to immediately enter the genre of theatre.

Andrew Schneider lies on the ground after one of the black out moments.  This reminded me of the repeating tripping sequence from Jenny Kemp's "Black Sequin Dress" performed at the Playbox Malthouse Theatre.  Here we are reminded of the time shifting blur between memory and reality.

He looks into the hanging rectangle which could be a mirror.  At times he seems to go through the mirror as if time shifting.   He talks about time and what is now or the past or the future.  We are spinning with time options.  Are we seeing the beginning, the end or the middle?

The sound of his voice is sampled and repeated.  His voice is scrambled.  Is it happening live?

He speaks to a crew as if giving directions when the lights or sound appear to muck up.  Could it be errors or directions?  It all blurs and you are taken on an incredible journey.

He sings a song into a microphone.  He has a lovely melodious voice.  I can't remember the song he sang now which frustrates the hell out of me.  I remembered at the time and loved the lyrics.  Did I really hear him sing?

Later he offers a lady sitting on the floor mat a CD and asks her to select a track.  The sound changes rapidly between many genres of music.  He is playing with us as if we are on a roller coaster ride, and our seats are our only safety device to protect us.

There is a huge blast of colour lighting change which is in total contrast to the black and white.

There is a duet with a man who presents a monologue on a screen.  He says the same monologue in unison with the man on the screen.  Sometimes the screen voice fades out,  The vocal unison is brilliantly executed.  He even mirrors the gestures and facial expressions of the on-screen image.

A train speeds across the large white backdrop.  At times it looks like it is in mirror image and other times it looks as if the same images are horizontally duplicated.  It blurs and your mind is spinning with this journey.  My partner could not tell me for sure as our realities are now divided.

He appears to lecture the audience about a missed opportunity.  There is a man and woman and he questions whether they saw each other as the train went through a station.  What do you see first - that which is forward or backward?  We saw a documentary on this similar story on television in 2014.  It also reminded us of a train and body scene from an Agatha Christie movie.

At no time was I  bored during this brilliant show which was so intriguing and yet there was more to come.

SPOILERS here have been deleted on purpose!

"YOUARENOWHERE"is one of the moments in time that you want to remember like I was three years old when JFK got shot and I remember the crying. Or Princess Diana died a day after my youngest brother died.  These are unforgettable events and this show is one that I want to talk to people about and yet I do not want to spoil it.

Make sure you see it when it comes to a theatre near you.

I adored the change of perspective.  It was as if our reality was being challenged, but the steak knives were yet to come!

We were then invited to change seats to get a new perspective.  I have seen this done before with a dance performance and more recently on Broadway with the final scenes in "Rocky - the musical".    (You may wish to read my review of  "Rocky the musical" that as I am still in awe at how they staged that final section.  It was amazing to watch the major staging of how security and stage management moved hundreds of people onto the stage as they flew in the boxing ring to cover the front rows of the Wintergarden Theatre.

The AA meeting sequence with the twelve steps where his voice is reversed and replayed.  But does he say some of this live too?  Boy we are really blurring what happened.

There are discussions about physics and time curving and Einstein's theory of relativity etc.  So much science that I do not pretend to understand.

I could not work out why the words in the title all joined together.  Thank you to The Age reviewer, Cameron Woodhead who pointed out that the title could be interpreted as either "You are nowhere" or "You are now here" on Saturday October 17th 2015.  I am glad I did not read his review until afterwards as it would have given me some hints and reduced the my head spinning during this show.

Near death experience:  Yes I nearly died in 1998 in a work accident and the opening sequence reminded me of some aspects of that memory.  Flashes and drifting in and out.

Ending with a light globe falling from the ceiling.  Or was the beginning action that caused his nosebleed.  He did not have the nosebleed at the start of the show. Whereas in a promotional video of "YOUARENOWHERE" he did have the nosebleed at the beginning of the show.   But was that the start of the show? He steps on the globe as he exits and it shatters.

He comes forward at least twice to tell us "This is the end" - once in blackout and then once in full light to repeat "This really is the end".  This ending reminded me of the Melbourne Festival 2014 show "Since I Suppose" by "One Step at a Time Like This" that concluded in a similar way in this exact same space twelve months ago.

After the show two young people swept up the shattered globe.   Did this just happen?  Or have we been watching a show for an hour?  What a great journey and all without alcohol or drugs!

It was delightful that there were no mobile phone incidents during the show.  An usher did make an announcement prior to entry for people to turn off their phones prior to entry as they could interfere with the equipment.  Mind you two people near us only turned their phones off at the last minute.

Andrew Schneider is a talented artist who is compelling to watch.  He has a great body, a rich melodious voice and is a terrific mover.  More so, he is a great story teller who takes us on a wonderful mind blowing journey.  I have seen many great artists perform and he is certainly in one of my favourite shows ever.  I cannot wait to see more of his works.

Congratulations on a brilliant show that finally pushed some of my boundaries with some simple and effective staging devices.   After seeing so many wonderful types of theatre over 49 years "YOUARENOWEHRE" is so far (as of October 21st 2015), my highlight of this year's Melbourne Festival.

Thank you to Josephine Ridge and the Melbourne Festival team for bringing Andrew Schneider with "YOUARENOWHERE".

This was sensational festival fare and gets 8.5/10.

Patti Smith's Horses, Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne Festival, Sunday October 18th 5.00 pm show

Patti Smith's Horses, Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne Festival, Sunday October 18th 5.00 pm show

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre.  So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.

We had booked tickets for nine shows for the Melbourne Festival in early August 2015 and my partner asked me to book three more shows on Saturday 17th 2015.  So I went through the Melbourne Festival site and booked what suited our available dates.

Some of you reading this will think it sacrilege that we did not know of "Patti Smith's Horses" other than we knew her name and the name of the album.

We arrived early to pick up our tickets and the queue wound from the main entrance of Melbourne Town Hall to Little Collins St and back.  We knew that this was an additional show as the 8.00 pm show had sold out and thought it would be worthwhile.  The queue was quite entertaining as you could not but hear the conversation behind us about "temp-ing" and not being successful in job interviews.  I bit my tongue as I could have given him some hints due to my background.  If he is reading this prepare some answers, do your homework and sound more enthusiastic.

We arrived at our seats with a young couple from a town between Canberra and Byron Bay. Welcome to Melbourne guys and we hope that you have an amazing trip to New York when you do go.  It was terrific to hear this young couple so in awe of our Melbourne Town Hall.  Thank you for coming to Melbourne and hope that you come again for the Melbourne Festival.

We sat up the back in Q Row in the Balcony and we are so relieved that we did not get standing room tickets.   It was terrific to see obvious fans bopping along and relishing the music.

We were not disappointed as some of the music did sound familiar.  I know I can hear you now scathing and rolling your eyes.

"Gloria" was familiar and we realised that we knew this iconic song.  Some relief that we knew this song.

Yes I normally complain about mobile phone usage at the theatre but this is a concert.  Sadly people were going wild taking photos and recording the concert on cameras and phones. It is a copyright issue; but hey security were not going to do anything about it.   I am not complaining but just recording my observations of this event.  It is a concert and it appears to be expected that people need proof of their attendance by taking selfies, we-lfies and recordings.

The concert began at about 5.15 pm and prolongs the record fhat no Melbourne Festival show that we have attended has started on time in its 30 year history!

I assume the 8.00 pm concert will be recorded by two professional cameramen as was the 5.00 pm show.  These cameramen did not intrude on the performers and I was pleased that this historical event was being recorded for their fans.

Musically the band played well except for one song toward the end that seemed a little out of musical synchronisation.  But, hey I do not know the songs well enough to judge.  But I do know when music does not unite.

Vocally the singers were in tune and not flat like some performers can sing a bung note.  We found the volume was quieter than we expected, which was a relief.  Yes it was loud but not excessively so.
On one or two occasions the sound mixing seemed to be a little wonky.

Diction wise it was typical rock singing whereby it can be hard to understand the lyrics at times.  I am not complaining as I enjoyed each performer's singing and the emotions they portrayed.

I loved the balance of the different performers sharing the limelight.

The lighting evoked a celebratory mood.  I especially liked the music during the "Horses" section with the smoky lights appearing to create illusions of horses.  Maybe it was coincidence but I thought I could see some horses in the smoky lights.  But hey look into the clouds and you see different images.

It was terrific to have an hour show of "Patti Smith's Horses" with the one encore.  Keeping it succinct and the crowd wanting more is the way to go.  Quality entertainment rather than people leaving as some concerts can go on too long.

The encore had someone playing the Melbourne Town Hall organ and this was terrific to be able to inform our young neighbours from NSW.

I will have to listen to this album and read the lyrics now.

Overall a 7/10

Decadance, Batsheva Dance Company, State Theatre, Melbourne Festival, Thursday October 15th 2015

Decadance, Batsheva Dance Company, State Theatre, Melbourne Festival, Thursday October 15th 2015

I have seen Batsheva Dance Company perform about four or five times before and was not disappointed this time with "Decadance".  They are a superb group of athletic artists.  They performed at the State Theatre at Arts Centre Melbourne for the Melbourne Festival.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre.  So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.

Entering the theatre the usher did not have any programmes.  I earlier went to the programme sellers and they were selling the 30th Anniversary book that I had bought last Saturday. I thought it odd that there was not a programme in sight with any of the audience members in our area in the stalls, and so I resigned myself that there was not a programme.  Meeting up with friends, who had sat in the Balcony, after the show had received a programme.  I write this review without any reference to the programme notes.

Upon entering the theatre a male dancer was warming up on stage with phrases from dances.  He kept us entertained as people assumed their seats and he received warm applause.  Extra security was evident throughout the theatre and reminded me of the famous final performance scene from "A Sound Of Music".    This extra security was interesting as the usual prevalence of mobile phones had been turned off, except for a blonde woman in F Row who just had to write a text.  Doesn't she know that there is no coverage and it will not be sent until after the show.  She proceeded to take out a pad for notes - maybe a reviewer who should know better to be a role model and turn her phone off prior to the performance.

I think the official performance began at 7.38 when the male dancer went upstage and began a new sequence.  The other dancers now joined him in the pulsating and individual solos.  It appeared totally improvised and it became more exciting when all of the dancers simultaneously synchronised their movements. The ensemble danced in unison briefly and the curtain quickly fell and was a very funny beginning to the "Decadance".

The curtain opens and fifteen dancers are in a semi circle seated on chairs.  The dancers all wear the same costume of a white shirt under a black jacket, Their shoes and trousers are also black.  They perform swirling, reaching and yearning movements.  There is a repeated canon of the dancers who lean back in their seats with their arms and legs outstretched.  The last dancer falls forward off their seat and performs a short solo in mainly a prone position.  The repeated seated dance is very spiritual and respectful. It is also similar to an initiation as if he must succumb to be accepted This canon is repeated many times with the same man falling from his seat.  Later canons have a central man jump onto his seat. In contrast his solos are upright.

The dancers throw off their hats and continue to dance.  Later they discard their shoe then their jackets and finally their trousers,  The dance is so pulsating and reminded me of Ravel's "Bolero" as it is so exciting and builds intensity both musically and choreographically.

This first piece segued with the fading of the lights, the dancers scooping up their costumes as six men stepped forward into a line.

These six men stood forming a line in a tunnel of light.  They created a dance whereby the line would move either to the right or left that was hypnotic.  A new dancer would join the formation as one would leave the group.  This was repeated in the opposite direction with a new member joining the group.  This piece had a different mood to the opening.  To me it was so much about respect for the dancers that have been a part of Batsheva Dance Company as it is also about welcoming new members to the ensemble.

The segues or transitions from one piece to the next were clean.  There was a trio of two women and a man.  This piece was quieter and more reflective with weaving in and out between of the other dancers.

The joy of Batsheva Dance Company is their exciting and exhilarating homage to folkloric traditions and rhythms. Simple gestures or movements are embellished with such grace and dignity. Sometimes the dancers are required to vocalise with either a chant or song in such a compelling and determined manner.

Another sequence was a column of five dancers who would each step forward, expose their mid torso and return to the back of the column.  Later each dancer would be reveal their back and return to the back of the column.  This sequence reminded me of Pina Bausch's "1980" with each dancer competing to show their scars or wounds.  Choreographically Batsheva's version was so different to the competitive nature of Pina Bausch but the mood of exposition and sharing was similar.  We, as the audience were witnessing the dancers ability to share.

There is another large ensemble piece with fifteen dancers.  They again wear their hats and black suits.  Each dancer performs a variation of a gyrating shimmy.  "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" plays at some stage.  Later they turn to the audience and walk forward.  It is quite sinister as they walk towards and into the audience as the house lights are brought up.

Each dancer walks up the aisles selecting a victim and escorts them to the stage.  There are various expressions of fear, trepidation and excitement on the faces of the audience members.  They dance to
Dean Martin's "Sway".  The audience members can improvise with the professional dancers and are also guided into their choices.  Sometimes a Batsheva dancer would try to spin or lift an audience member.  These moments were magical when they either failed or were choreographically in harmony as we were watching the joy of dancing and sharing.  The audience cheered and applauded and you could feel the State Theatre rise with joy.

The dancers coerced the audience members into the centre of a circle as they danced around them. One female audience member was left upstage left to roars of laughter from the crowd.  The spontaneity of this dance made my heart swell.  I have tears of joy while remembering the incredibly powerful moments that all of these people shared.  The audience members were directed to their seats and the audience wildly greeted them back into the audience.

A lone audience woman was dancing centre stage with a Batsheva man.  She cringed at the attention she was receiving and the audience cheered her.  Suddenly all of the Batsheva dancers fall to the ground and this lone woman in a red dress is left awkwardly standing centre stage.  The audience went wild at the end with cheers and thunderous applause.

Another piece I will call "Numbers" as a counting sequence is repeated (in Yiddish?) with one, one two, one two three, one two three, one two three four etc.  Each counting sequence building with an extra new count.  The phrases would coincide with the repetitive moves for each count.  New phrases would be danced with each new grouping.

The final sequence had a female dancer show her hands.  It was like a curtain call.  The audience applauded and a male dancer did the same, so again the audience applauded.  The dance continued and the audience stopped applauding.  People were confused and now decided it was not the curtain call as the dancers moved on from showing their hands.  This was probably the only down fall of the night as people looked at each other not knowing if this was the curtain calls or not.

The action did build until it was obvious the night was complete.  The magnificent dancers made two circles each swirling in opposite directions.  The lights faded to a wonderful night of dance.

The audience went wild and some people did stand though not like a pure eruptive standing ovation. Audience members now began to look to get permission to see if they too should stand.  No it was too late folks.  A true standing ovation is eruptive like the "Korean Drummers" back in an earlier Melbourne Festival.  I think they would have received a standing ovation had they finished with a stronger piece.

I wish Arts Centre Melbourne management would have their ushers stand like the security staff did at this performance as it certainly reduced the mobile phone usage during  the performance. The security staff were not off putting.  I welcome more of this.


Both my partner and I gave this 8.5/10.

Bronx Gothic, Arts House, Melbourne Festival, Sunday October 11th 2015

Bronx Gothic, Arts House, Melbourne Festival, Sunday October 11th 2015

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre.  So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.

"Bronx Gothic" was originally produced by Performance Space 122 from New York and was presented at the Arts House in North Melbourne for the Melbourne Festival.

The first thing that hits you as you walk past the billowing white curtains entering the theatre is the heat.  It is oppressively hot.  The second thing that hits you is the stale and rancid stench.  The third is a woman, Okwui Okpokwasili dancing in the far corner of the stage with her back to the audience. We were allowed into the theatre at about 4.50 pm for the 5.00 pm performance.  A lady in the front row of three rows has to leave and get water.  I can barely breath.  Is this a part of the show?  If so, it is like "1984" with the smell-o-vision.  People were trying to get comfortable and at about 4.58pm the air conditioning sounded as if it had been turned on.  I wanted to vomit and fanned myself.

The performer Okwui Okpokwasili continued to dance with her back to the audience.  The corridor lights went down outside the white billowing curtains as the music changed slightly.  To me this was the beginning of the show as prior to this was context setting and a warm up.

Well Okwui Okpokwasili continued to dance until 5.15 and the music changed again.  The audience were getting tired of this.  I think we got the point!  The sound scape changed again slightly and this continued until 5.20 pm.  Yes I was clock watching as it was so uncomfortable.  She was so physically fit to be gyrating and pulsating for what was now half an hour.  She was wet and glowing with sweat.

Maybe this long prelude was to introduce us to the theme of the show.  Maybe the smell was a coincidence.  The dancing and sweat was like a combination of an African tribal dance, sexual ritual, a trance, self absorbed and a tantric orgasm.

Many audience members were intrigued with where this dance was going.  Some people were very uncomfortable with the length of this introduction.  In hindsight I think this would have been more powerful had it been for half the length of time.  Less is more.

Okwui Okpokwasili is a brilliant story teller and introduces us to her letters that she has rewritten from memory.  She reads from these letters and embellishes upon their contents.  The letters are discarded just like rape victims can be physically discarded.  The throwing away of these letters makes the story more poignant that no one will ever be able to erase horrific memories.

A rape dance sequence was repeated about three times where she assumed various poses of sexual exploitation: on all fours, rolling over, legs up etc.  This was more effective than the opening sequence as it was succinct and ultra specific in its choreographic intention.  Her facial expressions added to her body being exploited.

The set comprised of thirteen upturned lamps with their cellophane still on the lampshades.  The largest lamp had its cupid like stand broken in two.  Was this the object that she picked up and broke? It did not matter as the lamps were used to light the stage in varying intensities.

Some of the sections of "Bronx Gothic" reminded me of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf" that I saw in 1976 at The Comedy Theatre. I even have the script and the original cast recording. The difference was that Okwui Okpokwasili performed as a soloist using her rich voice and brilliant physicality to bring multiple characters to life.  The other difference was that I had tears rolling down my face with some of the stories in "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf"  while with "Bronx Gothic" I felt empathy but did not have as deep theatrical connection to the characters.

The limited humour heightened the drama by giving us some relief.  This intensifies the drama and our attention.  Various stories and memories unfold.  There was a large group of school girls in the audience and they reminded me that was about their age when I saw "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf".

Close to the end of the show, the middle aged woman in front of me just had to check her phone for messages during a poignant moment.  How rude of her.  I was hoping for a performance distraction free of "twanking" mobile phone addicts. Sadly not.

Overall "Bronx Gothic" was a challenging show for the wrong reasons due to the oppressive environment.

I gave this performance a 7/10. My partner gave it a 4/10.

32 Rue Vandenbranden, Peeping Tom, Melbourne Festival, The Sumner Theatre, Saturday October 10th 2015

32 Rue Vandenbranden, Peeping Tom, Melbourne Festival, The Sumner Theatre, Saturday October 10th 2015

"32 Rue Vandenbranden" by Peeping Tom was a major highlight so far for the 2015 Melbourne Festival at The Sumner Theatre.

I have seen this company perform at a previous Melbourne Festival and they certainly have a flair for physical theatre that pushes the boundaries.  The concept and co-direction of "32 Rue Vandenbranden" are by Gabriela Carrizo and Franck Chartier.  The six performers are credited with both the creation and performance.  Sets, costumes and lighting design supports this production.

We are introduced to a set with one large caravan opposite a duplex caravan in a snowy wilderness. The curtains of the caravans are opened as the windows are closed during a wind storm.  A baby shivers underneath the lone caravan. Above this caravan are two women, Maria Gyselbrecht's character is wearing an evening gown, stilettos and is pregnant; while Eurudike De Beul wears more sensible clothing for this unforgiving climate. Immediately these images provides us with the blur of reality and fantasy. This opening highlights the audience as the voyeurs on the internal and external worlds of these occupants.

We are introduced to the two new occupants who will share the other half of the duplex caravan. One man stands upon the lower back of his fellow traveller who happens to also carry large backpacks and three suitcases.  Their entrance is magical and memorable in theatrical terms.  They have a wonderful duo entering with their baggage.  It immediately allows the audience to laugh and enter into this crazy world.

The baby under the caravan was so tragic that it was funny. Sadly some audience members could not see this very funny moment of the adult head in a baby's bonnet attached to the body of a doll.  I began to wonder about the connection to the pregnant woman above.  Was this to be the baby she did not want?  Was she really pregnant?  Was it her wishful thinking to have the baby of one of her neighbours?  Was this baby her miscarriage?  Was this her abandoned baby?  All of these questions stirred me at the end of the show.

This production required the audience to consider the main focus of what was happening and to not ignore the other characters.  The subsidiary characters in each scene may have appeared not to be doing much,  when in fact they were slowly transitioning into the next scene.  Very clever in how these transitions occurred and you had to keep looking or you could miss their transitions.  One of the main devices was the use of looking at their neighbours, looking at each other or looking internally. Focus was central to the success of this work.

Another very funny transition was Maria Gyselbrecht's character who began by sipping on her bottle of water. She then began to spray water from her mouth on the internal windows and began washing the windows in creative ways using various parts of her body. Her cleaning counter-pointed the main serious action outside.

The duet by Carolina (Maria Carolina Vieria) and her partner Jos Baker was sublime.  She is so physically agile using her gymnastics training.  He used his strength and control in winding and unwinding both their bodies while Carolina maintained one position.  This was clever and exploratory and not boring as choreography of this type can become.

Jos Baker's solo of writhing his upper body and then alternating to his gyrating pelvis was brilliant.  His timing and pulsations were both emotionally exhilarating and draining to watch.  It was as if he were possessed.  There was the magic of theatre in that later his chest was wet, though not during this writhing sequence.  Later Jos Baker shows us his nimble sleight of hand and dexterity with his magical cigarette sequence.

Seoljin Kim's solo with his backpacks rolling around the snow covered ground trying to regain his balance was fun and good old vaudevillian slapstick.  Seoljin Kim would visit Maria Gyselbrecht in her caravan on a few occasions.  His longing and desire would result in a soul searching and deeply grieving solo where he removes his bleeding heart. Eventually his character dies of a broken heart.

Maria Gyselbrecht has a rendezvous with Jos Baker and the magic of the hidden door is used.  Again this sequence blurs reality versus fantasy.  Was her visit a memory, wish or a desire?  The hope and despair of each character is highlighted by their interaction with others and in their individual solos. Maria's aloneness is shown in her introspective moments in her caravan.

The masturbation solo by Hun-Mok Jung was ridiculous in the cold environment.  What made it funnier was the three tourists or by-passers.  They stopped and stared at his antics and showed us how we as the audience were reacting.  They mirrored our reality of the absurd situation.

Hun-Mok Jung also performed a karaoke sequence which was reminiscent of the Decore shower advertisement.  We see his character throughout via his smaller window.  He begins by singing into a real microphone and then progresses to use the shower head to sing.  Still singing into his shower head he goes outside to put out the garbage.  He encounters the other characters who are also putting out their garbage/ trash or rubbish.  It is a universal moment of being caught in public doing a very private behaviour.  Exposed, embarrassment and empathy: we have all been in a situation that has exposed our vulnerability and we are able to empathise with their situation.   Again this was the mirror of our lives on stage - with the blur of reality and fantasy.

The duet between Maria Carolina Vieria and Jos Baker was brilliant.  Their bending forward and backward was a forehead version of a Kiwi greeting that listed like the Titanic without sinking.  The performers did not show the effort required for such demanding choreography.  Their skills, strength and control created lightness and thus enhanced the humour.

Some sequences were repeated during "32 Rue Vandenbranden".  Those repeated by Maria Gyselbrecht reminded me of Natasha Herbert's tripping moment from Jenny Kemp's "Black Sequin Dress" performed at the Playbox Malthouse Theatre.  Here we are reminded of the blur between memory and reality, and private versus public memories.

The theme of baggage is shown in various ways by each character, emotionally or physically. We have the relationship baggage with the family abuse section.  This was incredibly well choreographed in that the shock waves had repercussions throughout the community.  Each of the characters felt the ripple effects of the blows inflicted by Jos Baker upon his female partner, Maria Carolina Vieria. This violence sequence had all the characters pulsating the abusive rhythms and exacerbated the ferocious brutality.  As these other characters observed the beating, they were helpless to render assistance as they too were caught up in the rhythms of the cycle of bureaucracy.  Do I get involved?  Is it really happening?

Great special effects were used throughout the show including an umbrella that turned inside out with the wind.  This umbrella appeared to rain upon itself.  We thought the water was stored in the handle of the umbrella.  A magical moment.

The wind and the garbage being blown across the stage at the start was simple and effective.  Later we see this garbage in the karaoke sequence.  The final wind sequence from within Maria's caravan was poignantly clever - as if it was her built up tension and explosion of emotion. This final wind was like her guilt of her miscarriage or the abandoned new born baby.

The confines of each caravan was challenging from a space perspective.  But the entrances and exits through the windows of the caravans was clever and varied.  The entrance of the bride through the curtains of Maria's caravan was hilarious.  The duet entrance into Carolina and Jos's caravan was athletic and gymnastic.  Their duet inside the caravan was dangerously exciting,  I am in awe of their trust and skill in such a confined space.

The singer Eurudike De Beul provides beautiful tunes to counter point some of the action.  Early on she washes herself in the caravan which is one of those transitions that many may have missed.  At one stage she stood on top of the couple's caravan holding two items as if she was the Statue of Liberty.  Both a ridiculous and fun image of her choice to do what she wants, when she wants.

There are so many other wonderful memories of the gun section and the impending fear within their environment.  The looking at beyond the audience searching for the fear.

The production finished as each caravan closed their curtains with stillness in contrast to the windy opening of curtains and closing of windows.  Each character is free to do what they want and will not be limited in this harsh environment.  Shut in but not shut out. Shut out but not shut in. Trapped within ourselves or free to express ourselves.  This production allows the characters the liberty to develop their own reality.

Programme notes:  It would have been beneficial to have the photos of the performers in the programme to enable the audience to put names to faces.

The finale was superbly choreographed with each performer maintaining their character.  Seoljin Kim's character had died, and Maria lifts his head up for audience acknowledgement during two curtain calls.  This was a graphic and compelling curtain call and sensational theatre as the performers maintained their characters.  The audience kept applauding, showing their appreciation for this superb show, as finally all performers stood out of character for the final curtain calls.

The cast "iced the cake" as they brought out a photo of the performer Maria Otal who died ten days before the premiere of "32 Rue Vandenbranden".  It was a fitting and generous tribute to their colleague to share with us, the audience.  Thank you!

As Hun-Mok Jung exited on the final curtain call he mimed the universal hand gesture of "call me" which related to his poster on the outside of his caravan.  A memorable exit and close to a great show.

"32 Rue Vandenbranden" is an example of what makes the Melbourne Festival my October destination each year.  Over thirty years there have been more misses than hits and this production has certainly provided a 2015 highlight.  It is gems like this show that make persistence worthwhile.

I gave this production 8/10 and my partner gave it an 8.5/10.

NYX, Antony Hamilton Projects, Melbourne Festival, Thursday October 8th 2015

NYX, Antony Hamilton Projects, Melbourne Festival, Thursday October 8th 2015

"NYX" choreographed by Antony Hamilton had its World Premiere at the Meat Market in North Melbourne.  "NYX" is presented by Melbourne Festival in association with The Dancing Architects and by Antony Hamilton Projects.

I have been to all thirty of the Melbourne Festivals which began as the Spoleto Festival of Three Worlds and morphed into MIFA Melbourne Internal Arts Festival) and is now just the Melbourne Festival.  Historically it was great to be able to see a huge journey of dance history when Alwin Nikolais Dance Company performed in 1986.  He was famous for his combination of light and costumes with dance.  Here tonight we saw a company provide a physical manifestation of percussion and dance.

We enter the theatre and the show begins ten minutes late.  Historically NOT ONE show in thirty years has begun on time.

There is a temple like structure lit centre stage.  We have no idea of how deep the staging area will become as it is black beyond.

Four dancers stand far upstage in black: silhouetted and all with flowing long hair.  Stillness for at least thirty seconds to get our attention.  Slowly the humming begins, and the moaning.  Gentle swaying reminiscent of Brian Friel's play "Dancing at Lughnasa"  He died recently and the finale of his beautiful play with the gentle swaying still makes my heart soar.  So to be reminded of this beautiful memory within five minutes was encouraging.

Though I found we had five minute blocks of choreography or percussive movement in each of the following sections.

The next five minute sequence was messing up the temple like structure.  It was interesting to see the sliding of ceramic and stone or pebbles into different directions.  (I admire the dedication of the production crew to recreate this temple before each performance.)  The rhythms created by the sliding of items was primitive and destructive.  Where was this heading?  Were they to going to rebuild a new civilisation?  They had my attention but I found the five minute segments a little predictable.

We had about five minutes of tapping rhythms using the ceramics, sticks and pebbles.  I call this the Banking Section as they banked their stash of pebbles/stones away.  The reaching forward by the four dancers, two by two was a little like Noah's Ark and filling the urns with the pebbles or stones.  This is where I admired the dancers' skills the most, as they had to reach forward to gather the stones and drop them into the large urns creating a pulsating rhythm.  They not only had to visually calculate where their stones were but they also had to be aware of the other dancer's supply of pebbles.  This was terrific team work and concentration.

Sadly we had a mobile phone interruption with the rude woman's light on her phone.  Later this was followed by the percussive hum and vibration of two other phones.  TURN THEM OFF!  Do not turn them to silent because they are not silent.

There was another group of eight dancers who dressed with half their faces covered.  They reminded me of the "Samurai" television show from the 1960s.  They slowly entered and reminded me of a section from "Flowers" by Lindsay Kemp.

The four dancers in black used their hair as an extension of their bodies.  Their hair twirled and flowed with their movements.  It was most effect when the four were bent forward upstage in silhouette and looked like horses galloping in the distance.  This was one of the strongest images and I longed for more of these moments.

A group of eight upstage were sitting and created a thirty count round of percussive movement and rhythm.  They gradually increased their speed and eventually we had a break-a-way group creating a counter rhythm.  It was like a canon with this second group gradually taking over the rhythm of the original theme.  Eventually all finished with this new sequence.  This was my favourite part of the work and reminded me of the subtle musical transitions of Philip Glass.  Congratulations to this group of eight as my heart soared with your synchronisation and timing.  Again this was one of the strongest moments and I longed for more.  It was my favourite section.

We had the obligatory contemporary dance rolling around sequence.  This resulted in one of the few funny moments of the production.  The four dancers in black finished in various poses with their hair as the centre piece.  Some had their hair in a foot or hands etc.  They then proceeded into a laughing sequence and then changed positions for a sobbing or a crying sequence.  I enjoyed the contrast of their positions and sounds.  Again a strong image and I longed for more of these moments.

The other quick laugh was when the four in black were on their knees as if in a tantrum chanting "Naughty girl".

Another section, I will call  The Robot or Machine Parade sequence was led by a dancer in black on an upside down flower pot.  She pushed this forward and the three behind followed in various guises.  They chanted and created rhythms and various sounds. The images were like a Year 11 drama exercise, though the use of percussion with their bodies was the saving grace.

The supporting eight dancers created a congo line type sequence with their farcical entrances and exits in either a line of eight or four.  The upstage shuffling group of four was in contrast to the eight downstage, as if they had travelled on a long journey.  A simple and effective image through a thin curtain.

The rest of the production blurred with more variations of rhythms, tapping with bodies and sticks and more chanting.

The final sequence was a burial type ritual and could have been from the Aztec, Inca or the ancient Egyptian cultures. It was the placing of the objects around the body of one of the dancers. This sequence concluded with the three remaining dancers crawling away respectfully allowing their colleague to rest in peace.

Each year some reviewers have their favourite word in their reviews.  We have had various reviewers throughout the years over-use their favourite word or phrase.  Some examples include visceral, surreal or the cavernous stage.   To me the word for this production is sonorous -  for the various sound qualities produced by the dancers, and for the sound of snoring which this production could have done had it gone on any longer.

Lighting by Benjamin Cisterne was effective in this large space.  I especially liked the use of sillouette and the upward lighting of the ceiling.

Costume design by Paula Levis was most effective for the eight dancers.  The black leotards were effective for the silhouettes.  The tights on two of the four dancers were ripped by the end of the performance.  Not hardy enough for good costume design for this choreography I am afraid!

I longed for more of theses memorable moments.  "NYX" is a promising work with physical manifestation of percussion and dance.

Overall my partner gave this a 4/10 and I was a bit more generous with a 6/10.

Friday Oct 9th 2015:

PS:  I had to laugh when I read The Age article today as I knew someone would use the term "cavernous spaces of the Meat Market" and they did!

John and Jen, Chapel Off Chapel, Saturday September 26th 2015

John and Jen,  Chapel Off Chapel, Saturday September 26th 2015

"John and Jen" the musical by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald was presented by Pursued By Bear at Chapel Off Chapel.

This small scale musical is large on an emotional scale.

"John and Jen" was directed by Mark Taylor with Production Designs by Sarah Tulloch. The orchestra was led by the Musical Director Tyson Legg.

Musically the orchestra of Stephen McMahon on piano, Dave Greg on percussion and Sophie Anderson on cello were superb. They played with sensitivity to the varying themes for each song that progressed the story.  Gladly they did not smother the singers by playing too loudly.  They had a lovely balance which is so rare in some musicals.

The two actor/singers did an admirable job with the material.  Brenton Cosier played John and in Act Two added other characters, with Jaclyn Devincentis as Jen.  They both sang and acted well with the rare flat note.  This was totally forgiveable as it was a huge sing for two singers sometimes singing against some tricky accompaniment.  Yes there may have been a rare scoop onto a note and again this was forgiveable as I enjoyed their performances.  I have been less forgiving with others who do not engage with the audience with such warmth.

The music and lyrics can be a little too similar at times.  Their diction was clean and I could understand every word - unlike other musicals where I struggle to understand some lyrics.  They both have a lovely tone to their voices.  Brenton Cosier has a rich tone while Jacylyn Devincentis has a a very pleasant and appealing warmth to her voice.  It was terrific to hear when they both had to belt a section that they did not yell like some other singers.  Congratulations to both performers for this aspect of their singing as I have heard many singers yell and scream at this venue.

Emotionally the journey for both actor/singers is taxing.  It was especially rewarding to hear Jaclyn Devincetis's maturity of Jen as she aged and portrayed the mother role with sincerity.

Direction wise the space was too cramped.  This is a major problem in the Chapel Off Chapel theatre whereby the action is pushed forward so far downstage that the people in E Row and beyond struggle to see the downstage action.  They could either rid the front row and allow more room for the stage or push the front of the staging area back one metre.

There were problems with the set design with the door on stage right.  The actors had to be so careful not to bang into the main set piece on stage right for entrances and exits.  The same spacing issue made the argument at the end of Act One unconvincing due to the staging and space limitation.  The final moment of Act One was destroyed when poor Jen had to wriggle her way around the main "coffin" to exit through the door.  Sadly this exit destroyed her honest finale line.  Maybe a black out and sneaking out the back could have been considered an alternative end to Act One.

The main problem with the set design was the intrusive and dominance of the tree house like structure on stage left.  I liked the idea as it looked child like and as if it was a puppet on strings.  It also gave the image of a safe haven.  Though it could have been pushed up stage further to give the actors more room.  The show gave the audience a crick in the neck with most action either centre stage or stage right.

The best part of the stage design was the two trucks with doors to store props.  The funniest moment was during the "Talk Show" segment when doors revealed appropriate props.  It was as if we turned on the television and switched stations.   This was a one off joke that could have been repeated for added effect upon the reprisal of the scene.

Musically the score gets a little tedious due to the sameness of many of the songs.  I thought more lightness was required to give depth to the darker emotions.

My favourite parts were the orchestra and most of the singing.

I look forward to seeing these fine performers again in the future. Particularly for their ability to create an ageing journey for characters.

Programme notes:  I cannot understand why so many productions do not print the year of their production on their posters and programmes.  Take a look in the foyer at Chapel Off Chapel and see how many posters do not carry the year of production.  It is great to see those posters that do have a year in which it makes it historically more accessible.

I loved the beautiful photo of both performers used in the poster for "John and Jen" and was disappointed this image was not used in the programme.

When I purchase a programme I expect some basics.  These include the cast list, the production details and the background information on the writers,  Sadly there was no background information on the composer, lyricist and book writer.

I also expect a song list for a musical.  I understand that this might be a little old fashioned but hey do not charge me $5 for a programme that is just self congratulatory with spelling errors!   Yes education was misspelled as "Edcation".  No excuses for proof reading.

They also missed out on an opportunity to sell the cd of the show either at the theatre or via an advertisement.