The House of Bernarda Alba, MTC, Fairfax Studio at Arts Centre Melbourne, Tuesday June 26th 2018

The House of Bernarda Alba, MTC, Fairfax Studio at Arts Centre Melbourne, Tuesday June 26th 2018

"The House of Bernarda Alba" was presented by the Melbourne Theatre Company at the Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne on Tuesday June 26th 2018.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. 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.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

"The House of Bernarda Alba" was adapted by Patricia Cornelius from the original play by Federico Garcia Lorca.  She is to be admired for her adaptation to Western Australia for the structure and the essence of the original play.  Sadly some of the direction and performances did not bring out the richness of her adaptation.

I have seen the Kenneth MacMillan's ballet "Las Hermanas" performed by The Australian Ballet at least three times.  This ballet is based on the same play Federico Garcia Lorca and captures the oppression of the mother succinctly.  I was moved upon each viewing of this ballet.

There is also a musical version by Michael John LaChiusa called "Bernarda Alba" that captures so much drama in the music.  This was presented at the Lincoln Centre in New York in 2006.  Upon my first listening to this recording I was moved.  

Sadly, I did not have this experience with the MTC production.

Some notable moments included when Angela played by Peta Brady stands up to her mother Bernadette played by Melita Jurisic.  The other notable moments included the physical transformation of Adele played by Emily Milledge, with her measured performance of suppressing her sexual frustrations.  When sitting at the table her body quivered in anticipation of sexual pleasure.  Both of these daughters vocally captured their characters.

Bessie Holland as Magda boomed her voice with authority.  Sadly, some of the other actresses did not match her projection to be heard and occasionally lines were lost on the audience.  Magda is a larger than life character and understandably her voice was louder, but it is unforgivable if you cannot hear the other actresses.

Some of the updating to a contemporary setting with mobile phones, technology, fashion magazines, shopping on-line and the clothes did not work for me.  These girls live under a mother who controls them, and I did not once believe they were controlled.  Physically, it was mainly wrong - with their posture.  Thank you, Peta Brady and Emily Milledge as you gave us some insight into what oppression could begin to look like.

When reading from a magazine, please select a page with writing on to recite from.  The magazines should have been Reader's Digest or Time rather than the contemporary pop-culture magazines to give some titillation or sense of voyeurism.

Julie Forsythe played Penelope provided some fine physical comedic moments at the start of the play.  She was physically engaged in her role and gave purpose to her actions throughout.  Sadly, on two occasions her words were lost as she turned away from our side of the audience.  I noticed others in the audience turning to their partners to capture what she had said.

Costume Design by Marg Horwell did not work for me at all.  I can understand the choices were made to update to contemporary times, but the colour palate was too bright with too much skin showing to capture the essence of the original play.  The black mourning outfits should have been used more, and should have been less revealing.

Set Design, also by Marg Horwell was probably the most striking aspect of the show with the use of louvered doors, air-conditioning units and mosquito traps.  This worked in concert with the Lighting Design by Rachel Burke.  Sound Design by Irine Vela was stereo -phonically atmospheric with the sounds of the outback.  These three aspects gave us some semblance of oppression to the play.

Direction by Leticia Caceres was variable at times.  Sadly the relationships between characters were not developed adequately and we witnessed a superficial reading of the play.  With work, refinement of the direction and some design aspects, this play could be vastly improved.

I wrote the following on Facebook:

"The Kenneth MacMillan ballet Las Hermanas did a better job in much less time.  Plus the musical Bernarda Alba is much more unrelenting.  The update with swearing did not ring true.   What a shame the MTC did not do this production in repertoire with the musical version.  It would an interesting comparison for viewers.  The daughters were not scared of their mother.  The best moment was Angela standing up to her mother.  Some vocal projection issues made it hard to hear two performers.  The set and lighting was atmospheric.  Sadly the girls did not physically show us the heat."

Overall, "The House of Bernarda Alba" obtained a 7/10.

The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man, Merlyn Theatre at Malthouse Theatre, Wednesday August 23rd 2017

The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man, Merlyn Theatre at Malthouse Theatre, Wednesday August 23rd 2017

"The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man" played at the Merlyn Theatre as part of the 2017 Malthouse Theatre Season on Wednesday August 23rd 2017

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. 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.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

"The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man" written by Tom Wright and directed by Matthew Lutton is a tour de force.  I preferred this play to the original play "The Elephant Man" that played at the MTC's Russell Street Theatre in 1980.

The main reasons why we enjoyed this new version were due to the emotional truth that was brought to the performances.  The actors in conjunction with the artistic and production crew have delivered a sensational product that resonated and drew forth my emotional responses.   I had tears flowing on at least two occasions due to the empathy that was built up with the truthful characters and relationships.  "The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man" is a true masterpiece of theatre.

Do not get me wrong as I loved the 1980 version of the play, and also the film version of that play. They were historic and luxuriously staged pieces of theatre that were well acted and showcased the freak show, while this new version got to the core of Joseph Merrick as a person.  We got to see inside his struggles and his pain and his impact in a more realistic fashion.

The house lights were still alight as a character slowly crept across the footlights to centre stage in front of the black curtain.  We thought it was a man from the profile and were surprised to see that it was a woman.  What a wonderful introduction to the world of side-show or freak show or carnival.  It was Paula Arundell who opened with a monologue reminiscent of the master of ceremonies for a circus.  Paula Arundell set the scene with her cautious and searching eyes, and her voice that built suspense.

Her exit was feline and coaxing as she lifted the central curtains to create a circus-tent-entrance to the show.  The house lights dimmed to black out and we entered the Victorian smog.  This was a magical opening.

Through a scrim, fog filled the stage with Victorian streetlights to create a realistic streets-cape.  

We were introduced quickly to Joseph Merrick as a youngster with his mother played by the ever reliable Julie Forsyth.

I had tears rolling down my face on two occasions.  I also had tears well up in my eyes on at least two other occasions due to the powerful acting by Daniel Monks.  He created a character full of depth that developed relationships with various characters in the production to enrich our understanding of his struggles.

When Joseph Merrick was sent on his way to fend for himself was a moment of despair as my heart pumped in my chest for his eviction.  He found a place to sit underneath a streetlamp with a blanket showed how cruel life can be.

The mental assessment scene where Joseph Merrick was made to do the word association "parlour game" was a climax showcasing his observation and intelligent.  I had tears rolling down my face at the recognition of how he was so misunderstood and berated for how he looked.  My tears were mixed with tears of joy at how clever and astute and street smart he was in keeping quiet to survive. Joseph Merrick's tirade was poignant to reveal a clever soul trapped in his body.

Agnes, the nurse was also played by Julie Forsyth.  The talking revelation scene was funny and Julie Forsyth played with requisite emotions ranging from surprise to embarrassment to dumb-founded.  The timing between both Julie Forsyth and Daniel Monks was sublime to build a depth to their relationship and create humanity.   This scene had much needed comic relief to allow the audience to take stock of the situation and also to reflect upon our own behaviour.

The medical lecture scene was cruel as it highlighted the display of parading a specimen of a man.  Joseph Merrick was prodded with long sticks as if cattle up for auction in the stock-sale yards.  

The costumes by Marg Horwell were too crisp at times and did not give the appearance the clothes had been lived in.  Set Design was also by Marg Horwell and was brilliant as it evoked Victorian London and the class divide.  This was achieved simply by the opening of the three spaces to create light wells that duplicated as colonnades and as coffin or grave sites.

Lighting Design by Paul Jackson fused together Marg Horwell's designs to create various atmospheres.  The side lighting was reminiscent of torches seeking out buildings, objects or people in the landscape.  The side lighting also reminded me of a lantern seeking safe footing for your next step.

Composition and Sound Design by Jethro Woodward created a soundscape to support rather than overpower the production.  Jethro Woodward created an undercurrent of sounds to build tension and atmosphere.  Some of compositions appeared as a cultural divide of the haves and those who have-not.  Some of the composition reminded me of chatter, gossip and whispering as if we could hear what was being said about Joseph Merrick but we could not quite understand the exact words.

The supporting female cast played many roles but needed to differentiate each character physically and vocally to decrease our confusion.  With clearer distinction between each of the female characters I would rate this production higher.

I would love to see Tom Wright's version of "The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man" tour internationally with the sublime talent of Daniel Monks.

Overall, "The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man" obtained an 8.5/10 from me while my partner gave it a 9/10.