Moulin Rouge Melbourne, Global Creatures & others, The Regent Theatre, Thursday April 7th 2022

Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Global Creatures and others, Melbourne, The Regent Theatre, Thursday April 7th 2022

We had seen “Moulin Rouge” two weeks after the official opening on Broadway in August 2019.  I will compare my experience in Melbourne.

The link to my 2019 review is at the end of this review.

In my review from 2019 I had given the Broadway version an 8.5/10.  In Melbourne for the Thursday April 7th performance they receive a 7/10.

Entering The Regent Theatre’s foyer I was in awe of the architecture of the building.  The foyer lacked the decorated atmosphere of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway.

Upon entering the Dress Circle I was eager to see the renovations to compare the sight lines.  I was impressed with the seamless renovations that reduce the proximity to the stage and enhance the sense of inclusion to the performers.

I was disappointed with the prologue as on Broadway I remember counting at least fifteen performers seducing and teasing the audience with the pre-show entertainment.  In Melbourne, the maximum of nine performers paraded performing their stylised improvised or choreographed moves.  It lacked the atmosphere of engaging the audience to seduce us and draw us in for an experience.  I remember the taunts and squeals of delight from the audience on Broadway as the performers focused on selling their wares.  At The Regent Theatre, the performers looked disengaged and dismissive bar a few odd moments.  They missed a huge opportunity to create the exciting prologue as occurred on Broadway.

The view from our A 30-31 seats in the Dress Circle were basically the same seats that we had at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway.  As I wrote in my original review I knew the set would look better at The Regent Theatre, and I was correct in my judgement.  We did not have to stand (or half stand) to see the catwalk at the front of the stage.

I tested standing to see what I could see comparing it to the 2019 experience.  Here at The Regent Theatre I could see the first ten rows of the Stalls with the same effort required for viewing the catwalk on Broadway.  Hence the Melbourne experience is much better viewing than at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway.  I also tested this at interval and at the end of the show, with the views much better value for audience members seated further back in the Dress Circle.  Heaven forbid what the Dress Circle audiences could see behind the A row at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway!

Overall, this presents better value for money in Melbourne than on Broadway.

The opening number was flat!  There was no excitement, no fire, nor any electricity.  The dancing in the opening number was very laboured, pedestrian and “marked” at times.  The reason I can say this is when you see one performer who is working the choreography and showing definition and clarity of lines, steps, and movements; and they stand out when another person is “marking” or “going through the basic movements”.

A classic example is the hip-roll-walk.  Well, with some dancers/performers you were lucky to see a hip raised or a roll!

That was the dancing!  The singing was ordinary too!

AND THIS WAS THE OPENING NUMBER!!!!

There were four cast changes for our performance.  

Alinta Chidzey played Satine as I predicted in my 2019 review of the Original Broadway Cast.  I was so pleased to see her and she had more passion than Satine on Broadway, though sadly she cracked on a few notes.  Her relationship with Christian had more passion than those on a Broadway viewing.  She was as good as the Satine on our Broadway experience when you balance the positives and negatives of both performers.

Christian was played by the Principal Cover, Maxwell Simon who struggled with his upper-register notes.  His deep notes were richer, melodic and without any scooping.  His acting performance had more passion than the performer on Broadway, but his singing was overall not to the same standard.

Special mention must go to the understudies who played The Duke (James Bryers) and Toulouse-Lautrec (Jarrod Draper).  Both of these men gave performances with solid characterisations as good as the original Broadway leads.

Joe Donovan filled in for the parts by Jarrod Draper.

Overall I thought the men danced better than the women with more consistent definition of steps, and with the quality and texture of moves and phrases.  Sadly, a lot of the partnering work was not secure enough with the men not getting their centre of gravity prepared sufficiently to support their female partner.  Some of the timing of lifts and partnering was awkward.  I felt there was too much effort being shown in much of the pas de deux/partnering work.

The difference in quality and standard by the female dancers was more glaringly obvious.  For example, a hip-role-walk was executed with definition and precision by a few dancers, while the others varied from a “marked” version to something that was totally unidentifiable!  No, let me be more specific - some of the defined hip-role-walk choreography was hard to detect on a few dancers!  And this was only one step!  Overall the dancing was sloppy and laboured, and needed to be showing less effort.

I can give many other examples as the snap, precision and definition of the whole choreography was lacking.  

The dancing in “El Tango De Roxanne” in the second act finally provided the standard closer (but not close enough) to what I had witnessed on Broadway in August 2019.

The accents varied.  I would barely have known the show was set in Paris from the accents!  One blond female had a strong Australian strine and lacked the “bitchiness” or the characterisation of the Broadway performer.

On three occasions the dialogue was “rote” and not "in the moment" (attentive and listening to their fellow performers).  For example, a performer acknowledged the entrance of another character prior to their appearance (as their back was turned!) Another two example had the performer react prior to the other character saying a line, or doing anything to affect a response.

The best singing was when most of the cast were singing together, though the harmonies were not as rich as our Broadway experience.

Simon Burke played Harold Ziegler nearly as good as Danny Burstein.  The main difference in performances was the supressed desperation for survival of the Moulin Rouge and the future of the cast and artists if they do not acquire funding from The Duke.  Many of the other performers need to have Simon Burke’s energy and polish. 

Each ensemble member on Broadway had defined characters for every entrance and exit.  This was lacking for most of the performers here in Melbourne.

Overall the show lacked fire, electricity and seduction.  This performance lacked the excitement of my 2019 experience.  (Note I have seen some shows multiple times where the better performance was on the second viewing!)

The best part was the superior view from our seats at The Regent Theatre.  Plus, this Melbourne performance had more passion than the performance we saw on Broadway in August 2019.  The sets and costumes looked more sensational on the larger stage at The Regent Theatre particularly with the revolving set-piece.

A side note regarding the revolving bus for “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” looked better at The Regent Theatre compared to the cramped stage of the Palace Theatre on Broadway.  The spaciousness at The Regent Theatre created the sense of isolation in the desert, while on Broadway the bus looked as if it were doing a three-point-turn in the suburbs.  The spaciousness with the “Moulin Rouge” revolving central set-piece at The Regent Theatre created a greater sweeping sense of passion, and swept me away with the Parisian landscape.

Overall, the show needs refining and tightening.

I gave it a 7/10 whereas we gave the Broadway performance of “Moulin Rouge” an 8.5/10.

Below are some of my notes and feedback from 2019:

MINI REVIEW OF MOULIN ROUGE ON BROADWAY:

Spectacular sets and costumes and the story telling was clearer than the movie.  Though the show is about so much passion and love, the show felt dead of emotion.  It is a great show with lots of laughs and spectacle, but the show lacks any emotional  drama and connection with the audience.  I felt a slight of slight emotion once during the show, unlike “Fiddler on the Roof” or “The Prom” where my tears flowed.

Thoroughly worth seeing for the spectacle.

We both gave it 8.5/10.

Survey notes form 2021-08-23

We had front row tickets in the Mezzanine and we could not see stage right below nor could we see the front of the catwalk.  CHECK the sight lines as Hal Prince would do from every seat.  At $299US a ticket this is not good enough.  Also for a show about passion and love, it felt dead and lacked emotion.  I felt one twang during the last 20 minutes.  I cry easily and get very emotional during shows and here I felt dead.  We loved the show, but the music sounded too electronic and needed a richer sound.  Please ensure that the renovations of the Regent Theatre Melbourne allow viewers to see the top of the stage for Santine’s entrances.  Make sure they get the sight lines right.  I have already shared this on Facebook.

Congratulations as we did not like the movie and this show is better than the movie.  We felt the same about Beetlejuice and Alex Timbers is a genius.

The show will look great in the current Regent Theatre.  We hope they do not destroy the theatre seats and sight lines.

Here is my link to my review on Broadway:

https://raymondstheatrereviews.blogspot.com/2019/09/moulin-rouge-musical-global-creatures.html

WARTS, THE AGE, Saturday October 5th 2019

WARTS, THE AGE, Saturday October 5th 2019

2019 Observation and post script about the Melbourne International Arts Festival:


It is obvious that there are budgetary restraints to kill off the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October.  This is obvious to allow for the new splash of dollars that will support the new revamped winter festival for 2020.  

WARTS = Winter Arts Festival.  Not a pretty name as Cameron Woodhead in The Age Saturday October 5th 2019 had a heading that included WARTS instead of naming a show that was from the Melbourne International Arts Festival. 

Everywhen, The Substation, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Thursday October 9th 2019

Everywhen, The Substation, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Thursday October 9th 2019

"Everywhen" performed by Matthias Schack-Arnott at The Substation on Thursday October 9th 2019 was presented by the Melbourne International Arts Festival.

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 World Premier of “EVERYWHEN” at The Substation is a percussion work by Matthias Schack-Arnott with a difference.

Two banks of seating frame the two ends of the central staging area where there is a mobile hanging structure that looks like a carousel. The centre looks like a round water pond that later is revealed to be slate type tiles all in a circular formation.

The hanging mobile is a classic piece of 1970’s decoration that had lots of psychedelic designs. Baby carriages and cots have mobiles hanging above to entertain the child with different shapes and colours, while here we are the babies to be entertained.   Some even have different sounds. This is what the show immediately reminds me of.

The hanging mobile has about 10 or 12 arms, and at least three inner layers. There are many things hanging from the wires that some have an inbuilt raising and lowering mechanism that is similar to Venetian blinds cords.

There are at least four circles on the ground. One is the inner enclosure that looks like a water pond, a narrow path of what looks like tiles, a wider path, and then what appears to be shells that turn out to be clumps of sand.

The are so many interesting things hanging from the carousel type mobile structure:

Pipes, Shells, beads, Wooden and metal wind chimes, Cymbals, blocks, bells, foliage clumps, twigs and branches, light type boxes, contraptions with complex and indeterminate structures. Each of these items would be used to create a different sound.

The definition of "Everywhen" alludes to a portmanteau the words every and when.  According to one website the word is from the 17th Century and his hair and cream costume could be from that era.

Matthias Schack-Arnott enters bare footed and walks dragging a long metal pipe along the ground providing a scraping sound. This opening move sets the scene for what is to eventuate. Matthias walks at least four rotations around the main path, and then he begins to engage with the overhanging mobile carousel.

The carousel begins to turn as he continues to walk. Heck, I would be ill walking around in circles for nearly fifty minutes. At times he walks in the same direction as the carousel.  At other times he walks in the opposite direction. The carousel lowers to allow different items to drag along and hit the sand clumps or other items that Matthias places in their path thus producing a variety of sounds.

He plays with the different pieces to raise and lower items that will drag onto the sand clumps and spread them into longer strips. The sounds change with each item that touches the sand.

When he first stepped into the centre I thought he was going to get wet as it looked like a pond with cascading divides. The lighting changed and I realised these were in fact possibly slate tiles.

At one stage he overturns a few slate tiles and scrapes at them with different items including what appears to be small metal cymbals or wooden blocks. It could even be sandpaper blocks to give a tradesman sound. He taps with drums sticks.

He wiped the four cardinal points of sand to create a gap in each direction.  He placed a block with a metal bowl on top that would then be a target to be hit by one of the items rotating on the carousel.

When he lowered the two large cymbals they dragged along creating distinctly different sounds.

Towards the end he cuts the central inner circle of hanging wooden and metal blocks to create a xylophone type instrument in the centre. He plays with sticks. This builds as he continues and begins to also tap and grab different items swinging in the second central circle. He taps and grabs cymbals, pipes, blocks, beads, foliage that each provide different sounds and experiences both aurally and visually.

A large string of beads fell at one point, and later he moved them out of the main pathway. I am unsure if this was intended, but even so it gave another texture to the sounds and the visual experience. A small bell like cymbal fell from the outer ring at about a similar time to the large string of beads falling. I do not think this was intentional, but we will only know if someone else writes about it.

There is a background of soundscapes that give a beat to the work. The trains passing at Newport Station add another dimension to the work.

The show reminded me of a Dalcroze Eurythmics exercise where many performers use different body parts to create the different sections to the inner workings of a clock.

Fifty minutes was long enough duration as it was beginning to become tedious, even though it was hypnotic. This show was a great companion piece to “100 Pianos” at the same venue from the 2018i festival.

The programme is a disappointment with a lack of biographical information of Matthias Schack-Arnott. I also prefer that all Melbourne International Arts Festival programmes have the standard format. The year 2019 is missing from the programme.

Costume wise - he wore a different outfit to the promotional page in the festival brochure. He wore a cream top and trousers that suited the dark setting more than the promotional photo. Though, I do not like promotional photos that give you a visual representation and then it is different to what we are seeing. It could, and I stress, could be misleading as we booked this show thinking it was going to be similar to Safri Duo with their percussion works.

My partner felt it was too monotonous and was disappointed as he could see the work developing into the “Tubular Bells” style work.

Going back to the definition of "Everywhen" and my comment about the Dalcroze Eurythmics clock example, Matthias Schack-Arnott could very well be demonstrating that he is in all times.

I gave this show an 8/10

Jekyll and Hyde 25th Anniversary Concert, Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, Friday October 25th 2019

Jekyll and Hyde 25th Anniversary Concert, Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, Friday October 25th 2019

"Jekyll and Hyde" was presented by Concertworks at the Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne and we attended the Australian professional premiere on Friday October 25th 2019.

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.

"Jekyll and Hyde" was presented by Concertworks at the Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne for the Australian professional premiere. Finally we got to see Anthony Warlow  and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in the 25th Anniversary concert of the release of the iconic “Definitive Album” - “The Complete Work Jekyll and Hyde” with Music by Frank Wildhorn and, the Book and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse.

The atmosphere at Hamer Hall was electric before the show. I have not felt this much atmosphere at a Melbourne show for years. The last two shows that I saw that had this much pre-show buzz were “The Prom” and “Beetlejuice” on Broadway in August 2019.

Long queues of people waited patiently to purchase the souvenir programme for this professional Australian Premiere event.  The programme sadly did not include the song list. Nor did it discuss the history of some of the changes made from the concept album, to the Broadway runs. Check out Wikipedia for some notes on the changes that have been made along the way.

Anthony Warlow was superb but cracked a few notes during “This Is The Moment”.  My heart swelled as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra played the underscore and introduction to the song. I had tears rolling down my face during this song. To finally hear him sing this in the context of the show live was worth every cent. The ovation and cheering at the end was long and well deserved.

Jemma Rix as Lucy was sensational and did a terrific job of the role. I was saddened that one of my favourite songs has been deleted since the original recording ‘No One Knows Who I Am”.

Lisa played by Amanda Lea LaVergue with pinched notes and forced “you” words. She sang better in Act Two.

The first ensemble number in Act One had an awful sound quality with thumping and scratchy noises. This was not up to scratch for a $130 ticket in C Reserve.

The lighting was very clunky and very haphazard in its approach. Sometimes the lighting created terrific atmospheres and then seemed incongruent for the next scene as the mottled lighting for a ball scene continued. The church wedding lighting was appropriate.  The final duet between himself as both Jekyll and Hyde had lighting that nearly worked. It was more hit and miss and seemed like a technical dress rehearsal. Tomorrow night in Melbourne should be smoother - I hope!

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra led by Vanessa Scammell was brilliant playing the Frank Wildhorn score.

Director, Chris Parker used semi staging in this concert production with a desk, chaise lounge, stairs and a raised walkway. Five chairs and a speaker’s podium were also used. Minimal props were used effectively.

A single Victorian light hovered overhead on stage left near the staircase.

The ensemble singing was terrific though the microphones let down the quality of sound reproduction. In Act Two the sound quality for the ensemble was a lot better, but could still be improved.

There were some terrific performances by Martin Crewes as John Utterson and Peter Coleman-Wright as Sir Danvers Carew in particular.

The duo in Act Two between Lucy and Lisa left me numb as I know how rich this song should sound emotionally. Lucy was better than Lisa in capturing the emotion. I felt it lacked the emotional connection as I have cried many times listening to the recordings.

The deadly tease by Mr Hyde with the conductor, Vanessa Scammel, drew lots of laughs from the audience that added some light relief from the tension.

If you thought it was Anthony Warlow who would star in this production, then his quote on page ten of the souvenir programme reveals what we were in store for:  “I said I’d love for Jemma to play that role. I think she deserves to at least have a go at it.”

Wow - Jemma Rix was amazing as Lucy. Even better than in “Wicked”. She also received lots of cheers and applause.

Mr Hyde lays motionless on the stage. Blackout. The audience rose to a standing ovation, but not a volcanic eruption like “Come From Away” on Broadway, as Anthony Warlow rose centre stage for his well deserved recognition.

Some of the minor characters provided adequate and superficial performances though were vocally secure.

I hope someone offers Anthony Warlow mega-dollars to film his performance with Jemma Rix as Lucy, Martin Crewes as John Utterson and Peter Coleman-Wright as Sir Danvers Carew.  

Jekyll and Hyde obtained an 8.5/10.

Note: We are so fortunate to have seen Anthony Warlow play Sweeney Todd and Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde this year. An interesting note is both roles of Sweeney Todd and Dr Jekyll have a major love interest character named Lucy who gets killed by the titular roles.

It should have been a 10/10 but the lighting and sound microphones let it down.

Bright Star, Pursued By Bear, Chapel Off Chapel, Saturday October 26th 2019

Bright Star, Pursued By Bear, Chapel Off Chapel, Saturday October 26th 2019

"Bright Star" was presented by Pursued By Bear at Chapel Off Chapel and we saw the opening night show on Saturday October 26th 2019.

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.

"Bright Star" has Music, Book and Story by Steve Martin while the Music, Lyrics and Story are by Edie Brickell.  They have created a beautifully heart warming story that is tragic, funny and full of love.  The music and lyrics are so relatable, bouncy and toe tapping one moment and then can change rapidly to become so emotionally tragic and gut wrenching as they move the story along.

The foyer was well decorated to create a sense of the era.  The programme sellers are not easily accessible and need to be on a raised dais to sell their wares.  Maybe they could be calling out "programmes" occasionally to vie for business as it would create atmosphere and also be in keeping with the era.  The reason I suggest this is a few people could not get close to buy a programme and I watched how the lack of access discouraged people from purchasing a copy.  Maybe they could have the programme seller centrally located or mingling with the crowd.

Programmes are a very reasonable $5.00 but should include the year, 2019 on the front cover or inside cover.  Readers and theatre historians should be able to quickly identify the year of production on any posters and programmes.  Some of the black text is difficult to read against the bridge in the background,  and against the dress, respectively at the top and bottom of the programme.  Look at the theatre posters at Chapel Off Chapel and see how few include a year of production.  Pursued By Bear would want people to remember 2019 as the year of such a great show!

As soon as we entered the theatre, the set comprising of wooden slats and about 16 fruit crates reminded me of “Come From Away”.  The wooden slatted wall upstage also reminded me of the set from the new "Fiddler On The Roof" in Yiddish where you can see parts of the orchestra.

Thank you for the best pre-show announcement that has ever been conducted at Chapel Off Chapel as it also included "That includes no texting during the performance."   Thank you Pursued By Bear for being role models as showing respect for all audience members, cast and crew with this specific announcement; as I am sick of spending big money on shows to be interrupted by phone's lights, people texting, scrolling, or, even receiving or making a phone call during a performance!

"Bright Star"is set during the 1920’s and the 1940s’ with costumes by Jodi Hope that captured the mood and atmospheres.

Anthony Craig as the Banjo player and Max looked respectably iconic in his ankle freezing length cuffed trousers.  This comical device is important as not every one could afford trousers during the Great Depression and the war period during rationing and many people wore hand-me-down clothes.   He played with gusto and so much personality that the relationship with Violinist/Edna played by Ruby Clark created fabulous cameo moments.

Sarah Tulloch's set designs were magical to transport us between the 1920's and the 1940's with the use of about 16 fruit crates.  The framing of the set with the wooden slatted walls and the plants captured the locations beautifully.  A raised stage stood centre stage where many scenes were played.  Even the back of the piano on stage left was used to store books.

The first major ensemble number was squashed as between 15-18 performers navigated the fruit crates and the plant on stage left.  But, wow what a great number.

Lighting by Mungo Trumble created clear locations and atmospheres that differed between scenes and between the different decades.  The revelation scene with the dry ice and lighting from the wings was slick and allowed for a poignantly gut wrenching denouement.  This scene in particular had hearts thumping.

I have rarely seen such good segues between scene changes. In fact one scene change received applause as it was staged so well with dance to continue the story without breaking the flow.  More importantly the previous number had received welcoming applause, and then to follow up with such a slick scene change was "icing on the cake".

All of the performers created solid characters for each role. The relationships between characters had more depth than most musicals that I have seen in 2019.

Choreography by Freya List has created some of the best movement and dance that I have seen for a long time. The choreography included lots of stomping, hand clapping and thigh slapping in keeping with the era and region.  She used some contemporary moves that were not out of place and could quite easily been in a 1940's film.  The cast performed her choreography with accuracy and requisite dynamics.  In fact, Freya List's choreography was up there with the eight Broadway musicals I saw this year  She captured so much more emotion connection to the story than some much more famous current shows.  Remember Freya List as a choreographer for the now and for the future.  I have seen her work in a few MTC shows and she is consistently reliable in delivering for the theatre.

Alice Murphy played by Kala Gare and Jimmy Ray Dobbs played by Matthew Prime were fantastic as the main characters and were so appropriate for the roles as they captured the warmth of their relationship during both the 1920's and the 1940's.  They both have great singing voices and their characterisations honoured the legacy of many people who had been through similar ordeals (of having a child out of wedlock during this era) with their respectful performances.

The casting for the entire production was one of the best I have seen for a long time.  There was not a weak link to the cast.

Callum O"Malley as Billy Cane, a soldier returning from WW11 service is a confident and fine charismatic performer who brought a sincerity to the role of being an aspiring writer.  With, Margot Krndija as Margo Crawford they created a restrained sexual tension.

Ellie Nunan as Lucy Grant and Lachlan Hewson as Daryl Ames created much of the comic relief with their gate-keeper antics.  These two resisted the urge to ham up these roles and gradually revealed hints along the way.

Major Dobbs played by Mike Gardiner has a rich voice with a menacing evil demeanour that created a defined journey for his character.

Anthony Craig as the Banjo player and Max looked respectably iconic in his ankle freezing length cuffed trousers.  This comical device is important as not every one could afford trousers during the Great Depression and the war period during rationing and many people had to have hand-me-down clothes.   He played with gusto and so much personality that the relationship with Violinist/Edna played by Ruby Clark created fabulous cameo moments.

Singing was melodic and emotionally charged particularly towards the end. The connection between Alice Murphy (Kala Gare) and Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Matthew Prime) was electric and raw in their final duet.   Her reaction was like the famous "The Scream" painting by Edvard Munch, but without the hand gestures.  I had tears rolling down my face during their performance of this song.  What a shame that the microphone cues really disturbed the flow of the show to the point that it not only jolted me in my seat, but others in the audience also.

Daddy Cane played by Tom Blair created an important arc in the story with his honest display of emotional revelations with his suppressed history.  His pain during the revelation scene was felt by the audience.

The entire ensemble should be proud to be in such a fine production, as you all helped to create such wonderful atmospheres that I am sure Michael Chekhov would be proud of.

The story's denouement is illuminating and comes as a shock. You could hear a pin drop, and, sadly, the solo phone vibrating!

Some of the musicians double as characters and do an exceptional job in creating some sensational moments. The final fiddle and banjo strum is worth a treat.

The mother, Mama Murphy played admirably by Lindy Yeates was restrained during the “sign here” manipulation scene as she watched from behind while her daughter was being subjected to the unspeakable. I felt Mama Murphy could have been more physically protective of her daughter.

Tref Gare played Daddy Murphy with religious restraint.

The microphone and sound quality let the show down a lot in Act One.  By Act Two this had improved slightly but was far from what should be tolerated in a production.

I stood immediately to applaud after the final blackout as I felt emotionally connected to the work and I wanted to show my full appreciation for such a great job.

This show has so much heart and emotion unlike “Frozen” that we saw recently on Broadway that should be called “tepid” for the lack of emotion and over-produced.  The "Bright Star" cast created more passion and allowed me to have more of an emotional response than the new, sensational and spectacular "Moulin Rouge" on Broadway.

My partner thought this was better than “Jekyll and Hyde 25th Anniversary Concert”. I agree overall with the consistency of performances and characterisations.  I repeat the sound quality let this show down!

"Bright Star" is my second favourite musical of 2019 as it captured so much emotion that was missing from some of the Broadway shows.  It did not score the 9/10 that I gave "Come From Away" (both here and on Broadway), but the cast and crew of  “Bright Star” should be proud as I saw eight musicals and three plays on Broadway this year.  "Bright Star" should have received a 9/10 except for my major complaint about the sound quality, and the staging logistics that should have been ironed out prior to bumping into the theatre.

"Bright Star" created much better emotional connections between characters than some of Broadway shows I saw that had much more expensive sets and costumes.

Directed by Mark Taylor, he has created a beautiful piece of theatre with emotion and honest human connections that created an emotional response from the audience that will resonate for a long time.  His work also reminds me of the simple staging and emotion of  the 1994 production of "The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol" by "Complicte"  from the UK.

The sight lines were terrific as so many shows direct their casts to perform too close to the audience at Chapel Off Chapel thereby limiting the view for anyone sitting beyond B row.  So congratulations for staging most of the show upstage to allow audience members to view the action.

"Bright Star" obtained an 8.75.

I wrote the following onto Facebook as soon as I got home:

“Bright Star” produced by Pursued By Bear is the best show I have ever seen at Chapel Off Chapel. The show is quite tragic but has some fantastic light relief to ease the tension.
I have never stood for a show at this venue, but this show deserves it. My main reservation is the microphone/sound quality needs urgent attention. Every performer contributed to the best choreographed show I have seen for a long time.

Congratulations.

Posted October 26th 2019

Note: I am disappointed that I cannot find a website or agent link for Mark Taylor as he so desperately deserves representation.

October 31st 2019:

Wow, I found Mark Taylor’s website.  Here it is:  https://www.markallantaylor.com/

Colossus, Stephanie Lake Company, Fairfax Studio, Friday October 4th 2019

Colossus, Stephanie Lake Company, Fairfax Studio, Friday October 4th 2019

"Colossus" by the Stephanie Lake Company was presented by the Melbourne International Arts Festival at the Arts Centre Melbourne's Fairfax Studio on Friday October 4th 2019

"Colossus" choreographed by Stephanie Lake for her company suited the Fairfax Studio with its intimacy. This is one of the best dance works I have seen in 2019 but I have some reservations.

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.

I arrived at the Fairfax Studio and was longing to read the programme prior to entering the theatre.  At about 7.10pm I went up to a group of ushers and requested a programme.  They obliged and were preparing to hand out programmes in the foyer.  I was impressed that the female usher then stood at the base of the stairs handing out the programmes to new audience arrivals.

Stephanie Lake has created a good dance piece that should tour international festivals mainly due to the exciting structure of the piece.  It could be more exciting as some of the flow was broken from time to time.  There were some missed opportunities to allow the flow to continue organically.  Occasionally, the structure was anacoluthon as it rapidly changed direction.  The show was clearly divided into different scenes with lighting black outs in between.

As you entered the Fairfax Studio the fifty dancers lay faceup on the stage in a large circle.  This stillness was hypnotic as per entering the State Theatre last night to see the dancers all sitting in a meditative formation.  Here the "Colossus" dancers all had their arms outstretched over the heads and their eyes open.  Having your arms overhead for such an extended period is not comfortable. Well done as barely an arm or toe moved.  I was impressed with their meditative and disciplined opening pose.  Coincidentally, "The Rite of Spring" at the State Theatre on the previous night had the dancers sitting on stage for an extended time before they moved.

The fifty "Colossus" dancers laying supine in the large circle formation looked like they could be the Colosseum in Rome, a snowflake, or a pattern.  The opening image was powerful, assertive and commanding.

I knew they would begin with some small movements to warm up their bodies as they lay at least for ten minutes before the show officially began.  A drum beat announced the opening and the fifty pair of fingers curled in unison.  They rolled their wrists and other body parts. Their feet stretched, they curled up and then rose in a sit-up with incredible core strength.  They rolled down and did many stretching and flexing movements to prepare for larger movements. They arched their backs in unison.  Flexing and stretching hands,  or bending and stretching elbows were respecting the dancers' bodies but also ensuring the audience were attuned to what was to follow.  Stephanie Lake in this opening sequence created a solid contract with her audience to invite us into this world of "Colossus".

The dances, as I predicted would roll up through the spine to walk.  They created a crowd formation and then the first soloist appeared in the centre of the circle,  She pointed and directed the circle.  Mexican Waves of wrists rolled around the large circle.  We then were treated to so many "illegal" Mexican Waves of heads to the right and left; arms raised and bent: legs raised and bent; rolling, twisting and swaying from side to side.  This was sheer brilliance in structure as it built momentum.

The Mexican Wave then split upstage (at 12.00 noon position) to continue down each side to finish at the centre downstage (6.00pm position).  This was repeated a few times.  This is where it jolted as the two Mexican Waves should have crossed and gone in the opposite directions to build momentum and continue the flow.  This is one section that could be expanded.  Do not get me wrong, I loved it, but it jolted as if anacoluthon.

The dancers moved to the sides to frame the action.  I actually found the crowd formations in many ways more interesting than the solos, duos, trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, etc.

The ensemble gathered around and sweep up the first soloist to reveal the second soloist.  She stood centre stage as the ensemble moved into two groups each side.  This soloist became a conjurer as she controlled the forces of energy from either side.  Ying and Yang spring to mind as the dividing image.  Here she led each group to follow her directions as a conductor, a dictator or guru.  They followed with some really interesting formations and movements.  The ensemble followed her lead with varying levels of intensity as directed.  Sometimes the tempo challenged the ensemble.  The two sides ebbed and flowed to her commands.  This was another strong piece of choreography, although very academic in approach, I was enthralled.

A section of window wiping lower arm moves really challenged the capacity of the dancers.  This is where you could tell those who had a strong core as they chopped the air with their window-wiping arms, while some could not keep the pace, let alone accelerate as directed.  This did not bother me as the effort of the individual was being supported by the masses.  The effort is what I really admired.

So many different formations were created.

These are not in any particular order:

Tap Dance sequence was very much like "42nd St" as the ensemble performed time steps in varying degrees of competence.  A small group began and then swelled to the entire ensemble doing time steps in the manner of class or an audition.

Marching groups occurred.  One was as if from a scene in "Evita", another like a Surf Life Saving Club doing marching drills, and another as if performing their Calisthenics Club routine.  I loved the marching sequences with the slapping of the thighs to create rhythms.  Maybe a bit more musically challenging rhythms could have expanded this section.

Rescue scene where a guy was brought into the group that then developed into a mob scene.

There were fun bits too - with the Bollywood style "Light Globe turning" sequence.  A bad joke is coming: How many dancers does it take to change a Fairfax Studio light globe?  Yes, 50!  I was beaming inside and with a huge smile in the front row as I loved the joy in this section.

Class Photo sequence as the dancers lined up in formation of a class photo, or a graduation shot, or a Grand Final portrait of a football team.  The ensemble then followed the directions - maybe the teacher, the photographer, the historian - it does not matter who.  They followed the directions of opening and closing mouths, looking up and framing their faces etc.  Interestingly, the looking up sequence should have begun with just the eyes looking up first before anyone lifted their chins.  Little tweaks will strengthen this work.

Window wiping sequence consisted of the splaying of the lower arms that was similar to Brad and Janet driving in the rain from "The Rocky Horror Show".    Some dancers struggled to keep up as the tempo accelerated.

After a duet, the ensemble reformed from the boundaries of the stage and performed duets similar to a dance or an American Prom.

A party scene had the ensemble mingling with low, indistinguishable conversations as individual dancers' worked-the-room in the crowd.

My favourite part was what I shall call the RETROGRADE sequence where the ensemble moved from stage left to right.  First a lady, then two men who did a short throwing pas de deux, and the rest of the ensemble followed in their own combinations.  This whole sequence was reversed.  It was danced backwards - which is called the RETROGRADE.  They did this retrograde sequence at least three times.  I loved it as my heart was beating at the excitement that they created as an ensemble.

At times, the work reminded me of  the umbrella scene from "The Concert" by Jerome Robbins.

There were times when "Colossus" reminded me of  Maurice Bejart's "The Competition" that was performed by The Australian Ballet in 1989. 

Another section reminded me of the swelling crowd scenes from Natalie Weir's "Carmina Burana" performed by The Australian Ballet in 2001.

These comparisons are a compliment as the pulsating and swelling crowds revealing moments of interest are common in all of the works mentioned.

There were moments that reminded me of birds murmuration.  I wanted an obvious flying bird murmuration sequence with arms outstretched as there was one brief moment that had a glimmer of "Swan Lake" style flock.  It reminded me of the sensational Peter Brook's version of "The Conference of the Birds" where the birds would hover and swoop from a great height, that was presented at the HSV7 Teletheatre in Fitzroy in 1980.   This is where birds murmurating was choreographed with exquisite detail.  Visually the sense of  height was lacking in "Colossus" except with the use of the lighting and shadow effects on the back wall; and the two men with the throwing lift from the retrograde sequence.

Many times I watched the ensemble as they observed the soloist or duos or trios perform.  It was interesting to watch those who looked into the audience to espy a friend or the reaction of the audience compared to those who concentrated on the central action.  When those who saw me looking at the ensemble, they quickly diverted back their concentration to the central action.    This Greek Chorus of observation is crucial to ensure the energy is directed to the central point as otherwise it breaks the flow of the work.  The swelling of those concentrating supported the central action to a higher plane than those who sat back and relaxed.  The ensemble is that - an ensemble - to create a unified atmosphere or experience.  These brief moments elevated the work and I longed for more.

The ensemble left the main stage for the finale, leaving a soloist to conclude the show.

These dancers should be proud of being in such a good work.

I could see "Colossus" by the Stephanie Lake Company again.  Even though the quality of the dancing was not necessarily the best contemporary dance I have seen, it was the ensemble's qualities and atmospheres that lifted this work.  Some of the soloists lacked the qualities and finish that I saw from others in the ensemble.

Overall, I gave "Colossus" and 8/10 while my partner gave it 7.5/10.

Follow up:

I could see "Colossus 2" with scenes of pedestrian behaviour, football crowds, protest crowds, Hari Krishna rituals, celebratory parades, The Hajj at Mecca, Boxing Day Sales crowds, queuing up for a new produce; queuing up for the latest book launch; queuing for the latest technology; camping out overnight for tickets to the Grand Final; Bison stampede; African elephants stampede; other animals stampedes; evacuations etc. There are possibilities to include protest marches or protest sit-ins, panicking crowds, peer crowds and evacuations. There are so many possibilities for another version.

I believe Stephanie Lake could do an even better version.


After effects:

I had to press my ears during the show on a few occasions.  The music did not sound loud during the performance but I did feel the thumping went through my entire body.  Both my partner and I had ringing in our ears for four hours after the show.  I am curious if anyone else had a similar effect.