Melbourne, Australia

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REVIEW: RePlay Theatre’s THE WOMAN TAMER

In Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On on May 23, 2013 at 10:36 am

Ambitious production of an Australian classic

By Myron My

Originally written in 1911, The Woman Tamer by Australian playwright Louis Esson has just been given a makeover over a 100 years later by RePlay Theatre for a limited run this week at The Owl and the Pussycat.

The play begins in the foyer of the theatre with a man and a woman (Jack Beeby and Clara Pagone) dressed in period costume, singing a song with a ukulele. However, they are also covered in ghoulish make-up and at the end of the song they guide us into the theatre. The two stand in the doorway strumming away until the doors close, evoking a strong and uneasy emotional response and offering a hint of the horror that is to come.

TheWomanTamer

Unfortunately, I found the story very difficult to follow due to the overwhelming visuals: the choreographed ‘dances’, the make-up and costumes, the music and at times, the two completely different scenes occurring at the same time. Whilst all this was engaging and captivating to watch, it resulted in me losing a lot of the actual narrative.

Robert Reid‘s direction is strong overall, but does allows things to get a little convoluted and left us trying to figure out what’s going on. There are some profound themes in this play including an examination of domestic violence against women, so adding all these other layers and levels to it jeopardized the focus on the issues and created a haphazard experience for the audience.

However, the cast (Beeby, Pagone, Tom Molyneux and Kate Brennan) were quite skilled in their roles. This play is peopled with emotionally and physically-demanding characters, and they were all committed, with particular mention going to Beeby who seemed to relish his character and really gave it his all.

RePlay Theatre have succeeded in producing an interesting contemporary reinterpretation of the original text of The Woman Tamer, but  unfortunately have managed to also ostracize the audience in our endeavours to connect with the play.

Venue: The Owl and the Pussycat, 34 Swan St, Richmond

Season: Until 25 May | 7:00pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc

Bookings: http://www.owlandcat.com.au/thewomantamer.html

 

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REVIEW: Backyard Theatre Presents UNCONDITIONED HEART

In Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On on May 23, 2013 at 10:10 am

Jack and Jill reunited

By Darcy Whitsed

As most theatre-goers in Melbourne know, or should know, the La Mama Theatre is both a hub for creative independent works as well as an extremely intimate space. This was the setting for Backyard Theatre’s new show Unconditioned Heart that opened this week.

The show starred four actors: Vanessa Chapple (Woman), Lily Fish (Jill), Rob Gaetano (Jack), Paul Roberts (Man) and a puppeteer Dan Goronszy, and was focused around the return of Jack to his sister Jill after being overseas for several years.

Unconditioned Heart

Unconditioned Heart utilized a lot of different theatrical elements to tell its story, combining movement, shadow puppetry, scenes of dialogue between Jack and Jill ranging from realistic to non-naturalistic and story-telling monologues from both lead characters. Most of these elements blended very well together, however there were times (such as during the shadow puppet sequence) when there was simply too much happening, especially the abstract movement. On the tiny La Mama stage it became almost distracting, and hard to focus on all of the action. That being said, Lily Fish’s exquisite monologue combined with the exceptional shadow puppetry (the stage was cleverly hidden in the solitary set element of a cupboard) provided the audience with a gorgeous moment that in my opinion stole the show.

Lily Fish was definitely the stand-out performance. Her character Jill had such a sense of sadness, desperation and vulnerability in her interactions with the other characters, none of which was explicitly explored in the story but it was incredible to see the nuances of emotions and thought that had gone into her performance. The other ensemble members were also very strong with a lot being demanded of them in terms of the different performance elements that were used to convey the story, such as movement and non-verbal communication.

The technical elements of Unconditioned Heart were very well considered for the venue and style of the production. La Mama is very small so everything is extremely visible and raw to the audience members and this fact was definitely not ignored in the design of the show. The lighting and sound effects were simple but well-used and the scenes flowed together efficiently and were marked effectively with lighting changes.

The costuming was also simple, representing the different characters’ personalities, but seemed a little too random and it would have been satisfying to see a more unified decision or element within the ensemble.

Overall, Unconditioned Heart is a short, sharp, thought-provoking piece of theatre. It ambitiously combines a wide range of performance elements that for the most part work well, but at times seem to not synchronize perfectly. It is carried by strong actors and gorgeous shadow puppetry.

Where: La Mama Theatre, Carlton

When: May 22nd – June 2nd 2013

Time: Wed – Fri 6.30pm, Sat – Sun 8.30pm

Tickets: Full $25, Conc $15

Bookings: (03) 9347 6142 or online

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REVIEW: One Man, Two Guvnors with MTC

In Comedy, Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On on May 21, 2013 at 11:07 pm

Comedy chaos from a slapstick script

By Ross Larkin

If you’re a lover of farce or pantomime – you are, no doubt, in for a treat with One Man, Two Guvnors.

Owain Arthur (Francis Henshall) in One Man, Two Guvnors at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Photo credit Johan Persson

Based on Goldoni’s 1746 work, The Servant of Two Masters, Richard Bean’s version smacks of slapstick, and then some. Played out with such frantic urgency from the get go, it’s necessary at times to sit back and take a breather from the hysteria.

Owain Arthur plays Francis, a rolypoly Welshman caught in a cat-and-mouse-frenzy between a woman disguised as her dead gangster brother (Rosie Wyatt) and a small-time crook (Leon Williams), along with additional obstacles (namely the crook’s daughter played by Kellie Shirley, and the gangster’s fiancé performed by Edward Bennett).

The energy and commitment of the actors is constant and remarkable. Arthur, in particular, is frankly genius in such a farcical role. Boisterous physical comedy, spontaneous jokes and audience interaction come naturally to the accomplished actor, as does his ability to improvise when things steer off course.

The supporting cast do well to compliment Arthur, considering how seemingly easy it might be to fall into the shadow of such a showman, and at times, offer a few unique laughs themselves.

One’s overall enjoyment of this production, however, largely depends on one’s appreciation for the acquired genre of farce.

Even if completely lost in the madness, the theatrical language and manic, farcical physicality can often instruct an audience when to laugh, regardless of true comical value.

Clowns and caricatures may delight some as they pick on unsuspecting patrons in the first row, or ask the audience for answers. “Could this be happening? What to do? What to do?” is an example of the degree to which One Man, Two Guvnors trips into pantomime territory.

However, traditional theatre goers may be bored to tears with the protagonist asking the audience for a sandwich repeatedly, or the hillbilly musical interludes, which, although polished and noteworthy, overstay their welcome.

Sadly, Bean’s script is low on witty dialogue, and relies very heavily on physical comedy and engaging performances, which, thankfully, have both been recruited in this British National Theatre tour.

Be warned, though, if melodramatic malarkey and audience participation are not your cup of tea: in spite of their success in those areas, there is little else left to offer.

One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean is playing now at Melbourne’s Arts Centre Playhouse until June 22, 2013. Tickets available at http://www.mtc.com.au or by calling the Box Office on 03 8688 0800.

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