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Review: LACHLAN MACLEOD’S A Very Merry Christmas

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On on December 10, 2011 at 4:02 am

Get into this christmas comedy quick!

By Melissa Trickey

After having a somewhat scrooge-y day, I was a bit “bah humbug” when I entered The Butterfly Club on Thursday evening…. But the “magic, majesty and hhhhhwhimsy” of Lachlan’s Macleod’s A Very Merry Christmas soon warmed the cockles of my heart to turn my frown upside down and make me Madame President of the Christmas Spirit Club!

Christmas sure smacked me in the face as soon as I walked in the door, with the busiest set I’ve ever seen in that performance space. I had no idea the stage could fit so much! Three musical instruments, a fully decorated Christmas tree, a framed Jesus picture and a curious object that was concealed by some kind of mystery Christmas material…

This turned out to be Lachlan himself, who promptly did what I did not expect at all - sat as his keyboard and played a (seemingly) serious song about Christmas. Next second he totally bazinga’d me with the lyrics: “The doors are locked, I’ve got your cash, so f***you all!” People didn’t seem to mind though – we were all laughing too hard!

There were many lyrical gems like this along the way. Lachlan touched on such topics as re-gifting, office work parties, due rewards from Santa for being a bad little boy, and the evergreen last-minute present shopping. His lyrics are simple, direct and right on the money (except for the priest thing…), and his songs are very funny and appealing to a broad audience with great writing, delivery and chorey!

Lachlan has a gift for simple and effective storytelling that is quite endearing and suited the show very well. Some opening night nerves made Lachlan appear slightly jittery at times, but I’m sure they will settle down and Lachlan can relax into his performance more. From a performer’s perspective he has put A LOT of pressure on himself with his all-singing, all-gags, mostly-playing and sometimes-dancing agenda! In accompanying himself on no less than three instruments, Lachlan certainly is working harder than most. 

I thought there was a slight lag in the middle of the show that could be tightened up by shaving back some verses and material. It was good to be mellow but the feeling rather overstayed its welcome.  However, the finale was sharp, witty, and brilliant to watch, with the emergence of a special Christmas costume and resulting song. I don’t want to give too much away but it was absolutely hysterical and a closing highlight for the show!

Lachlan is everyday funny like Hamish and Andy, writes clever and witty lyrics like Tim Minchin, and delivers them with the pathos of Tripod. One day I will see him on TV and be like, “Hey, I reviewed that guy once!” Thanks for the Handy Christmas Facts, Lachlan, and for the numerous laughs! Merry Christmas!

Dates: Thurs 8th to Sun 11th Dec
Time: Thurs-Sat at 9pm & Sun at 8pm

Venue and bookings: The Butterfly Club, Sth Melbourne

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REVIEW: A Fistful of Scripts

In Events, Opportunities, Performances, Review, Theatre on December 8, 2011 at 4:58 am

An evocative and illuminating evening of new theatre

By Jennifer Coles

Firstly, I’d like to applaud Wise Works Media and Theatreworks for an evening like this. A Fistful of Scripts was a collection of new works presented as table reads for the benefit of their writers (cast included Leonie Leaver, Katharine Innes, Nadia Andary, Christopher Barry, Madeline Clare French, Stephanie Evison-Williams, Tom Kay, Callan Lewis, Alex McArthur, Adam Turnbull, Francesca Walters, Josie Parrelli and Kim Morrell). After each performance, the audience was invited to participate in a forum discussing the pros and cons of each script to provide the writers with invaluable information.

At the centre of Wafik ‘Fiko’ Doss’ The Heart of Rex was King Rasheed who failed to save his wife and children from murder. Believing his brother the culprit he banishes him, but is haunted by his wife’s ghost as his brother is haunted by family secrets. The piece had a beautiful grasp of Elizabethan language and some truly beautiful lines (delivered with gusto by the cast).

However Doss gets rather lost in his own words; lines were often elaborated, over-extended and repetitious. Influences from Greek theatre, Shakespeare and fairytales were abundant, but this clouded the piece – particularly the Greek chorus whose role needed to be more defined. The characters, although passionate and well-realised, lacked time to develop their motivations, leaving the ending predictable. What Doss has created is something just short of brilliance, but he needs to decide if this is a short play or a long one.

Dear and Departed (Sean McIntyre), a short monologue by a grandmother at her own funeral, contained moving images created by the woman’s memories: recollections of attempts to get her granddaughter to sleep resonated well with the audience. The piece needed to stay focused on the woman as it moved into vague territory before a significant plot revelation. This would have had more power if links beforehand been more structured.

Finally JILTED! (Parrelli and Morrell) tells the tale of unlucky-in-love Ebony who has just been stood up by her boyfriend. When she asks why her relationships fail, everyone has an opinion – particularly her loudmouth sister and brother-in-law. Dealing with modern themes, the ladies at Scorpio Productions have brought these situations to life with wonderful characters that read well together and really ‘bond’ as a dysfunctional family. JILTED! now needs to focus on defining Ebony’s character more in her search for self-improvement and answers.

Although the audience provided some insight into possible reworkings, occasionally suggestions offered were more for audience clarification than writers’ benefit. I hope the writers continue to develop these pieces and find the advice useful, for with a bit more polish, these scripts are all on the way to be insightful and moving works.

A Fistful of Scripts was produced at Theatre Works on Dec 6 2011.

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REVIEW: April Albert is DIE KNEF

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On on December 4, 2011 at 8:15 am

A tribute to a legend misses the triumph

By Adam Tonking

Die Knef, a cabaret written and performed by April Albert, traces the life of Hildegard Knef, a chanteuse whose survival of World War II coloured the rest of her career as a performer, but never held her back from her ambition.

Albert’s show is a brief insight into a relatively unknown figure in Australia, and showcases songs in a language that is too seldom celebrated outside of opera here.

Hildegard Knef, referred to by Albert as “the Edith Piaf of Germany”, was an actress and singer who enjoyed a long career spanning from the 1940s through to the 1970s. With Albert as Knef, Die Knef is at its most simple the story of one woman’s life, featuring the songs that made her famous.

But Albert presents it as a kind of nostalgia concert from a faded artiste you can imagine touring RSLs and pokies venues, and so Knef comes onstage with all of the pizzazz and charisma of a star, but gets distracted reminiscing about the many tragedies of her life.

Watching Knef unravel under the weight of her memories makes for fascinating viewing.

I had thought that a show containing entirely foreign language songs might present a challenge, but the audience quickly accepted the change and Albert seemed most comfortable when singing or speaking in German.

Although her commitment to the character is admirable, she rarely seemed to connect with the unimaginable horrors that Knef describes experiencing during World War II.

The script appears meticulously researched, peppered with pithy quotes for which Knef was well-known, but then focuses too heavily on these bad times, not on the successes that made her so famous and hence a character worth getting to know.

April Albert’s Die Knef was on at The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne from the 1st till the 4th of December at 7pm. 

For details of other upcoming shows, visit www.thebutterflyclub.com.

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Review: HOUSEWARMING – A New Musical

In Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On on December 1, 2011 at 8:51 am

Home is where the heart is

By Bradley Storer

Housewarming, a new musical composed and written by William Hannagan-McKinna and Belinda Jenkin, opens on its lead character Tommy (Daniel Benge) on the threshold of a new adventure: the perilous plunge into share-housing.

Like the similar work which precedes it on Theatreworks double-bill, Give My Regards to Broady, Housewarming deals with universal themes of growing up and the struggle to move beyond the past.

Accompanying Tommy on the journey to independence is a mismatched group of fellow post-adolescents.

There’s Mia (Rachel Rai), the sheltered mummy’s girl with borderline OCD; Kelly (Elle Richards), the spoiled and self-aggrandizing rich girl; Luke (Drew Collet), the hard-drinking uni dropout; the dreadlocked Jo (Dave Barclay) and his ethereal, reiki-toting ex-girlfriend Daisy (played by Jenkin herself).

While these outlines may seem almost stereotypical in their construction, one of the joys of the evening is watching these skilled actors fill out and develop their characters beyond generic characteristics.

As the plot proceeds, unexpected twists reveal hidden depths to each character and their relationships with their housemates delving into unforeseen territory.

The ensemble are all strong performers and singers, and each are given a moment to shine with excellently composed moments of self-revelation and remembrance – highlights are Kelly’s ensemble-supported diva number ‘I Insist’, Daisy’s delicately heart-breaking ‘I Grew My Hair So Long’ and Tommy’s explosive solo ‘I Am Bruised’.

In comparison to the wacky comic mania of Broady, Housewarming approaches the same topic with seriousness and compassion while still retaining a light-hearted touch.

Aided by a committed and talented ensemble, Housewarming is a fantastic evening at the theatre, ranging from heart-warming to wrenching to youthfully optimistic all in the same show.

Housewarming: A New Musical is in a double-billing this month with Give My Regards to Broady!

Dates: 28 Nov – Dec 10 at Theatre Works, St Kilda

Times: Nov 30 to Dec 3 at 8:45pm / Dec 5-10 at 7:00pm

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REVIEW: Give My Regards To Broady

In Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Whats On on December 1, 2011 at 8:43 am

Trendy topical music theatre for all you Melbournites

By Bradley Storer

At the beginning of the show, the stage at Theatreworks is set up like the lounge room of a northern Melbourne share-house: strewn with the debris of the night before, accumulated mess, milk crate furniture and the bodies of several cast members.

Like the other work with which it shares the double-bill, Housewarming, Give My Regards To Broady is a musical dedicated to the mixed blessings and tribulations of youth through the experience of house-sharing.

The plot of Broady revolves around the daily lives and trials of a group of performing arts graduates all desperate for their big breaks and forced to find some way of co-existing peacefully. There’s Karin (Claire Healy), the lazy and poverty-stricken song-writer from Broadmeadows, her delightfully camp housemate and song-writing partner James (Leigh Jay Booth), a theatre-restaurant worker obsessed with celebrity networking, their friend Erin (Lauren Murtagh), a vainglorious South Melbourne heiress, and her ’accessory’ Luke (Joe Kosky). Lurking in the background is the rest of Karin’s housemates/backing band, with amusing interjections and intrusions from multi-instrumentalist Emma Muiznieks.

Broady is a love letter from its creators Karin Muiznieks and James Simpson, firstly to the enthusiasm and courage of young people who choose to work in the arts industry; when asked to compare her life with that of a Third-World child she sponsors, the character Karin counters ‘he doesn’t work in the arts!’.

Secondly to musical theatre itself, signalled by the posters of Sweeney Todd, Hairspray, Chicago and many other productions decorating the walls of the house. Muiznieks and Simpson play with standard musical tropes, amongst other things hilariously parodying the love duets of classic Broadway musicals and play out a wickedly vicious West Side Story-style scrag fight.

Lastly to the city of Melbourne itself, with songs devoted to topics like Melbourne Cup Day hook-ups, Crown Casino, half-built Ferris wheels – one song shows the characters trying to illustrate their relationships by comparing them to the qualities of different suburbs.

After a slow start, the show picks up strength and energy as soon as the first musical number appears. The four leads, under the direction of Scott Gooding, are all uniformly strong – the standouts are Murtagh and Kosky, who are given several moments to shine in numbers like ‘Erin’s Turn’ and the show finale. Healy and Booth ably handle the weight of keeping the show’s plot moving through several twists and turns with enthusiasm and flair. Give My Regards to Broady is an uproarious night at the theatre for music theatre lovers,  Melbournites who love their local references and for anyone in general who enjoys a good laugh.

Dates: 28 Nov – Dec 10 at Theatre Works, St Kilda
Times: Nov 30 to Dec 3 at 7:00pm / Dec 5-10 at 8:45pm

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Review: KIMBERLEY DARK in Good Fortune

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On on November 30, 2011 at 10:48 am

A beguiling future was in store for a raconteur and her audience

By Adam Tonking

Do you remember the pleasure, as a child, of having a story read out loud to you? Kimberley Dark’s Good Fortune instantly transported me back to those long-forgotten days.

Dark is a consummate storyteller but these are not for children. They are stories from her life, that when illuminated through her telling become stories about the world at large: about love, sex, politics, and power.

The show was presented as a kind of tasting platter – 46 stories and poems from Dark’s 15 years of performance, each attached to a quirky little artwork, which became a sort of Tarot deck, with members of the audience choosing. These pieces make up the show, with each show being unique to the audience present.

Dark explains that every audience has its own personality, and this method of framing the show’s concept lent it an air of legitimacy, but also created an air of mutual respect between Dark and the audience.

Telling stories is clearly a gift for the highly-skilled Dark. While she chatted with us amiably in between stories, discussing her history and philosophies, including a few poems as a palate cleanser between stories – the moment she opened her book, she transported the audience into another world, as only a true storyteller can.

 The tone of her voice, from beguiling to conversational, from hypnotic to questing, guides us through her world; but the stories themselves grow to encompass all of us. The material is complex yet comedic, personal yet provocative. Perhaps storytelling of this nature is a lost art, but by the end of Good Fortune I was completely enamoured with Dark and her tales.

Perhaps because of the nature of the audience choosing the material, no one will have the chance to see the same show that I did. But go anyway, and reconnect with those wonderful days of simply being told a good story by someone who knows how to tell it best.

Kimberley Dark’s Good Fortune is on for one more night, Wednesday 30th November at 8pm, at The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne, with tickets available at www.thebutterflyclub.com or at the door.

Or see her show Dykeotomy at Hares and Hyenas Bookstore in Fitzroy, December 1-3. For more information go to www.kimberleydark.com.

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REVIEW: Joe Black in SEX, DRUGS AND VAUDEVILLE

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Late Night Shows, Performances, Whats On on November 24, 2011 at 3:30 am

Take a turn on the dark side…

By Bradley Storer

Beginning the performance with a simple booming ‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen!’, the manically energetic Joe Black, making an immediate impression with his ghoulishly glittery face, barrelled onstage and launched into a song by fellow British cabaret artists Fascinating Aida, a spritely ditty about the pleasures of public fornication. This off-colour but hilarious opener set the tone for the rest of the evening, straddling the line between comedy and darkness expertly.

This is not an evening for the faint-hearted: subjects range from the joys of pyromania to the exploits of a heart-broken cannibal. Black covers many classics of the dark cabaret scene, including songs by the Tiger Lillies, Tom Waits and the Dresden Dolls, as well as original compositions discussing topics such as friends who ‘overshare’ on social networking sites. There are also more popular songs (Black’s Britney Spears cover is a particular delight), layered with a sinister twist – let’s just say I’ll never hear ‘You Are My Sunshine’ in quite the same way again.

Joe Black himself is charmingly demented. A musical and vocal chameleon, he swaps between piano and ukulele skilfully (which makes one regretful about his inability to smuggle his accordion past customs) and his voice switches at different times from a politely soft-spoken tenor, to a devilishly seductive Tom Waits-style croon, to a gospel-inflected roar reminiscent of Jason Webley.

The show itself still seems in development – segues between songs and the overall structure felt muddled, with connections in story not being as clearly developed as they could be. To be fair, this was probably not helped by Black’s admitted jet-lag or having to deal with an unusually talkative audience who interjected continually without warning – however this just goes to show, despite the darkness of his persona, how approachable Black made himself appear and how relaxed he had made his audience.

Despite some opening night glitches and some polishing still be done, Black is clearly a true cabaret performer, delivering a professional performance and forging such a strong connection with his audience that they spontaneously demanded a second encore – a rare sight! Such an enthusiastic response bodes well for the rest of Black’s first season in Australia, with the show undoubtedly growing even stronger with more performances.  

Until Nov 27th at The Butterfly Club

www.misterjoeblack.com

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Review: ROBERT TAYLOR is So Inappropriate

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On on November 19, 2011 at 10:16 am

One very funny man and one very clever show

By Anastasia Russell-Head

Somewhere between The Flight of the Conchords’ spot-on parody and Tim Minchin’s witty word-play lies homegrown talent Robert Taylor’s new solo musical So Inappropriate, fresh from its debut season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Taylor’s abilities are multi-faceted – he wrote both the script and the music for this show, and manages to sing, tell stories, play some hot licks on the piano and be funny at the same time!

Thrown out of Hollywood, reduced to the indignity of composing music for adult films and playing cover music to drunken bogans, this loveably awkward songwriter is searching for new love while trying to avoid his ex-wives. Will he be able to summon up the courage to talk to the love of his life – the coffeeshop girl? Or at least be able to ask her name?

With clever lyrics, an excellent singing voice and accomplished keyboard chops, Taylor’s songs are highly entertaining. Having honed his musical skills at the Victorian College of the Arts, he has a range of styles and genres at his fingertips, moving effortlessly from funk to indie-folk and everything inbetween. Despite the name of the show, his humor was warm, witty and cheeky, without straying into the land of cringe. 

Even though his character is awkward, there were no signs of awkwardness in the performance, even with a very small audience (which can often make things feel awkward). Taylor’s stage presence is warm and personable, and his storytelling style engaging, with the carefully crafted ad-lib-esque monologue episodes of the work woven skillfully amongst the songs.

It was a pity that there were not more people at The Butterfly Club to see this talented and very entertaining performer in his short Melbourne season – hopefully we see him return to our stages soon. When he does, make sure to catch him!

The Butterfly Club

Weds 16th to Sat 19th Nov
9pm Thurs – Sat, Weds at 8pm
$22 / $19

Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com

More info: www.roberttaylor.biz

 

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REVIEW: Luke Escombe is CHRONIC

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On on November 11, 2011 at 4:11 am

Hilarious and no-holds barred comedy still has heart

By Jessica Cornish

Presenting Flight Of The Concordesque cabaret, Luke Escombe, armed with his trademark off-white suit and cream peak hat, certainly entertained his small, but enthralled Thursday night audience for the latest season of his hit show Chronic at The Butterfly Club.

Equipped with a beautiful acoustic guitar,the five-dollar keyboard that he snagged off a young girl at a garage sale, a loop pedal and a battery-operated pink dog that occasionally made cameo appearances, Escombe’s show was the perfect amounts of uncomfortable, edgy and very funny.

The evening begun with a short autobiographical AV presentation of Luke’s life, before the Sydneysider cruised through the audience on to the stage to kick off his one-man performance.

His hilarious songs were continuously engaging, and segments such as ‘The Riddler’ encouraged his audience to yell out answers to his questions while his miniature keyboard’s MIDI loop ploughed on through the PA.

Other musical highlights were his advice to budding singer-songwriters regarding the use of  weather as a cliched metaphor, his achievement in coaxing the only unfortunate male in the female-filled audience to sing  ‘It’s hard to be P-I-M-P’, and the failed conga line attempt to the ridiculous and outrageously titled, but very catchy song ‘Jerk Ya Cock.’

Whilst Chronic was sixty minutes of light-hearted entertainment and presented an array of outlandish songs, the show also fought to raise awareness of crohns disease that currently affects over 30,000 Australians, including Luke himself.

Weaved throughout his web of songs Luke tells the tale of his personal battle with the illness, including his eleven-day stint in hospital, his determination to get back to good health and his motivation to rejoin society in full strength. He’s even being flown to Canberra next month to raise awareness about the disease (through song) to Australia’s finest political folk.

Lucke Escombe’s Chronic is a great distraction from the mundane happenings of everyday life, and will bring a smile to all who can share or take a joke every now and then.

Chronic will be performed at The Butterfly Club on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 Nov at 9pm and Sunday Nov. 13 at 8pm.

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Review: GERALDINE QUINN is The Last Gig in Melbourne

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On on November 11, 2011 at 2:53 am

This is why Melbourne loves live music!

By Emma Muiznieks

In response to the floundering live music scene, Geraldine Quinn has invited you to the very last live gig Melbourne is ever going to host, and boy does she deliver.

For one hour, Quinn rocks out a set list of original songs, with the help of her band; musical director Casey Bennetto on keys and guitar, Tamara Murphy thundering on the bass, Sonja Horbelt on drums, and Martin Lubran rocking out like a legend on lead guitar. Last Gig pokes fun at the tropes of home-grown rock, but is at the same time a fine example of the very best sort of gig: it is well-structured, the music is tight, and Quinn owns the stage like a pro.

Covering a range of subject matter and musical subgenres, from a punk rock song about scrag fights to a poignant ballad lamenting the predominance of mobile phone usage during shows, Quinn takes us through the live music scene from when she herself first started bopping along as a teenager, to the current lackadaisical attitude of the modern concertgoer. As a songwriter, she has created music that is clearly original but has such an element of familiarity that you might swear you’ve heard the songs before on Rage or MTV. She presents us with a view from both sides of the microphone, and rather skillfully reminds us of how fun live gigs are while at the same time highlighting our responsibility to support the industry: there will always be new talent, but without an audience, it will go unheard.

Although each band-member is given the chance to shine, the show is very much a showcase for Quinn’s powerhouse vocals, clever lyrics and her complete and utter rock & roll spirit. There are few comedians on the scene today who possess such a strong stage presence; add to this a voice that can be so forceful one moment and so softly intense the next, and you have a performer capable of underpinning a comedy song with a real emotional resonance.

There are few people with enough cred, talent and moxy to claim the right to the last gig in Melbourne, but Quinn has definitely earned the honour.

www.geraldinequinn.com

The Last Gig in Melbourne

Dates: Friday 4, 11, 18, & 25 Nov

Time: 8.00pm (approx 1 hr duration)

Venue: Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon and Victoria Streets, Carlton

Tickets: $25/$16 at door, discounts for pre-booking

Bookings: 03 9650 5699 or www.bellaunion.com.au

 

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