Melbourne, Australia

Posts Tagged ‘Karin Muiznieks’

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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: WORLD WAR WONDERFUL by Karin Muiznieks

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Performances on July 21, 2011 at 11:51 pm

Let the battle begin!

By Brad Storer

World War Wonderful! stands as a dark parable about blind patriotism and the cycle of violence surrounding warfare. Luckily for the audience, the near-Brechtian bleakness of its vision comes clothed in hilariously quotable dialogue and insanely hummable tunes.

Greeted upon entry with the projected image of the American flag and accompanied by manic ragtime music, audience members are cast as soldiers watching a USO entertainment show.

Tonight’s performers are the Wonderful Sisters, a trio of energetic, harmony-singing siblings in the style of the Andrews Sisters (their bitter rivals). It is World War Six, Winston Churchill is President of the United States (played on video here by Casey Bennetto) and after many years of profitable war-mongering, the frightening prospect of peacetime is approaching.

The setting gives writer/composer Karin Muiznieks many opportunities to create pastiches of 1940’s musical styles, such as patriotic anthems, novelty songs, dark tangos and syrupy torch songs – all served up with deliciously twisted lyrics and pointed political satire.

Subjects include the advantages of a decorated military love-partner with (several) amputated limbs, sexual ‘warfare’, and a ‘Mr Sandman’ take-off describing the perfect political leader while making jibes at the modern American political landscape. Even those unfamiliar with this period of music will find themselves laughing at the wit and audacity of these seemingly peppy songs.

The three leads, as directed here by Scott Gooding, are all impressive in their individual roles: Louise McCrae as Fanny, the innocent youngest sibling, Laura McCulloch as the cunning middle sister Ruth, and Penelope Bruce as the morally ambivalent eldest sister Gloria. Their interactions and family feuding are perfectly played out as they seek to maintain their wealth and power in a world on the verge of peace.

By the time we reach the end of the show, the sinister conclusion seems both comically logical and chillingly unavoidable. Despite some minor technical problems on opening night, which were competently covered over by the performers, the gruesome message of World War Wonderful! was perfectly executed by all involved.

The Lamond Room, South Melbourne Town Hall

Friday 22/Saturday 23 July, 9.30pm

Tickets: www.melbournecabaret.com, ph. 1300 640 801 or at the festival box office (South Melbourne Town Hall)

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Review: KARIN MUIZNIEKS’ Filthy Secrets

In Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Whats On on July 21, 2011 at 7:14 am

Risque, risky music theatre that’s both fresh and funny

By Kate Boston Smith

The rumors are true, Karin Muiznieks is one of Melbourne’s best musical theatre writer / composers, and Filthy Secrets is the perfect hot-breathed whisper to convey this exceptional talent. 

Unsure of what to expect when I took my seat, as the first song started my mouth curled into a half-moon and maintain that position for nigh on the next 55 minutes. Muiznieks and her team of talent have pieced together a jet stream of sketches that move from light-hearted over-bearing stage parents to more darker elements of sexual perversions in the society in which we all live. 

On stage with her are the flawless musical performers Cameron Thomas, Karlis Zaid, the ever-gorgeous Louise Joy McCrae and sibling/ fellow musician extraordinaire Emma Muiznieks. Together this ensemble produces choral completeness, jazzed-up jives and crooning tales of misunderstood woes. 

Interwoven into these delightful sounds are stories, tales and conversations which we all can relate to or comment on.  From sexually confused footballers and snooty Toorak housewives, to modern-day women with casual sex on the brain, no one is safe and nor should they be.  This is a show that explores and pokes fun at multiple facets of society with no-holds barred.

There was one sketch that was particularly risqué.  As my body squirmed in the “oh no” awkwardness of the sketches content, my head processed the intention behind this particular piece, a commentary on media outlets and the public’s obsession with celebrities.  This is a topic very fitting in today’s media climate in light of the controversy around the News of World phone-tapping scandal. 

Controversy aside, this is a show that is sleek, funny and setting the tone for modern musical theatre.  It is fast-moving to the point where you don’t notice time slipping beneath you, with performances that are strong and worthy of praise and applause they evoke. 

This is an ideal show both for those wanting to dabble in cabaret for the first time and for the more seasoned audience member: a perfect representation of fresh musical theatre with a dark, comedy bent.

Tonight Thurs 21 July at 7.15pm


$35 / $32, The Ballantyne Room, South Melbourne Town Hall

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MELBOURNE CABARET FESTIVAL 2011: Ticket Sales Are Booming!

In Cabaret, Events, Festivals, Late Night Shows, Performances, Whats On on July 6, 2011 at 2:22 am

100 performers, 78 performances, 7 venues – and only 6 nights!

It’s now only a few days until the non-stop cabaret begins, and all 32 shows for the second annual Melbourne Cabaret Festival (Tue July 19- Sun 24) are selling out once again.

This year’s program includes a particularly impressive line-up of our own Melbourne favourites, renowned national artists, and some surprise international performers all coming together to historic South Melbourne for one week of outstanding and outrageous entertainment.

From the fun and frivolity with comedy cabaret, music theatre, vaudeville and New-York-style, to the clever and edgy explorations of vaudeville, burlesque, queer shows and dark cabaret, there’s something different, delightful, delicious and decadent for every taste.

So what’s our pick of the fest? Got to admit, we’re pretty excited about The Beautiful Losers back to horrify audiences with song and satire, the intriguing Filthy Secrets from the disturbing mind of Karin Muiznieks, and the triumphant festival return of the glamorous and glorious Petticoat Soiree.

Also worth watching out for will be Le Gateau Chocolat, Queenie Van de Zandt, Jon Jackson, Emma Dean, The Jane Austen Argument, Tina Del Twist, Dolly Diamond, and Emma Clair Ford, along with a host of upcoming cabaret stars, plenty of quirky, creepy or hilarious new shows, and some special events such as Trevor Jones’ Piano Bar and the best of Short+Sweet Cabaret.

Tickets start from just $15 at www.melbournecabaret.com where you can also find all the show details to pique your patronage, because with only six days to see the all best cabaret in town, you’ll need to book fast!

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