CARMEN

Angela Hogan - Carmen

Music by Georges Bizet,

Presented by Melbourne Opera

Canberra Theatre 12^th May 2012.

Reviewed by Bill Stephens

Bizet’s “Carmen” with its passionate dramatic melodies and exotic seductive heroine, is one of the most popular operas in the operatic repertoire, and the Canberra Theatre was filled to near-capacity for this much anticipated performance by Melbourne Opera.  

Melbourne Opera has been a welcome visitor to Canberra for some years and has steadily built up a loyal audience for its modest, well-mounted productions which it augments with a chorus of Canberra singers, and for this production, a local children’s chorus trained by Dianna Nixon.

“Carmen” got off to a promising start with the Melbourne Opera Orchestra sounding sonorous and responsive in the famous overture which Greg Hocking conducted at a cracking pace. However, the orchestra proved to be one of the major pleasures of this lacklustre production, which struggled to match the drama of the music, and in which many details appeared to have been lost enroute.

The singing throughout was excellent. Angela Hogan, with her mop of curly red hair, was a glamorous, striking Carmen, revealing a voice of rich colour and striking timbre which was shown to best advantage in the dramatic scenes.  Her characterisation was less secure particularly in the awkward transitions between sung and spoken dialogue.  She received little help from the direction which often left her unsupported, or from her Don Jose (Jason Wasley) who sang well but was dramatically reticent so that their scenes together to generated  little sexual chemistry.

Vocal highlights were provided by Phillip Calcagno as the flamboyant toreador, Escamillo, and Lee Abrahmsen, demure and appealing as Micaela.  Nicole Wallace and Caroline Vercoe were suitably exuberant as Carmen’s friends, Frasquita and Mercedes. Experienced performers Roger Howell and Ian Cousens both managed to invest some dramatic intensity to their roles as Zuniga and Dancairo, despite pedestrian direction which showed little interest in achieving dramatic credibility, with the performers, for the most part, singing directly out to the audience, regardless of whether they were singing solo, duet or ensemble, and often resorting to old-fashioned operatic gestures.  

 Andrew Bellchambers abstract curved setting  looked  too small on  the Canberra Theatre stage and provided little in the way of atmosphere, except in the final act when it  did suggest the inside of a bull-ring. However the audience was left wondering at the end of this scene, why nobody from the watching crowd went to Carmen’s aid as Don Jose knifed her to death in the centre of the bull-ring.

Many of the costumes, particularly those for the chorus, were ill-fitting and appeared to have pieces missing, and there were some inappropriate footwear and hairstyles onstage. At least one of the three dancers did not know her choreography, which also helped detract from the overall appearance and professionalism of the production.


At the end of the performance, following the bows, Conductor Greg Hocking addressed the audience to encourage them to express their feelings against the changes being mooted at the Canberra School of Music. It was an empathetic, thoughtful gesture that was greeted with thunderous, heartfelt applause.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

Adrian Flor and Company
Photo: Michael Moore

Presented by Phoenix Players.

ANU Arts Centre until 26^th May.

Reviewed by Bill Stephens

Technical problems involving erratic lighting which constantly left cast members in the dark and noisy set changes marred a triumphant opening night for Phoenix Players’ highly entertaining production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”.

First time director, Richard Block, has devised an imaginative, fast-moving production, enhanced with attractive costumes, clever settings, and a fine robust orchestra augmented by pit singers and conducted by Alex O’Sullivan,  to do justice to Frank Loesser’s terrific score and capture the fun and witty satire of this delightfully tuneful musical.

As the opportunistic window-cleaner, J.Pierpoint Finch, Adrian Flor gives a star performance, singing and dancing confidently, nailing every nuance and capturing every laugh on his way to becoming the President of World Wide Wickets. As his loyal fiancé/secretary, Rosemary, Vanessa De Jager, with her pretty voice and deft touch for comedy, is a delight. 

Wayne Shepherd charms in a beautifully judged comedic performance as Mr. Biggley, while Zack Drury is hilarious as the odious mummy’s-boy, Bud Frump. Michelle Norris, drop-dead-gorgeous as Hedy La Rue, David Cannell, appealing as Mr Twimble, and Hannah Wood as Smitty, all contribute memorable performances.

Miriam Rizvi’s imaginative, eye-catching ensemble routines, especially for the male ensemble, add greatly to the spectacle, although her tendency to over-choreograph the principal’s numbers proved rather distracting.

However, despite the technical problems, this is a production worthy of a “not to be missed” recommendation.  

                   (An edited version of this review appears in CITY NEWS May 16 - 23rd)

Me Right Now

QL2 presents Quantum Leap

The Playhouse, 9 – 12 May

Reviewed by Samara Purnell

The Quantum Leapers in “Me Right Now” look at identity and today’s expectations in becoming a man or woman, whilst finding and embracing their own identity and celebrating the joy and innocence of youth.

This production seamlessly blends four choreographers’ work into an impressive performance.

The dancers manipulated a rope representing a timeline, a tightrope and a one-way street, in Lina Limosani’s piece. Bearcage provide the multimedia component and an animated white line echoes the rope on stage, morphing into various road signs and symbols.

The group worked well together: Struggling, resisting, travelling, overtaking and being left behind all represented cleverly with good lighting design. The idea was fresh but the “well-worn” choreography was a little disappointing.  In particular the specific hand and arm movements and repetitions have been seen so regularly in recent amateur contemporary dance. It was a little messy and the initial sound bytes were familiar and predictable. The dancers and audience may have benefitted from slightly more challenging choreography.

The role of men in society, as provider, lover, father, was examined in Matt Cornell’s piece. His choreography was right on the mark, with the boys partnering each other in this polished performance, endearingly and strongly danced. Cornell’s work was a highlight of the evening. One of the boys summarised the dilemma of being at once strong but emotionally sensitive: Men are allowed to cry, but only three times a year. At preordained movies.

Gentle humour hinted at uncertainty, insecurity and courage to join the rat-race of life and step up to the mark. Several of the boys showed good isolation work and the group danced staccato phrases well. Sometimes fighting each other, often helping each other, the boys in business shirts danced their way towards manhood.

Individuals were not featured as strongly as they have been in other QL productions, but still, the solos didn’t always blend smoothly into the choreography. However impressive or skilful, movement between spaces on stage and “tricks”, works best when there is a purpose or meaning behind it, or when it carries the momentum and story, rather than simply to highlight an individual’s skills.

Very intriguing and a bit “different”, was the the girls’ featured act, by Jade Dewi Tyas-Tunggal. Adam Ventoura’s soundscape was a perfect blend of timeless, meditative music for the girls to present their take on becoming women and to subtly explore female sexuality and the dynamics of teenage friendship. The piece began with a Middle Eastern vibe in its movement and music, but the costumes were more like togas. One would assume this was to give it an ageless feel as though in some form or another, women have experienced these challenges since time immemorial.

The backdrop of animations that subtly complimented the performance changed to extreme close ups of girls lips, painted in bright red lipstick, slowly parting to reveal dice. It was fascinating and mesmerising but a few times became so distracting that it was easy to miss segments of what was happening on stage. It literally was “in your face”.

Becoming a woman and finding and feeling confident in individual identities was represented by the dancers donning high heels. Some girls walked tall, while another stumbled, until, aided by her peers, she is helped and manipulated into a “sexy” girl and off she goes to attract a mate.

This understatedly refreshing and enjoyable piece ends in a poignant moment, when a young suitor tenderly removes the high heels of the young girl as the next group of dancers take over on stage.

Unfortunately, more than once, the girls’ timing was significantly out of sync with each other and so it was easy to default to specific dancers including Kylie Murray, who was physically expressive and obviously one of the most experienced dancers. The age range was between 14 and 25, which is few years older than usual, but the dancers appeared reasonably uniform in age and skill, which worked well.

On the whole, the costuming didn’t add significantly to the show. Even within budgetary constraints, using the costumes to more extensively add meaning or layers would help.

The cardio-taxing finale, from Ruth Osborne, featured good group cooperation and included several lifts, which counterbalanced the simplistic choreography. It was given life by the expressiveness and emotional conviction of the dancers, which appeared stronger than in previous QL productions.

This was an uplifting, sweet, joy to watch, professionally presented and danced and a great team production.

An edited version of this review will appear on the citynews website and magazine.

When Dad Married Fury by David Williamson

When Dad Married Fury by David Williamson.  Directed by Sandra Bates.  Designer: Marissa Dale-Johnson; Lighting Designer: Peter Neufeld.  Ensemble Theatre, Sydney, May 9-June 16, 2012

Cheree Cassidy as Fury

and

Nick Tate as Alan (Dad)

Photos: Steve Lunam

Warren Jones, Lenore Smith, Jamie Oxenbould, Di Adams

Reviewed by Frank McKone
May 10

The key to Williamson’s latest play, from which both the comedy and the philosophy grow, is about the irrational way we human animals are each capable of maintaining quite diverse and even opposite beliefs all at once. 

One would think from the simple rostra-block set, stage floor and backdrop completely covered in colourful banknotes, with a back projection in dangerous-looking red of a tumbling graph, that we would see another Williamson comedy, this time of money matters and manners.  And so we do, but, I think, with a new empathetic understanding.  I have often felt previously, except perhaps in Heretic and the trio of ‘Conferencing’ plays, that Williamson has stood strictly apart from his characters.  This is good for neat well-made plays which satirise social foibles, the success of which is obvious from Williamson’s long career.

When 'Dad' married 'Fury', however, his children’s monetary shock is to be expected, but the disjunctions of personal and political assumptions turn this into less satire and more substantial comedy.  It certainly makes a great evening out, and with a lasting effect.

The character, and the actor, who epitomises lasting effect is Cheree Cassidy playing Fury.  I won’t say too much about the plot, considering this is early in the first run of a new play, and surprise is an important element of its success on stage, but it’s hard to go past an anti-government American Tea Party profitable business woman who takes her religion seriously.  Her  belief in the ethics of Jesus brings what otherwise is no more than a cynical absurdist chaos to a satisfactory conclusion.

As a callow youth I wondered how Bernard Shaw could have written the characters of Major Barbara and Saint Joan with such sympathetic understanding when he was an avowed atheist, and now I see David Williamson, in his Fury, showing the same appreciation of his character’s sincerity.  As the play shows, and as Cheree Cassidy’s acting quality demonstrates, sincerity is nothing to do with simple determination.  It is about following through ethically, however surprising that may turn out to be even to yourself.

Sandra Bates’ directing of the play made for a too-slow beginning, in my view, although in an odd way the result of this was that the sudden surprise just before interval had maybe even more shock value than it might have had with a smoother start. 

The characters of Dad’s two sons were not immediately well established by Warren Jones (Ian) and Jamie Oxenbould (Ben) and so their wives, Sue – Lenore Smith – and Laura – Di Adams – seemed for too long to be cardboard cutouts of a financial lawyer and a social activist.  This was particularly unfortunate when Laura’s Mum, played by Lorraine Bayly, was left out, literally up against the wall, as Laura tried to help her mother through her father’s suicide.  We needed this scene to be played close up in the intimate almost in-the-round Ensemble Theatre to give Bayly the position of strength as a character which matches her role at the end.

When Dad  (Alan) appeared,  it took Nick Tate a little while to generate the required spark, but we had no doubt, theatrically at least, that we were in for an exciting ride from then on, even if we didn’t know where we were going.  Cheree Cassidy’s entrance jumped us up several staircases, laughing all the way while wondering if we might not fall off.  The quietness of the last scene then became not just a neat ending, but the right mood to give depth to the feeling that these characters, and maybe even ourselves, can be better people if we work to put ourselves together properly.

Conclusion?  David Williamson is still a force to be reckoned with and When Dad Married Fury is well worth seeing.  And it should be interesting to see what ‘lasting effect’ it might have if it plays in New York.

Di Adams and Lorraine Bayly

ME RIGHT NOW

Presented by QL2 Dance,

Canberra Playhouse

May 9 – 12 2012.

Reviewed by Bill Stephens

QL2 Dance is one of Canberra’s quiet achievers, regularly presenting high quality programs which never fail to fascinate. Their current program “Me Right Now”, currently being presented for an all-too- brief season at the Canberra Playhouse, is a compelling demonstration of why QL2 Dance has gained an international reputation as a leader in youth dance.

“Me Right Now” has a cast of 28 dancers whose ages range between 14 and 25, Most are from  dance schools in the ACT and surrounding region, including, in this presentation, dancers from Cowra, Narooma and Byron Bay.  All have auditioned for inclusion to train with professional choreographers during  school holidays and other free time.

The results achieved are not only astonishing but also inspiring, because,  despite obvious  variance in their individual abilities, the focus within QL2 Dance  is firmly on ensemble work and self-development rather than individual  brilliance (although there is plenty of that on display in this show) and  it is the obvious commitment of each individual dancer that is so compelling.

Devised by five choreographers and presented as a seamless one-act performance without interval “Me Right Now” sets out to examine what it is to be “young” from the point of view of those who are.

The first section, choreographed by Lina Limosani , commences strikingly with all the dancers onstage, arranged in a straight line reminiscent of the opening of “A Chorus Line”.  Offstage voices intone lines from familiar fairy tales, and oft-heard advice to children. One by one the dancers appear to lose interest in what is being said and break away from the group. 

We then notice a rope stretched across the stage which the dancers attempt to negotiate, while a continuous moving line punctuated with messages like “Give Way” and “One Way” is projected on the screen at the back of the stage.  Clever use of intertwining bodies and shifting dynamics provide a fascinating suggestion of future questions and decisions to be faced as the dancers struggle and tug against each other.

Matt Cornell’s creation for the male dancers also commences dramatically with a group of dancers huddled in a tight group lit by a stark overhead spotlight.  The choreography for this section is energetic and acrobatic, including a section where the boys break into duos to playfully spar and burn off excess energy.

Contrasting beautifully with this section is a gentle section created by Jade Dewi  Tyas-Tunggal  in which the girls, dressed in flowing tabards  perform a series of graceful Bollywood style dances. Projected on the screen behind them are huge images of human eyes and mouths. The mouths open to reveal gambling dices, some of which find their way onstage, to be discovered by one of the dancers.

The final section, choreographed by Ruth Osborne and Adelina Larsson is filled with broad, exhilarating movement performed by all the dancers, who sweep on, off and around the stage before launching into a series of cleverly staged bows.

The costuming throughout, designed by Rose Montgomery, is simple, effective and appropriate and each section is danced to beautiful electronic soundscapes, composed by Adam Ventoura. Extraordinary large-screen projections by Bearcage Productions compliment the onstage action perfectly, while the lighting, sound and stage-management are impeccable.

Whether or not you are an admirer of contemporary dance, “Me Right Now” provides a deeply satisfying dance experience, beautifully executed and thoroughly recommended as an exciting example of what can be achieved by dedicated young people when given the right support and guidance.

 If you have a young person in your household you could do worse than encourage them to take a look.

Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell

L-R Helen McFarlane as Sonja, Duncan Ley as Pete
Rob de Fries as Leon, Lainie Hart as Jane

Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell.  Canberra Repertory Theatre directed by Ross McGregor, May 4-19, 2012

Reviewed by Frank McKone
May 4

I’ve spent some time working out why this production is very good but not better.  Of course, Bovell’s writing is, in itself, quite fascinating and, I think, better in this original stage play than in the later adaptation as the film Lantana.  On stage the work is more focussed and concentrated, without the distractions of realistic filming.

From this thinking comes the explanation I’m looking for.  Ross McGregor, in an interview in the Canberra Times, said that his intention was to use only four actors, as was done in the original production (1996) and again in the 2011 revival at Griffin Theatre (at The Stables, Kings Cross, Sydney).  However, and I guess perhaps because Canberra Rep is a community theatre group, McGregor’s auditions attracted enough good actors for him to decide to use separate actors for the ‘extra’ parts in Act 2.

So we have the two married couples in Act 1 – Rob de Fries as Leon with Helen McFarlane as Sonja, and Lainie Hart as Jane with Duncan Ley as Pete.  Guess what happened from the picture above.  All were excellent in their roles, using the stylisation of the set, the symbolic use of dance and the techniques of storytelling to great effect.

In Act 2, Ley appears briefly as the innocent man in the bar whom Valerie – Bridgette Black – insanely screams at, while de Fries is in Leon’s professional role as the policeman who interviews Valerie’s husband John after she disappears.  John is played by Zach Raffan.  Jane and Pete’s next-door neighbour Nick, who threw the missing Valerie’s shoe into the vacant block opposite, is played by Sam Hannan-Morrow, under police interrogation.  The other two characters, originally from Leon’s story of the man, Neil, who left his brogue shoes on the beach before apparently drowning himself, and the girl he believed would marry him, Sarah, are played by Raoul Cramer and Eliza Bell.  To complete the plot, of course, Sarah is the patient with relationship problems being treated by clinical psychologist Valerie, who has her own psychological problem, being afraid of men because of childhood abuse – at least according to John.

If you consider the cast of Lantana, all 32 of them playing many roles that are not even mentioned in Speaking in Tongues, you can see that McGregor’s version of Act 2 is more like the film version, while Act 1 is played closer to Bovell’s original conception on stage.  Using only four actors, in Act 2 the story told by Leon to Sonja (about the story told to Leon by Neil when they met on the beach) and the story told by Jane to Pete (about what she saw Nick do and what she did in response) are explored and interpreted as if each of these four are trying to imagine what really happened. 

So, for example, we have an actor playing Leon, and Leon interviewing John.  After all, Leon has told Pete that he is a policeman, but is he really and does he actually interview John, or is it Pete who imagines Leon interviewing the husband of the woman who has disappeared (which apparently did really happen, because Pete has seen the newspaper report, not just heard about it in Jane’s story)?  Or again, perhaps Pete just imagines that the woman who screamed at him in the bar was the woman who disappeared.  There are questions of this kind about all the stories told in Act 2.

I wasn’t conscious of all this thinking while watching the play last night, but I felt that the intensity and the grip of the drama which was so strong in the first Act seemed to dissipate in the second.  And an odd thing was that when Ley appeared, and de Fries appeared, my attention was suddenly grabbed again.  And it was a disappointment that McFarlane and Hart only reappeared for the curtain call after such a strong showing in Act 1.

So, though I certainly recommend this production, with its interesting set design (you can watch the video of its development in the foyer during interval), I wonder if it might still have been better to have kept to Bovell’s original use of only four actors.

UNDER A CANADIAN SKY: Kirstie Rea

Reviewer: Meredith Hinchliffe

Until May 26 at BILK, Palmerston Lane, Manuka.  Autumn opening hours: Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11am to 5pm.

 Glass artist Kirstie Rea is internationally recognised and respected for her works in glass.  For the past 24 years she has been developing her practice and career, exhibiting widely in Australia and overseas. 

 Recently Kirstie spent some time in a residency in Alberta during mid-winter.  The work on exhibit at Bilk was informed by the residency and it sits well in the gallery, which is not spacious.

Kirstie said: Travelling out and about in Alberta, through snow and ice, watching a city function and flow each day as the sky filled gently with snow. … A soft, solid pale blue sky lay persistently behind the snow-laden clouds.  The city and the countryside had a different, softer, weather-beaten feel and look to their surfaces [when compared with] the sun-worn Australian facades.  Kirstie found a slow, pleasing rhythm to the weather, enabling her to make sense of the differences.

The forms and their colours are uncomplicated – pale, washed out blues, greys, a deep, dark red that is almost faded black and occasionally a flash of brighter blue and simple open cylinders, stacked one inside the other.  Some lie on their side while others are upright.  The surfaces are streaked as though with clouds, some preventing any penetration by the colour behind, while others are pale with the light shining through.  The colours from the central cylinders break through the watery blue.

Several groupings of two and three miniature forms are being shown in the shallow showcases on the walls.  Larger groups are exhibited on plinths. Kirstie has captured some of the sense she found in the series titled Rhythm. Rhythm 6 is a larger work – the cylinders are squat, their mouths relatively wide.  Rhythm 2 is taller, the tallest – bright blue – sits inside a slightly lower pale form which sits inside a deep red cylinder.  The red is dark, almost menacing in juxtaposition to the pale, almost washed and faded, blue.  The grey cylinders – and there are only a few – are also threatening and full of foreboding of more snow to come.

 The bases or top edges of several works – both small and larger – are cut away, revealing larger blocks of colour, framing the surface beneath and adding dynamism to the forms.

 First and foremost this exhibition is about the landscape – the sky, the land and the environment in which Kirstie works, although it shows a slightly different direction.  It is a quiet and contemplative, and evocative of the biting cold, windy snow and the hibernation of winter. 
Images:
Study 1 and  Rhythm 2