Concept and
Direction by Liz Lea
The Street
Theatre, May 19th and 20th.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
Referencing
the 120 birds Anna Pavlova reputedly toured with her during her 1929 Australian
Tour, and brilliantly utilising edited archival film sourced from the National
Film and Sound Archive, Liz Lea has fashioned a disarmingly funny and
delightfully elegant dance work.
She also assumes
the persona of the exotic Madame Lou to narrate a highly diverting history of a
fictional “Company Elle” which tours the world in the wake of Anna Pavlova, the
Ballet Russes, Denishawn and Ruth St. Dennis. Madame Lou possesses a neat turn
of phrase which, when she can be heard above the soundtrack of the films that illustrate
the journey, would have insured her a second career as a stand-up comedian.
 |
| Liz Lea as Madame Lou |
As Madame
Lou describes their travels, Liz Lea joins her dancers, Ash Bee, Melanie
Palomares and Miranda Wheen to perform a series of cleverly choreographed numbers,
some echoing influential dance styles, including fan dances and striptease,
performed in variety and vaudeville programs which also featured luminaries like Pavlova,
St. Denis and Annette Kellerman.
Contributions
by the CDT Burlesque Dancers add to the spectacle, while senior dancers, Toni
Allen, Madeleine Bullock, Charmaine Hallam and Glenys Harris add to the charm.
This brilliant
production with its elegant settings and costumes and affectionate insights
into Australia’s dance history and entertainment tastes at the time of Federation
should be seen for a longer season, hopefully during our 2013
celebrations.
(This review appears in the digital edition of CITY NEWS )
