METAMORPHOSIS

Metamorphosis

 Adapted by Steve Berkoff from the novella by Franz Kafka. Directed by Adam Broinowski. Designed by Impogen Keen. Sound design by Kimmo Vennonen. Lighting by Andrew Meadows    Street Two. The Street Theatre. August 16 – 31. Bookings 62472133

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

Christopher Samuel Carroll as Mr. Samsa. Stefanie Lekkas as Grete. Ruth Pieloor
as Mrs. Samsa amd Dylan Van Den Berg as Gregor Samsa in Metamorphosis

“When you wake” Gregor Samsa’s mother says to the disgusting creature that he has become after a night of uneasy dreams, “you’ll see that this is only a dream.” But Kafka’s disturbing tale of the commercial traveller who turns into an hideous insect, is no dream. It is rather a nightmare of the psyche and Adam Broinowki’s production offers a dark and fearful insight into the terrifying consequence of sudden change. Gregor (Dylan Van Den Berg ) lives with his father and mother and younger sister, Grete.  His world is turned upside down when he loses is job and finds himself cast into the abyss of isolation from the outside world and alienation from his own family.  Confined to a back room of the house and cared for by Grete initially, the insect grows into a monstrous, puking creature. The spectre of change casts a pall across the lives of the family. The father (Christopher Samuel Carroll), appalled at his son’s loss of work and status is forced to return to work and takes it out on the symbol of his own inadequacy. The mother (Ruth Pieloor) clings desperately to the hope of restitution while Grete (Stefanie Lekkas ) succumbs to revulsion and urges her brother’s eventual death. Her dream of learning violin at the Conservatorium is shattered when Gregor, who has promised to assist her, loses his job. Change invades a family manacled by dysfunction and powerless to extricate themselves from unforeseen circumstances.  Even the ironic sound of Otis Reddy’s What a Beautiful World or Grete’s xylophone playing of Somewhere Over the Rainbow cannot absolve their futile predicament. They are all trapped in the nightmarish world of Kafka’s tormented psyche.

Broinowski’s vision of Kafka’s masterpiece is a triumph. In the confined intimacy of Street Two at the Street Theatre, Metamorphosis unfolds as a Grimm’s Fairy Tale of shattered dreams and broken promise. The staging is meticulous, the performances transformative and every detail is sheer delight from the makeup and costuming of pre Russian Revolution Eastern European influence to Imogen Keen’s contemporary Christian Boltanski inspired design and Picasso pre Cubist masks. Broinowski and his cast and creatives, Keen, sound designer Kimmo Vennonen and lighting designer Andrew Meadows,  plunge us into a world of grotesque manifestation of dehumanised response to powerlessness. Characters are thrust beyond the real to the expressionistic.  Each actor is the perfect physical representation of their struggle to resist the influence of unwelcome change that has intruded upon their lives. Broinowski’s actors are superb, and this production is without equal. It is at once, bewildering, challenging, confronting and intellectually puzzling and revealing.

Fear floods the stage in a series of striking physical visual images  as Gregor transforms and grows into the burgeoning hideousness of the insect that possesses him.  The fear is palpable in the father’s beating, Grete’s feeding of Gregor and the mother’s handling of the slime that seeps from her son’s body. There is no escape and we are memsmerized by the horror of the scenario and the magnificence of the production.

The Street Theatre’s intimate and compellingproduction of Metamorphosis is professional theatre at its best and worthy of performance on any professional stage. It is neither comfortable nor purely entertaining. It is, however intellectually stimulating, theatrically outstanding and an excellent example of its kind. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see such a fine production of Steve Berkoff’s adaptation of  Franz Kafka’s  bitter allegory, Metamorphosis.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

Claire van der Boom and Michael Wahr - photo by Jeff Busby

Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard

Adapted for the stage by Lee Hall

Directed by Simon Phillips

Melbourne Theatre Company

Canberra Theatre to 31 August

Reviewed by Len Power 23 August 2019

When all the elements come together so well in the theatre, as it does in this production of ‘Shakespeare in Love’, it’s magic and not to be missed.

Based on the screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman of the 1998 film of the same name, the play was adapted for the stage by Lee Hall and first opened in London in 2014.

The story depicts an imaginary love affair between William Shakespeare and a young woman, Viola, while Shakespeare is writing and rehearsing the first production of what will ultimately become ‘Romeo and Juliet’.  Set against the chaotic theatre scene of the Elizabethan period when only males could legally perform onstage, the ingenious plot weaves a few facts with a lot of fiction to create a believable world of the theatre of the time.

Recognizable quotes abound throughout the play as do references to the plays of Christopher Marlowe and even Edmond Rostand.  It’s all played with a modern day sensibility that adds an extra layer of fun to the show.

The play has been given a sumptuous production with a spectacular setting designed by Gabriela Tylesova.  The set is a marvel of design, detailed in a way that we rarely see these days.  It’s worth the price of a ticket just to see this in action.  The complex lighting design by Matt Scott is excellent.

The attention to detail by director, Simon Phillips, is masterly.  It’s played at a lively pace and the depth of characterizations achieved by his large cast is especially notable.  He draws us very cleverly into this world of theatre and makes us believe every moment.

The ensemble cast all give superb performances.  In the most prominent roles, Michael Wahr as Shakespeare and Claire van der Boom as Viola are excellent.  Their comic timing is impeccable and their romance is believable and ultimately quite moving.  Deidre Rubinstein is suitably grand as well as unexpectedly street-wise as Queen Elizabeth I.  Luke Arnold is an attractively strong, swash-buckling Kit Marlowe and Daniel Frederiksen is a nicely villainous Lord Wessex.

The fine music by Paddy Cunneen adds to the atmosphere of the period and is well-sung by the cast.

This Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of ‘Shakespeare In Love’ is such a memorable experience that everyone who sees it will remember it for a long, long time.

This review was first published in the Canberra City News digital edition of 24 August 2019

Len Power’s reviews are also broadcast on the Artsound FM 92.7 ‘In the Foyer’ program on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3.30pm.

MY URRWAI

Performing Lines in association with Ilbijerri Theatre present My Urrwai by Ghenoa Gela. Directed by Rachael Maza. Dramaturg Kate Champion. The Q Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. Aug 23.

You might remember Ghenoa Gela as a funny, bright and engaging Casca in Bell Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar last year.  Here’s a performer who knows how to grab an audience.

My Urrwai is more subtle and personal stuff, about family and culture and gender and stories and hard questions about prejudice and attitudes. She’s a Rockhampton born Torres Strait Islander and initially she tells her story through Torres Strait dance and language. She makes the audience experience language and gestural blindness at the beginning. Finally she explains in English.

She tells of intensive schooling in the dance traditions of the Torres Strait from her family but pretty intensive schooling in the Christian religion as well. Her first name was changed by a teacher who could not deal with its original pronunciation.

She goes to visit the Torres Strait and is shunned by some women in a kitchen because she isn’t seen as one of them. The door is closed on her. That’s balanced by her successful performance of a particular dance.  Her parents made sure she had the dances and the language. Prejudice comes out in complex ways.

Encounters with cops and people selling ballet shoes to a woman with larger feet (off to the men’s section…) are set against her cultural strengths.

She pulls in audience members too to be part of the story. At the Friday matinee where there were students present it was a couple of them who found themselves on the stage. The handling of these episodes was done with a sensitive good humour.

And she impresses upon any post 1788 Australians that there is a hell of a lot more still to this country and its cultures than the old school social studies books ever taught us.

It’s a pity that My Urrwai was only able to play two performances here.

Ghenoa Gela is a teller of stories to be watched. And to be heard.

Alanna Maclean

Pianist channels Chopin but orchestra disappoints

ACTEWAGL Llewellyn Three

Ravel, Rachmaninov, Hindson and Mussorgsky

Canberra Symphony Orchestra

Llewellyn Hall, August 21

Reviewed by Tony Magee

Pianist Andrea Lam takes a bow with CSO after playing Rachmaninov

FOUR musicians shone brightly in a concert at Llewellyn Hall, presented by the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Wednesday last.

Benn Sutcliffe played a superb saxophone solo and integrated himself in the wind section beautifully during the Mussorgsky/Ravel piece, “Pictures at an Exhibition”, which closed the concert.

Harpists Rowan Phemister and Jo Baee played lush and swirling glissandos of voluminous proportions during Ravel’s “La Valse”, which opened the concert.

Katherine Day on celeste was outstanding in her moving and beautifully respectful deliverance during Matthew Hindson’s wonderful piece, “The Stars Above Us All”, which opened the second half, as well as her contribution in the Mussorgsky.

In a brilliant piece of programming, conductor Nicholas Milton held the fading moments of the Hindson piece and then let silence speak for itself, allowing the audience to reflect on the themes that inspired it – the unstinting, unrelenting devotion of the parents of children undergoing treatment for long-term health issues. The orchestra then segued seamlessly into “Pictures at an Exhibition”.

“The Stars Above Us All” was the highlight of the evening for me. Every single musician in the orchestra seemed at one with the purpose and sensitivity of the piece. It was beautiful.

BUT the standard of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra as a whole has dropped considerably.

The woodwind section was frequently out of tune, the brass section variable in success. The second violins and violas were sometimes out of tune, often delivering a scraping, whining sound. The cello section was acceptable but with some tuning blemishes and missing their usual richness of tone and ensemble sonority. The double basses, first violins and percussion sections were all excellent.

Nicholas Milton is a superb conductor, but despite his best efforts, the orchestra failed to deliver the climaxes necessary to make the opening piece, Ravel’s “La Valse” blow the roof off the hall. The string section did, however, achieve some of the rich, sweeping lushness, almost of Mantovani proportions, that this piece needs and is famous for.

The “Piano Concerto No. 1” by Rachmaninov followed, with piano soloist Andrea Lam.

Ms Lam is a highly experienced pianist and has a sparkling and very accurate technique. This work, as with most Romantic concertos, needs a pianist of massive weight technique to deliver a sound of richness and intensity when required, but the power was not there.

Even so, it was a creditable performance. In particular she played the second movement with sensitivity, beauty and grace. The orchestra, once again, did not deliver on climaxes and still had some tuning blemishes. At the conclusion, a European man sitting next to me whispered “brak miesa”.

As an encore, Ms Lam played Chopin’s posthumously published C sharp minor Nocturne with superb delicacy and beauty. It was also a highlight of the evening. Her performance reflected the accounts of Chopin’s own playing, that being varying degrees of delicate pianissimo.

The only part of “Pictures at an Exhibition” that really worked well, was the final movement, “The Great Gate of Kiev”, where the orchestra did start to hit their straps and deliver an earth-shattering climax and conclusion to the concert. 

LET me draw three comparisons with professional full-time American orchestras from cities much smaller than Canberra. These figures are from the 2018 US census.

St. Louis, population 302,838. The St. Louis Symphony boasts hundreds of acclaimed recordings on major labels Telarc, EMI and RCA and has attracted conductors of the calibre of Leonard Slatkin, whose tenure was from 1979 to 1996. Current music director is Stéphane Denève, formerly music director of the Brussels Philharmonic.

Cleveland, population 383,793. The Cleveland Orchestra is ranked as one of America’s “big five”, the others being New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. In 2012, Gramophone Magazine ranked the Cleveland Orchestra as number 7 on its list of the world’s greatest orchestras. It has released hundreds of superb recordings for CBS / Columbia (now Sony Music), over the last 60 years, being brought to international standard in the 1960s by George Szell, a tradition that continues under current music director Franz Welser-Möst.

Pittsburgh, population 301,048. Ranked within the next five within the United States and brought to the forefront of international concert playing by Fritz Reiner, André Previn and Lorin Maazel. It tours regularly throughout the US and internationally. The current musical director is Manfred Honeck.

Now let’s bring it a little closer to home. Hobart, Tasmania, population 206,097 from a state population of 531,529. The Tasmanian Symphony is ranked in with the standards of playing of the Melbourne, Sydney, Queensland, Adelaide and Western Australia Symphony Orchestras, which are all outstanding. TSO has toured to Israel, Greece, South Korea, Indonesia, Argentina, United States, Canada, China and Japan, as well as throughout Australia. Previous conductors include Barry Tuckwell, Nicholas Braithwaite, Dobbs Franks, Sebastian Lang-Lessing and currently Marko Letonja. Previous concertmasters have included Canberrans Wilfred Jones and Barbara Jane Gilby.

In a city of almost half a million people and one of the most affluent societies in Australia, Canberra currently has a professional orchestra which is not full-time and not up to scratch.

First published in an edited format in City News Digital Edition, August 22 and also on Tony's blog, Art Music Theatre, August 26.

Blood on the Dance Floor

Written and performed by Jacob Boehme
Ilbijerri Theatre Company
Tuggeranong Arts Centre, August 24 only, season closed.

Reviewed by Samara Purnell

Flamboyant Jacob Boehme

A flamboyant Jacob Boehme burst into the bar, where the audience was enjoying a pre-show drink. Bejewelled and with heavy makeup, he ushered us to our seats and began to set the scene of gays and queens during the HIV epidemic of the 80’s. Each funeral attempted to outdo the previous ones, as they “dropped like flies.”

Throughout the almost hour-long performance, Boehme tells his own story through elements of dance, monologue, sound and video installations.

Born of an Aboriginal father and a white mother, the fair-skinned Boehme explores, processes and explains his identity as a gay Aboriginal man living with HIV, (blak, gay and poz as he describes himself). The underlying concept is blood - carrying both the HIV virus and his Aboriginal heritage.

Boehme uses a barrage of lingo and terminology with no holds barred. One shocking revelation is that some young gay men are actively trying to catch the HIV virus, perhaps for a sense of belonging.

 “Are you clean. Are YOU clean? ARE YOU CLEAN!”  Boehme demands, breaking the fourth wall to continue direct, personal interaction with the audience, as the voices in the soundscape ask the same question. Graphic descriptions of the casual, anonymous gay sex scene and one night stands and the relentless questioning of being “clean” grows louder and more menacing until the words give way to an overwhelming sound, like a runaway train.

Jacob Boehme. Photo Bryony Jackson

The insecurity, anxiety and fear of rejection upon telling a new partner the potentially relationship-ending information of being HIV positive, drives the script. So too, Boehme’s recalled conversations with his dying father, who was aware and for the most part accepting of, his son’s homosexuality.

The choreography by Mariaa Randall is meticulously thought out and deliberate, simple in its demands, but effective in its depiction of the stories being told and Boehme’s responses and processes – the expressions of fear and vulnerability, hope and sarcasm are clearly portrayed. Elements of indigenous dance are woven throughout.  

Director Isaac Drandic seamlessly weaves video by Keith Deverell and a soundscape by James Henry into Boehme’s performance, silhouetting him against a stark, white backdrop and a red screen of blood cells. One short sequence that was less directly related to the storyline was a dreamtime story about a fish dying in a cave, presumably a story told by his father or a metaphor for a slow death.

The demise of Boehme’s friend, with the “beautiful green eyes”, rejected by his mob upon returning to country with HIV was tragic. The description of his suicide and callous disposal left the audience in tears. “Blood on the Dance Floor” was also funny, engaging, passionate and poignant, ideally suited to the intimate space as Boehme creates a very direct personal contact with the audience, taking them into his experiences. The steeply tiered seating of the venue gave an added sense of vulnerability to Boehme, as the audience looked down onto his performance.

Boehme hopes that by inserting the information about his HIV status between the horrifying facts he doesn’t cook and that his laundry liquid comes from Aldi, his new love will not reject him.

“Blood on the Dance Floor” aims to shine a light on the issue of HIV in the indigenous community and help them find a voice amongst those living with it. It is a moving and multi-faceted story about love, family and belonging and how our bloodlines define us.

WEST SIDE STORY - Opera Australia - Sydney Opera House

Directed by Joey McKneely – Musical Direction by Donald Chan

Set designed by Paul Gallis – Costumes designed by Renate Schmitzer

Lighting designed by Peter Halbsgut – Sound Designed by Rick Clarke

Presented by Opera Australia and GWB Entertainment

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House 20^th August to 6^th October 2019

Reviewed by Bill Stephens.

An acknowledged musical theatre masterpiece, “West Side Story”, along with a short list of other musicals you could count on one hand, pushed the boundaries of the form. This reworking of the familiar Romeo and Juliet story, now transferred to 1950’s New York, with young  street gangs replacing the feuding families of the original, boasts a thrilling score by Leonard Bernstein which miraculously captures the excitement and tensions of the city in which it is set, lyrics by a young Stephen Sondheim that convert the vernacular of the warring  New York gangs into poetry, and most of all, the extraordinary movement repertoire created by Jerome Robbins for his brilliant dances, all of which still excite after more than 60 years.

Each component is remarkable, but together, especially when performed as well as they are in this production, are guaranteed to induce goose bumps and feel as fresh and inventive as when they were first premiered in 1957.

The Jets in "West Side Story" 

Director, Joey McKneely, who also reproduced the Jerome Robbins choreography, has drawn together an attractive young cast, each around the age of the character they’re portraying.  Some are making their professional theatre debuts in this production so obviously dance prowess was a paramount consideration in the casting for this work. The dancing throughout is brilliant with obvious attention being lavished on making sure every phrase and detail is correctly executed by the young dancers who attack the choreography with style and pizzazz.  The results are exhilarating. 

However, the acting is less convincing and despite obvious commitment, some lack the experience and acting skills necessary to invest their roles with sufficient gravitas, often resorting to shouting and posturing rather than being immersed in their characterisations.

Replacing Todd Jacobsson who was ill on opening night, Daniel Assetta stepped into the role as Tony. Though he sang attractively he had trouble sustaining some of the top notes in his solos, possibly through nervousness, but had more success with his duets with Sophie Salvesani (Maria) which were quite lovely. However his acting tended to stop when the music did, and there was little real chemistry between them. 

Sophie Salvesani was a lovely Maria, bringing a clear sweet soprano voice to the role, and acting affectingly, particularly in the finale scene when, standing over Tony’s lifeless body, she threatens to shoot the onlookers.

Both Noah Mullins and Lyndon Watts as the gang leaders, Riff and Bernardo, brought plenty of energy and attitude to their roles, but it is Chloe Zuel as the fiery Anita, who digs below the surface to create a truly memorable characterisation, acting, singing and dancing with assurance.

The Paul Gallis setting for "West Side Story" 

Peter Gallis’s towering metal settings are effective in evoking the ladders and scaffolding of the New York landscape, and Renate Schmitzer’s attractive costumes are unusually colourful. However, it is the music, brilliantly interpreted by 31 members of the Opera Australia Orchestra under the baton of Donald Chan, who, reputedly has conducted more than 3000 performances of “West Side Story”, together with the brilliant dancing of the cast, which are the stars of this production and which remain in the mind well after the curtain has descended. 

                                                  Photos by Jeff Busby

This review also appears in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com.au

"West Side Story" comes to the Canberra Theatre from 10th - 27th October 2019

LEGALLY BLONDE

Charlotte Gearside and Ensemble in "Legally Blonde" 

Directed by Jim McMullen - Musical Direction by Richard Daley
Choreographed by Sarah Tulley - Set Designed by Ian Croker
Costumes by Chelsea de Rooy & Jill McMullen
Lighting Designed by Phil Goodwin - Audio Designed by Peter Barton
Presented by The Canberra Philharmonic Society.
Erindale Theatre, 22nd August to 7th September, 2019

Reviewed by Bill Stephens.

The Canberra Philharmonic Society has come up with a bright, chirpy production of this light-hearted musical, which, with it’s not-too-convincing message of female empowerment, or ‘Never judge a book by its cover’,  depicts the experiences of pretty blonde, Elle Woods, who decides to  follow her snobbish boyfriend into law school.  There she discovers her ultra-feminine appearance works against her progress, until she reveals a sharp legal mind which wins her the respect of her peers, and unexpected romance.

Nick Valois (Emmett) - Charlotte Gearside (Elle Woods)

Charlotte Gearside is perfectly cast as Elle Wood, and carries the show with a strong, confident performance which showcases her formidable singing, dancing and acting skills.  She receives strong support from her two leading men, Patrick Galen-Mules as the snobbish Warner, and Nick Valois as the ever-reliable Emmett, both of whom have good stage presence and sing attractively.

Hannah Maurice (Paulette) - Charlotte Gearside (Elle Wood)

As the big-hearted hairdresser, Paulette, Hannah Maurice almost steals the show revealing a huge voice and comedic talent with her show-stopping performance of “Ireland”. Ian Croker, who also designed the spectacular set, provides another memorable performance as the smarmy Professor Callahan, his performance of “Blood in the Water” providing a memorable highlight.

 Kat Bramston gives a nicely under-stated performance as Elle’s rival Vivienne, and Meaghan Stewart, Amelia Juniper-Grey, Amy Campbell, Courtney Hayden, Tim Maher and Liam Jones stand out in the large ensemble,  all making the most of their opportunities in supporting roles.

 

Director, Jim McMullen made full use of clever set and lighting design to keep the show moving along at a fast bat guiding his large cast through a series of imaginative scene changes and spectacular production numbers for which choreographer, Sarah Tulley, who certainly knows how to fill a stage with interesting movement, has created some spot-on choreography to challenge her large ensemble of brightly costumed dancers, all of whom perform with considerable panache.

However, despite all the good work, it was a pity that on opening night poor sound balance between Richard Daley’s excellent, but over-enthusiastic band meant that many of the lyrics of the songs were unintelligible, particularly in the opening scenes, detracting considerably from the overall enjoyment of an otherwise admirable presentation.

                                                     Photos: Ross Gould

This review first published in the digital edition of  CITY NEWS on 23rd August 2019