FOOTLOOSE

Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie

Based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford

Directed by Anthony Swadling

Musical Director: Jenna Hinton

Queanbeyan Players production

Q Theatre, Queanbeyan to 2 July

 

Reviewed by Len Power 23 June 2023

 

A musical with a forgettable book, ‘Footloose’ depends on the quality of its production to be a success.  Luckily, Queanbeyan Players and director, Anthony Swadling, have given us a rousing entertainment in which the sheer enthusiasm and ability of the cast shines through.

Ren McCormick moves from Chicago to the small town of Bomont USA where dancing and loud music are prohibited following a tragic accident.  How Ren challenges and overcomes the town’s conservative stance is the basic idea of the plot.  The predictable plot doesn’t matter, though.  It’s the musical numbers that make this show.

The music is mostly by Tom Snow but several well-known songs by Kenny Loggins, Sammy Hagar, Jim Steinman and Eric Carmen are woven into the show.

Luke Ferdinands sings and acts the role of Ren McCormick very well and Sammy Marceddo as Ariel, the minister’s daughter, raises the roof with ‘Holding Out For A Hero’.  Together, they gave believable warmth to the romantic song, ‘Almost Paradise’.

There is fine vocal work also from the trio of Kara Murphy, Kay Liddiard and Emily Pogson with the song ’Somebody’s Eyes’ and Kara Murphy is a standout with ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’.

Pat Gallagher and Sarah Hull play the Rev. Moore and his wife, Vi.  These very experienced actors bring a realistic depth to their roles and both are fine singers, handling their solos with ease.

Zac Izzard as the bullying boyfriend, Chuck, and John Whinfield as the slow country boy give strong performances, too.

From the opening number, ‘Footloose’, until the end of the show, the hard-working large chorus are the strength of this show with their enthusiasm and good singing.  They handle Rachel Thornton’s choreography very well.

Jenna Hinton and her band of musicians play the score superbly.  Sound by Kyle Maley was well-balanced and Jacob Aquilina’s lighting design added considerable atmosphere to the practical set by Steve Galinec and Anita Davenport.

Anthony Swadling’s assured direction kept it all moving at a good pace and made it a show to remember.

 

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.

 

 

 

  

PONY - by Eloise Snape.

 

Briallen Clarke in Griffin Theatre's production of "Pony"

Directed by Anthea Williams – Production designed by Isobel Hudson

Lighting Designed by Verity Hampson – Composer and Sound Designer: Me-Lay Hay

Performed by Briallen Clarke.

Canberra Theatre Centre Courtyard Studio. 22^nd June – 1^stJuly 2023.

Opening night performance on 22^nd June reviewed by Bill Stephens

Canberra audiences are fortunate to be among the first to experience Griffin Theatre’s delightful production of Eloise Snape’s debut play, “Pony”, following its sell-out season in Sydney.

Don’t be put off by the poster of a heavily pregnant woman and the description, “Hazel is no angel. In fact, she’s a delusional, reality TV-obsessed fantasist who swears like a sailor and has a fondness for greased-up male strippers”. 

As personified in a tour-de-force performance by Briallen Clarke, Hazel is a much more complex and multi-faceted character than this description would suggest.

On a stage dominated by a huge pink merry go round pony, the significance of which becomes apparent as the play progresses , backed by a glittering reflective backdrop, and costumed in a velvet rhinestone cowboy suit, Clarke provides a wildly funny, heart-warming glimpse into the life of an engaging, deeply flawed, 37 year-old, named Hazel, who’s struggling to keep up with the expectations of society to be a super-woman.

Supported by clever lighting design, atmospheric soundscape, and Anthea Williams' constantly inventive direction, Clarke creates an engaging central character in Hazel, then, with admirable economy, surrounds her with a whole collection of hilarious but thoroughly recognisable characters as Hazel recounts the story of her pathway to pregnancy.

Among those characters is the host of Rhyme Time, Mrs Twinkle, whose rhyme “round and round” becomes a recurring motif throughout the play. There’s also Liv, Hazel’s long-suffering bestie; Trish, the fearsome midwife who runs relaxation classes; Patrick, her supportive husband, and her much loved Nanna, who’s fond of whisky and dispensing down-to-earth advice.     

Sure, Hazel’s language can be coarse, and at times terrifyingly descriptive, but it feels appropriate for the character and the situations in which she discovers herself. Indeed her description of the birth of her child is so graphic as to give cause for pause for any expectant mothers in the audience, even though the information might be enlightening for their partners.

However, Clarke’s performance is so refreshingly positive, hilariously funny, and at times surprisingly moving, that when the audience finally arrive at the end of Hazel’s journey the only appropriate response seems to be - an enthusiastic standing ovation.  

    This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au

RED DESERT SAND

 CSO Chamber Ensemble

William Barton, didgeridoo

National Museum Of Australia 22 June

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

The vastness of the desert landscape and red, the richest of colours, inspired the five works presented in concert in the cavernous foyer of the National Museum Of Australia.

The program began with William Barton’s “Square Circles Beneath The Red Desert Sand” with William Barton on didgeridoo and the CSO Chamber Orchestra consisting of Kirsten Williams, violin, Doreen Cumming, violin, Tor Frøhmyhr, viola and Patrick Suthers, cello.

The work, about the spirit of Barton’s country, Kalkadunga (Mount Isa), commenced with Barton’s distinctive voice coming from the rear of the foyer while the ensemble improvised on stage. As Boyd joined them onstage with his didgeridoo, it developed into the rich sounds of life awakening. The western instruments with the digeridoo gave a sublime sense of two cultures blending together. It was a haunting work, colourful and very well performed.

William Barton with members of the CSO Chamber Ensemble

Red light suddenly bathed the vast foyer as we heard sound artist, Ros Bandt’s composition for electrified steel. “Red” is the first movement of her electroacoustic symphony “Stack”, a sonic work of an industrial chimney stack designed to extract fumes from a Victorian road tunnel.

It was an immersive experience with random sounds coming together in elaborate sub-mixes that included the use of the Indonesian brass mallet instrument, the Gender. This was all combined symphonically in the computer. The result was a memorably vital and alive work.

Peter Sculthorpe’s “String quartet no. 7 – Red landscape” was a quietly ferocious and austere work that created its own unique and descriptive musical atmosphere. It was played with great energy and precision by the chamber ensemble.

“Re-Echo”, a re-imagining of another work, “The Empty Quarter”, by Katy Abbott gave a fine sense of empty physical space combined with a lonely feeling of empty emotions. Patrick Suthers on cello played this reflective, melodic work with ensemble percussionist, Veronica Bailey, on vibraphone.  It was a performance of great sensitivity by the two artists.

A world premiere by Aaron Wyatt, “The Coming Dawn”, was the final work to be played. The full CSO chamber orchestra with William Boyd on didgeridoo produced a sense of the stillness of night in the early hours before sunrise which developed into a rich soundscape that evoked the land and its memories. This rich, highly coloured and imaginative work was given a memorable performance.

 

Photo by Martin Ollman

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 16 June 2023.

 Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.

 

Photography - 2023 National Photographic Portrait Prize (various artists)

Photography Exhibition Review | Brian Rope

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023 | Various artists

National Portrait Gallery (Canberra) | 17 June 2022 to 2 October 2023

In this year’s NPPP, there is pathos and  humour, striking colour and sombre black and white. There are images of famous people and those known only to their families and friends, of indigenous people and of refugees, of people living in Australia and some who live elsewhere, and of people from different cultures. There are also many and varied approaches to the genre of portraiture, ranging from traditional to contemporary.

As in previous years, the diversity of the quality artwork delivers a powerful visual exhibition. Indeed, I consider the 47 works on exhibition this year to be an excellent selection well worth viewing. The three judges would, as is always the case with such successful competitions, have had a tough challenge in making their selections from almost 2400 entries. I acknowledged that when speaking briefly with judge Daniel Boetker-Smith at the very well attended media preview (whilst jokingly noting that they didn’t select any of mine).

It is of interest that the subject of the winning image Ruby was also a finalist, with a self-portrait so there are two photos of her in the exhibition.

Ruby (left view), 2022 by Shea Kirk
(The winning image)

Sisters or Friends, 2022 by Emma Armstrong-Porter

(The self-portrait by the subject of the winning image)

The winner of the Art Handlers Award, David Cossini, has both it and another work amongst the finalists on display.

Ugandan Ssebabi, 2022 by David Cossini (Winner of the Art Handlers Award)

In my dreams I am dirty, broke, beautiful & free, 2022 by David Cossini

The finalists include a number of Canberra photographers, demonstrating once again that Australia’s capital city has many fine photo artists. Amongst them, Grace Costa, well-known for her corporate work and her imagery of horses, had Portrait of Zachary selected. She confesses that after seeing her subject at a campsite it took her around 45 mins to work up the courage to ask if she could photograph him.

Portrait of Zachary, 2023 by Grace Costa

Another Canberran, Brenda L Croft (with assistance from Prue Hazelgrove) had blood/memory: Brenda & Christopher i (Gurindji/Malngnin/Mudburra; Mara/ Nandi/Njarrindjerri/Ritharrngu, 2022 selected.

blood-memory. Brenda & Christopher  Gurindji-Malngnin-Mudburra. Mara-Nandi-Njarrindjerri-Ritharrng by Brenda L Croft, Prue Hazelgrove

Another fine, but quite different, portrait of an indigenous young woman is Yarnangu, 2022 by David Darcy.

Yarnangu, 2022 by David Darcy

Amongst some wonderful images of people from a variety of the many cultures we have in this great multicultural country, I particularly enjoyed Mela 2022 by Bahram Mia, which portrays four young women from Afghanistan celebrating birthdays together in this country where they have the freedom to enjoy such moments as once were the norm in their home country.

Mela, 2022 by Bahram Mia

I also loved Portrait of My Mother as an ethno-Futurist icon, 2023 by Sammaneh Pourshafighi. The artwork is of the artist’s mother, an Iranian migrant. The work is colourful and engaging, revealing much of the subject’s personality and identity.

Portrait of My Mother As An Ethno-Futurist Icon, 2023 by Sammaneh Pourshafighi

‘Sunju Calabrese’ #2, 2022 by Renato Colangelo portrays a man who is “unique, flamboyant with an expressive character.” This is a great contemporary artwork.

'Sunju Calabrese' #2, 2022 by Renato Colangelo

Amongst the images of famous people is Aunty Helen, 2021 by Charlie Ford. The subject is the highly successful Australian author, Helen Garner. The artist has successfully captured her in an “unspectacular act” – shutting  a gate – to reflect his aunt’s celebration of beauty in ordinary moments when she authors her works.

Aunty Helen, 2021 by Charlie Ford

I cannot close without mentioning Adam Ferguson’s emotionally moving portrait of Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) employee, Sumy Oblast, Ukraine, May 2022. It is a poignant reminder of the terrible ongoing conflict there.

Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) employee, Sumy Oblast, Ukraine, May 2022

by Adam Ferguson

The judges have said the winning work is a “celebration of photography”, and  the Highly Commended has “exceptional cinematic quality”. The art handlers who chose their Award described their selection as “confident and joyful.”

As always, the NPPP is an exhibition not to be missed if you are able to get to it - to see on a gallery wall both the images I’ve mentioned and those I haven’t, either now at the National Portrait Gallery or later when it tours to other Australian locations. If that is not possible for you, all the finalists can be seen here.

 This review is also available on the author's blog here. And now also in the July 2023 issue of The Printer, the online magazine of the Australian Photographic Society's Print Group here.

CABARET DE PARIS - Michael Boyd Productions.

 

Rhonda Burchmore and dancers in "Cabaret de Paris"

Produced and Directed by Michael Boyd – Costumes by Cathie Boyd, Shy Designs, Bruce Scott

Choreographed by Todd Patrick and Matt Browning – Lighting designed by Jeremy Dehn

Sound design by Tom Hawker- Music Editing an Production by Craig Bryant & Tom Hawker

Canberra Theatre Centre Playhouse, June 15^th & 16^th

Performance on 15^th June reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

Classic French revue is the ultimate fantasy, usually showcasing a legendary cabaret star, surrounded by teams of gorgeous dancers who parade in extravagant costumes designed to glorify the female form while covering as little as possible, punctuated by clever specialty acts the main function of which is to keep the audience entertained while the dancers change. .  

Michael Boyd is an internationally renowned illusionist who is also a producer and entrepreneur. Boyd has been bringing French-style revues to Canberra for some years, but “Cabaret de Paris” is his crowning achievement yet.

The dancers of "Cabaret de Paris"

To showcase Australia’s best known and admired showgirl, Rhonda Burchmore, Boyd has gathered an extraordinary team of skilled dancers in Courtney Casaceli, Jessica Evans, Rhylee Pin, Katarina Rasenberger, Mikaela Schreuder, Elysha Atwell, Georgia Lacey, Tyrone Anthony and Jack Evans.  All have performed in Paris in either the famed Moulin Rouge or the Paris Lido, and it shows.

All have mastered the unique style and carriage of the French cabaret showgirl, performing Matt Browning’s intricate routines with elegance and admirable precision, whether displaying an endless succession of extravagant feathered and bejewelled creations or tearing up the stage in the most energetic Can Can to be seen outside Paris.

The dance team in "Cabaret de Paris" performing the Can Can.

In the true French cabaret tradition, to give his dancers time to change, Boyd himself thrills with his remarkable illusions which involve slicing beautiful assistants into pieces, then  putting them together again, disappearing and re-appearing from locked trunks and executing puzzling feats of levitation, all with his trademark style and panache.

Michael Boyd and assistant performing in "Cabaret de Paris"

There’s also a remarkable contortionist, Veronica Waite, who amazes with her ability to twist her body into impossible positions, while exhibiting remarkable strength and ingenuity with her stunning pole dancing routine.

But central to the show is Australia’s most revered showgirl, Rhonda Burchmore, who fresh from a national tour in the musical, “Hairspray”, and winning the hearts of the nation as a gritty contestant in the television series “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here”, returns to what she knows best; captivating her audience by strutting her stuff singing her heart out and telling gags, while costumed in glamorous gowns, and flirting with handsome male dancers.

“Cabaret de Paris” with its excellent production values encompassing imaginative lighting, excellent sound and stylish, finely honed performances not only successfully captures the true essence of classic French cabaret, but is probably among one of the best examples of this genre you’ll likely to see outside Paris.    

 

Rhonda Burchmore and dancers in "Cabaret de Paris"


Production photos by David Wyatt

      This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 16th June 2023

 

MARRY ME A LITTLE - Everyman Theatre

Alexander Unikowski - Hanna Lance - Elizabeth Alford in "Marry Me A Little"

Music by Stephen Sondheim

Directed by Jarrad West - Musical Direction by Elizabeth Alford

Set Design my Michael Sparks – Lighting design by Fiona Leach with Tanya Taylor

Lighting Design by Craig Muller - Sound Design by Nathan Patrech

Performed by Hanna

Presented by Everyman Theatre - ACT Hub June 15 – 24^th June 2023

Performance on June 16 reviewed by Bill Stephens.

 

Jarrad West has forged an enviable reputation for innovative productions at the ACT Hub. His production last year of “The Importance of Being Ernest” being a high point. 

However his mojo seems to have deserted him for this misconceived production of “Marry Me A Little”.

“Marry Me A Little” is a pastiche musical reworking a collection of Stephen Sondheim songs cut from his musicals, mainly “Saturday Night”, “Company”, “Follies”, “A Little Night Music”, “Anyone Can Whistle” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To The Forum”. Its title comes from a song originally cut, then put back into, “Company”. 

Stephen Sondheim was such a prolific writer that there are a least four other similar shows repurposing Sondheim songs, the best known being “Side By Side By Sondheim”, “Putting It Together” and “Sondheim on Sondheim”. These are usually presented in revue format.

The difference with “Marry Me A Little” is that it shoe-horns the songs into an entirely sung-through storyline involving only a man and a woman who live in the same apartment building, one floor apart, who have similar dreams and desires, but never meet.

Alexander Unikowski - Hanna Lance - Elizabeth Alford in "Marry Me A Little"

For his production West has both characters living in the same cluttered, realistic apartment, designed by Michael Sparks, in which they interact directly with each other. This sets up the expectation that the show has a storyline. 

An extra degree of difficulty in this regard is heightened by the fact that the musical director, Elizabeth Alford, is seated at a piano in the same cluttered room, very much in view throughout. Although she never becomes involved the action her continual presence beggars the question as to who is this mysterious housemate, and why is she remaining so aloof?

Most people can sing a Sondheim song. But Sondheim songs are written to be performed by seasoned Broadway performers with the skills to personalise his complex lyrics and rhythms. The fascination of his songs is that they are often self-contained and psychologically revealing, and respond to varying interpretations when taken out of context. This makes them perfect as virtuoso cabaret songs for skilled performers with the ability to reveal the nuances.

Jukebox musicals such as “Mamma Mia” work well because the songs are usually confined to expressing a particular feeling or emotion. However, in the case of Sondheim, his penchant is for complex, psychologically charged lyrics expressing the deepest thoughts and emotions of a particular character in a particular circumstance.

This is one of the reasons his songs work so well for the performer who can assume those thoughts and feelings as their own.

Both Hannah Lance and Alexander Unikowski are experienced theatre performers.   Although Unikowski is well known for his brilliance as a musical director, this is his first role as a leading man. However, as yet neither he nor Lance possess the necessary vocal range or stagecraft to take the songs beyond superficial readings, although both can be admired for their plucky attempts at this difficult material.

Having chosen his cast, West seems to have found it necessary to have them underline each lyric with peripatetic stage business in an attempt to maintain interest in the songs.

Hanna Lance performing "Can That Boy Foxtrot"

One unfortunate example being for the song “Can that Boy Foxtrot”, where West, not known for his subtlety, has the performer underline each double-entendre lyric by demonstrating the lascivious phallic possibilities of every vegetable she unpacks from her shopping.

Sondheim is celebrated for his clever lyric writing, therefore in presenting his work a major priority should be ensuring his lyrics are clearly heard. This was not the case at this performance, and even though the ACT Hub is a small room, perhaps amplification may have helped. On the other hand, as one of the singers had a distressing tendency to lose pitch and sing off key, perhaps not.

Therefore, the difficulty in hearing the lyrics made it impossible to form an appreciation as to how well the songs served the storytelling, or for that matter, to make sense of the motivations of the characters, which at times seemed remarkably curious. This frustration was further exacerbated by the silly   gimmick of constantly having concentration interrupted by receiving text messages presumably being shared by the characters.

Not having experienced a previous production of “Marry Me A Little”  one can only wonder if a simpler production may have served the material better, otherwise the only reason to recommend  this production is the opportunity it offers to experience some rarely heard Sondheim songs.

  

Hanna Lance - Alexander Unikowski in "Marry Me A Little"


Images by Janelle McMenamin / Michael Moore.


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

 

   

   

 

  

Marry Me a Little. Songs by Stephen Sondheim. Conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene. Directed by Jarrad West. Everyman Theatre. ACT Hub, Causeway Hall. Reviewed by ALANNA MACLEAN.

Photo: Janelle McMenamin and Michael Moore

Marry Me A Little could be described as a tale of ships that might bump into one another briefly in the night. 

Two people living alone but in the same apartment block in New York muse and rage on their lives and the single state, while the near misses they have with each other make the audience hold its breath. 

It’s an entirely sung piece made out of songs that didn’t find a home elsewhere in Sondheim’s shows. That means, given the need for absolute clarity in his wordy and witty numbers, that the singing and the volume and the diction has to be spot on. I suspect that the performers are still sussing out the acoustics of the Hub. 

Alexander Unikowski is sensitive as the man who is a poet while Hannah Lance is both exuberant and pensive as the woman who lives in the same block.

Musical director Elizabeth Alford drives the music firmly from a keyboard tucked into the set. 

There’s one set that does for both apartments as the two separate lives overlap. The versatile Hub space is in end on mode which has resulted in a small rather too cluttered stage.

There’s a need for actors to know where their lights are, especially when they are selective, like light coming through a window at night. (Moving light - it’s the operator’s responsibility. Fixed light - the actor has to know how to find it) 

It’s an enjoyable piece; anything by Sondheim always has its pleasures. The show’s central conceit and the near misses take on a tragic edge at times. But the production could use more economy, less of the clutter and a bolder approach to the characters. And if it’s Sondheim, every word needs to be heard.