Review: 'Jack O’Hagan’s Humdingers' – Malvern Theatre Company

Malvern Theatre Company’s fantastic Victorian Premiere of Jack O’Hagan’s Humdingers is a nostalgic, patriotic, touching and comedic look at 20^th Century Australia from the eyes of a prolific Australian songwriter and his family.

The musical itself adopts a vaudevillian style, dashing from decade to decade of Australian history. O’Hagan’s songs are uplifting and well ordered within the plot, while the small cast of six provides a homely atmosphere to the show. This blend of features causes the experience of watching the production to feel like you are sitting around the piano or radio with your family in the early 1950s.

The cast worked sensationally together, transforming character with ease and fluidity. With no evidence of opening night nerves, in both song and dance they were perfectly synchronised, giving the impression of a professional quality cast.

Barry Baker as Jack O’Hagan performed with confidence and a deep understanding of his character. Gabrielle O’Brien as his wife, Josie, was terrific in her ability to portray both sincere and comedic moments effortlessly. Her portrayal of Ethelind Terry, the lead actor in O’Hagan’s operetta Flame of Desire was outstanding as were her solos ‘My Public Waits For Me’ and ‘One Little Kiss in the Moonlight’.

The comedic Ian Frost and cute Angeline Thompson performed strongly in every one of their portrayed roles. Often partnered together, their believable chemistry and excellent comedic skills supported each other. This was especially evident in the roles of Buddy and ‘Lana’ in the recreation of O’Hagan’s proposed movie musical, A Kiss Down Under, as well as their caricatures of early film theatre ushers.

Daniel Mottau and Laura Slavin were the absolute standouts of this high quality cast. Mottau commanded the stage with high energy and enthusiasm. His use of head voice, most notably in ‘Boy Up North’, was strong and very reminiscent of that used in the harmonies of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Slavin was also very impressive with an utterly brilliant voice. Her solo ‘Little Ships Will Sail Again’ was touching and heartfelt while her rendition of ‘Start The Day Off With A Smile’ as a Shirley Temple look-a-like was absolutely hilarious.

Alan Burrows’ direction revealed a unique and strong vision, which greatly supported the success of the cast’s confidence and ability. The choreography effectively reflected the dance styles of the respective eras though became a bit overworked and ‘corny’ by the show’s conclusion.

Together, Colin Prohasky and Musical Director, Shirley White presented a simple but effective score. Prohasky was responsible for rewriting Humdingers for multiple keyboards and this successfully added a much richer sound to the performance.

The set design, by David Dare, was spectacular in recreating a big band atmosphere, perfect for the vaudevillian nature of the show. The black and white theme also allowed for David Earl’s lighting design to emphasise the transitions in place and time. Finally, Dina Mac Namara’s costume designs were fantastic. From the costumes used in the operetta, Flame of Desire, to the Red Cross nurses’ showbiz-style outfits, an attention to detail and care was highly evident.

With hits such as ‘Our Don Bradman’, ‘Dog on the Tuckerbox’ and ‘Along the Road to Gundagai’, the opening night audience of Jack O’Hagan’s Humdingers had a fantastic time and there is no reason you should not too.


This review can also be viewed at theatrepeople.com.au

Review: 'Macbeth' - Eagle's Nest Theatre Company

Eagle’s Nest Theatre Company’s latest production of Macbeth has been advertised as, “Shakespeare as it should be – no frills, plenty of thrills & chills.” This is exactly the approach that the company has adopted, performing Macbeth as it may have been in the early 17^th century.

This traditional approach allowed the audience to reflect on the characters’ journey into inner conflict and, in some cases madness, rather than on the regal costumes, dazzling effects and modern adaptations that are seen in many contemporary Shakespeare productions.

Most of the acting performances demonstrated a strong knowledge of the text and of Shakespearean verse. Jason Cavanagh as the title role was a stand out, creating a completely three-dimensional characterisation of the tragic king. Elizabeth Slattery gave a fantastic performance as Lady Macbeth, revealing the dark motivations of her character that eventually lead to her absolute derangement.

As always with productions of Macbeth, the three witches were an exciting breath of fresh air. Kendy Gable, Poppy Tremayne and Stephanie Evison-Williams portrayed each ‘weird sister’ with their own individual nuance. Poppy Tremayne also appeared as the role of Lady Macduff, a scene of intense emotion that is often overplayed. Her performance in this short scene was excellent and it was disappointing that her talents were limited to only few scenes.

The whole cast worked well as an ensemble, giving the impression that the onstage relationships were comfortable and real. This was especially evident in the chemistry between Cavanagh and Slattery, as Macbeth and his wife, and the unnerving bond between the three witches.

Sean Kavanagh’s direction definitely supported the actors’ performances. Scenes were mostly blocked appropriately so that a large number of people were positioned carefully on the small performance space, although occasionally someone’s lines were recited from behind another actor. Also, the idea to have the witches transform the set between each scene reinforced their power and influence over the play’s action.

Despite the already basic staging, an even more minimalist approach could have benefited the production. Robbie Lingham’s set consisted of cardboard structures in the shape of castle walls, towers and forests. These often distracted from the performance and caused scene transitions to be slowed down. The opening of Act IV involved a bare stage except for the witches’ cauldron, which allowed a much-improved focus on the story line and the actors. The costumes were strong in some areas, for example the witches’, Porter’s and regal costumes but were undermined by other anachronistic costumes, for example tweed coats, dresses and high heels that resembled the fashion of the 1950s.

The lighting design was very effective in conveying different locations and moods. The use of a red spotlight was successful in distinguishing characters’ soliloquies from the rest of the dialogue. A brilliant soundscape was presented by Daniel Nixon, which heightened the tone and emotions of the scene. However, the contemporary scene transition music was somewhat distracting even with some links to their preceding scenes being evident.

Despite this, Eagle’s Nest Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth was upheld by dedicated and endearing performances, which allowed the genuine strength of Shakespeare’s original psychological tragedy to shine through.

This review can also be viewed at theatrepeople.com.au

Review: 'Melbourne Boys' - CEL Productions

JC La Fontaine’s new stage production Melbourne Boys infuses common clichés and previous experience to form a modern Melbourne coming-of-age story.

Written as a series of vignettes, Melbourne Boys reveals the story of Sebastian and his friends’ final year at secondary school, portraying the stress and experiences of VCE as well as the challenges of an everyday teen life.

The play is fairly successful in its attempt to transform regular high-school stereotypes into three-dimensional characters. Common school ground personalities such as the ‘rich bad-boy’ are well developed whereas other more comic clichés such as the ‘choir nerd’ or ‘giggling school girl’ appropriately remain untouched.

While a collection of vignettes may be a strange choice for presenting a dramatic plot, Christine Husband’s direction ensures the small episodes move quickly and fluently so that tension and timing are not lost within the non-naturalistic scene transitions.

The language and scenarios contained within Melbourne Boys reflect and portray a life-like atmosphere, which provides an engaging reality to the play. However, with the sudden inclusion of quite dramatic conflicts toward the end of the play’s action, a slightly ‘soap opera-esque’ tone is adopted, disappointingly interrupting the more realistic nature of the performance. This could perhaps be solved by allocating more time to the introduction and resolution of the eventual climax of the play.

The cast worked well with their given material, in most cases forming credible characterisations. Liam Tapper performed strongly in the role of David, Sebastian’s economically disadvantaged friend, especially in times of greater tension. This was a contrast from Benjamin Stokes who provided much needed comic relief as the class ‘geek’. JC La Fontaine and Sam Young convincingly developed the characters of Sebastian and Billy respectively, although tended to appear melodramatic in the concluding scenes. This may have been caused by opening night nerves or by an uncertainty with the script’s reasonably sincere themes.

The chemistry between Chloe Gavin and Tom Clifas, portraying the roles of Jo and Anthony, was highly believable, an aspect that was very important to bring their short scenes to life. Patti Rocca brought a sense of truth to the role as Sebastian’s mother, causing the audience to cringe as they recognised their own embarrassing mother within her character.

The actors brought a professional touch to their work, evident in their ability to continue performing with absolute focus despite a rather interruptive audience distraction occurring mid-performance.

André Stefan White in collaboration with Fontaine’s original designs devised an economic but effective greyscale stage. The simple set pieces represented a range of differing locations without the need to move or change in appearance enhancing the non-naturalistic flow of the play. The costumes also blended with the greyscale theme allowing Christina Montgomery’s lighting designs to be used to the greatest possible benefit.

While some flaws may be evident in this, the first of JC La Fontaine’s pair of Melbourne Boys plays; it is an enthusiastic contribution to the ever-growing collection of Melbourne-based theatrical works.

This review can also be viewed at theatrepeople.com.au

Blogging Drought

Due to exams, holidays, work and other commitments there has been a major delay in blog updates. However, I am back into the swing of things and new posts should be popping up quite often.

Over this blogging drought I did get to see 'Avenue Q', a hit new musical which even beat 'Wicked' at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show’s programs and posters are labeled “not for kids” and that’s the basis for most of its humor. ‘Avenue Q’ is like Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie have grown up and gone on to have dead end jobs and seemingly bland lives. The Australian cast was fantastic and the updated sets and lines added a fresh new feel to the show.

I have just reviewed CEL's production of a new amateur Melbourne work 'Melbourne Boys'. I will post it soon.

Geoffrey Rush: The King of All Broadway

Congratulations to Australian actor, Geoffrey Rush who has just won the Tony Award for the "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play" as King Berenger in 'Exit the King'.

'Exit the King' premiered at Melbourne's very own Malthouse Theatre.

For all other Tony Award 2009 news click here.

Review: 'Blood Wedding' – MUST

Blood Wedding is a difficult play to produce. It is surreal, poetic and contains aspects of song and rhythm that often cannot be reproduced in performance as once desired by Spanish playwright, Federico Garcia Lorca. However, Monash University Student Theatre’s production of Blood Wedding or Bodas de Sangre is an inventive, experimental and thoroughly researched production that effectively achieves the original sense of musicality of the play.

The Monash University Student Theatre space is much like many smaller production’s spaces: a black, square room that acts as the stage, the seating area and the foyer. Often you walk into these theatres fearing a bland, low budget piece of so-called ‘experimental theatre’. Having said that, this was not my first visit to the MUST headquarters and after seeing their production of Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange I had high expectations for this production. I was not disappointed.

Visually, director and set conception designer, Celeste Macleod, has captured the essence of Lorca’s surrealist staging. Basic, abstracted set pieces reveal an entirely new setting while lighting enhances the mood of the various scenes. The small space and reduced audience size heightens the tension of the performance, a very important aspect in Blood Wedding. However, the small stage often seemed overly crowded despite having only a maximum of twelve actors on stage which became distracting, especially in the wedding party scene in which it was hard to separate the important action with the background dancing.

The cast performed with an enthusiastic energy that relayed a passion for their performance and adaptation. Sarah Walker, as the Mother, and Lili Andrews, as the Bride, were both excellent in conveying a sense of absolute passion, which is one of the play’s key motives. Their characterisation was incredibly detailed and carefully specific which paid off in the final scene, which is played out at an extreme level of emotional intensity. Sara Downs, who played a variety of characters including the servant and the Beggar Woman, was probably the strongest member of the cast, evident in her ability to transform character so rapidly and effectively. As the servant she was a fun-loving, energetic character hustling and busting around the stage. This was a complete contrast from the passive but eerily intimidating Beggar Woman who is indeed death in disguise.

Charles Leong’s sly and playful characterisation of the Moon was interesting and appropriate to the Moon’s malicious need for blood. Despite this Leong sometimes seemed to menacingly laugh at his character rather than as his character, a trait that caused the scene to become almost comedic instead of horrifyingly spine-chilling.  This difficulty in portraying such extreme emotion was evident in other characterisations, for example Phillip Rouse’s character, Leonardo. Leonardo is a powerful, domineering man and many of his scenes require intense conflicts. Rouse, sometimes dropped character (or even picked up an American accent) in these situations.

One of the most impressive features of MUST’s production of Blood Wedding is the use of music. Composers Kate Alexander and Tom Wolfe provide a hauntingly beautiful soundscape that I am sure would impress Lorca himself. The music creates the impression of a thoroughly modern production that is still in contact with its Spanish origins while assisting the actors in their songs and rhymes that are weaved throughout Lorca’s play. This is effectively achieved without becoming overly prominent or distracting in the production.  

Monash University Student Theatre’s Blood Wedding is a fresh, modern adaptation of Lorca’s rarely produced text and despite some minor flaws is indeed an interesting analysis of love in our contemporary society. 

Review: “August: Osage County” – MTC

It is not often that you walk out of the theatre wanting to watch a three-hour performance from the beginning again. It is also not often that you get home from a show at midnight and want to start working on a review immediately. The reason that I am sitting here in the early hours of Sunday morning is MTC’s August: Osage County, Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning family saga set on the hot plains of Oklahoma.

Reading that this epic ‘tragicomedy’ spans over three acts and more than three hours, it can be daunting entering the theatre. This fear is only supported by the play’s large ‘here’s-the-story-so-far’ opening monologue, somewhat reminiscent of Prospero’s speech in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. However, the play soon kicks into gear and you are suddenly on a wild, edge of your seat, journey. The three acts whirlwind by as the story unfolds with its fast punchy humour and completely absorbing narrative. The mix of sitcom humour and melodrama reaches a perfect medium, balancing the most tragic moments with pure comedic timing.

This impressive sense of balance is achieved by an impression of absolute realism and attention to detail that is rarely found on the modern stage. The set consists of a real scale three-storey house made up of seven different rooms in which the action takes place. Fallen autumn leaves surround the perfectly lit set. Ornaments of supposed sentimental value adorn the walls and bookshelves. The food looks as delicious as the actors say it is. You step into the theatre feeling as if you have entered the Weston family home which at first seems comforting, that is until the layers are peeled back revealing a much more dramatic and darker family scenario.

Each of the thirteen actors deserved their role in this fabulous cast. To celebrate all of the casts achievements would take a great deal of time and space, so instead the much-deserved focus will land on Robyn Nevin. Nevin steals the show with her portrayal of Violet Weston, a sharp-witted, unruly, pill-popping grandma. From the very moment the lights come up on the tragically hilarious (or hilariously tragic) Mrs. Weston, you cannot look away. Whether she is swallowing countless pills, dancing to her favourite record, smashing plates or revealing family truths, Nevin’s characterisation does not falter. With Robyn Nevin’s past work in direction for Sydney, Queensland and Melbourne Theatre Companies it is no wonder that Australian theatre is at the level we see today.

 Only two minor faults could be found amongst the absolute brilliance of this performance. The first is that the accents, which alike the rest of the play were specifically detailed (and Leith McPherson, the Vocal and Dialogue Coach, should be congratulated), were often dropped by actors in moments of heightened emotion or intensity whether this be the excitement of marriage or a confession of family tribulations. The second minor criticism of ‘August’ is regarding the acting within the final act, which often appeared exaggerated and melodramatic. As the plot digs deeper and deeper into the insane dilemmas of the family the acting style drifts slowly to something like that of The Bold and the Beautiful. However, this was most likely due to the uncomfortable characteristics of the events and circumstances (no spoilers here folks!) and the highly passionate nature at which that the cast must tackle them. I am sure, as it is only opening week, that both these trivial issues will be smoothed out within the experience of its run.

In one Broadway play’s initial reviews, Charles Isherwood stated in The New York Times:

"It’s theater that continually keeps you hooked with shocks, surprises and delights, although it has a moving, heart-sore core. Watching it is like sitting at home on a rainy night, greedily devouring two, three, four episodes of your favorite series in a row on DVR or DVD. You will leave the [New York] Imperial Theater emotionally wrung out and exhausted from laughing, but you may still find yourself hungry for more.”

In this current production it is still difficult to disagree. MTC’s August: Osage County is a tremendous play executed by a fantastic cast. Book your tickets now.

Curtain Up

"Blogging, like much else in the cyberuniverse, is a chance to be your own star. Even if no one reads your blog, there's the mirage of public exposure. It's peculiarly seductive. But apart from the appeal to an illusory sense of self-importance, there's another reason to like the concept. Blogging has re-introduced the independent public commentator; but unlike underground magazines or samizdat, which were available only to the few, anyone who has a computer with an internet connection can look at a blog."

- Alison Croggon, 04/06/2004

I hope Alison does not mind me using this quote from her first blog on 'theatrenotes' which, if you haven't already, you should go check out right now ... ok? Are you back? Good.

As a current journalism and theatre student, as well as a performing arts enthusiast, I have always felt the need to express my views on performances and today decided that the best way to do this would be through a blog. Alison states in the quote above, blogs create a "mirage of public exposure" which I think is entirely true. I do not know if people will read this blog, or even see its link in passing, but if not at least I can ramble on about theatre and performance in all its forms to myself and not look like a madman. Plus, it can be seen as good practice for a hopeful career in theatre and arts journalism.