Variety Gala

Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Festival Theatre. 10 Jun 2016

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival kicked off in its usual style with the opening night Variety Gala at the Festival Theatre. Festival Artistic Directors Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect opened the performance with a wonderfully funny poke at each other that included some of the wittiest insults heard on stage in quite a while!

The artistic duo are exploring What Comes Next in cabaret and have a ‘stripped back’ theme to support the festival which runs from 10 to 25 June.

The Festival Theatre stage is laid bare, adorned only with a collection of items which spell out the word “Cabaret” and the Variety Gala musicians under the talented musical direction of Vanessa Scammell.

The string of performers gracing the stage for the opening night show included Frank Woodley, who is taking over the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with a performance titled The Composer is Dead; Barb Jungr, who brings the songs of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen to the 2016 festival, singing Dylan’s Things Have Changed; Maeve Marsden and Libby Wood who performed a gin infused prayer from their upcoming performance Mother’s Ruin; and Bobby Fox who delivered a rousing Frankie Valli impersonation from his show 4 Seasons In 1 Night.

Standouts on the night included Rhonda Burchmore’s take on pop icon, Sia, with stunning choreography by Trevor Ashley from their show Twins; Die Roten Punkte’s drinking song from their show Eurosmash which had the audience dancing in their seats; and Miss Behave and Harriett’s antics on and off stage, including a fetching lapdance by Harriett for one lucky(?) audience member!

The production felt more ‘variety’ than ‘gala’ this year, however, with some interesting and even polarising content on show. Tripod will also take over the ASO this year with a show titled This Gaming Life - their number for the Gala requiring prior gaming knowledge to truly enjoy. Andrew Strano’s song about incest from his show Nailed It had one squirming awkwardly in one’s seat; and Amy G’s chicken dance to Mon Truc En Plumes from her show Entershamement was… well an interesting take on a chicken dance if nothing else.

The inimitable Roby Archer sang The Bilbao Song with accompaniment from Michael Morley on piano and George Butrumlis on accordion, before being presented with the Cabaret Icon Award previously bestowed on the likes of Reg Livermore and Frank Ford.

The festival is already boasting 25 sold out performances including Dita Von Teese, David Hobson and Colin Lane, Sven Ratzke’s Starman, and Megan Hilty. First time events like the Family Gala and the new closing night show The Last Galah promise to be crowd favourites. The opening night show closed with a bang in the usual shower of streamers and balloons before the audience were played out by a marching band that signalled the start of the after party – an action packed night of fun at the Backstage Club and the Piano Bar.

Paul Rodda

When: 10 June

Where: Festival Theatre

Bookings: Closed

Indian Embrace

Indian Australian Association Of Sa Inc. Star Theatres, Hilton. 8 June 2016

The success of a theatrical production relies on the source material – in this instance the play script – and its actual execution on the stage. In the case of the Indian Australian Association of SA’s production of Carol Dance’s Indian Embrace, the text is fine, good in parts, but its execution is problematic. The key issue is that the performance lacks pace, but if you put that aside, the show has lots to offer.

In essence Indian Embrace is about family and the connections that hold (or try to hold) families together. It is about two families – one Australian, and one Indian – whose paths cross in the sacred city of Varanasi on the mighty River Ganges. It is about the collision of different cultures and the common ground that binds them together into the family of humankind.

Three Australian siblings arrange to meet up in Varanasi for a family reunion of sorts. Chris, the youngest, opines that their family died with the passing of their mother, who was the family ‘glue’. His sister, Pamela, who is a successful business woman, reflects on the clinical nature of their mother’s funeral and comments that she longed to actually touch her mother’s lifeless body as a final intimate gesture. (This contrasts wonderfully with what actually happens in Varanasi, where Hindu families personally and lovingly cremate the bodies of deceased loved ones on the banks of the Ganges. They are intimately involved in the funerary process, unlike what happens in western societies.) Their oldest brother, John, is aloof and detached from Pamela and Chris, and when he does connect it usually ends in argument.

The dysfunctional siblings stay in a guesthouse that is run by the wise Vikram and Roopa, his daughter-in-law, who longs to live in Australia; a great concern to Vikram. John has often stayed in the guesthouse before when on work assignments with an international aid agency. John understands the stark contrasts that pervade India and the need to not make judgements based on western standards and styles of thinking. On this point he regularly knocks heads with Chris and Pamela.

So the stage is set to explore sibling rivalries, contrasting cultures, moralities, social responsibility, and spirituality. Carol Dance adds much humor into the exploration of these themes, but there is pathos as well.

Shubhraj gives the role of Vikram the right amount of calmness and wisdom, although his delivery is ponderous at times. Saloni Gadhia makes her acting debut in the role of Roopa, and provides an endearing and humorous foil for Vikram. The old India and the new, as it were. Kyla Booth plays Pamela with sufficient superiority, and Nick Bennett curiously gives John a Noel Coward air. Aaron Broomhall gives a fine soliloquy towards the end of the play and probably fares the best of all the cast, which is rounded out with Veer Kulkarni giving a caricature performance in the role of conman Sanjay, and Rahul Gadhia briefly appearing as Roopa’s husband.

Director Peter Ryan chose a simple set that provided for multiple locations with the assistance of rear projections. The lighting was basic, but that was all it needed. Ryan didn’t always move his cast efficiently around the stage and there were significant masking problems at times, which were probably compounded by the limited stage size and the need to move the action as far away from the projected images as possible to avoid them being washed out by the stage lights. Those limitations aside, he should have insisted on greater pace from the entire cast.

The opening night audience appreciated the humor, and enjoyed the thought provoking moments even more.

Kym Clayton

When: 8 to 11 Jun

Where: Star Theatres

Bookings: trybooking.com

The Little Prince

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. Space Theatre. 27 May 2016

Ever was it a beautiful and haunting tale. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s 1943 novella has found a place in the hearts and minds of millions of us. It is perhaps the most translated book in the world. The image of the Little Prince alone on his asteroid imprints upon young minds and lives there along with that beautiful, vain rose. Most of all, it is the loneliness of the Little Prince which remains.

This production by Spare Parts puppets certainly brings this home. And, it is a production which is sure to be remembered by children because it is uncompromisingly different; quite challenging in some ways.

With lighting designer Karen Cook, director Michael Barlow has kept the show dark. It is the darkness of the nothingness of far space, perhaps. Only sometimes do the lights rise brightly on the Little Prince. And, in their hands, while he still has that golden curly hair, his eyes are so pale that one at first assumes he must be blind.

There is a large wooden crate onstage and the two performers, Shane Adamczak and Jessica Lewis, dismantle and unpack it, creating the various aspects of the fairly rudimentary but functional travelling set. It’s an extremely versatile crate, transforming not only into a mountain but also a plane.

Adamczak plays the pilot who narrates The Little Prince story. This is always believed to be Saint-Exupery since it relates his story of crashing in the desert. Here he encounters the Little Prince with his blunt request to be drawn a sheep. Thus does the show begin very nicely.

As it progresses, while the narrative emerges true to form, there seems some element in the earnestness of the effort to be artily evocative which sucks at the spirit. Both the songs and the lighting are responsible. The performers, however, give it all they’ve got and are utterly endearing.

There are some stunning moments, not the least of them when the ordinary roses emerge from a big case. The star of the show is the fox. He is a superbly expressive puppet as handled by Adamczak.

Lewis, at all times, is the Little Prince and the way she seems to speak to him as she speaks for him is particularly engaging.

The ending of the story is the great performance pinnacle as the box becomes the plane and it races around the stage in efforts to chase the Little Prince. It is absolutely spectacular, despite the fact that all it is, is a wooden box with a propeller and a performer pushing it around.

The children have loved the show but not the music. They have not been disappointed that the Little Prince was a "just a puppet" because they really liked the interaction of the puppeteers. And after show talk is full of interest in the art of the puppeteer and passionate love for the fox.

Samela Harris

When 27 to 28 May

Where: Space Theatre

Bookings: Closed

Catch Me If You Can

Marie Clark Musical Theatre. Arts Theatre. 28 May 16

Frank William Abagnale gained notoriety as a conman in the 1960s by scamming banks and other organisations out of millions of dollars. He allegedly spent only 5 years in prison before taking up employment with the American Federal Government. DreamWorks gained the rights to make the film in the late 90s and under the skilful direction of Steven Spielberg went on to gross over $350 million worldwide with Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Abagnale.

The 2011 Broadway musical of the same name received four Tony Award nominations.

Marie Clark Musical Theatre have taken on this mammoth production and in many ways do it justice, particularly in their casting of the two leads, Abagnale and his nemesis, FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Jason Bensen (Abagnale) and David MacGillivray (Hanratty) carry this production high on their shoulders.

We are greeted by the cast in the foyer on arrival. Mingling amongst the audience, and in character, they chat about this and that, until it is time for boarding, and we are ushered to our seats by some lovely stewardesses for the start of the show; it’s a lovely touch.

Directed by Charissa McCluskey-Garcia, and with Musical Direction by Ben Stefanoff, this production of Catch Me If You Can is very hit-and-miss, however. One moment it soars with all of the production qualities and skill of a professional performance and the next is undone by either bland lighting, poor sound tech, lacklustre choreography, or odd blocking descisions. It truly is a mixed bag, overflowing with unrealised potential.

The talented cast of leads and ensemble are more than up for the task and, at times, deliver perfectly polished numbers with equally outstanding production values to support them.

As Frank Abagnale Junior, Jason Bensen has a wonderful tonal quality. Bensen carries the extremely difficult vocal line with finesse, and demonstrates great control over his falsetto. Bensen is also incredibly charming and very charismatic. His suave and commanding presence single-handedly holds the audience’s attention when there should be much more going on to support him.

David Macgillivray is an outstanding talent and delivers an emotionally grounded performance. Don’t Break The Rules stands out as one of the best numbers in the show and - along with an incredibly strong male ensemble, excellent choreography, sound, and blocking in this number - shows what this cast and production team are capable of achieving. His solo rendition of The Man Inside The Clues is the most moving number in the show.

Shelley Crooks emerges from nowhere in Don’t Be A Stranger and puts Paula Abagnale on the map with a beautiful rendition that soars. Gavin Cianci as her husband, Frank Abagnale Senior, never seems to quite settle despite delivering a relatively sturdy performance overall.

For a bit of comic relief one cannot go past the combination of Buddy Dawson and Damien Quick as FBI Agents Cod and Dollar. Paired with James McCluskey-Garcia as Agent Branton and MacGillivray, they never fail to amuse.

Stefanoff’s orchestra are in fine form, particularly amongst the reeds (Nicole Molloy, Samantha Webber, Kara Williams), kudos for the delicious saxophone work! There were a few odd levels amongst the mix however, and the vocal line was regularly set too low or not turned up in time.

Catch Me If You Can is a big Broadway musical which relies on big Broadway numbers. Rachel Dow's and Rebekah Stonelake’s choreography has solid structure, but the execution and production quality just falls short of celebrating some of those really big numbers. Better lighting design and overall production values could have done more to truly make it shine.

Marie Clark Musical Theatre’s Catch Me If You Can is commendable for an amateur production and certainly qualifies as an entertaining night at the theatre. It will improve if the pace picks up and the sound issues are rectified. Regardless, Adelaide amateur theatre needs our support, and this show is definitely worth a look.

Paul Rodda

When: 27 May to 4 Jun

Where: Arts Theatre

Bookings: marieclark.asn.au