Polygraph Collective. Holden Street Theatres. 19 Jul 2014
‘Man in a Bag’ is forensic and sharp as a scalpel as it lays bare before the audience, the truth of what happened to the dead man in the red sports bag found in the bath in his small rented flat; an intelligent and well-crafted first production by this new ensemble, Polygraph Collective.
In 2010, Gareth Williams, an M16 officer, was found decomposed in a red bag in his bath tub. The bag was padlocked on the outside and the keys inside under the body of Williams. How it happened? The could-be truth; the questionable truth; and the real truth; is the expose of this 55 minute production. Who was the man behind the M16 officer? Was it murder? Was it a set up by ʻothersʼ? Was there a mysterious woman involved? Was it all a horrible mistake by Williams who thought he was Harry Houdini? Playwright Emily Steel has collected the facts as reported in the UK press at the time and presented them as a sort of police investigation; running commentary; and post death revelation by the man in the bag. Lean and clean writing.
The 7 member acting ensemble consisting of Chrissie Page, Holly Myers, Charles Mayer, Sam Calleja, Sara Lange, Lochlin Maybury and Tiffany Lyndall-Knight, enter and exit in their turn, some playing cameo roles, some nearer the plot core, but all essential to laying out the body, so to speak, of the play.
There are strong individual performances leading to a solid theatrical experience for the audience. The co-directors, Tiffany Lyndall-Knight and Ben Roberts worked on ‘Man in a Bag’ during its first incarnation at the Adelaide College of the Arts. The staging is impeccable. The action is well paced and the plot development is clearly presented. If I were to carp on one small point, it would be that the almost UK provincial accent of the rental flat manager’s husband could have been brought into line with the other non-specific accents of the rest of the characters.
The set design by Olivia Zanchetta was effective; movable white screens; a red sports bag; a black chair. All locations were created by manipulating the screens. One small jarring element of the set was the rustling of the white screen material whenever the screens were being manipulated. A case of ‘silence would have been golden’.
The costumes by Olivia Freear were functional and unobtrusive. Sound design by Callan Fleming and Lighting design/ operation by Alexander Ramsay worked hand in glove with the set and the onstage action; choreographed precisely. For example: the bell of the lift as the door opened and closed; the pulsing lights and the almost tribal rhythm of the following scene’s soundscape; and the interaction between on stage voices and pre-recorded voices.
It would be remiss of this reviewer not to mention Gilbert Kemp Attrilʼs opening video component, Will Spartelʼs sound operation, and Sofia Caladoʼs intriguing production image. Henry Arrowsmith and Clara Solly-Slade in the production department completed the Polygraph Collective’s ‘Man in the Bag’ team for this fine intro to the company’s work.
The moral: Donʼt try the ‘Man in the Bag’ trick in your own lounge room… and always look under the surface of what you hear, see and read in the media.
Martin Christmas
When: 22 July to Aug 2
Where: Holden Street Theatres
Bookings: venuetix.com.au
Gilbert and Sullivan Society. The Arts Theatre. 19 Jul 2014
You'd better get in quickly. The "Sold Out" sign was out in Angas Street and opening night won't be the only night. That's one terrific production in The Arts Theatre.
And this is a rave review.
The G&S Society has a track record for classy shows but this one, stepping away from G&S and into Rogers & Hammerstein, may just have created a new benchmark.
From the opening moment, it is a voyage into excellence.
There are the nuns massed beneath the mighty stained glass windows performing a superb piece of a capella choral work. It is just ethereal. The orchestra slips seamlessly into action for Maria out there singing to the mountains. It's a large orchestra down there in the pit and sound designer Matthew Curtis has it pitched perfectly against the singers. The singers all are miked and the sound is well balanced - right up there with the big-budget professional shows.
The Sound of Music is an old favourite which means audience expectations are high. Everyone thinks of Julie Andrews in the lead. Claire McEvoy is not she. Her voice is not Andews-esque soprano. It has its own character and she makes of Maria Rainer a character more earthy and credible. From that first night when the children come to Maria's bed in the thunderstorm, McEvoy owns the role and wins the audience.
She is well supported by Kim Clark as the reserved Captain von Trapp and, as for the children; they are a little pack of pros, many of them former Theatre Bugs and choir singers. They each capture the requisite classic character and Kate Price as 16-year-old Liesl has a lovely voice and stage presence and is definitely a young performer to watch.
Expectations are high for the Mother Abbess, too, in this show. Marsha Seebohm has it all under control. She brings the house down with the power and beauty of her delivery of Climb Every Mountain. Richard Trevaskis is lots of fun as the family friend Max Detweiler and Bronwen Palmer establishes just the right hauteur as the wife-to-be, Elsa Shraeder. There are strong performances all around and wonderfully tight and cohesive direction of the massive cast from Trish Hart who also designed the sets.
If ever there was a case when the backstage skill and speed deserved credit, this show is it. The sets are many and complex, hoisting and trucking in all directions. They are splendid to look at and they hit all the cues. The same can be said for the impeccable costumes and the lightning costume changes.
The big choral numbers are luscious. The choreography is spot-on. The stage swarms with talent and commitment. There's attention to detail. The whole show is well-groomed and the overall song it sings is one of theatrical expertise and discipline.
Samela Harris
When: 20 Jul to 2 Aug
Where: Arts Theatre
Bookings: gandssa.com.au
19 July, Banquet Room @ Adelaide Festival Centre
As part of their 2014 season, Pocketfool have brought ‘All Gone’ to the Adelaide Festival Centre. A Melbourne-based company formed by actors Jennifer Andersen and Heidi Weatherald, Pocketfool work with various collaborators to write and perform theatre shows for under-10s.
Presented in Adelaide Festival Centre’s ‘Something for Saturday’ program, this gorgeous show addresses a no-doubt puzzling everyday occurrence for young children - things seem to come and go. Whether it be the food on your plate, the water in the tub or Grandma and Grandpa, things depart as mysteriously as they arrive.
‘All Gone’ is aimed at 2-4 year olds and completely hits the mark. Simple dialog and interaction between the two characters mimics the language of toddlers; the story is communicated through strong movement and one-to-two key word phrases, including the classics ‘more’, ‘bye’, ‘mine’, and of course, ‘all gone!’.
The modest but functional set (Ken Evans), colourful costumes (Amanda Fairbanks) and clever use of props make this visual and funny piece interactive as well. They incorporate a number of elements easily recognised by children - ribbons, socks, balls and musical instruments. The excitement and wonderment on the children’s faces as a giant red balloon was gently thrown over their heads, floating within reach of outstretched arms, was delightful and heart-warming.
Andersen and Weatherald have been working in the industry for over 20 years and clearly have an excellent understanding of how to engage young children. This might sound simple enough, but it’s a feat that is fully appreciated by parents and childcare workers. Factors such as concentration span, comprehension levels, humour and the need for interaction must all be carefully considered. These factors differ radically between age brackets, meaning successfully theatre shows must be tightly targeted.
Pocketfool can be very proud of this wonderful production, and be safe in the knowledge that they have won at least 1.5 new fans.
By Nicole Russo
Pilobolus. Her Majestyʼs Theatre. 9 July 2014
Sitting in row E, waiting for the sold-out theatre to fill and for the show to commence, I begin wondering whether the ‘Shadow Land’ hype was just publicity spin. A bare stage, two dresses and a pair of trousers, jacket and cap hang on wires, left, right and centre stage; innumerable small props hang neatly around the sides of the stage; a small shadow screen sits upstage. That is it as far as I can see. An ethereal sound track is coming out of the loud speakers.
Then, the house lights dim. A young performer in bra and panties enters, walks up to the plain white dress hanging centre stage; and touches it. Whammo! A shattering clap of thunder and explosion of white light (I swear the whole audience was startled). It is on for young and old and we are enthralled by the sheer pace, physical virtuosity and morphing between realities over the next ninety minutes until the final curtain call and house lights up.
From the glossy well produced program: “Night. A small house on a small street. A teenage girl prepares for bed. She longs for independence, but to her parents she is still a little girl. With nowhere for her thoughts to go but into her dreams, she falls asleep only to wake to something lurking behind her bedroom wall — her shadow. The wall of her room suddenly starts to spin, trapping her on the other side. Unable to escape, the girl sets off on a journey of discovery, going deeper and deeper into Shadow Land, looking for a way out.”
The audience is skilfully propelled into a behind the looking glass dream world where everything is possible. The performances contain elements of gymnastics, modern dance and circus and the moment to moment character and shadow manipulation of the young male and female dancer’s lies at the core of the theatrical experience. They manipulate the props, their own bodies, and the young girl through her dream world of discovery as, in her dream, she turns into dog girl; meets good and bad men and women; and falls in love with a centaur, all before waking in the morning and realising that she is becoming a young woman.
The speed of change between realities is unbelievable. At one moment the ensemble is dancing on an empty stage, and what strong and lithe bodies these fit young men and women have. Suddenly a huge suspended shadow projection screen is lowered and this reality changes to shadow land/ dream reality. All props, lights, screens, and shadow images are manipulated by the onstage performers.
And the shadow images? From the smallest leaf, crab, or rock to an elephant and the arm of God - mostly constructed fluidly by the performer’s bodies as they are morphed into whatever... seamlessly presenting image after image. The soundscape composed by David Poe, is loud but never oppressive. From house lights down to house lights up it ranges through ballads, country and western, gentle folk music, raunchy hard driving rock and rich abstract sounds that fill Her Majesty’s auditorium to the back wall.
Pilobolus, an American dance company formed by a group of Dartmouth College students (New Hampshire) in 1971 with a manifesto to develop collaborative projects to break down the barriers between production disciplines, has toured around the world with its productions. ‘Shadow Land’ is at the end of its current Australian and New Zealand tour.
This is an amazingly joyous piece of serious and provocative physical theatre that never flags in energy. There are unexpected moments that catch the audience unawares. The final picking out of Adelaide in ‘Shadow Land’ body shapes accompanied by Men at Workʼs classic anthem, ‘Land Down Under’ brings the house down.
Read the hype. See the show. It will change your perception of what can be done, live, on stage in front of you... bodies, silhouettes, soundscape. A truly elevating theatrical experience.
Martin Christmas
When: 9 to 13 July
Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
The Addams Family Musical
Matt Byrne Media. Arts Theatre. 4 July 2014
Director, Matt Byrne has once again thrown caution to the wind and mounted a production previously untested on Adelaide audiences. This time it is ‘The Addams Family Musical’, and boy is it a spectacle to behold. With design by Anthony Dal Santo, costume creation by Sue Winston and Renee Brice, and lighting by Ian Barge and Mike Phillips, the show is a visual feast. Given the audience has to look at it for 2 hours 40 minutes that is a very good thing!
Although the writers were only allowed to base the stage production on the original comic strip and not the well-known television show, all of the usual characters are there – including a brief appearance from Thing.
The lead roles are all solidly cast and there is nary a weak performance on stage. Some players do shine, namely Sophie Hamilton as Wednesday Addams, Emma Bargery as Mortica Addams and Jamie Hornsby as Fester Addams. Hamilton was the perfect all-rounder singing her parts beautifully and delivering a very believable characterisation of a difficult role. Bargery delivered a typically strong performance and played a suitably sexy Mortica. She sang all her numbers beautifully, though they rarely showcased the extent of her voice musically. Hornsby was the comic scene stealer, and as the omnipresent narrator worked wonderfully both inside the show and when breaking the fourth wall; a truly enjoyable character.
Individually every person on the stage brought something special to this production. Michael Coumi as Gomez Addams certainly looked the part, and had excellent comic timing even if his accent switched between Zorro and The God Father a little. Chris Bussey’s Grandma Addams was outrageous and definitely had some of the best lines of the show - she was wonderful in her role.
Fiona Aitken and James McCluskey-Garcia were the perfect foil to the Addams family with their excessive normality as Alice and Mal Beineke. Aitken was particularly strong as the awkward, repressed wife and McClusky-Garcia strong in both character and voice.
Frank Cwiertniak had the ‘talkative’ part of Lurch and grunted his way through the near 3 hour run barely cracking a smile. Dylan Richardson looked a wonderful Pugsley and was a strong young actor.
Finally Jonathon Shilling relished his part as Lucas Beineke, the normal young man who has fallen for Wednesday Addams, and together with Hamilton delivered a believable relationship under abnormal strain.
Gordon Combes’ musical direction was solid, but the orchestra was frequently too loud to hear the lyrics clearly. Sound was a bit crackly on this particular night, and the leads could do with a few extra volume notches when singing with the ensemble.
Byrne has produced a wonderful production of a difficult show which would really benefit from a fat red pen. The first act is where it’s at, and really gives the show a solid story line before the interval. If the rights allow editing I would highly recommend that consideration for future productions. In the meantime however, get out and support some local theatre – you should be dying to get there…
Paul Rodda
When: 2 to 26 July
Where: Arts Theatre
Bookings: mattbyrnemedia.com.au