Guuranda

Adelaide Festival. Insite Arts & Adelaide Festival. Her Majesty’s Theatre. 2 Mar 2024

 

Here is a landmark piece of First Nations theatre.

 

As a major Adelaide Festival Commissioned work, it reaches for the stars - and it almost catches them.

 

It certainly puts the name of its artistic director, writer, and choreographer, Jacob Boehme, up there in lights.

This Narungga Kaurna man has delivered choreographic ingenuity which steps lightly back into the integrity of Aboriginal traditional dance. He has extracted an essence, a timeless physical beauty and whimsy which draws not only on that delicious humour of our First Nations people but also their innate skill at mimicry. Like basket reeds of the river Murray, it is woven into the many and varied dance compositions of this complex work.

 

The program notes reveal that Guuranda is a telling of the Yorke-Peninsula, Narungga Country, origin stories.

To read this program, one must go online. It prints out in ten pages, and one wonders, with a Festival theatre production of such immense significance and doubtless, cost, why skimp on this essential piece of cultural communication? There is also a splendid art-illustrated song book downloadable.  While the production is a large-scale spectacle with video and song and dance and puppetry and overall technical brilliance, the Dreamtime stories, which ever were inscrutable to European minds, are as esoteric in narrative as they are dramatic to behold.

 

The production is largely sung in language with monumental video images of songman Warren Milera and songwoman Sonya Rankine flanking the stage. Superb.

 

Over and over again, the drama and beauty elicited by the lighting of this show takes the breath away. Ten out of ten to lighting designer Jenny Hector. 

 

There’s a huge family choir which comes, most literally, to light on the stage; women holding bubs, kids sitting at their feet. As the dancers move in front of them, the difference in scale reveals that they are illusory, a very clever video presence. And they sing and sing their “Narungga buggi buggilu” chorus about the beginning of Narungga Dreaming.

 

The music composed by James Henry is very strong with voices often in dirge, and sometimes with dramatic instrumental adornment. Recurring percussive expressions are quite profound.  There’s a constant echo of sorrow and anger. 

 

The raison d’etre of the piece is best explained by the Elders who are present in voice and video, filmed chatting around cups of tea perhaps at Point Pierce. They talk about the beloved Narungga landscape noting how farming can impede access to some sacred places. 

 

These Elders, Uncle Rex Angie, Aunty Deanna Newchurch, Uncle Eddie Newchurch and Aunty Ninni - are integral to the creation of the show and the stories they have told have come through the oral tellings of generations to showcase in this Festival.

Among them is Buthera, a Narungga giant who left marks all over Guuranda’s landscape and Gadli, a boy who was cursed to become a dingo for telling lies.

 

The dancers swirl and undulate their timeless landscape.  This insightful choreography, Boeme explains in the program notes, is based on the Memory in Movement ethos of Philipe Genty and Mary Underwood. There are some sensational dancers in the troupe. And the costumes are exciting, fascinating, and strikingly elegant under the design of Kathryn Sproul.

 

Indeed, there is much for admiration and wonderment. As for the puppets! The production has sourced right from the top. Philip Millar, formerly of Polyglot Theatre, has created vivid and characterful giant dogs, never to be forgotten. Dancers control them wiggling their bottoms to wag their doggy tails. And as for the massive emu…!

These gorgeous creatures mime storylines, each one offering a message of some kind. Good and evil. War and creation.

 

More tales are shown via interesting cartoon windows, big white portholes aloft on the stage, wherein shadow figures enact violent scenes with commentary in willy-wagtail song. These seem less successful, breaking cultural authority with cartoon-sound words. The schools’ groups in the audience relate to this, however, and at a moment of suspense, break out with their own sound effect. A welcome funny moment...

 

The production values of this show are ace. Kylie O’Loughlin’s artwork is ace. The technology is ace. The choreographer is close to genius.

There’s a lot of love on the stage and in the room.

But there could be more easily accessible explanation.

 

Samela Harris

 

When: 2 to 3 Mar

Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre

Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au

007 Voices Of Bond

★★★★

Adelaide Fringe. Regal Theatre. 2 Mar 2024

 

007 Voices of Bond is a celebration of everything musical about the James Bond movies which first exploded onto our silver screens in 1962 with Dr No. Regardless of whether you are a Bond aficionado or merely a dilettante, everyone knows and is shaken (not stirred) by the sound of the iconic main signature theme, or hearing the phrase “Bond, James Bond”, or listening to their favourite title song from whichever movie, and there have been so many.

 

This is exactly what to expect from 007 Voices of Bond presented by the quality UK company Night Owl Shows. On stage there are four musicians playing rhythm and bass guitars, drums, shakers, and keyboard (synthesizer / organ / piano / other sampled instruments), and two vocalists (one of whom plays the saxophone as well). Between them they produce a hugely impressive sound which is at all times musical and well mixed. Only occasionally one might question the orchestration selected on the synthesizer, but that’s being really picky! I repeat, the sound they produce is just so good, and the vocals are first rate.

 

Presenting a concert of famous James Bond songs is a real challenge for singers. Most films in the franchise have a theme song, and over the years they have been written by various luminary composers, including John Barry, Lionel Bart, Don Black, Paul McCartney, Carole Bayer Sager, Tim Rice, Duran Duran, Madonna, Adele, Sam Smith and Billie Eilish and the list goes on. The songs have been sung by the likes of Matt Monro, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Paul McCartney & Wings, Lulu, Carly Simon, Duran Duran, A-ha, Tina Turner and so it goes on. The styles of the songs and the very nature of their composition and structure makes some suited to one type of voice and not to another. So, to bundle a selection together would seem to require a battery of different singers. But, for 007 Voices of Bond Night Owl have found two singers of enormous talent that relatively easily manage the demands of diverse songs and styles.

 

From the serenading style of Matt Monro in From Russia with Love to the mournful tones of Billie Eilish in No Time to Die, Agent 006 (aka Angus Munro) wows the audience with his high energy, tuneful, and generously warm voice. He also knows how to turn it on for special effect, such as in Writing’s on the Wall made famous by Sam Smith and which requires a robust and sustained falsetto. Munro nailed it.

 

Similarly, Agent 004 (aka Ella McCready) does Shirley Bassey proud in Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever, and shows the versatility of her voice in For Your Eyes Only (and, for this reviewer, rivals Sheena Easton’s original).

 

The concert is a veritable cornucopia of songs. Others included Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, and more. They are all delivered with great style, sincerity, and sustained excellence.

 

Songs are introduced with quips, anecdotes and comic lines about the films and the songs, but the patter doesn’t always hit its mark. But they are musicians, classy ones at that, and not stand-up comedians, and it’s the music we came for.

 

Of course, singers need musicians behind them, and the ensemble is excellent, with every instrument taking its share of centre stage and contributing to mostly excellent orchestrations. The musician on keys is very fine indeed. The sound engineering is well done and empathetic to the venue, and the lighting and staging is a cut above what one normally expects in the Fringe.

 

Night Owl have many other “show-umentary” shows in the Fringe, featuring the stories and music of some of the greatest singers and songwriters, including The Elton John Story, California Dreams – Sounds of LA 1965-75, The Music of Adele, The Fleetwood Mac Songbook, and many others. These are not merely tribute band shows, they are thoroughly enjoyable and classy musical events.

 

Kym Clayton

 

When: Closed

Where: Regal Theatre

Bookings: Closed

The Wizard of Oz

★★★★★

Adelaide Fringe. Adelaide Academy & Theatre Bugs. 1 Mar 2024 (Oz cast)

 

There aren’t too many musicals where the iconic song comes in the first act of the production, but Somewhere Over the Rainbow comes crooning in almost before you’re ready for it in The Wizard of Oz. Samara Perkovic as Dorothy Gale is sweet, curious, and just a bit sassy, interpreting the character beautifully. And Toto is just perfect, Caterina Landi in doggy costume, with such an expressive face!

 

The scenery is pure Kansas, with rear projected sepia photography depicting the middle America farmland where Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em (Steph Andrejewskis) and Uncle Henry (Thomas Wake-Dyster). The transition to full colour after Dorothy and Toto are caught in the twister and land in Oz is seamless. At this point one of the limitations of the Concert Hall becomes clear, when younger members of the audience cannot see over the heads of larger people in front of them, and there’s a bit of standing and craning to see the legs of the Wicked Witch of the East trapped under the house. For the most part however, the action is further back on the stage and visibility is pretty good.

 

Director Georgia Brass has ensured that all the young players get their moment in the sun, and while there are a few extraneous moments, for the most part the direction is sharp and intelligent, keeping the action moving along in what is quite a long show for youngsters. She’s also had a bit of fun with the script, dropping in a few more contemporary references eg The Lion King. At times the adherence to the twangy American accent got in the way of articulation and there were some lines that we just didn’t get, but for the most part, they played it well. The greater issue on the night was gremlins in the onstage sound; fortunately, this was corrected fairly quickly.

 

Vasileia Markou as the Wicked Witch of the West is suitably nasty, and one young audience members was moved to a terrified scream as her green face appeared! Her strong performance showed that she relished the role, and who wouldn’t?

 

The Scarecrow (Emily Rawlings), the Tinman (Elliot Purdie) and the Lion (Ryan Tillman) had a lot of fun with their roles (particularly Lion) and all exhibited impressive comic timing – they were amongst the best stage portrayals of these characters that I have seen. The classic costuming was superb, contributing to the trio’s outstanding performances.

 

Musical Director Nicole Willis has worked the young cast well, and while the high notes escaped the principals occasionally, the ensemble numbers were performed with a skill and enthusiasm which belied the ages of some of the performers.

 

Choreography by Jacinta Vistoli and costumes must get a special mention. Just sensational. While there are clearly some experienced young dancers in the fold, the choreography was geared to an inclusive experience for all skill levels, and the cast took it up with gusto and determination. She should be very proud of the outcome of this cast’s performance.As for the costumes – the creativity and attention to detail of the ensemble players was exemplary. Each scene change brought a new and delightful change of costumes – Munchkins, Winkie Guards, Winged Monkeys, Apple Trees, Lollipop Guild – there were no secondary characters when it came to their wardrobe.

 

The Wizard of Oz is one of the best productions I have seen from this company, and all involved are to be congratulated. Accomplished, delightful, engaging, and entertaining – brava!

 

Arna Eyes-White

 

Where: Norwood Concert Hall

When: 1 to 3 Mar

Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au

The Nightingale and Other Fables

Adelaide Festival. Festival Theatre. 1 Mar 2024

 

From the moment the performance of The Nightingale and Other Fables begins, it’s wonderment quickly engulfs you as you regress back to childhood when the distinction between fantasy and reality was vague. For the duration of the show, you are aware (just) as an audience member that your face is constantly smiling, and you are frequently and innocently uttering oohs and ahhhs. As internationally renowned Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and director Robert Lepage says in his program notes: “…each time, we should go to the theatre: with the open mind of a child”.

 

The Nightingale and Other Fables is the headline event of the 2024 Adelaide Festival, and it is truly remarkable. Please go if you can. It is a wondrous experience and celebration of exciting orchestral music composed by modernist Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971), superb operatic singing by both international and Australian artists, and world class puppetry including shadow, hand, and marionette puppets in which puppeteers, who are also singers, can be seen working them.

 

The Nightingale and Other Fables is a co-production of Opera national de Lyon, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Canadian Opera Company, and Dutch National Opera, in collaboration with Ex Machina, which is a multidisciplinary Canadian theatre company founded by Lepage himself. Ex Machina foregrounds the use of puppets in their various forms and their use is the perfect medium for bringing the stories told in The Nightingale and Other Fables to life.

 

The Nightingale and Other Fables is an all-Stravinsky extravaganza. It is a concatenation of Stravinsky’s short opera The Nightingale, which is performed after the interval, and other shorter works in the first half of the program. Both halves work very well together, and this ‘pairing’ was devised by Lepage for the 2009 Canadian Opera season. It is genius.

 

The first half of the evening is introduced by less well-known works by Stravinsky: some up-tempo jazz-inflected orchestral music and solo clarinet pieces, Russian folk songs, a song cycle about cats, and a performance of the small chamber opera-ballet The Fox. The clarinet is performed superbly by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s principal clarinet Dean Newcombe. The vocal selections are carefully chosen to allow stories to be told through puppetry to the largest extent possible, and to create a sense of the unusual. The puppeteers are in full view of the audience who are exposed to their artistry in all its glory. It is often humorous, sometimes melancholy, but always thrilling. It is also an enjoyable challenge to divide one’s attention between observing the process of the art of the puppeteers as it is to watch the actual outcome. (“What are they doing? How did they do that?”). In fact, one almost feels like a voyeur at times but always rapt by the performance!

 

The performance of the opera The Nightingale is however the showstopper. The full might of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (including expanded percussion section, two harps, celeste, and an infrequently seen cimbalom) is upstage with the State Opera Chorus in two files in front, and a smaller acting area. The choristers have been beautifully prepared by Chorus Master Anthony Hunt, and are superbly costumed, with costumes, wigs and makeup designed by Mara Gottler. To top it off, the orchestra pit has been transformed into a swimming pool in which small oriental boats are paddled and delightful exotic creatures frolic. Carl Fillion’s set design is a visual feast, and Etienne Boucher’s lighting design carefully and evocatively reveals all its fine detail.

 

The plot of The Nightingale is simple. Based on a tale by Hans Christian Andersen, a Chinese Emperor is introduced to the beautiful singing of a nightingale, and is deeply moved. However, the Japanese Emperor makes a gift of a mechanical nightingale and the real nightingale flies away in disgust. The Chinese emperor later falls deathly ill and desires for the return of the real bird, who agrees to do so if Death will spare the Emperor, which indeed happens, and … they all live happily ever after. All characters in the opera are ‘played’ by exquisitely made and costumed puppets, and expertly manipulated by their singer/operators. The puppets are designed by Michael Curry and choreographed by Martin Genest. It is mesmerizing. Of course, none of it happens without people singing and bringing the puppets to life. The principal singers are all excellent, and feature sopranos Yuliia Zasimova and Yuliya Pogrebnyak, tenors Owen McCausland, Robert Macfarlane and Norbert Hohl, basses Taras Berezhansky, Jud Arthur and pelham Andrews, contralto Meredith Arwady, and baritone Nabil Suliman. They are well supported by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and conductor Alejo Pérez.

 

It is too easy to flatter this production, but it merits every single praiseworthy word.

 

Kym Clayton

 

When: 1 to 6 Mar

Where: Festival Theatre

Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au