All New ExtremeShow. Wigley Reserve, Glenelg. 3 Jun 2018
Progress and animal rights have tried to close circuses. Rightly so in the case of wild animals.
And yet, despite the perils of tents and the exigencies of life on the road, the circus has found a way to stay alive in the cultural landscape. And so, after last year’s headline traumas of going into liquidation on the road, we find the Great Moscow Circus has reinvented itself and is now rather elegantly encamped on Wrigley Reserve at Glenelg.
The big top is a wonderful, fanciful structure but, inside, it is not as massive as the circuses of yore. The ring is much reduced in dimensions. You’d be pushing it to get an elephant in there, let alone a grand parade.
However, what Mark Edgley et al have done to create a modern incarnation of circus is to change the style, to update it while keeping the traditional circus character intact. It works.
There immediately is that sensation of being among “circus folk”, of an extended family doing everything from performance to roustabout. There are grannies and kids on the job. Everyone is welcoming and friendly. There’s popcorn and fairy floss and slushies to buy and vivid rainbow light wands. Guess what? The prices are not extortionate. Kids can ride the teacups for just $4 at interval and the every-player-wins-a-prize laughing clowns reward with decent little goodies.
Within the performance there is an artful something-for-everyone. "Ladies and Gentlemen, girls and boys”, calls the ringmaster, who is no longer in the ring but in a sound booth where he can conduct a panoply of music, effects and announcements.
In ringmaster garb, however, is a young pop singer who adds a new facet to circus performances, a touch of the Cirque de Soleil, with a spread of talent. She’s delightful.
The usual fare of fear and glamour is there for two solid hours of tightly-timed entertainment: motorbike tricks, high wires, rope artistes, an elegant gymnast, and more. Then there’s a big swing from which performers fling themselves through the air to land in a long, slippery sheet. Spectacular. There’s a fabulous hoop spinner. Then there’s the South American aerialist who walks the great spinning barrel. This is a perilous act. One hold’s one’s breath as he makes it more and more dangerous, all the time so brave and beamingly handsome and suave that there’s not a woman in the tent not falling in love with him.
No wild animals perform in circuses anymore; domesticated animals, yes. To that end, Moscow Circus has a team of tiny, tiny horses which trot around this way and that and look adorable. They are constantly rewarded with treats and look happy in their work under the instruction of a trainer with a funny flaccid whip. There also is a pony who, for lots of treats, does do tricks in a Pony-Saloon routine. It lies down on a bed and covers itself with a blanket.
The trampoline acrobats are a highlight of this circus. The trampoline is beside big wall with open doorways. The acrobats are dressed up like graffiti artists. The music is hip hop. They bounce and somersault higher and higher, in and out of the doors, up and down, faster and faster, clever, funny, inventive and utterly expert.
Ongoing acts are programmed seamlessly. The show moves swiftly, never dull.
The motorcycle Cage of Death is the climactic event. It is loud and fast, daredevil dangerous and as good as it gets.
And, the piece of final genius in this busy, classy circus is the clown who breaks with big-foot white-paint scary-clown tradition and is a swarthy Brazilian with a huge orange mohawk. He is called Walison Muh. He wears a head mike and functions with comic gibberish speak and myriad sound effects. He summons out audience members for lots of good-natured interactive shtick. It is very clever, very different and very funny.
At the end of the show, ears still ringing from spinning motorbike mayhem, the crowds emerge smiling and satisfied.
They had their money’s worth. No doubt.
Samela Harris
Performing at: Glenelg, Port Adelaide, Elizabeth, Port Lincoln
Schedule and bookings: thegreatmoscowcircus.com.au
South Australian Playwrights Theatre. Bakehouse Theatre. 29 May 2018
Retired engineer Frank Forbes of Regency Park is given his first computer in 1998 by his daughter who is flying the coop to snowy Vancouver (except it doesn't snow in Vancouver). Soon he is in touch with Ishaku, an agent for one of those Nigerian scammers that one hopes everyone has heard of by now.
Frank Forbes... is the world premiere production of a Matt Hawkins script developed within his South Australian Playwrights Theatre workshop. Hawkins indeed has the credentials to butt together our Adelaidean anybody with the shysters of Lagos, having worked as a writer in the Ghanaian film and TV industry - clearly a unique and no doubt rewarding experience. We thus get an excellent fly-on-the-wall observation of the scammers at work, served up with authentic Nigerian jargon, phrasing and body language. Hawkins also knows something about families; the uneasy relationships between Forbes, his mature daughter, Tracy, and the word portrait painted of his estranged son, Angus, are extremely accessible and at times, heartrending. And there is another theme - that of the dream of a better life where telling a good story to get some dough is not really stealing.
Hawkins packed more in the 35 minute second act than he did in the 55 minute first act. Short opening monologues by each of the four characters are soon forgotten once the narrative kicks in. Yet even after that warm-up, things were off to a slow start as we learn that poor Forbes has lost everything dear to him; prime pickings for the scam - alone, lonely, vulnerable and wishing to do something – anything – but for the wrong reasons.
Hawkins certainly imbues each character their particular voice and a high level of subtlety. Actor Brendan Cooney sympathetically lends Forbes a taut realism. Kimberley Fox has her Tracy underscore her perplexity at her Dad's unwavering rigidity with an unstated love and respect in a lovely performance. On the other side of the world in Lagos, Sheila Ablakwa's Jamilah looked radiant in colourful Nigerian traditional dress, which could be everyday dress over there for all one knows. Her female dignity as a business woman phishing team leader contrasted well with Stephen Tongun's exuberant throw-away energy as Frank's nemesis, Ishaku. Tongun adds dollops of drive and interest to the proceedings. Ishaku is first seen as a dreamer of movies in need of funding and a neophyte to the world of phone scamming. Tongun, and Hawkins doubling as director, successfully transited this earlier Ishaku into the brash and more sophisticated personae we see later. Hawkins’ deft direction also shows in converting static email conversations into lively personal interactions. Vancouver, Regency Park and Lagos have never been closer.
Yet one wasn't completely satisfied with the production. Perhaps the energy wasn't there to drive the first act into the second where the action accelerates. Maybe it's that Forbes' motives aren't well developed vis-á-vis his son Angus. Or that Forbes is actually a bit boring, as boring as Hawkins makes Adelaide out to be. Still,
Frank Forbes... is a nicely told yarn with an exotic flavour achieved in an accomplished cross of cultures.
David Grybowski
When: 22 May to 2 June
Where: Bakehouse Theatre
Bookings: bakehousetheatre.com
Marie Clark Musical Theatre. Arts Theatre. 26 May 2018
Spamalot was a hugely successful Broadway musical way back in 2005. It garnered 14 Tony Award nominations and won Best Musical, ran for 1500 performances and was seen by over 2 million people. Incredible. You may be more familiar with the precedent film of 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, or even the King Arthur/Camelot legend on which both are based.
Composer and lyricist Eric Idle's work, with music credits to John du Prez and Idle, is based on the original screenplay by the Monty Python mob including John Cleese, Michael Palin and Idle - some of the best British comedy talent of the time, and many would argue of all time. Director Brian Godfrey's last show for Marie Clark Musical Theatre was 2014's Young Frankenstein - The New Mel Brooks Musical, which won Curtain Call Awards for Best Amateur Musical and Best Ensemble, so we have a winning combination.
Godfrey revels in the farcical and absurdist tones of these works and Spamalot is a lavish and entertaining production. Interesting to see how the movie's favourite scenes are rendered on stage, some more successfully than others. Godfrey makes swift scene changes between proscenium-wide projections and physical detailing (Ben Stefanoff - set design). With Rachel Dow's and Rebekah Stonelaitken's choreography, the whole thing moves along at a cracker pace.
You will love all the quirky personae that are encountered on the quest, from the rude French Taunters to the Knights of Ni and The Black Knight. In all, more than 23 characters were played by eight busy actors. Michael Butler's King Arthur linked together the various adventures in the quest for the cup; he is relaxed, jovial and ready to bogey after a bar or two of each song. Buddy Dawson once again shows why he is a charismatic triple threat, with his scene-stealing Sir Robin et al. Jamie Wright played his several roles distinctively yet united with a casual cheeky insouciance. Damien Quick had the necessary effeminacy and melodious voice to make his Prince Herbert a very sweet treat. In the show I saw, the amazing Kristin Stefanoff was hauled off the chorus to fill in for Casmira Hambledon in her role of The Lady of the Lake; she did an outstanding job after less than 24 hours notice. Bravo! Sebastian Cooper and Chris Bierton as the other two knights were also notable in a strong cast.
Costumes were brilliantly naff, such as the knights' silver sequined armour and welder's gloves gauntlets. The dismemberment of four limbs of The Black Knight took too long in two scenes. Lighting designer Rodney Bates put on a disco show that would not have been out of place in Saturday Night Fever. The sound system quality was extremely good; all the better to hear the Spanish Inquisition Band belt out the favourite tunes under the always proficient direction of Ben Stefanoff. My complaint was the extremely annoying Mario video game music that repeated every 15 seconds during the interval; it was enough to drive you to the foyer to drink. Hmm. Maybe that was the idea.
A visit to Spamalot will have you looking on the bright side of life in no time.
David Grybowski
When: 25 May to 2 June
Where: Arts Theatre
Bookings: marieclark.asn.au
Red Phoenix Theatre. Holden Street Theatres. 25 May 2018
So it comes to pass that history is littered with mad men in power. As we wring our hands over Trump and Kim Jong Un, we perhaps may take quivering comfort in the fact that Rome once upon a time had what one could only call a completely sinister psycho as it leader.
Caligula was reputed to have had a child’s head cut off to cure his cough.
He had people executed just to make a point. If life was dull for him, he’d close the grain stores and cause a famine.
According to this theatrical interpretation of Caligula’s life, one written by Albert Camus and newly translated by David Grieg, 29-year-old Caligula had suffered some sort of dark epiphany at the death of his sister, with whom he had an incestuous relationship, and he believed that life was absolutely pointless. Hence, his rule over Rome, its citizens and its patricians, was to be one of pitiless menace. His subjects were to be his playthings.
In Michael Eustice’s sleek Red Phoenix production, the Roman senators are a clutch of lazy, opportunistic and conniving acolytes. Eustice has cast them beautifully and clad them in elaborate short togas in which the actors have had to learn to bend from knee like girls had to do in the miniskirt era. These awkward togas are almost characters in their own right and they would be distracting were it not for Robert Bell’s portrayal of Caligula. What a portrait of sublime insouciance he paints. How perfectly has he tapped into Caligula’s lethal mood swings: calculating, bored, unsympathetic, charming, manipulative, ever remorseless. His movements are considered, carefully paced, just as his words are enunciated to the last spit of an articulate “t”. He vamps. He torments. And, oh, what a surprisingly effective visual treat arrives when he is unveiled as Venus.
Well directed and artfully compelling for every moment he is onstage, Robert Bell continues to be an exciting presence on the Adelaide stage.
The actors in togas playing the bevy of senatorial yes men are clearly having fun with their roles. They’re fine and seasoned actors all, and they can measure the degree to which they may ham it up. They are David Grybowski, David Lockwood, Joshua Coldwell, John Rosen, Malcolm Walton, and Adrian Barnes. The world “patrician” does not spring to mind as they establish their characters. They are a political parody. They cluster, they swarm, they mass, they grovel, their movements very nicely plotted by director Michael Eustice.
His brother Brant Eustice plays Cherea, the brains of the pack and the man from whom Caligula seems to seek approval. Eustice is a poignant picture of troubled integrity as he sits reluctantly on the throne with Caligula at his feet. As with his interactions with the young poet, Scipio, touchingly played by Mark Mulders, Caligula is hellbent on proving that everything is hypocrisy. Loyalty to one cause is disloyalty to the opposing one. Heads, he wins. Tails, you lose. Camus’s play is a wonderfully provocative contemplation on ethics and morals, on love and principles, on power and madness, on political intrigue and political expediency.
Women are relegated to the background in this world. Their power depends upon Caligula’s favour and this is mercurial. They work hard to maintain self-preservation. Helicoin is the one-time slave who became her master’s muse, the wise counsel who neither wins nor loses. For the wonderful Tracy Walker, her character is a walk in the park. Similarly, Lyn Wilson is solid and simpatico as Caesonia, the older woman who assumes the role of his lover. Her denouement is heart-stopping. Ruby Faith as one of cruel Caligula's playthings makes good effect of a cameo role.
Many are the magical moments of this Red Phoenix production, set on a darkly minimalist stage featuring a great dulled mirror on which Caligula may confirm reflections of his greatness. The lighting is effective and the logistics of using three entrance and exit areas of The Studio bring the audience right into the embrace of the action.
Potent, at moments funny, Caligula is another deeply rewarding Red Phoenix night at Holden Street.
Samela Harris
When: 24 May to 2 Jun
Where: Holden Street Theatres
Bookings: holdenstreettheatres.com or 8225 8888
State Opera Of Sa. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 15 May 2018
There are two performances left of this highly satisfying production: Thursday 17 and Saturday 18 May. Note that curtain up is at 7:30pm, so don’t arrive for an 8:00pm start like several did last night thereby missing the exquisitely beautiful and iconic tenor-baritone duet Au fond du temple saint (which translates as In the depths of the temple).
The latecomers missed an absolute treat. Baritone Grant Doyle (as Zurga) and tenor Andrew Goodwin (as Nadir) combined to produce an exquisitely balanced performance of In the depths…, and both owe a debt of gratitude to conductor Graham Abbott for setting an ideal pace and dynamic acoustic landscape that perfectly complimented their voices. There have been more vibrant and vocally powerful renditions but none have been sweeter or more heart felt.
Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers is a pleasing opera, but it does stand in stark contrast to Bizet’s other well-known opera Carmen and does not obviously plumb the same depths of emotion. However, it includes some sumptuous orchestration and many memorable lyrical melody lines. Abbott, who is one of Australia’s finest musical commentators and music makers, provides some deep insights in his program notes and comments that many of the harmonies attempt to evoke the mystical East and are “intriguing and delicious”. With that understanding he extracted the very best from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and breathed freshness and new life into the score.
Director Michael Gow chose to set the opera in the times of colonial Europe. Unlike many attempts at ‘updating’ the setting of an opera, this reimagining works quite well, but is probably unwarranted. As expressed in the program notes, the rationale for it is more academic than inspired. At times Gow’s direction was a little uninspired, with a number of ‘stand and sing’ scenes.
Robert Kemp’s set was constructed on a grand scale and evoked the sense of a colonial garrison located in Ceylon with local indigenous influences. Zurga and Nadir were played as colonials while the other principals and members of the chorus were costumed as Ceylonese.
Matt Scott’s lighting was a highlight of the show, with compelling effects of seascapes, starry nights, tropical storms and fiery infernos.
Pelham Andrews played Nourabad with requisite menace and the audience was never in doubt that he was the ‘baddy’.
The standout of the production, apart from Abbott’s masterful control of the mighty Adelaide Symphony orchestra, was soprano Desiree Frahn in the role of Leila. Every note she sang soared from the stage like a graceful bird on the wing. Nothing was forced, no wasted tremolo - just a beautiful purity that was in perfect empathy with the character she was portraying.
This production is definitely worth ‘taking in’. Whether you are opera-curious, or a seasoned opera connoisseur, this production offers much.
Kym Clayton
When: 12 to 19 May
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au