By Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott. Sydney Theatre Company.
The Canberra Theatre Centre. 15 September 2015
Australian comedian Michael Veitch was once quoted as saying, “I think that there is a hunger for comedy…So much of the world is presented to us as a kind of impervious block of information, and what satire does is say well, actually, no, you don't have to look at everything the way that society wants you to look at it. You can see the absurdities in it, you don't have to take it as seriously as they want you to take it.”
Nowhere in Australia does this ring truer than Canberra this week, with all the media saturation regarding the nation’s most recent leadership spill to absorb. And so it is impossibly perfect timing that The Wharf Revue (featuring Jonathan Biggins, Amanda Bishop, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott) comes sailing into town at the exact same time that people are screaming out for some comedic perspective on this turmoil.
But one cannot help but imagine the panic of the Revue’s writers as they rocked up to the ACT this week with polished script in hand, only to find out that political history is perhaps for the first time one step ahead of them. It is probably just as well then that this year’s The Wharf Revue contains a lot of recycled material from previous shows, in honour of its 15th anniversary.
Some old favourites packing the running sheet are Bob Hawke and Paul Keating up to their old tricks in the nursing home, Clive Palmer and Gina Rhinehart’s classic ‘Titanic’ duet, the last days of Fuhrer Howard, the paranoia infused Latham Diaries, and Julia Gillard being kidnapped by Kevin ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Rudd. As such, there is only a mere nod to the more up to the minute developments at Parliament House on offer.
However, there is still plenty of room for their unique brand of satirical treatment to be applied to 14/15’s more memorable events both here in Australia and abroad. The Greek Financial Crisis gets a brilliantly tacky Eurovision/Grease makeover (I’ve got bills, they’re multiplying), Clive Palmer and Dio Wang struggle to manage a two-person party with a vignette reminiscent of Who’s on First, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke, who is competing with Kevin Rudd for the position of the next UN Secretary-General, makes an appearance as lead singer of a side splitting Kiwi beatnik band.
Not surprisingly there is also a Bronwyn Bishop helicopter gag thrown in, as well as a nasal, hip hopping Christopher “the fixer” Pyne. George Brandis also graces the stage donning a pink tutu and slippers, flitting about to The Nutcracker and lamenting the state of the arts.
But it isn’t until the Les Miserables send-up (Les Liberables) that the audience get the fix they are no doubt anticipating – that of Tony Abbott’s fall and Malcolm Turbull’s uncomfortably fresh rise to power. It is unclear whether this is written in to the script at the last minute or if it is simply an astute prediction conjured up well before the fact – either way, the cast look like they are relishing the awkwardness of the moment.
As always, the cast are on point with their material and flawless in executing their well-honed impersonations. Having seen The Wharf Revue a number of times in past years, their talents never fail to impress. They would have to be some of the most diverse and self-sufficient bunch of performers in the country, with lustrous voices that can take on any range, chameleon-like abilities to transform into almost any personality imaginable, formidable writing skills and some musical genius to boot. What’s more, they work exceptionally well together as a team and radiate an admirable sense of camaraderie.
However, effusively praising this troupe that come from just across the border is clearly preaching to the converted in Canberra – if audience numbers and enthusiasm for the show are anything to go by year after year. In saying this, it isn’t the best production they have ever brought to town (Debt Defying Acts is still the pinnacle in my view), but rather ‘the best of’ The Wharf Revue this time around. But if this week is anything to go by, they will have plenty of rich new fodder to work with for the 16th instalment.
Deborah Hawke
When: 15 to 26 Sep
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre
Bookings: canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Big hART. The Canberra Theatre Centre. 2 Sep 2015
As a Canberra lass, I often drive through the quaint alpine town of Cooma on my way to somewhere else. Of course I take note of the Snowy Hydro Scheme Discovery Centre as one of the attractions that doesn’t involve ski and snow chain hire. However, I fail to comprehend the significant changes the building of this engineering marvel made to the social fabric of the town and its surrounding areas. Ghosts in the Scheme pays homage to this interesting chapter of New South Wales’s regional history.
Ghosts in the Scheme is written and directed by Scott Rankin of Big hART, an Australian arts company with a strong social justice ethos. It marks a departure from their Indigenous focus they have had to date, with acclaimed theatre productions such as Namatjira, Ngapartji Ngapartji and Hipbone Sticking Out, to take a more global perspective.
It’s not just the cultural subject matter that has changed in this latest offering by Big hART. Ghosts in the Scheme moves away from the very distinctive, free flowing campfire story telling that defined the productions mentioned above, to more of a fictional melodrama punctuated with historical snippets.
The play revolves around the lives of Morgan (Bruce Myles) and Grace (Anne Grigg), a married Anglo-Australian couple who grew up amongst Cooma’s massive cultural changes resulting from the Snowy Hydro’s migrant workers. Also featured is their friend Tony (Lex Marinos), a European immigrant whose father worked on the Scheme.
Morgan is a recently retired local newspaper photographer, reflecting on his years of work and wanting to put his photographs of Cooma to use in a historical exhibition. Grace is a dissatisfied wife, harbouring an open secret that is leading their marriage to breaking point. Tony, diagnosed with a degenerative disease, is caught in the middle of their acrimony.
While this storyline starts out quite disjointed, it does unravel into something intriguing and serves as a vehicle for reminiscing about Cooma’s hey day. However, it seems that Rankin has, on this occasion, buried the lead. The small world of Morgan, Grace and Tony’s turmoil really just feels like a distraction from the real story, which is actually the exciting, dangerous, melting pot history of Cooma – to which the audience is only treated to a small taste.
In terms of performance, Myles, Grigg and Marinos are compelling. The chemistry between them is powerful and they engage in a fun and easy manner with the audience in some cleverly scripted ‘breaking the fourth wall’ moments. It’s just that one expects Ghosts in the Scheme to paint a colourful canvas of Cooma’s past and the lives of those that made it their community, rather than the fictional threesome that relegate Cooma as background noise to their foibles.
There are some Cooma locals from a diverse cultural background (Roslyn Carroll, Margaret Keefe, Nettji Thereciana, Tyas Smith and Claire Neumeyer) present on stage for the production, though they mostly play token roles; meandering around looking slightly awkward, mumbling random musings and joining in with some of the songs.
Suave eastern European band Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentleman (featuring Mikelangelo, Pip Branson, Guy Freer, Sam Martin and Philip Moriarty) are also integrated into the production, performing some quirky Cooma-themed musical interludes. Mikelangelo’s hypnotically deep baritone voice is especially enjoyable to listen to. The band’s presence mostly worked, despite seeming out of sync with the storyline at times, and went some way to give the audience the historical fix they are starved of.
As with all Big hART productions, Ghosts in the Scheme is visually sumptuous. The creative team behind this aspect of the show (Gillian Schwab, Mic Gruchy and Genevieve Dugard) are highly innovative, using image projection to create some stunning effects that transport the senses.
Although Ghosts in the Scheme doesn’t pack the same punch as Big hART’s previous works, it’s still a powerful production – just for the wrong reasons. Regardless, there will no doubt now be many more Canberrans giving Cooma more than just a passing thought next time they travel through there on their way to somewhere else.
Deborah Hawke
When: 2 to 5 Sep
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre
Bookings: Closed
By John Steinbeck. A Sport for Jove Theatre Company and Seymour Centre Co-Production. The Canberra Theatre Centre. 8 Aug 2015
When you watch productions such as Of Mice and Men you realise just how vapid and self-conscious contemporary entertainment can be. This is a story borne out of a time when troubles were so painfully real but also when people had the time and attention to reflect, observe and even ruminate on the state of affairs with immense depth. It doesn’t rely on an overly convoluted plotline or ad nauseam script to convey complexity, but rather a fearless articulation that strikes with precision right into the heart of matters.
The language used may be shocking to a society now adjusted to political correctness, but there is something about the unadulterated honesty in Of Mice and Men that is, to some extent, novel and refreshing. There have been examples where plays penned in less enlightened times have been censored so as to not offend the modern theatre aficionado. In many ways this practice is tantamount to historical revisionism and prevents us from seeing the past with clear eyes.
This particular version of the play goes to great pains to remain authentic to the original tale written by John Steinbeck in 1937. In particular, the Australian (with the exception of Charles Allen as Crooks, who hails from Tennessee) cast’s commitment to perfecting their salt-of-the-earth American accents is impressive. Australian actors so frequently make audiences cringe at the cheesiness of their attempt at an American accent, but these guys (and gal) simply nail it. In fact, Of Mice and Men is one of the most superbly cast productions to grace a stage in Canberra for some time.
If Anthony Gooley as the quick-and-compassionate George and Andrew Henry as the innocent-yet-alarmingly-dangerous Lennie don’t win prestigious performing arts awards in the coming year, then it will be a grave injustice. Both of their performances are masterful, and nuanced to a fine polish. As the odd couple thrown together by circumstance, they charismatically lure the audience in to join them on their blundering journey – despite us knowing full well that things are going to end badly.
The accomplished supporting cast featuring Laurence Coy (Candy), Christopher Stollery (Slim), John McNeil (Carlson), Charles Allen (Crooks), Tom Stokes (Whit), Andre de Vanny (Curley), Anna Houston (Curley’s Wife) and Terry Serio (The Boss) are collectively the most phenomenal team of actors one could possibly hope for. Each one of them plumbs the depths in their respective roles and the camaraderie between them is ever-present.
While the acting alone is enough to keep you glued to your seat, there is also an abundance of talent at work in the ambient elements of the show. Besides his role as The Boss, Terry Serio also contributes as the solo guitarist during the melancholy musical interludes, transporting you right into the harsh environment of the Depression-Era Californian barley fields. Likewise, the dim, yellow-tinged lighting (Sian James-Holland) and uber rustic set design (Michael Hankin) is beautifully authentic, with the set changes creatively woven into the play as chores in the characters’ workdays.
By the concluding moments of the show, the characters are so completely under one's skin that it's impossible to not be overcome with concern and compassion for them – making the heart stopping finale just that much more haunting in the following few moments of stunned, silent darkness.
One could rave about Of Mice and Men until the cows come home, but to pay homage to Steinbeck a succinct conveyance of appreciation is in order – and reading this review any longer would just mean a delay in you discovering this story for yourself. It’s a fascinating investigation into one of the most profound issues we face in human societies, the treatment of our most vulnerable, and is a highlight of the 2015 theatrical calendar.
Deborah Hawke
When: 6 to 8 August
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre
Bookings: Closed
Queanbeyan City Council. The Q Theatre. 30 Jul 2015
In the film production of Grease back in 1978, the leading characters played by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were aged 28 and 23 respectively. So it almost came as a surprise when many of the cast members of this version of the stage production actually looked, well, more like high schoolers.
The film was my introduction to the phenomenon that is Grease, even though it is predated by the stage production by six years. The natural comparison one makes in these circumstances is inevitable, but also not exactly fair given the resources and big names that were brought in for the movie.
I have seen one other offering of the stage production many years ago, though the Queanbeyan City Council’s is closer to a pure version of the original (with some exceptions). You find no Australian Sandy Olsson in this play, but rather the all-American Sandy Dumbrowski (Rosanna Boyd), as well as a slightly rougher diamond Danny (Marcus Hurley).
To be honest, the stage version does seem to make a lot more sense – the order of events tells a much more cohesive story and the context of the relationships between the characters are not glossed over. In every movie adaption there needs to be sacrifices made, but you realise the extent of some of these holes after experiencing the story as intended.
No matter what version of Grease you are talking about, its catchy and ‘eternally popular at weddings’ songs are always the centrepieces of the production. In this respect, the talent of the cast of this play are hit and miss.
Boyd as the visually well-cast Sandy has what you would describe as an angelic voice, but comes across as physically paralysed – hitting all the right notes but lacking emotion and free movement in her performance. While her renditions of It’s Raining On Prom Night and Hopelessly Devoted To You are technically admirable, she is much too inhibited to access enough feeling to make it the experience it could have been.
Hurley, as Danny, has his shining moment with the heart wrenching drive-in ballad Sandy, but disappoints with Summer Nights where, again, there is a lack of passion in its execution and the occasional struggle to keep up with the vocal demands of the song. His duet with Boyd in You’re The One That I Want is also excruciatingly awkward – this is the one song you want to get right.
Probably the biggest let-down is Greased Lightning, with Liam Downing’s take on Kenickie leading the number towards certain doom. The choreography is absolutely cringe worthy, and Downing’s singing ability is still very much a work in progress.
One of the standouts is Vanessa de Jager as Rizzo, who performs a spine tingling version of There Are Worse Things I Could Do. Her embodiment of Rizzo is highly finessed and I especially love how she nails her scene during the Hand Jive where she and Kenickie are booted off the stage.
The prize for best comedic duo for Grease hands down goes to Dave Collins as Roger and Sophie Hopkins as Jan, with the satirical number Mooning. They are an absolute riot as this shy and awkward pair, with Collins taking the climax of the song to surprisingly lofty and hysterical heights.
The remaining Pink Ladies – Frenchy (Risa Craig), Marty (Amelia Juniper-Grey), and the T-Birds – Tristan Davies (Doody), Lachlan Agett (Sonny), are all up to the challenge in their respective roles, as are supporting cast members, Hayden Crosweller (Eugene) and Ashley Di Berardino (Sandy’s frenemy Patty).
However, where this production excels is when the cast joins forces for the ensemble numbers such as Those Magic Changes, We Go Together, and Shakin’ At The High School Hop. These are moments of unbridled exuberance and energy with some really eye-poppingly choreographed formations (by Jordan Kelly) and vibrantly arranged lighting (by Hamish McConchie) – making them the highlights of the evening.
Despite the inconsistencies of some of the lead characters, there is still so much to love about this show. While there is some work to do to bring the quality up to a more professional standard, this production of Grease is tight enough to command your attention for the long haul and guarantee a fun night out – and perhaps even inspire a few sing-alongs in the car on the way home.
Deborah Hawke
When: 29 Jul to 15 Aug
Where: The Q Theatre
Bookings: theq.net.au
Dance Stories of Land and Sea. Bangarra Dance Theatre. The Canberra Theatre Centre. 11 Jul 2015
If the only exposure you had to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was the mainstream media, you would be forgiven for thinking that they are one big amorphous mass; completely indistinguishable from each other. Of course, there is nothing further from the truth, with great variations in their cultures as you move across the country.
Bangarra Dance Theatre’s (featuring Elma Kris, Yolande Brown, Tara Gower, Leonard Mickelo, Jasmin Sheppard, Tara Robertson, Kaine Sultan-Babij, Luke Currie-Richardson, Nicola Sabatino, Beau Dean Riley-Smith, Rikki Mason, Yolanda Lowatta, Rika Hamaguchi and Kyle Shilling) latest offering, Lore, is a case in point – it is not often you see a production where the content features commonalties but is also worlds apart.
The first half (choreographed by Deborah Brown and Waangenga Blanco), entitled I.B.I.S. (the acronym for the Island Board of Industry and Services) is a bright and exuberant sequence of dance pieces set around a local supermarket in the Torres Strait Islands. The second, Sheoak, has a less specific Indigenous context and is based on metaphor and abstract concepts rather than the celebration of the everyday.
Not being naturally drawn to abstract contemporary dance, and given that it is cold and grey outside, I find myself much more engaged with the colour, movement and overall sunniness of I.B.I.S. Highly infused with an islander vibe, each creation takes an ordinary aspect of life in the Torres Strait and completely immerses itself in it - giving it a really sweet and quirky spin.
From hunting adventures on the seas and stirring traditional group dances, to a languid gathering at the store freezer to cool off from the heat and tender moments of intimacy among lovers, I.B.I.S is entirely transporting (the part where the turtles appear out from under a row boat is particularly enchanting). I especially love the emphasis on respect and care for Elders and the importance of keeping culture alive by sharing and practicing it with community.
Equally as glorious as the dancers themselves are their delightful costumes (by Jennifer Irwin) which audiences have come to expect from Bangarra; the women with hibiscus flowers perched in their hair and dressed in vibrant floral frocks, and the men free and easy in their breezy cut off shorts. The wonderfully creative set design by Jacob Nash is also outstanding, transitioning so seamlessly you don’t even notice until it’s right there in front of you.
Sheoak (choreographed by Frances Rings), meanwhile is a much more serious exploration of the threats and connection to broader Indigenous culture, utilising the endangered sheoak as a symbol of the potential loss of languages, customs and lore.
While the dance styles of both I.B.I.S. and Sheoak are instilled with Bangarra’s trademark fluidity, Sheoak is much more so in this case. Each piece flows subtly into the next, with some majestic group formations and beautifully intricate duets along the way. Dance veteran Elma Kris also features as soloist in both acts, leading the production with her unique and grounded form.
This is where the Bangarra dancers showcase the more technical side of their talents – however, what I enjoy about this company’s style is that it is not crisp, severe and in North Korean-style synchronicity, but rather, movement that comes together in an organic, unforced kind of way.
The costumes for Sheoak, complemented by the sombre lighting (By Karen Norris) are intensely rich and sumptuous, and the set is a minimalistic brand of genius that serves a second purpose as props for the dancers – it’s really quite inspiring how a little can go such a long way. David Page also brings his immense talent to the production with his compositions in Sheoak an electrifying fusion of avant-garde industrial beats with subtle traditional sounds.
Lore is a stunningly crafted and polarised set of works that gives you two very different experiences and perspectives in the one sitting. Even if you’re not that into abstract contemporary dance, there is always an abundance of aesthetics and sounds to absorb. There is no doubt though that Lore will leave people with a deeper appreciation of the rich variety in Indigenous cultures that exist today and just how much Australia as a whole has to lose if they were to disappear.
Deborah Hawke
When: 9 to 11 Jul
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre
Bookings: Closed