By Alana Valentine. Queensland Theatre Company. The Street Theatre. 5 Jul 2015
It would be quite a yarn to hear how Alana Valentine came to work with a theatre company based in Queensland on a play developed around the setting of the Alice Springs Beanie Festival. But whatever fortuitous events transpired to make this quirky and colloquial play happen, I’m really glad they did. And with the Alice Springs Beanie Festival only just wrapping up for another year and NAIDOC Week just kicking off, it’s also a really perfect time to bring Head Full of Love to the capital.
Head Full of Love tells the story of Nesa (Annie Byron), a slightly potty grey nomad of sorts who has impulsively run away to Alice Springs to escape her problems in Sydney – in a moment later on in the play, a young Anangu girl asks Nesa if she’s a missionary, mercenary or misfit (three common stereotypes of white people that end up out in remote Indigenous communities). Well, Nesa is a misfit.
An awkward chance meeting in Alice sees Nesa come into contact with Tilley (Paula Delaney Nazarski), a wary Anangu woman whose heart is heavy with grief. Despite their initial differences and misunderstandings they bond through the art of beanie crocheting as Tilley works on her entry piece to the Beanie Festival. Their time together eventually blossoms into a beautiful and nurturing companionship that goes some way to healing the pain and loneliness they both suffer.
An extremely deep and nuanced script peppered with Pitjantjatjara, it is abundantly clear that an enormous amount of research and immersion on the part of Valentine went into developing Head Full of Love.
All the cringe worthy, predictable experiences of a white person experiencing time in a remote Indigenous community for the first time have been accurately and painstakingly infused into the storyline. Equally, there is just as much emphasis on the frustration of Indigenous people about how they are viewed and treated by those white people, as well as the complex challenges they face on a daily basis.
There is no doubt that Head Full of Love is a powerful educational tool for cultural literacy. However, this divide between the women does dissolve somewhat in the end and it really just boils down to two fellow humans with much more in common than they first thought – shedding tears, sharing laughs and having a good old gossip like any good friends do.
Byron and Nazarski are just brilliant in their respective roles, pouring every ounce of themselves into the production. They navigate the highs and lows of the unfolding companionship between Nesa and Tilley with much care and authenticity and steer well clear of any saccharine sentiment – this play is heart-warming, but it’s certainly not sappy.
The set design by Simone Romaniuk coupled with lighting by Ben Hughes is also magic. The rusted corrugated iron sheets and red desert sand transport you at first glance to central Australia, while the makeshift bench seat chair evokes the resourcefulness of communities that often make do with whatever they can find. Stunning projected images of the landscape are also intermittent reminders that Tilley’s spirituality and connection to country are never far below the surface.
And of course, how could one forget the glue that binds this story together: the beanies. Brought out one by one and perched upon specially designed hat stands, these lovingly created beanies are an imaginative, poignant representation of the women’s day to day routine that fast becomes a special chapter in the story of their lives.
Head Full of Love is an unforgettable piece of home grown theatre that really highlights the treasure trove of fascinating stories buried in our own backyard. Importantly, it is also a strong gesture of reconciliation without qualification.
For those who have limited knowledge of Indigenous people, communities and culture, it is a perfect opportunity to learn more about this important element. For those that have had a little more exposure, it’s a good chance to have a knowing chuckle and be thankful for a production that explores this terrain through such positive and accomplished storytelling.
Deborah Hawke
When: 3 to 4 Jul
Where: The Street Theatre
Bookings: Closed
The Australian Burlesque Festival 2015. Canberra tour. Produced by Dolores Daiquiri. The Abbey. 3 Jul 2015
There’s no better way to get the blood circulating during a Canberra cold snap than to see some of the most top-notch, hand picked burlesque acts the ACT, Australia and the rest of the world have to offer.
Since I last reviewed the Australian Burlesque Festival in 2012, it has relocated to its new ambient digs at The Abbey for its Canberra leg of the tour. A much more appropriate venue for this specific art form, the cabaret-style experience this time around is much more cosy and intimate.
There has also been a change in the Master of Ceremonies, with this year hosted by the waggish Aurora. Trussed up as the archetypal French Madame, Aurora is absolutely perfect for the gig, effortlessly charming and wrangling the audience with her theatrical wit whilst keeping the vibe saucy.
Due to a mix up with the show’s starting time, I walk in just as festival headliner Sina King was wrapping up her first act, however, she is followed by ACT burlesque troupe The Sass and Tease Collective so it is nice to start the show with some local talent. Offering up a beautifully synchronised classic showgirl routine, their shimmering gold and blue-feathered costumes and headdresses are simply dazzling – it is like, as Aurora succinctly describes “…a bird of paradise mating dance”.
Melbourne’s femme fatale burlesque artist, The Strawberry Siren, is the next festival headliner to grace the stage, treating the crowd to a rather demure Jessica Rabbitesque fan dance that evolves rather unexpectedly into a glorious tassel twirling frenzy. Next up is Simona Lisa, donning a brilliant green flapper gown and enhanced with matching emerald lighting, she performs a laconic, tightly choreographed vintage striptease to the time honoured tune, The Stripper.
From my hometown of Adelaide is Leopard Lass with a Carmin Miranda-inspired routine complete with fruit basket headpiece and maracas. It is a really fun piece; Leopard Lass is a carefree and confident performer, she just needs to keep up the momentum without losing too much steam at the halfway mark.
A headliner coming from further afield, UK-based Vicky Butterfly certainly has an enviable CV with rock stars lining up to have her feature in their music videos. It is easy to see why she is so in demand with her glamorous Hollywood siren mystique, shedding rose petals in her wake and generally being the epitome of grace with her elegant fan dancing and floaty costuming.
From across the ditch in New Zealand comes a personal highlight of the evening, with Trillion really raising the bar in terms of energy. Caped in a gold Bond Girl style creation and crowned in a magnificent feathered headdress, Trillion’s routine ramps up into a rhythmic tribal number, complete with masterful twerking and butt shimmying that really gets the mojo flowing.
Riding on her tail feathers is an equally impressive act by ‘sin in an hourglass’ headliner Medianoche (donning another stunning headpiece in what seems to be a trend for this year’s festival) coming all the way from New York City. Having a Spanish background with training in flamenco and tango, Medianoche is an accomplished performer and a treat to watch. Oozing cheek and charisma, she is one of the most self-assured, technically brilliant dancers I’ve seen in some time – going out with a bang with her thrilling tassel twirls.
Part two of the festival introduces more of a comedic flavour to the evening, with a wonderfully ghoulish concept piece by the Fancy Piece duo – featuring a quite elaborate set design (made possible with the able assistance of the evening’s stage kitten, Lilly Lovecat). This Tim Burton burlesque act tells the adorable love story between two corpses that rise from the grave, escalating into X-rated territory surprisingly swiftly and leaving onlookers both stunned and in stitches simultaneously.
A tough act to follow, Dolly Cakes is next with, you guessed it, another lovingly crafted head piece fashioned into a leopard’s face. This routine is cute but overall somewhat lacking in wow factor despite the obvious potential of Ms Cakes, and probably needs to be workshopped a little further to get it up to the festival’s standards.
Coming back for a second outstanding round, Medianoche goes with a darker, more explicit neo-burlesque aesthetic that is hot, hot, hot. Her black spider’s web gown and raunchy choreography is undoubtedly the steamiest of the night, unless you take into account The Strawberry Siren’s second appearance that takes place under a shower – Flashdance style. In a Wild West saloon style mashup, the flame haired seductress sucks down a cigar like Joe Hockey and then proceeds to acrobatically remove her underdandies (she was a member of the Flying Fruit Fly Circus) and party like it’s 1999 under the trickling stream of water. Tssssssss.
I don’t need to concern myself with missing out on Sina King either, because she is back for another routine. Going with an intensively sparkly sultanah (feminine version of sultan) theme that includes a phallic flashing light sabre-cum-sceptre. It is a high-octane performance with some cleverly fashioned shadow play, and is all impressively done in a lofty pair of heels to boot.
It’s then time for the production crew to come out and play, with Danica Lee (festival stage manager and production assistant, or “Pussy Wrangler”) strutting her stuff with a sassy swing number. Being the last leg of the festival, the poor love must be a little exhausted and promptly wanders offstage to liberate a glass of wine from an unsuspecting audience member. However, once refreshed Ms Lee eases back into her routine for some exceptional butt shimmies to round things off.
Ending this spectacular evening is festival headliner and Brisbanite, Lila Luxx, who really puts the art into tease with her extensive dance training. Dripping in old world glamour in her black fishtail gown, the subtle synchronicity and timing of her blues choreography is magic.
In comparison to my first experience of the Australian Burlesque Festival, it seems as though it’s only getter bigger, sparklier and more polished as the years go by. Burlesque is clearly as popular in the capital today than it has ever been, and no doubt the current ravenous appetite for the festival will continue to grow. Until next year ladies!
Deborah Hawke
When: 3 Jul 2015
Where: The Abbey, Canberra
Bookings: Closed
By Matthew Ryan. Queensland Theatre Company. The Canberra Theatre Centre. 24 June 2015
Ned Kelly is undeniably a polarising historical figure, both hailed as a subversive hero of the people and condemned as a murderous villain by Australians since his death 135 years ago. As the saying goes, “the truth is usually somewhere in between”, but in the case of Matthew Ryan’s Kelly it’s a case of taking the truth and running with it.
Kelly is a revisionist version of the final days of Ned Kelly (Steven Rooke) and his younger brother Dan (Kevin Spink), with the entirety of playtaking place within Ned’s prison cell as he awaits his execution. While contemplating his final hours and tormenting his prison guard (a very effective and sardonic performance by Anthony Standish) a priest arrives to visit, only to reveal himself as Dan Kelly – who was thought to have died in the battle of Glenrowan (but has over the years been rumoured to have survived; escaping to Queensland under a false name).
What follows is a passionate rehashing of the events that led to the brothers’ demise, filled with bitter accusations, recriminations and desperate last attempts for justice and forgiveness. However, while the reimagining of this particular part of the Kelly Gang’s story could be seen as somewhat provocative to Australian history enthusiasts, it doesn’t stop there.
Hearsay over the years has also abounded over the romantic nature of the relationship between Dan Kelly and fellow gang member Steve Hart, with some believing the rumour was dispersed by their enemies as a way to discredit the gang. With all the sensibilities of a play written in a modern context, this innuendo is also unreservedly explored and confirmed in this fictitious version of events.
Rooke and Spink, battling it out as the Kelly brothers, are compelling, with the gripping tension and emotional vehemence tightly maintained for the entirety of the show. While there is plenty of bawdy language, as you would expect from a couple of bushrangers, they also infuse Ned and Dan with a great deal of eloquence as well as complexity and humanity – which too often falls by the way when people make the transition to public icons. But if you’re looking for any clarification as to whether Ned was in fact a “goodie or a baddie”, Kelly is much too sophisticated to entertain such a dichotomy.
The austere setting (Simone Romaniuk) and grating soundscape (Guy Webster) is also perfectly suited for such bleak circumstances, stripping back the aesthetics to accentuate the rawness of the emotional combat escalating between the two brothers.
If you’re looking for gunfights and standoffs, you won’t find it here. Furthermore, as you can likely glean from my description of Kelly, this dramatisation makes no attempt at a historically accurate production. Rather, it is a liberal retelling of the relationships between members of the Kelly Gang, exploring the possibility of truth in the bountiful legends surrounding this infamous bunch of outlaws.
Deborah Hawke
When: 24 to 27 Jun
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre
Bookings: Closed
By Colin Thiele and adapted by Tom Holloway. Sydney Theatre Company and Barking Gecko Theatre Company. Canberra Theatre Centre. 6 Jun 2015
Due to work commitments, my review of Storm Boy was rescheduled to a weekend matinee performance. This was actually quite fortuitous, because this particular timing allowed me to witness the joy of yet another generation of children discovering this Australian classic.
Based on the book written by beloved author Colin Thiele in 1964, the story was revived in 1976 by the South Australian Film Corporation in the captivating screen version and then toured by Bell Shakespeare in 1996 – so I think it’s safe to say that a fair portion of the country has been moved by Storm Boy at some time in their life.
Given that Storm Boy features a pelican as one of the main characters, I wondered how on earth they would translate this element to the stage this time around. Like me, you’ll perhaps be relieved to know that they don’t go and use live pelicans in the production, but rather realistic and painstakingly crafted puppets created by Aboutface Productions and designed by Michael Scott-Mitchell, that are about as lifelike as you can possibly get.
Being an adaptation, Tom Holloway’s version sees Storm Boy (Kai Lewins), his father Hideaway Tom (Julian Garner) and their friend Fingerbone Bill (Jimi Bani) living even more isolated lives in the Coorong, with less of an emphasis on Storm Boy’s schooling dilemma. Rather, the focus is on the relationships and trust formed around the endearing centrepiece they call Mr Percival.
While Storm Boy is embedded with poignant life lessons that are aimed at adults and children alike, the more unpleasant realities explored are gently approached through analogies and humour; the intent being to soften the blow. In this way, it is much more accessible to kids, who can still absorb the profound messages of the story without leaving the theatre completely traumatised.
It's certainly clear that the depth of the messages were sinking in – instead of the usual chatter to be expected from little ones throughout the show, during that fateful moment for Storm Boy and Mr Percival (you know the one I’m talking about) it is so quiet one can hear a pin drop, save for a few sniffles (mine included).
The performances by Lewins, Garner and Bani are immaculate, and as a team they display strong personal bonds that heighten the authenticity and intensity of their complex relationships and backstories – with Lewins as an emerging young actor really holding his own against his accomplished counterparts. They also perform quite intuitively, making their interactions flow in a really relaxed and natural manner between the highs and lows demanded of the script.
Anthony Mayor and Phil Dean Walford blend seamlessly into the background as the puppeteers for Mr Proud, Mr Ponder and Mr Percival, breathing an abundance of life into these affable creations. Their skilful handling of the puppets is incredibly nuanced, adding a real sense of wonder and mischief to the production.
The versatile set (also by Scott-Mitchell) brims with rugged coastal ambience. Much effort has gone into recreating the essence of the Coorong via pre-production visits to this iconic South Australian location to get a sense of its sights and sounds. Combined with the brilliant lighting and heart-stopping sound design by Damien Cooper and Kingsley Reeve respectively, the result is transporting and immensely visceral.
This latest production of Storm Boy is just another confirmation of this enduring story’s lofty status in Australian culture. It will make you laugh, it will most certainly make you cry and, whether you’re old or young, provides a meaningful education on the human condition.
Deborah Hawke
When: Closed
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre
Bookings: Closed
By Phil Ormsby. Flaxworks Theatre. The Q Theatre. 30 May 2015
With the endless stream of casualties churned out by the ‘Hollywood machine’ over the past century, one would think that new generations would be able to resist the siren song of the film industry. But sadly there seems to be no shortage of young and ridiculously good looking hopefuls willing to trade in their pound of flesh for a shot at the big time.
Veronica Lake is perhaps the epitome of LA LA Land road kill, rising to dizzying heights as a sex symbol of the silver screen in the 1940s, only to plummet to rock bottom before her untimely death at age 50. Drowning in Veronica Lake is the harrowing story of this infamous starlet, told from her own perspective rather than the hyperbole of the tabloids.
Seductive from the moment one enters the theatre, we are greeted by Lake’s (Alex Ellis) voluptuous silhouette encased in a glamorous, figure-hugging gown a la Film Noir (by Sara Taylor) with a train overflowing into a gargantuous pool to encircle her – a stunning visual metaphor that renders her literally trapped inside the fantasy of her own image. Interestingly, Lake herself rejected the label of sex symbol in her later years, insisting she was in fact a “sex zombie”.
This one-woman show takes us back and forth through Lake’s tumultuous life, exploring the mental health issues that erupted as a child and her mother’s ambition that drove her to succeed in the world of entertainment, to her ill-fated marriages and alcoholism. And while this is quite enough scandal against most people’s standards, the play was also suggestive of more disturbing events that were never revealed to the public eye but may of played a part in Lake’s majestic downfall.
Interestingly, Drowning in Veronica Lake has the leading lady reflecting on her life from the present day, which allows some illuminating comparisons to what was an acceptable lifestyle for a woman in the conservative mid-twentieth century as opposed to now. But despite not having access to birth control and being pressured to be ‘the good, stay at home wife’, I can’t help but think that, despite the wave of progressive female leaders currently rising up to challenge the status quo, women in Hollywood still have a ways to go in breaking the mould.
Alex Ellis as Lake gives a beautifully fluid and polished performance, no doubt from her many years of touring the production. Her frenetic transitions of character and states of mind are seamless yet gripping, with the audience eating from the palms of her manicured hands. Also impressive is her sheer stamina in wresting with that epic frock for the duration of the show, displaying an inconceivable level of statuesque poise despite her physical restrictions.
While stories like these clearly don’t conclude with a ‘happily ever after’, the exquisitely crafted script did allow for an ending that was thoroughly satisfying, and just haunting enough to stick with you for some time after leaving the theatre.
Like Hollywood, Drowning in Veronica Lake essentially takes a well-worn story and freshens it up for a new generation. However, I would bet the entertainment value of this show far exceeds the majority of releases that will grace cinema screens over the coming months, so a ticket to the theatre will likely be a greater return on investment.
Deborah Hawke
When: Closed
Where: The Q Theatre
Bookings: Closed