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
Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Artspace. 21 June 2014
Ambre Hammond could not help wondering what she and Marcello Maio were doing at a Cabaret Festival.
She's a classical pianist and he an accordionist, both distinguished concert musicians. This was their first cabaret - invited to perform works of the Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla in an homage to tango.
Incongruity aside, they were charmed to be in Adelaide and a part of the city's delicious winter celebration.
Hammond speaks for the two of them. Partners in music only, she asserts. But there's an interesting chemistry which hints at more and also less. An interesting history, perhaps. Hammond explains that Marcello has a World Cup affliction and uses him as the brunt of gentle anecdotal jokes in her various patters between songs. She is well-spoken an decidedly engaging. Marcello leaves her to it and does the silent male thing.
But, when they play, they are a the definition of 'complementary'. Both exude high emotion as they throw themselves into the passion of Piazzola. Maio's face contorts and he wraps his body around his instrument, moving at one with its breath. His hand crawls crablike across his keyboard. For all her femininity, Hammond, is a muscular player with huge hands. She rolls and stretches her body across the piano stool, sometimes almost prone. She weighs in over the keyboard, almost kissing it, turning her head to the audience, flicking her beautiful chestnut mane over her shoulder. Both are highly theatrical musicians.
And thus, they work through the Piazzolas of their Oblivion CD, throw in an exquisite piece of Debussy plus a couple of solos. And one realises that their choices have been so melancholic. The theme seems to have been love and loss. Hammond suggests images that can accompany the music - a Portugese fishing port, a dying lover... Not soccer, she reprimands Maio. No, it's steamy, sultry, sad, romantic. When they play Jealousy, the fire of tango sparkles brightly. Ironically, it's a non-Latin composition.
From time to time as they are performing, the strains of Archie Roach reach into their balcony performance space. Hammond pauses and says "We can do this". And they power on. And nothing else matters.
They are an intense and potent pair, an interesting pair. Their musical choices have attracted full houses of Piazzola aficionados and left their audiences fulfilled.
They may not be conventional cabaret fare, but they're a cabaret hit.
Samela Harris
When: Closed
Where: Artspace
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Repertory Theatre. The Arts Theatre. 20 June 2014
The one thing Tracy Letts did wrong with this play was to entitle it 'August: Osage County'. What a sideways, puzzling name. But it has not stood in the way of this extraordinary play. It turns out to be one of the best new plays of the century. It has been drenched in plaudits, including a Pulitzer Prize. It has been produced and increasingly celebrated all around the world because it calls upon one of the lost properties of the theatre in these days of multitasking and downsizing. It is an ensemble play. A big one.
Adelaide is incredibly lucky in that it has a reservoir of extremely high-calibre actors and a thriving non-professional theatre world in which professionals are proud to work rather than rest in off-season times. The result is affordable good theatre of extremely high standard. The prize right here and now is 'August: Osage County'.
This production is a stunner.
You'd be hard-pressed to find better anywhere.
The play is about a family. David Sinclair seems to have spun his large cast of all ages right into the intimate oddity of family. One believes they are a family. Especially as the story line evolves and the family is gathered chaotically around a real meal at the table, it is easy to forget one is in a theatre and that these people are actors. It is gloriously real. This is the delicious fruit of good ensemble acting.
The play is about the aftermath of the suicide of the patriarch, a poet called Beverly. The family gathers with the best of traditional funeral intentions but there are abrasions, resentments, power plays and secrets. There are new characters being integrated into the family with surprising outcomes. And there is humour devolved from the folly and vanities of humankind.
Tracy Letts observes the nuances of these characters superbly. They are his people, from Oklahoma. The Rep actors play them with rather southern accents but Oklahoma mid-west is a toughie. The southern drawl actually lifts the dialogue and allows the actors ease of excess - which helps a lot with the funny bits. Oh, my. Sue Wylie and the casserole will never be forgotten. I'm still laughing.
Sue Wylie plays Mattie-Fay. She's the mad old auntie, sister to the matriarch, the suddenly widowed Violet who is suffering mouth cancer and is addled with drugs. Nikki Fort takes this major role and for most every minute she is on the stage, she owns it. It's a stellar performance as a wilful, tough, spoiled, manipulating, vicious, vulnerable and sick old lady. At times she is the dishevelled invalid almost incoherent with drugs. At others, wigged up, well dressed and chain-smoking, she rules the roost. There's a lot of love hate and it spears through from the challenges of the oldest daughter, Barbara. The award-winning Helen Geoffreys gives another expert performance in this part.
It is a long play and there are lots of cross-currents and sub-plots happening, many of which give the other players their moment in the limelight. Bronwen James, another notable Adelaide theatre name, intelligently evokes the complexity of the middle child who has never quite fulfilled expectations. Lisa Lacey bubbles in as the ditsy Karen, the one who got away and has come back with a rather sleazy salesman fiancee, hilariously performed by Rodney Hutton. Then there's hapless Bill, the unfaithful and semi-estranged husband of Barbara, embodied sympathetically by a greyed up Adam Tuominen. There's their pot-smoking teen daughter, Jean, most credibly played by Amanda Adamuszek. There's good performance from Tom Carney as dear old Uncle Charlie, a touching performance from Alan Fitzpatrick as Little Charles, a sturdy and moving performance from Melissa Esposito as Johnna the young native American housekeeper and, dammit, a glorious characterisation of the ex-boyfriend local sheriff by Nic Bishop. Interestingly, Bishop bookends the show insofar as he also plays the alcoholic poet father who presents a form of preamble setting the scene at the very beginning of the play.
The costumes are apt, as one expects of Bev George. Dave Sinclair's set is just right in the functional sense, although the weird autumnal tree and the yellow abstract painting could go. The music's lovely western Americana twang is wonderful. Lighting's good. Yep. It's all there.
Don't miss it.
Samela Harris
When: 19 to 28 June
Where: The Arts Theatre
Bookings: trybooking.com
Brian D’arcy James. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 20 June 2014
Nicely coinciding with the aftermath of this year’s Tony Awards, Brian D’arcy James entered the stage of the Dunstan Playhouse to a small but appreciative mid-week audience.
Appearing on and off Broadway since the early 90s, his resume swells with impressive accolades including two Tony Award nominations, lead roles in Shrek The Musical and Next To Normal, and roles alongside the likes of Idina Menzel, Kristen Chenoweth and John Lithgow.
Given all this, one might be tempted to imagine him sweeping in to up-end his gunny-sack of Broadway classics. In contrast, ‘Under the Influence’ is an understated show brimming with enthusiasm for his roots and pop favourites. Featuring the likes of Billy Joel, Phil Collins and Sting, it’s a mixed bag of lesser known tracks that will either educate or impress.
James’s medley of ‘It Had to Be You’, ‘All of Me’ and ‘Isn't She Lovely’ played homage to song-writers from his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, whilst his version of the classic 80s hit ‘Tempted’ was a fantastic reinvention.
It’s always a pleasure to see such a consummate performer paying tribute to their own musical influences, and James places himself on our level in exploring his heroes and first musical loves. It’s a fun and enjoyable show.
As you might expect, he saves the best for last and receives rapturous applause for his mix-up of ‘Who I’d Be’ from Shrek. This beautiful number really showcased his vocal talent and strength, but perhaps also highlighted what was missing from the show as a whole.
Whilst the songs are carefully chosen and clearly have strong personal meaning, it’s a low-key affair that doesn’t stretch his musical prowess enough. He purposefully adapts his style to mimic the artists he covers, and with great success, but we were all there to hear the artist himself. A bit more variation and complexity in the selections, and more of James in the music, would have taken the show to another level.
Nicole Russo
When: Closed
Where: Dunstan Playhouse
Bookings: Closed