University of Adelaide Theatre Guild. Little Theatre. 9 Oct 2021
Some Americans walk the Appalachian Trail. Some do the Trans-American Trail, a 4000-mile bike epic whence a back wheel is dipped in the Pacific waters and the front in the Atlantic.
Feckless student Leo takes on this journey, ending up on the doorstep of his grandmother’s apartment in Greenwich Village. He’s extremely grubby and traumatised by the death of his riding companion en route. Grandma is in the early stages of dementia. She barely knows him but takes him in and blithely gives him play money to explore New York. It’s a tenuous relationship which Amy Herzog’s play gently develops. Oddly, none of the characters are truly likeable, including the two girls who pop into Leo’s life. Set in 2007, it could be described as neo-kitchen-sink drama. Embodying a sense of urban vérité, families and neighbours co-exist but never really get close; the people seem to listen but never hear each other.
The triste of the tale is grandmother Vera for whom the month of unexpected cohabitation fractures her solitude and gives her a taste of unlikely fellowship.
It is a play in which nothing happens and life is a series of incidents. The old girl is caught without her teeth. She doesn’t bother with her hearing aid. The lad reunites with a fellow biker girlfriend but does not connect. He brings home a rich Chinese “valley girl” called Amanda who is attracted to his mountain-man scruffiness but appalled by his politics.
The scenes with grandmother Vera deliver a lovely observation of the eternal domination of trivia over daily life and poignantly, of the vulnerabilities of aging. In this context, Julie Quick gives a superb performance, artfully assuming the posture and vocal modulations of this stoic New York senior toughing it out against the odds of her own diminishing capabilities. She is pure New York, the loneliness of the long-term tenant.
Jackson Barnard shows a very easy, naturalist acting skill as grandson Leo, and a lovely sense of humorous nuance. For, indeed, this minor work is not without its funny moments. It blooms into wild comic relief when Amanda comes onto the scene, a torrent of OMG vapidity exquisitely delivered by Naomi Gomez, a bright new actress to watch out for.
The cycling girlfriend, Bec, is played by Laura Antoniazzi who has steadily established herself as a talented and versatile ensemble player and in this production, capably directed by Eric Strauts, she builds on this reputation.
Designer, Nicole Puttins has cleverly used every inch of the Little Theatre’s performance spaces with a comfy domestic set, including an apartment door on the upper level of the auditorium and a balcony or rooftop setting on the mezzanine, which could be a little further forward to improve visibility. But, apart from somewhat slow scene changes and some oddly sketchy continuity in the script, this Guild production is strangely satisfying, and a triumph for Julie Quick.
Samela Harris
When: 9 to 23 Oct
Where: The Little Theatre
Bookings: trybooking.com/BGSOX
IpSkip Productions. Bakehouse Theatre. 2 Oct 2021
Infidelity as a history lesson. The premise of this 1975 play by Canadian Bernard Slade remains so wildly unlikely that Same Time, Next Year has kept its currency in the contemporary drama world, aided by the fact that it is a beautifully written piece of lightly comic theatre. Its unusual raison d'être shines from the stage under the sleek directorship of Jude Hines.
She has cast two extremely pleasing actors to portray the unlikely couple who, after an adulterous one-night stand, agree to have another assignation on the same day every year in the same hotel room. With the timeline of these scenes introduced by pop songs and news grabs and subtle updates to the set, including styles of telephones, the actors are required not only to be re-costumed for each scene but also to impart the moods, mores, and physical ageing of the passing decades. These evolving portrayals from Patrick Clements and Allison Scharber, are achieved in a quiet tour-de-force of exquisite credibility. Clements’ George changes from a highly-strung and ambitious loudmouth accountant to a mellow academic while Scharber grows from diffident young mum to self-made powerhouse. It is vocal intonations, demeanour, hair and make-up which deliver these transformations - most especially in Clements who at first reminds one of Nick Cage on steroids.
The production is simply a delicious package of theatrical accomplishment in the hands of a creamy director with intelligent and skilled actors at her bidding. And, of course, an often pithy and always interesting script delivered with the expert embellishments of a Gary Anderson set, Stephen Dean lighting, and Ray Trowbridge sound. Oh, and dare one forget a couple of essential extras with Gillian Cordell aiding in the costumes and Daphne Quadrio behind the scenes as dresser for those myriad quick costume and hair changes.
Bless them all, and the cherished Bakehouse Theatre which has been giving audiences some of the best experiences of atmosphere and intimacy that any theatre in Adelaide has yet achieved. If only this seamless and snappy work could have had a longer run. And, the Bakehouse, too.
Samela Harris
When: Closed
Where: Bakehouse Theatre
Bookings: Closed
Mighty Good Productions. Star Theatres. 29 Sep 2021
One steps into cutting-edge technological “now" at Star Theatres as one holds one’s phone up to a QR code to access the big, bright program for Mighty Good’s production of Cinderella.
It is virtually glossy, “virtual” being the operative word. And, of course, it is an oddly perverse reason to have one’s phone alight during performance in a darkened theatre.
This is a growing trend among theatre companies and, for those who care about collecting programs and the history of local theatre, it is an arduous print-out job or just a loss. For critics who like to scrawl their notes on programs, it is a disaster. For theatre companies, however, it is a significant dollar saving.
In the case of the Mighty Good panto, it is anachronistic mind-spin, because when the curtain comes up on Malcolm Harslett’s 2021 school holidays show, it is a huge leap back in time.
Harslett is the bravest man in Adelaide theatre today.
There is no ground-breaking experimental theatre work to rival him, so stand away Rumpus.
Down there on Sir Donald Bradman Drive, he is delivering a retro experience which is filling that darling old theatre to the brim with lots of puzzled but mostly pleased youngsters.
Little do they know that this lavish production of colourful nonsense is absolutely historic and people like Harslett who recreate it are now as rare as hen’s teeth.
It goes right against the grain of the short-grabs, Tiktok culture of the day.
It is a slow business. In this particular production, perhaps a bit too slow.
It is adorned with very old-school song and dance routines and traditional comic schtick.
Ah, but ye olde slapstick! It will never die.
Cinderella’s ugly sisters, more politically correctly described in the program as “beauty challenged”, are a riot. Their over-the-top nastiness and stupidity are a tour de force of vigorous knockabout clowning from the wonderful Richard Laidlaw and Richard Carpenter. Layered in pancake makeup and clad in outrageous mock-period hooped gowns, they are loud and fearless and super-funny. They are exquisitely contrasted by their nasty old mum who appears as a bedazzlement of period glamor in a red gown so huge at the hips that she has to enter the stage sideways.
If ever there was a show for which to exclaim “the frocks were lovely”, this is it.
Malcolm Harslett knows all about costumes and the expertise shines from the stage. Even Buttons, sweetly played by Michael Evans, has a costume of proper powder blue bellboy perfection.
Harslett not only has a lavish kingly costume for himself but also a very familiar fanciful number for his routine as Cyril The Servant in which character he turns on an age-old interactive “where’s my glasses?” routine which has the children screaming with incredulous helpfulness.
Lovely Talia Monaghan embodies Cinderella and she is adorable. While she and the multi-role Emily Jo Davidson are competent as singing pipes, Charles Herkes is heartthrob handsome and light on his feet as the Prince but not quite born to sing.
As ever, the Harslett sets are fabulous. And the touch of $5 tiaras in the foyer is lovely.
But it is his respect for the dying genre of pantomime which must be truly admired.
He is diligently wooing an instant-gratification digital generation and he might yet succeed if he cuts and sharpens the songs and knocks out the pauses. If he can’t win them, no one can.
Samela Harris
(Disclaimer…had to leave early cos child became queasy)
When: 29 Sep to 9 Oct
Where: Star Theatres
Bookings: cinderellathemusical.com.au
Her Majesty’s Theatre. 27 Sep 2021
Roll up, roll up to Her Majesty’s Theatre for this holiday romp targeted at school age children. Circus The Show takes the big top on stage for 60 minutes of clowning, dancing, magic, and acrobatics and the kids lap it up!
Leaping onto the stage our Ringmaster, Justin Williams, is a shock of ragged dreadlocks reminiscent of Tim Minchin. He is besequined in Ringmaster-red and sports a top hat and a bottomless bag of fantastic dad jokes. Doubling as the stunt act, Williams is a rubber chicken, machete juggling, chair-stack balancing whiz.
Ably supported by Simon Wright as Clown, every act is hilariously ruined with over the top slapstick antics which culminate in a giant balloon swallowing trick to rival them all – and the balloon does all the swallowing!
Chelsea Angell astonishes the kids as the whirling and twirling, dizzying and dazzling hula-hooper and aerialist, who splits, spins, flexes and contorts her body in the aerial straps. She doubles as the beautiful assistant to Sam Hume the magician, Sam the Magic Man, when he makes her mysteriously levitate. Hume’s magically appearing bunny David Hopperfield hops to it, and his quick change outfit tricks, and flame transformations impress.
Local Adelaide brother and sister act Arwen and Calin Diamond of Diamond Duo defy gravity with their acrobatic couple's dance, showcasing shoulder and hand balances, leaps and twirls. Lyndon Johnson puts on a few twirls of his own oscillating all over the stage at dizzying speeds in the Cyr Wheel and Freestyle Basketball Manipulator Bavo Delbeke spins, balances and juggles multiple basketballs with apparent ease.
With pressure from the Victorian lockdowns and border restrictions impacting cast availability, Circus the Show has filled those gaps wonderfully and given local talent a chance to shine.
It’s an hour of fun and laughter for the kids and not a bad afternoon's entertainment for the family, so get out and support the Arts this holidays with a ticket to this little-big top.
Paul Rodda
When: 27 & 28 Sep
Where: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
The Paperboats. Goodwood Theatre and Studios. 17 Sep 2021
Guiding children onto a stage brings a mix of emotions; some bounce up the stairs quickly, eager to be part of the action, others are more diffident, concerned that they may have to participate more than they feel comfortable with. And by placing the audience upon the Goodwood Theatre and Studios stage in this way, the central thrust of Especially On Birthdays is immediately referenced, with the young audience reflecting the central theme of the different reactions children can have to the same situation.
Especially On Birthdays is the story of twins; Tanika (Katrina Lazaroff) is loud, happy and outgoing, while her brother Tim (Stephen Noonan) who is two minutes younger, is quieter, reflective and not so keen to be the centre of attention. They are about to celebrate their sixth birthday, and for the first time, they will be separated, going into different classes at school. How they deal with this within their relationship is the basis for this minimalist language production; the twins’ dilemma is shared and reflected, with some audience members invited to join in and share the experience.
That this production is almost entirely without words is of itself quite intuitive. This is the way that many children operate; what is not said, but intimated, forms a large part of their communication. For the children in this audience, it allowed them to fill in the spaces with their own experience, their own desires, their own dreams. And they were not backwards in coming forwards with their thoughts; even the shy ones managed to make their feelings known, albeit in subtle nuance. The recorded narrative was almost for the adults’ sake, just so that we could understand what was actually going on!
Directed by Dave Brown (who spent 20+ years as Artistic Director of the iconic Patch Theatre) and Roz Hervey (Force Majeure, Patch, Restless Dance Company et al), Especially On Birthdays is a work by the international partnership Paper Boats, a “platform for theatre-makers creating performances for early childhood audiences”, conceived by Brown post retirement from Patch. Brown explained, before the show, that Paper Boats seeks to create works utilising the skills and shared vision of an international community without having to carry the financial weight of formal infrastructures, utilising instead existing infrastructures of partner companies. The show has already been produced internationally; such collaborations, tapping into common experience, can only auger well for children’s theatre.
Especially On Birthdays is a result of this shared vision, developed by artistic communities from Australia, USA, Singapore and New Zealand. With an evocative music score for the Australian production from ZephyrROM (no introduction needed for the Zephyr Quartet!), this production taps into childhood fears, joys, expectations and disappointments, and ultimately confirms the bonds of shared sibling childhood. For the audience to be able to share in the experience (rolling around in mountains of paper chain was a bonus) is an acknowledgement that the growing up is hard, and sharing makes it that little bit easier. And big sisters can be a pain!
The show is featured as part of ‘Come Back’, a selection of productions playing at the Goodwood venue (now under the stewardship of industry stalwarts Chris Iley and Simone Avrimidis). This limited season deserves a return; more young audiences should be exposed to quality theatre such as this. Brava to The Paperboats from my little ones.
Arna Eyers-White
When: Closed
Where: Goodwood Theatre and Studios
Bookings: Closed