I'm holding out for a hero ...
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Monday 30 July 2012
SMS
You know, the text messages I get from some folk seem like they're in another language ...
<lol>
Sunday 29 July 2012
One singular sensation
Musical –
A Chorus Line
Producer/Company –
Tim Lawson
Venue –
Her Majesty’s
Theatre, Melbourne
Date and time –
Thursday, 23
February 2012, 8pm
Sunday, 4 March
2012, 2pm
For many years, ‘A
Chorus Line’ held the record as the longest-running Broadway show ever, and it
still sits high in that top ten. This production was part of an Australian
tour, and was based on the revival, which is still playing in New York.
This show is also
one of the few major musicals – then and now – that limits its reliance on
theatrical gimmicks. The tag line for ‘A Chorus Line’ is: ‘Seventeen dancers.
Eight spots. One dream.’ As such, the heart of this show is the dancing, which
illuminates a clutch of memorable songs, interwoven through a series of touching,
memorable stories.
‘A Chorus Line’ is
a true Broadway legend, in that the stories featured in this show are based
upon real accounts provided by performers, given during the formative workshop
phase of this show in 1974. As such, the narrative is somewhat unconventional.
The overarching plot is framed in the work that the characters undertake for
the director/choreographer, to determine who will be chosen for the chorus of a
forthcoming Broadway musical. The flow of the piece is well maintained, though,
through a series of character vignettes, which endears the characters to the
audience whilst still giving the show momentum.
The strength of
this production lay in what arguably may be one of the strongest ensembles you
will see in musical theatre in Australia. Everyone on the stage was a true ‘triple
threat’: performers equally skilled in dancing, singing and acting. While it’s
true that musical theatre cast members in Australia today need to be well-honed
in all facets of performance, this show requires the adeptness of an
all-rounder, and the audience was not disappointed in this regard.
I was fortunate to
see ‘A Chorus Line’ twice, and the high calibre of the performers was obvious
both times. In the first viewing, there were some unfortunate microphone sound
issues for two of the performers. Such was their skill, though, that they were
able work to overcome the problems, simply by singing to the back wall of the
theatre, as performers used to in the ‘olden days’ before the introduction of
amplified sound. In the second viewing, one of the swings played the role of
‘Greg’. Again, such was the quality of the performer, and of the ensemble, that
their integration into the show was seamless, and you would have assumed him a
regular cast member.
Several
performance highlights in this production included: Anita Louise Combe’s turn
as ‘Cassie, particularly for her work in ‘The Music and the Mirror’; Hayley
Winch as ‘Val’, who gave us the laugh-out-loud ‘tits and ass’ number, ‘Dance:
Ten; Looks: Three’; and, Euan Doidge, whose wonderfully nuanced portrayal of
‘Paul’ left many of the audience misty-eyed. Indeed, I could extol the virtues
of the whole cast of ‘A Chorus Line’, such was the strength of their work. And they
all made the dancing look effortless, although we all know differently.
Verdict?
Exhaustingly
excellent
(The Abusicals two-word summary is, of course, tongue-in-cheek.)
Saturday 28 July 2012
Thursday 26 July 2012
Wednesday 25 July 2012
Onward grammar soldiers
Grammarians of the world unite! We shall march under a banner resplendent with a picture of our beloved leader, the venerable Lynne Truss – Our Lady of the Immaculate Apostrophe – brandishing our holy book, 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves'. Will you join me?*
*If your answer is in the affirmative, please bring a heavy duty marking pen with you, to correct any grammatically incorrect signage that we come across in our march. There will surely be several ...
Monday 23 July 2012
Comedy tonight
On Tuesday, 17
April, I had a whirlwind comedy ride. My partner and I saw three Melbourne
International Comedy Festival shows in one evening. <phew>
Something familiar
…
First, it was off
to the Retreat Hotel in Abbotsford to see David Nash in ‘Decent Exposure’. I
must state upfront that Dave is a great guy who was in my college course during
first semester this year.
Dave has the
advantage of being a handsome lad, which helps to explain the largely young,
female audience at his show. In his promo materials, Dave styles himself as a
‘clueless country Victorian boy [with a] microphone’. Dave has a busy life.
Between studying, playing football, and MC'ing at wrestling events, he manages
to find time for a stand-up career. All the different facets of his life,
though, make great fodder for his act.
Dave’s show was
staged on a shoestring budget. The milk-crate set was a dead giveaway. Yet
the makeshift nature of his show helped to endear him to the audience. And he
chose the venue well: an upstairs rooms at a pub, not too large nor too small,
and intimate enough to make people feel like they were sitting in someone’s living
room.
As he mentions in
his promo material, Dave’s material tends to be along the lines of ‘pushing
boundaries’, and he didn’t disappoint. Inappropriate humour is often my
favourite sort of comedy, and Dave had quite a few ‘Oh no you didn’t? Oh yes I
did!’ zingers. His most successful material tended to be about his observations
of suburban life and different cultural ethnicities. But the real find of his
show was that Dave is a very clever mimic of everyday sounds. In the style of
‘Police Academy’ comedian Michael Winslow, Dave’s repertoire of uncanny sounds
ranged from ‘doof doof’ music to car engines.
While enjoyable
and entertaining, Dave’s show did feel under-rehearsed. Dave has a highly
likeable, knockabout demeanor, but this can only carry him so far before solid
material is needed to sustain the gig. I think that with time and experience,
Dave will come to structure his shows better, and to give more of an arc to the
comedy audience.
I would also
humbly suggest that it’s very important to begin as close to the show’s
advertised starting time as possible. The Comedy Festival always has a jam-packed
program, with audience members – like myself – often attending two or three
shows in an evening. I hated having to leave Dave’s show just before the end,
but when you have other shows booked it’s an occupational hazard.
I think Dave has a
promising future in stand-up. Once he strikes more of a balance between his
skills and his material, I can really see his career really taking off. And
even more young female admirers are sure to attend his shows.
Something peculiar
…
We headed off in
the ‘Comedymobile’ to the Loop Project Space and Bar in the CBD for our next
show – ‘2 Dudes 1 Show’ – featuring Sean Ryan and Craig McLeod. Again, I must
say upfront that we saw this show with a friend of my partner, whose brother
was the first of the two performers.
The Loop is a
quirky, funky little space in Meyers Place in the city. The room used for the
shows was very intimate and allowed the performers to interact quite
effectively with the audience. While we were a small group, we were a
responsive one.
When Sean Ryan
first appeared – with his bushranger beard, long hair and ‘Slipknot’ shirt –
you could have been forgiven for thinking that he’d strayed from his gig next
door in a heavy rock band. But Sean soon proved his metal with a series of witty and
wry observations. He structured his material well, and while we didn’t have
many belly laughs, there was much amusement about the humour drawn from his everyday
life.
Equally unassuming
was the second performer, Craig McLeod, whose shaved head, black clothes and
cockney accent could have had you worried that you were seeing a skinhead act.
As a relocated Englishman, though, Craig shared some amusingly dry,
self-deprecating material. In particular, his ability to view Australian
customs and lifestyle from an outsider’s perspective was a highlight of his set.
Both Sean and
Craig entertained us with their material but they need to consider more the
structure of their acts to give their performances more momentum. As I
mentioned with Dave’s show earlier, every show – be it a play, musical, concert
or stand-up – needs to have an arc and a frame to hang the material on. I
couldn’t help feel that much of the material was fairly linear for these two
guys. And although their laidback style was particularly suited to their
material, the audience also needed a bit more energy from them to help sustain
their routines.
Sean and Craig
have talent, and I look forward to seeing their progression in stand-up in upcoming Comedy Festivals. If you like your comedy dry then these
guys are sure to entertain you.
Something for
everyone …
The ‘Comedymobile’
then took us to the Famous Spiegeltent at the Arts Centre for a hot beverage
and the final show of our evening’s comedy odyssey, ‘Paul McDermott Sings!’.
The premise of this show was the amusing quote from Paul’s mother: ‘You’ve got
such a lovely voice. Why don’t you sing more?’
Paul’s career has
gone from strength to strength for around twenty years now. He is quite the
Renaissance journeyman – singer, musician, writer – having worked
across television, radio, stage and publishing. Most people would know Paul
nowadays from his current, ongoing work with Channel Ten’s ‘Good News Week’.
But those of us with longer memories know that his career started with the
‘Doug Anthony All Stars’. Thence, Paul graduated – variously – to ‘Mosh’, ‘The
Big Gig’, ‘Strictly Dancing’ and ‘The Sideshow’.
So it was from his
variety of incarnations as a performer that Paul drew on the repertoire for
this performance. I was expecting a stand-up show with some songs, but instead
we were treated the opposite: a concert, with Paul’s singing and his songs
centre stage. That’s not to say this was a problem, because the material was
very, very good. I would most characterize his music overall as sophisticated blues with a folk twist.
I was also
expecting Paul’s program to consist mainly of comedy pieces, but again I was
wrong. Instead, we were given an array of well-written, well-arranged songs.
The comedy came from Paul’s short chats between songs on and off during the
evening. This wasn’t stand-up, though, yet it was a masterclass in relaxed good
humour. Paul is an effortless showman whose immense appeal as a performer was
clear to the appreciative audience. Indeed, we refused to let him go until a
suitable number of encores had been provided.
Kudos to Paul’s band
– and in particular, to his MD – for the warm arrangements of his songs. I hope
he continues with this sort of show as they make great side gigs for his
television work, and for those who have been following his career over the
years. In future shows, I’d like to hear more about the background of the
songs, and a bit more about his career around the time of writing each song.
This late-night show at the Spiegeltent was the perfect forum for Paul to give
us an amusing and musical overview of his musical journey thus far.
Comedy tonight!
Sunday 22 July 2012
I had an amusing conversation this week with a fellow student at college about people's use of language on Facebook. She was spot-on in her comments that people seem to think that language rules can be relaxed when using social media. I would add that this also includes social communication via email and texts. Amusing comments aside, no matter what the forum, when you use language poorly in writing it really does reflect badly on you.
Take this blog for instance. I've let some spelling errors and poor turns of phrase get through, despite checking and double-checking. But I take the time to try to make sure that there are avoided, and I fix them retroactively when I pick them up later. I feel that the same applies for social media and email. Yes, there are all of the shorthand abbreviations, and I totally understand those being used, particularly on Twitter, for example, where your wordage is limited. But poor spelling and grammar in any of your written communication just doesn't do you any favours.
We all want to try to present the best face to the world, and the language we use is a large part of that. A good example is the reading I've engaged in recent years about social media and employment. More and more, prospective employers check our your online presences to see what you say and how you say it. Things can come back to haunt, even bad spelling and grammar. And you never know to whom you email will be forwarded, or if the person reading it will be a prospective employer. It's not about demanding perfection in language and all of the mediums you use it, but more about making sure that you've expressed yourself as well as you can.
So, here's hoping I've not made any mistakes in this post ...
Friday 20 July 2012
Spelling
We had quite a fun discussion in Editing class today about the differences between Australian and American spelling. Yes, yes: the picture is about UK and US spelling, but you get the drift.
I was very smug with myself that I was able to point out to my teacher – who was very patient with me, bless her heart – that 'glamourous' is an accepted alternate spelling of 'glamorous'. Now I'm worried that I use 'glamourous' far too often in my writing to know this fact ...
And in this website, I think I have found my new spiritual home ...
Thursday 19 July 2012
Wednesday 18 July 2012
Monday 16 July 2012
Gaga ooh la la
Concert –
Lady Gaga’s ‘Born
This Way Ball’
Producer/Company –
Live Nation and
Michael Coppel
Venue –
Rod Laver Arena
Date and time –
Tuesday, 3 July,
8.30pm
Lady Gaga burst
onto the pop music scene with her album ‘The Fame’ in 2008. An extended,
repackaged version of the album, ‘The Fame Monster’, was issued in 2009,
followed in 2011 with the album, ‘Born This Way’. Gaga has had a string of
highly successful singles from these albums, complemented by her often-shocking
music video clips and award show performances, all of which showcase her
frenetic fashion sensibility.
Gaga visited
Australia briefly in 2011 with her ‘Monster Ball’ tour. The ‘Born This Way Ball’
tour is her first full concert tour throughout Australia, which sold out five
shows in Melbourne alone. This concert was always going to be outrageous, and
Gaga certainly didn’t disappoint.
The vague frame of
reference for Gaga’s spectacle was that she was a character escaping from
captivity, on a mission to regroup and then liberate our planet. As such, Gaga
often resembled a glamourous space alien. Indeed, her costume changes rivalled
those of other notable concert divas – Madonna and Cher come to mind – with
each succeeding outfit outdoing the last.
The set was a vast,
castle-like structure, which ‘The Age’ review accurately referred to as
‘Masters of the Universe-style’. It opened out like a Barbie fun-house to reveal
its inner workings, and was inhabited by Gaga’s band, several members of which
stepped out to join Gaga on stage during the evening. (I was most intrigued by
her keyboard player’s three hundred and sixty degree, circular, lit piano.) The
set was paired with a dazzling lighting rig, which lit up the whole arena at
various times. In addition, between the set and the lighting was a giant, floating, orb ‘face’ – a version of Gaga herself – which was animated to speak
between songs.
A full complement
of suitably buff, talented male and female dancers accompanied Gaga on nearly every
number. Their costumes were as eye-popping as Gaga’s, even if they were also
often very revealing. Their dance routines looked truly exhausting and were
frequently highly erotic.
The pleasing
surprise of this concert was that Gaga has a strong, legitimate voice. Despite
a bevy of backing singers, the extensive band and various microphone effects,
it was very clear that Gaga can solidly hold a tune. Gaga also appears to be an
accomplished musician, playing guitar and keyboard on several numbers, and even
accompanying herself solo on one number. Her voice and musical talent, coupled
with the knowledge that she writes or co-writes all of her songs, helps to
explain some of her popularity. Despite the clever stage management of her
persona, Gaga also came across as being quite genuine. She extended her thanks
to her fans numerous times during the show, and shared many words of
encouragement for those of us in the audience to follow our dreams no matter
what others might say.
It might be that
I’m getting too old for concerts like this, but I found that the sound mix was
preposterously loud. I felt like I had cotton wool in my ears for a day or so
after the concert. And Lady Gaga was due to come on at 8.30pm, but on the night
I attended she kept us waiting an additional twenty minutes. I can’t help but
think that this is somewhat unprofessional. At the very least, performers needs
to factor in that their audiences often have significant distances to travel
home from concerts, particularly given the vagaries of public transport,
especially when a concert is held on a week night as was this one.
Those seeking a spectacle
only – via dance, costumes, and staging – were never going to go unrewarded in
this concert. Be it Gaga as a
motorcycle, reclining on a ‘meat couch’ or wearing a machine gun bra: all the
stops were pulled out, and then some. Gaga performed many of her most popular
singles, as well as several album favourites, also premiering a new song sure
to offend nearly everyone: ‘Princess Die’. This concert was, as the young
people like to say, ‘totes awes’.
Verdict?
Plastic fantastic.
(The Abusicals two-word summary is, of course, tongue-in-cheek.)
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/from-birth-to-being-absolutely-gaga-20120627-2137u.html
Sunday 15 July 2012
Keep it gay
Musical –
The Producers
Producer/Company –
The Production
Company
Venue –
State Theatre,
Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne
Date and time –
Saturday, 14 July
2012, 7.30pm
Cast includes –
Wayne Scott
Kermond, Brent Hill, Christie Whelan, Trevor Ashley, Mitchell Butel and Rohan
Browne.
Crew –
Directed by Andrew
Hallsworth and Dean Bryant. Musically directed by Vanessa Scammell.
Choreographed by Andrew Hallsworth
This is The
Production Company’s fourteenth season presenting semi-staged musicals at the
Victorian Arts Centre. Each year, they mount three productions: a popular show,
a somewhat well-known show, and a lesser-known show. In 2012, they begin their
trilogy with ‘The Producers’, continuing in August with ‘Chess’, followed by
‘Promises, Promises’ in October.
‘The Producers’ is
a Mel Brooks musical based on his 1967 film of the same name. It swept the Tony
Awards in 2001 with a record twelve Tony Awards. The show played for six years
on Broadway, followed by successful seasons and tours in London, and an
Australian tour in 2004/2005. It also became a Hollywood film in 2005, with several
of the original Broadway cast returning to their original roles.
The show is a laugh-a-minute
romp in the style of the golden era of Broadway musicals. The plot of ‘The
Producers’ is paper-thin – two producers staging an awful show so that they can
decamp to Rio with the show’s capital – but it is full of heart and good
humour.
Wayne Scott
Kermond takes the lead as Max Bialystock, the ‘King of Broadway’. Kermond,
Australia’s answer to the legendary Donald O’Connor, is a consummate song and
dance man with a huge flair for stage buffoonery. He is paired with the
talented Brent Hill who, while perhaps not the very strongest vocally in the
role, brings great warmth and compassion to his characterisation of the
introverted accountant, Leo Bloom. Between then comes the lovely Christie
Whelan, who gives a winning performance as the sultry yet simple, Ulla.
While the central
triangle of these performers is more than enough fodder for humour in this
show, the greatest hilarity lies in the performances of the supporting
principals, many of whom stop the show cold with their hysterical
interpretations the roles. Trevor Ashley as Franz Liebkind lends an
appropriately over-the-top inappropriateness as the writer of the
musical-within-a-musical being staged: ‘Springtime For Hitler’. Directing
‘Hitler’ – and going on as the eponymous lead – is Mitchell Butel as Roger De
Bris, the gayer-than-laughter director of the show, supported by his ‘common
law assistant’, Carmen Ghia, played with great campery by Rohan Browne.
The Production
Company’s shows are staged mostly without fly-in sets and backdrops. Instead,
tiered and stepped platforms are used, along with various props, to suggest
settings. This worked particularly well for ‘The Producers’, given that it is
mainly set in an office and in a theatre. The costumes were also suitably
glamourous, with the showgirls being outfitted by noted Melbourne ‘gender
illusionist’ (read: drag queen), ‘Paris’. A constant of The Production Company
is their high quality orchestras, and this show was no exception. The orchestra
lent the appropriately full and brassy Broadway sound needed.
Production Company
shows are notorious for their short, intensive rehearsal periods. The entire
ensemble and supporting cast of ‘The Producers’ is therefore to be commended
for the quality of this production. In particular, audiences were treated to
many almost fully-realised choreographed numbers throughout the show, all of
them energetic and highly engaging.
I have been
attending The Production Company’s shows for more than ten years now and they
are always high quality productions. In the last couple of years, though, they
haven’t quite scaled the heights of their previous seasons. But ‘The Producers’
marks a return to form for them in its polish, energy and pizzazz. I look
forward to the rest of their 2012 season.
Verdict?
Homo hilarious
(The Abusicals two-word summary is, of course, tongue-in-cheek.)
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