Review - The Children

Melbourne Theatre Company Presents

The Children

By Lucy Kirkwood

Directed by Sarah Goodes

Set and Costume Design – Elizabeth Gadsby

Lighting Designer – Paul Jackson

Composer and Sound Designer – Steve Francis

Cast:

Hazel – Pamela Rabe

Rose – Sarah Peirse

Robin – William Zappa

A challenging and rewarding work The Children unfolds naturalistically in real time. 

On a simple functional set of a rustic kitchen by Elizabeth Gadsby, that is superbly lit by Paul Jackson, three clever and influential sixty something nuclear physicists reunite.  The world as they know it has been turned upside down by a Fukushima like disaster.  Some of their pasts are divulged and we get to witness their flawed and often messy humanness.  And the apparently altruistic reason for the, often uncomfortable, ‘get together’ is revealed in the last minutes of the piece. 

Lucy Kirdwood’s text functions on a number of levels.  As an unfolding story it is full of surprises and maintains interest.  However as an observation of characters from the baby boomer generation it sometimes feels like an indictment.  The subject matter of our damage to our planet is deeply unsettling.  But there is another niggling ambiguous rift in this production.  Perhaps it is in the writing.  I am wondering if this is because Kirkwood is a much younger woman than the generation she is writing about.  Therefore what is presented is only partially from the lived perspective of the protagonists.   So at times the actors are bound by the way Kirkwood has written - to perform their characters from the perspective of an observer.

There is lots of humour and many laughs in this work.   However I get the impression there is a delicate balance, for director Sarah Goodes, between releasing the intrinsic sense of fun and play in the material from under the pall of the framing of a story of cataclysmic disaster.  I am wondering if the production itself tends more towards naturalism then the playwright intended.

Pamela Rabe’s Hazel is upfront and fascinated by, and unapologetic for, her own very human foibles.  At times she seems to be Hazel but every now and again she performs Hazel with self-deprecating humour.  Sarah Peirse brings to life the more independent and troubled Rose, a haunting presence who generally seems removed, somewhat toxic, and willfully unaffected by her friends.   William Zappa plays Robin, Hazel’s husband, the character with a greater sense of humour.  As with the other two his character expresses a very finely toned sense of his own self-importance.   

Throughout there are a number of rather clunky clichés and strangely simplistic statements.   All three characters are penned as clever privileged people exhibiting the appropriate blend of narcissism of those of their generation.  They have a disparate awkwardness about them as they relate to each other in an often-prickly manner.   The chemistry between the characters feels thin and fleeting but perhaps this will grow during the run.  Or perhaps one of the points of the work is that we are all alone together in this nest that we have soiled.

Sound by Steve Francis is minimal and extremely effective particularly in the last moments of the staging. 

My quibbles and questions aside I found The Children very engaging and rewarding, most particularly, for the argument it presents - I do heartily ‘recommend it.

Suzanne Sandow

(For Stage Whispers)

Review - Out of Earshot

KAGE Presents – for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival

Out of Earshot

Conceived and Directed by Kate Denborough

Created in collaboration with the cast.

Cast:

Anna Seymour

Elle Evangelista

Gerard Van Dyck

Myele Manzanza

Timothy Ohl

Designers:

Paul Jackson

Stephen Hawker

James Paul

At Chunky Move

11 Sturt Street – Southbank

1 to 10 June 2017 – then off to Adelaide

The remarkable aspect of this performance is that not all the dancers are hearing.

Out of Earshot brings its audience closer to an awareness of how individuals experience sound and vibration and how it may and may not inform movement.

We all have our own unique rhythms - a kind of beat of your own internal drum.  As a hearing person it is fascinating to consider what a Deaf person actually hears or feels or sees with regard to sound and rhythms/pulses.

In this dance performance, that is part of The Melbourne Jazz Festival, sound is introduced as body percussion played by Myele Manzanza on the dancers bodies.  Eventually Manzanza moves to a featured drum kit that he plays at intervals throughout.  The sound is both explosive and at times acutely sensitive. 

Sound is echoed visually in a strip of illumination around the walls of the performance space.  In this way sound cues are audial - literal sound and vibrations.  And cues are also visual - percussive instruments being played, projected images of sound waves and other performers moving.  All performers are positioned to respond to this variety of stimuli. 

Intrinsically Out of Earshot appears to be about relating to others.  It is the non-verbal communication and the intimate dancing relationships that really seem to be at the heart of what activates movement and generates meaning in this work.

Dancers are generally, uniquely completely visible - exposed through their presence in front of an audience.  Their integrity and vulnerability allows them to speak genuinely and sincerely to us.  I think this sense of openness is intensified in with the inclusion of a Deaf dancer.  Anna Seymour who was born profoundly deaf works as an equal collaborator – one of - a quartet of dancers.  Throughout there is an intensity of communication between performers that is possibly a heightened awareness to the importance of visual cues.

Gerard Van Dyck always beguiling to watch delights with his sense of humour, particularly towards the end of the performance.  Timothy Ohl delivers some extraordinarily moves.  I found myself gasping at a number of his rolls.  Elle Evangelista is enchanting to observe.

As creator/director Kate Denborough plays with perceptions of the embodiment of sound.  And although Anna Seymour’s point of difference is a pivotal aspect of the work there is no sense that she is actually any different to any of the other dancers.  In fact if one didn’t know she is Deaf one would be none the wiser. 

A very unique and seminal ensemble piece that we are bound to be talking about for years to come.

Suzanne Sandow

(For Stage Whispers)

Review - The Government Inspector

Malthouse Theatre and Belvoir Present

The Government Inspector

By Simon Stone with Emily Barclay; devised with the cast

Featuring a short musical by Stefan Gregory

Inspired by Nikolai Gogol

Directed by Simon Stone

Set Design Ralph Myers

Lighting Design by Paul Jackson

Sound Design and Composition by Stefan Gregory

Choreography by Lucy Guerin

Costume Design by Mel Page

Cast: Fayssal Bazzi, Mitchell Butel, Gareth Davies, Robert Menzies, Zahra Newman, Eryn-Jean Norvill and Greg Stone.

Merlyn Theatre until 23 March 2014

This work, inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s exploration of fraudulent behavior as depicted in his play The Government Inspector, bares little resemblance to the original.  It could be described as a work in Three Acts.  But don’t let that put you off it is short and crisp and there is no interval. 

In Act One everything falls into strange disarray through a number of over the top events that are hilariously presented in a sort of matter of fact, yet, theatrical manner by a team of actors in search of a  …. solution.  

In Act Two a risible attempt to salvage the situation results in the farcical employing of a much-lauded Avant Guard Theatre Maker from Russia.   Subsequently a somewhat neurotic and kooky image of Theatre Making is most amusingly portrayed whilst some of Theatre’s sacred cows are shamelessly lampooned. 

And then the shorter, but deliciously lit (Paul Jackson), Third Act ‘a short musical by Stefan Gregory, with stunning choreography for actors by Lucy Guerin, amalgamates with panache and charm. 

Well it all goes something like that – and is a kind of well-managed intricately performed mania that has one brimming with laughter.

Everything old is new again and anything seems to be up for grabs.  Australian Theatre Making is satirized so is our reverence for obscure and ambiguous imported ‘Festival’ productions.  The actors parody themselves.   And this, as we heard in the talk after the show (Tuesday 11 March), can be a challenging and confronting enterprise.  Even the washing machines that comprise one of the sets had been seen on a Melbourne Mainstage a few short years ago. 

This work is loaded with delicious absurdities such as actor Greg Stone not being able to find his pants to take the stage as The Governor/Emperor - wearing new clothes.  This could be a metaphor for the risk all actors and creatives were taking on pulling such a chancy flight of fantasy as to entertain an audience without actually having a play.

Zarah Newman stuns with the beautiful characterization of a Hispanic cleaning lady and Gareth Davies creates an hysterically funny character of a Russian Director.  Every member of the ensemble shines in this enterprise.

The talk after the show, mainly facilitated it appeared for School Audiences, was very informative.  Marion Potts spoke at length about the situation Malthouse found itself in after losing rights they were sure they had to The Producers.  All actors talked about their work in a way that highlights their courage, commitment and the capacity to collaborate at a very high-level.   I was struck by a sense that such adventurous work, requiring availability and vulnerability would also require recurrent resilience.

Director/Co-Writer Simon Stone has the knack of invigorating Theatre, enlivening actors and recharging audiences.  Perhaps this is due in part to the intrinsic sense of risk that pervades his productions.

Catch it if you can get a ticket!

Suzanne Sandow

(For Stage Whispers)

Review - Wild Surmise

Malthouse Theatre Presents

Wild Surmise

Based on the verse novel by Dorothy Porter

Devised by Jane Montogomery Griffiths

Directed by Marion Potts

Set and Costume Design Anna Tregloan, Composition and Sound Design Jethro Woodward, Lighting Design Paul Jackson, Assistant Director Adena Jacobs

Performed by

Humphrey Bower

Jane Montgomery Griffiths

Malthouse – until 2 December (best check)

Wild Surmise is a testament to how poetry and heightened poetic images and metaphors can encompass, and when delivered with insight, express emotions with a visceral impact.  Jane Montgomery Griffiths has the power and mastery, as an actor, to deliver deeply felt longing and yearning that is capable of truly touching an audience, as does Humphrey Bower.

Like her also stunning performance piece on Sappho this adaption of Dorothy Porter’s work is exquisitely staged.  Anna Tregloan has created a mirrored set, that can, poignantly and tellingly, deliver three reflections of its two variously suffering and alienated occupant characters.

This is the story of a seemingly irretrievable communication breakdown in the twenty-year-old marriage.  She (Jane Montgomery Griffiths) is a scientist and deeply passionate about her work.  And he (Humphrey Bower) perhaps, one wonders, to be supportive of her endeavors, is a tertiary teacher of poetry who has grown desperately and bitterly weary of his students.   As these two grow disenchanted with each other she is being swept off her feet by a young lover and he is discovered to be ill with cancer.  As her passion grows outward his life fades and folds in on itself.   We, witness it, as a real and organic human juxtaposition, set on a contrastingly shiny polished surface - seemly representative of how we live our busy modern lives.

Sound by Jethro Woodward is subtle and so effective.  It creeps in quietly and manipulates and enhances the mood.  Lighting by Paul Jackson cleverly works the mirrors to the best effect.

All-in-all I was left with the pervading sense that even when we don’t feel love we can still actually be, unfeelingly, loving those with whom we have an intimate bond.  That even through the really difficult times there can be a thread of a deep connection  - an almost un-severable tie.  Therefore best to be kind and nurturing if at all possible specially when facing death. 

This is extremely well constructed theatre that is moving and thoughtful, and beautifully melded and managed by Director Marion Potts. 

Rewarding!

Suzanne Sandow

(For Stage Whisper)