BLUE KING - Warp Magazine

30 Performing Arts
REVIEW
TEN DAyS ON THE ISLAND
Dinosaur Petting Zoo
Erth Visual and Physical Inc, March 25,
Salamanca
Roars and cries rent the air at Parliament
Lawns on a Sunny Saturday. The ground
was hardly shaking but dinosaurs once again
walked the Earth as children and adults alike
were treated to a very politically incorrect
history lesson.
Children were instructed to “shut up” and
parents were invited to leave unruly mischief
makers behind to help feed the dinosaurs after
the show.
Erth, the performing Arts Company presenting
the Dinosaur Petting Zoo have created a show
that is entertaining and informative. The
Emcee had a good rapport with the audience
and the puppets were skilfully manipulated,
with small, lifelike movements that made the
creatures come alive. One of the highlights
was the entrance of a ferocious Australian
Tyrannosaurus who created a wave of fearful
delight as he stormed into the ring.
A kid friendly show, The Dinosaur Petting Zoo
is an interactive jaunt through the Jurassic era,
that has surely created a whole new generation
of palaeontologists digging for fossils in their
backyards.
REVIEW
THREE
BLIND DATES
ThURSDAY APRIL 7 ThE BRISBANE hOTEL
Speed dating seems to have gone out of
fashion. Not so long ago it seemed like
everyone from Fraiser to the Vicar of Dibley was
doing it round-robin style.
Meredith Cole plays a mutely anguished figure,
searching for her one true love at a restaurant
that serves up tricks, jokes and magic in a bow
tie and bob cut.
Date number one is Richard, a sportscoatclad,
mullet-crowned member of the Cygnet
Light Opera Ukelele Collective. Richard is an
incarnation of Emily Newton, who delights
in drag and comedy theatre. At the failure of
Meredith’s tablecloth trick, Richard stalks from
the table in disgust.
Second Date is the strong woman with the
loose stocking, Bridget Bridge. Bridget uses
acrobatics, tricks and a little self-inflicted
torture to delight the audience. Loose
stockings stay up with a few well placed
staples into the thigh. (Note: This is not
recommended to try at home, or in the office,
and certainly not on a first date.) Again, the
dauntless Meredith tries her tablecloth trick
and again, she fails.
As Mambo Number Five surges from the
speakers, Meredith’s third date struts out.
Tongue hanging out, chest heaving, bodyrolling
Maurice is butter to Meredith’s bread.
With the conclusion of Maurice’s dance comes
the fateful Tablecloth trick and finally as it
must, it is a success.
After successful shows in Hobart, Launceston
and St Helen’s, there’s talk of a reunion special
so watch this space.
warpmagazine.com.au
kATERhINE fARRELL
The Chronicles of Long Kesh
hobart Theatre Royal, March 30
Playwright Martin Lynch interviewed forty exprison
officers, prisoners and family members
before writing his very personal play, The
Chronicles of long kesh.
Set in 1970’s Northern Ireland, political and
religious unrest is the basis of the action, which
is set in the infamous Long Kesh Prison.
Interned for dangerous activities, the play
follows both Republicans and Loyalists housed
in the prison, suffering years of abuse and
neglect, protests and riots.
Narrated by Irish prison guard Freddie,
the play is funny and poignant, the more
gruesome details often told through jokes,
harsh moments lightened by the actors
breaking into Motown Classics, the Beatles and
Smokey Robinson.
The six-member cast would be lost without
Freddie’s narration, as they frequently switched
characters. Freddie acts as a silent sentinel;
observing all, keeping quiet to avoid trouble as
he too is affected by the violence he witnesses
at Long Kesh.
A disquieting yet joyful journal, The Chronicles
of long kesh is a recollection of the world gone
mad, and is sadly relevant in contemporary
times where internment and arrest without
charge is prevailing in our ‘civilised’ society.
Poxed
Tasmanian Theatre Company, April 14,
Backspace Theatre
The 18 th Century English Court was rife with
rumour, intrigue and liaisons and one Lady
Mary Montagu was renowned as a great
beauty, with all the trappings that came with
such a distinction.
Presented by The Tasmanian Theatre
Company, Poxed explores the story of Lady
Mary who was struck down and marred by
the infectious disease and her attempts to
introduce inoculation to the Western World.
Tasmanian playwright, Stella Kent spoke of
the play as centred around Lady Mary’s quest,
however much of the dialogue and action is
focused on Lady Mary’s competing suitors as
they compel her to achieve more only to pull her
down from the pedestal they placed her upon.
The costumes are lavish and the set
outstanding, using silhouette to create vast
palaces and exotic climates.
The comic timing of the actors was superb
and the conversational tone was just right for
the Backspace Theatre. There was a high level
of involvement and chatter with the audience
and the direction of the piece was highly
orchestrated, the characters fully developed
and convincing. Overall, Poxed was a treat
although rather a muddle of life, years and
events.
STAR-CROSSED LOvERS
SARAh MAShMAN
TALES OF EAGER ROMEOS SCALING BALCONIES AND
ESCAPING DISAPPROVING PARENTS BY ELOPING ARE OLD
HAT. WHY SHOULD AN ATTEMPTED ELOPEMENT FROM
GERMANY TO AFRICA MAKE HEADLINES ACROSS THE WORLD
IN 2009?
Africa
The Peacock Theatre, May 25 - 28
www.mydarlingpatricia.com
IMAGE: JEFF BUSBYSS
WIN two free tickets to see Africa at the
Peacock Theatre.
Simply “Like” Salamanca Arts Centre on
Facebook and then send SAC a message
with the words “WARP” and “AFRICA” in it
before May 18 to enter. Winners will be drawn
randomly and notified via Facebook on May 19.
It isn’t a historical event, a tale from the War,
or a story of unrequited love separated by
the Wall. With no passports of tickets, three
children packed sun-tan lotion and sunglasses,
left their homes at dawn and walked one
kilometre to wait patiently for the airport bound
train. No, it is not your conventional love story.
As part of the Mobile States tour of 2011,
theatre company My Darling Patricia presents
Africa. Based on the story of these three
children, it is an unrelenting, gritty, urbanized
tale of neglect and the power of imagination.
Relocated to Australia, the play is seen
through the eyes of the children with puppets
skillfully manipulated by hooded performers.
They play, sleep and dream on the toy-strewn
leveled stages with a messiness symbolising
disruption and neglect.
The mother is viewed from a child’s eye level;
visible from the hips down. She is loving, but
complacent and ignorant of her children’s
disaffection with the world.
My Darling Patricia formed in 2003 after the
four founders met in art school. Their approach
to theatre is through their background in
dance, visual arts, circus, puppet, film and
performance.
Africa, written and directed by Halcyon
Macleod, is funny, heart wrenching tale of
childhood, deprivation and imagination.
SARAh MAShMAN
I ♥ Cars
Stompin Dance Theatre, March 31,
Launceston streets and Alanvale TAfE
Exploring our love affair with the car,
Stompin’s i ♥ Cars took us on a guided bus tour
of Launceston’s famous ‘blockie’ route, before
heading on up the highway to the automotive
workshop at Alanvale TAFE.
In the large, darkened space with lighting
provided by mechanic’s utility lights and car
headlights, the cars were as much a part of the
show as the overall-clad dancers, executing
their machinery-inspired moves.
Dance interludes were interspersed with video
clips of car club members talking about their
cars and the friendships and lifestyle that
revolve around them.
The troupe’s younger members scooted
and skated into our hearts with a delightful
rendition of Born to be Wild, while a more
serious counterpoint was provided by a lone
cyclist’s soliloquy on the environmental and
health impacts of cars, which felt a little forced,
when we really wanted to forget all that and
just go along for the ride.
NEWS IN
BRIEF
Veronika Will Walk fundraiser
MEgAN CASEY
Proudly supported by Youth Arc, Veronika
Will Walk is a fundraising gala at 44 Collins
St, Hobart on May 28, raising money to assist
three-year-old Veronika to walk.
* The All Ages show at 1pm features The
Amazing Ashton, Happy the Clown, Colour Me
Dizzy Face Painting, an appearance by Batman,
and popcorn, lollies, snow cones and fairy
floss. Entry is $10.
* The Adults Only show from 7pm features
an auction, cabaret comedy and dance, with
MCs Toni Hodgman and John X, CAD, Fiona
Hutchinson, Mia Palencia, Mick Lowenstein,
Matt Burton, Tim Logan, Tracy Cosgrove,
Scarlett Jezebell, Miss Kitty’s Meow, Lady Lola,
Amazing Ashton, Sorell Photobooth, and more.
Entry is $25.
* Tickets available from www.veronikawillwalk.
org or phone Sally on 0437 250 554.
Australian Burlesque festival
The Second Australian Burlesque Festival is
hiking up its skirts and taking to the road.
Featuring a line up of local ladies, interstate
lovelies and overseas guests, the ladies are set
to titillate the audience with good old fashioned
bump’n’grind, bawdy vari ety, classic glamour
and exotic tease. Catch one of the two shows
on June 3 at the Peacock Theatre, SAC (77
Salamanca Place). Dress code: evening attire.
Tickets available from www.australianburlesquefest.com/tickets/hobart
DIARy OF
A pERFORmER-GIRL
TERRAPIN PUPPET THEATRE’S NEW COLLABORATION WITH
THE CHILDREN’S ART THEATRE OF CHINA (SHANGHAI) TOOK
PERFORMER EMILY NEWTON ON A WONDERFUL ADVENTURE
LAST YEAR.
The show When the Pictures Came mixes
character, comedy, digital puppetry and
black-light theatre to create a visually- and
conceptually-compelling performance.
A year after the Shanghai show, the cast and
crew were reunited in Hobart to rework the
show and rehearse for two festivals; Adelaide’s
Come Out Festival and Tasmania’s Ten Days on
the Island.
Emily Newton kept a travel diary from
Adelaide, sharing experiences on-stage, offstage
and backstage with readers.
DAY ONE
The sets were packed, costumes washed
and folded, the lights dismantled. We were
wrangled onto a plane, headed for the bright
lights of Adelaide, a city that I had not seen
before.
Arriving after two flights (no direct flights from
Hobart to Adelaide), we were met by a friendly
festival official with a placard.
Checking into the hotel brought memories
of Fawlty Towers flooding back as I waited
and waited and waited some more while my
colleagues collected their keys and drifted off
to their rooms.
I don’t know if it was my general air of irritation
or if it’s their policy, but my unwanted delay
was rewarded with an upgrade to an executive
suite. Yes folks that’s right – I got my very own
two-person spa and I wasn’t going to share
that baby with anyone.
DAY TWO
By the time we arrived at Her Majesty’s
Theatre, the technicians had already bumped
in for our first and only chance for dress
rehearsals. I was enamoured with the theatre
– two tiers of seating for 800 people, an
enormous stage and splendid interior featuring
a glass chandelier the size of a small car.
I felt a bit chuffed that I got to perform in such a
beautiful place.
The rehearsal was long and arduous, like most
tech rehearsals in my experience. This one
was especially long due to the lighting, sound,
animation, projection and a moving robot, which
is operated by three people.
Technically, the show is incredibly complex but
amazing to watch. Animated creatures pop out
of performers mouths, a fist appears, expands,
flies through space to punch another performer.
After a long day (and some of the night)
rehearsing, I spent a delightful evening visiting
the doctor due to tonsillitis – ah, the joys of
touring!
DAY ThREE
First show, the Australian premiere was at
10am and we were performing to 700 students.
Nerves were abuzz as we waited in the wings.
We could hear the hum and laughter of the
school children; it’s that noise that reminds me
why I do what I do: anticipation and excitement.
I remember feeling this way the first time we
performed this show in Shanghai.
I felt fairly happy with our first show – the
children laughed at the gags and the villain
was scary. But there is no time to reflect as we
re-set ready for another show. That’s right,
two in a row and we have another lot of
children to entertain. This was my favourite
show out of the six we did in Adelaide because,
as we waited in the wings, we could hear:
‘1, 2, 3, weeee’. I couldn’t figure out what was
going on until I peeked through the curtain
to see the entire auditorium of kids doing the
Mexican wave!
DAYS fOUR, fIVE AND SIx
The rest of our shows went well. Our audiences
ranged in size and judging by the reaction most
enjoyed it.
Our last night in Adelaide was spent at the
‘Scriggle tent’, a party for performers and
delegates. We ate, drank and danced, a great
way to end our festival. As a performer,
I enjoyed performing the show in Adelaide and
I liked what I saw in Adelaide, not that I saw
much, an executive suite and tonsillitis meant
that the bright lights were out of reach.
pERFORmING ARTS
After an indulgent few months of festival
schedules which handily highlight their top
shows, it’s time to get your pen out and do a
little heavy circling.
Autumn has settled upon the shoulders
of Mount Wellington and for the cold and
weary, a night in front of the box, dominated
by re-runs and cooking shows is an easy, if
not exciting proposition.
Yet a sneaky look at the months ahead
reveals a stack of shows and performances
that short of a cliff-hanger soothing episode
of Veronica Mars. They are prime- time,
heavy- jacket wearing, reasons to enjoy what
will be touring Hobart over Autumn.
EMILY NEWTON
The Mobile States tour of 2011 is coming
courtesy of Salamanca Arts Centre featuring
avant-garde contemporary performances.
The Australian Ballet is visiting the North
of the State with a patter and a smash - the
TSO will be providing the cymbals - and the
circus is coming to town too. They may not
be walking their elephants down the main
drag but that daring young man will be in the
big top (DEC) and he will be flying high.
So, drag out your best plaid blanket, stitch
in a hot water bottle and set yourself up
for a season of dance, theatre, comedy and
cabaret. It won’t be around for long, and you
can’t buy it in a box set.
SARAh MAShMAN
Performing Arts 31
pERFORmING ARTS GUIDE
CABARET
The Brisbane hotel
Circus Horrificus and Friends Cabaret
May 5 & June 2
The Peacock Theatre
The Australian Burlesque Festival
June 3
The Playhouse Theatre
The Beautiful and the Damned
May 21
COMEDY
The grand Poobah
Cavalcade of Whimsy
May 4, 11, 18 and 25
Danger Academy
May 16
The Lower house
Lower House Comedy Lounge
May 12
Onba
The Clubhouse
May 10 & 24
DANCE / ThEATRE
hobart Theatre Royal
larageddon - Uni Revue 2011
May 13 & 14, 16-21, 23-28
The Peacock Theatre
My Darling Patricia presents Africa
May 25-28
ThE SOUTh
The Playhouse Theatre
The Seagull
April 29–May 14
WhoDUNNiT
June 3 – June 18
Theatre Royal Backspace
Construction of the human heart
May 18 – 22
CABARET / COMEDY
fresh Cafe
Fresh Comedy Fridays
May 2
DANCE
ThE NORTh
The Princess Theatre
Centenary Symphony of Dance
May 27 & 28
ThEATRE
The Princess Theatre
Alice
May 11- 14
larageddon – Uni Revue 2011
May 31-June 4
MOBILE STATES & SALAMANCA ARTS CENTRE PRESENT
M Y D A R L I N G P A T R I C I A ‘ S
THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE FROM AUSTRALIAN SUBURBIA
“A beautiful
and savage
piece of theatre...”
THE AGE
25 - 28 MAY 2011
PEACOCK THEATRE
Wed - Sat @ 8pm
+ Sat Matinee @ 4pm
Bookings: www.salarts.org.au