Bok Choy Ballroom, Noodle Palace, Fringeworld, Perth. 22-31 January 2015
Impromptunes is an absolute riot of a show, producing a new completely improvised musical, every night.
The cast is young, vibrant and very, very clever. The line-up varies from performance to performance, but on the night I reviewed the cast included Greg Lavelle on keyboard, with Andy Gould, Louisa Fitzhardinge, Emmet Nichols, Holly James, Morgan Phillips and Amberly Cull.
By Ingrid Garner. Directed by Craig Tyrrel. Fringeworld (WA). Bok Choy Ballroom, Noodle Palace, Fringeworld, Perth. 23-30 January 2015
Eleanor: An American Girl in Hitler's Germany, an international show at WA's Fringeworld, is written and performed by Ingrid Garner, based on the memoirs of her grandmother Eleanor Ramreth-Garner.
An outstanding performance, Ingrid Garner is a passionate performer who brings her grandmother's story to life with love, warmth and intensity in a captivating story that has the audience on the edge of their seats.
Fringeworld (WA). De Parel Spiegeltent. 22-31 Jan 2015
Le Gateau Chocolat is a favourite of WA's Fringeworld, and this year's offering, Icons, is a beautifully presented cabaret that is already creating a flutter on social media.
Le Gateau Chocolat is perfectly named. As a performer this beautiful, brown, bald, bearded drag queen looks delicious and is generously proportioned as any good chocolate cake should be. Le Gateau's bass-baritone operatic voice is the epitome of rich warm chocolate in vocal form, and one feels just a little indulgent just enjoying the tones.
Sydney Festival. Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, January 21-24, 2015.
The foyer of the Drama Theatre is slightly different. Most of the seating has been removed. Several small tables are covered with memorabilia selected by the six courageous over 65 year olds who will participate in the production. They mingle with the audience prior to the show, and follow the latecomers into the theatre, taking their places, wine glasses in hand, at a panel-style conference table where they will share their lives … and sexual experiences.
By Yudai Kamisato. Okazaki Art Theatre / Sydney Festival. Carriageworks. January 21 – 24, 2016
Playwright and director of the Okazaki Art Theatre, Yudai Kamisato has crafted this highly impressionistic, quirky tale of the immigrant experience and the politics of theatre-making.
By Douglas Rintoul. Directed by John Kachoyan. Lab Kelpie Productions. Gasworks / Midsumma Festival. Jan 19 - Feb 6, 2016.
It doesn’t take a lot of money to create great theatre. What it does take is wonderful writing, brave producers, an innovative and empathetic director, creatives who understand the aesthetics at work, and a fine actor of immeasurable skill and truth. Elegy, as a flagship for this year’s “Midsumma Festival”, has all of those things; and the whole is greater even than the sum of its parts.
By Ayub Khan-Din. Nautanki Theatre. Riverside Theatre, Paramatta. January 21 – 24, 2016.
Nautanki Theatre continues its double aim: sharing the history and legends of India with a larger audience, as well as sustaining a strong sense of heritage for those of Indian descent. This play, however, also raises issues that are more universal – and certainly very relevant today - issues of people who feel displaced or unsafe in their own society and people who feel the need to flee religious, political or social persecution.
Music and Lyrics by Sammy Fain and Bob Hilliard, Oliver Wallace and Cy Coban, Allie Wrubel and Ray Gilbert, Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston. Music adapted & arranged and additional music and lyrics by Bryan Louiselle. Book adapted & additional Lyrics by David Simpatico. Young Australian Broadway Chorus. Director: Robert Coates. Musical Director: Andy Coates. Choreographer: Jacqui Green. Southbank Theatre, The Lawler. January 22 – 30, 2016.
Having encountered the Young Australian Broadway Chorus before, I was keen to see another production, and it was amazing! Once again it showcased a young, energetic cast with tight choreography and strong singing.
The feature that particularly impressed me was the wealth of spectacular costumes. It seemed that no sooner had the ensemble gone off stage at the end of one frenetic number, than they were back on in a completely different costume for another.
Music: Michael Gore. Lyrics: Dean Pitchford/ Book: Lawrence D. Cohen based on the novel by Stephen King. Director: Zoe Tuffin. Musical Director: Dominic Woodhead. Choreographer: Dan Venz. Wax Lyrical Production. Powerhouse, Brisbane. 21-30 January 2016
The much maligned musical version of Carrie plays surprisingly better than its spotty performance record has led us to believe. An infamous flop in the UK and New York in 1988, the show based on Stephen King’s Gothic horror novel was heavily revised for a successful Off-Broadway production in 2012. It’s this version of the script and score that Wax Lyrical has chosen to launch their company and the musical’s first Brisbane Season.
Conceived by Trevor Ashley. Written by Phil Scott and Trevor Ashley. Musical Supervision and arrangements by Max Lambert. Fairfax Studio. Arts Centre Melbourne. January 20 – 31, 2016
Performers can be stars without having extraordinary talent; and some can have extraordinary talent without ever becoming stars. It’s quite rare for a performer to combine both without being a household name, but then Trevor Ashley is a rarity in so many ways. Most recently seen stunning audiences as M.
