Memorable Performances 2012-2018

Oh my I've seen some wonderful theatre over the last seven years in Perth. Professional productions, community theatre, independent theatre, student productions, even high school shows.

The level of talent never ceases to amaze me, both onstage and off. Seen everywhere from the cavernous performance space at the Heath Ledger Theatre to various black box theatres dotted throughout the city to hubs like The Blue Room and the ECU campus at Mount Lawley. Then there are the pop up venues come Fringe time and the beautiful, oftentimes heritage listed, community theatres in the suburbs.

Here are some of the most memorable performances I've seen since 2012:

Declan Brown (Bennett) & Luke Binetti (William) - Punk Rock, WAYTCo, 2014

"Declan Brown gives a wonderful performance as the utterly loathsome bully Bennett. He is a physical presence that intimidates all of the others but it’s his use of pointed sarcasm and humour that hits home early before he goes too far with his humiliation of Chadwick."

"Then there is seventeen year old Binetti who gives a spellbinding performance as William... For that transformation and its consequences to be handled so convincingly is a testament to Binetti’s skill."

Brittany Morel (Kate) - All My Sons, WAAPA, 2015

"Brittany Morel is simply superb as Kate. The ferocity of Kate’s conviction that Larry is still alive results in a woman who is barely in control and Morel plays this with great skill... That this seemingly anguished and deluded woman turns into something far more potent in the third act is remarkable and Morel’s transformation is riveting..."

Prudence Daniel (Dot) - Sunday in the Park with George, WAAPA, 2018

Such an assured and confident performance. You simply couldn't take your eyes off Daniel as she handled the emotional and lyrical complexities of Dot with aplomb.  

Suzie Melloy (Anita) - West Side Story, WAAPA, 2014

"Suzie Melloy gives a star making performance as the feisty Anita – she is simply superb and a real charismatic presence."

Kingsley Judd (Pongo) - Animal, Upstart Theatre Company, 2013

"Nothing is wasted or misplaced here. It is beautifully acted by Kingsley Judd... who clearly relish(es) working with such quality material."

David Gardette (Alfie) - A Man of No Importance, Playlovers & Irish Theatre Players 2015

"... anchored by a superb, multi-layered performance by David Gardette in the lead role. His Alfie is at turns conflicted, sweet, passionate, naïve, understanding, unbowed and such a warm presence throughout."

Rhianna McCourt (Irina) - Three Sisters, WAAPA, 2016

"With an expressiveness that belies her age, McCourt lets Irina’s emotion flicker across her face to stunning effect... Shock, horror, loathing, resignation, desperate attempts to convince herself of the possibility of happiness, an abject longing to travel to Moscow, the love for her sisters and fondness for Ivan... are all communicated throughout the play without a word."

Kieran Garvey (Martin O'Meara) - Under Any Old Gum Tree, Dramafest, 2014

"... brilliantly performed by Kieran Garvey... powerful, moving, insightful, occasionally funny and a blistering exploration of the devastation the Great War caused on those who survived No Man’s Land."

Ashley Rousetty (Man in Chair) - The Drowsy Chaperone, WAAPA, 2016

"His tone is conversational and... he demonstrated excellent comic timing and warmth in addressing and responding to the audience. It’s a nicely judged performance as Roussety imbues the character with enthusiasm, passion, some snark sure but also tinged with an underlying sadness or being ‘blue’ as Man in Chair would put it."

Rhoda Lopez (Edith Piaf) - Madame Piaf, KNUTS Theatre, 2013

"Talking to (writer/director) Stephen Lee after the show, he reinforced what was apparent for all to see – sometimes an actor is simply perfect for a role. Rhoda Lopez gives a bravura performance as Edith Piaf."

Amy Russotti (Amy/Dr. Rickshaw) - Dr. Felicity Rickshaw's Celebrity Sex Party - Holland St Productions, 2016

"... but it’s Russotti who is the star here dropping in and out of the titular character with relish. Her lower lip trembles as Rickshaw mentally salivates over the steamy concoctions she conjures. It’s a tour de force comedy performance that never lets up..."

Giuseppe Rotondella (Eddie) - A View from the Bridge, WAAPA, 2016

"Rotondella as Eddie gives one of the finest performances I have seen at WAAPA in the last few years. There are so many layers revealed from the forthright, cocksure man’s man who is confident in his position and status to the slow unravelling of that certainty as Eddie’s pre-eminence is questioned by all around him."

Felicity McKay (Vanda) - Venus in Fur, Black Swan State Theatre Company, 2015

"Felicity McKay is simply outstanding as Vanda. Her accent work is excellent and she slides in and out of various characters with astonishing ease, each one of them utterly distinctive so there is no prospect of confusion. She runs the gamut from playful, sexy, sensuous, commanding, dismissive, brash and refined but always with an underlying air of intrigue about who this person really is."

Cameron Rouse (Blanche) - A Streetcar Named Desire, WAAPA, 2018

"The third year acting students crushed it out of the park led by Cameron Rouse who gave a stunning performance as Blanche DuBois. And I mean stunning."

Clarence Ryan (Jake) - Metalhead, Creative Collaborations, 2015

"Ryan is superb as Jake – all coiled anger and aggression both physically and verbally. It’s an exhausting role and his physicality is outstanding – the fight sequences are well choreographed but it’s the manhandling of Gibson and Hampson that was achingly authentic and had the audience wincing."

Stepping Out - Koorliny Arts Centre (18 November 2017)

Many moons ago, towards the end of my career as a manager for a large national company in Sydney, one of the few times of solace was a weekly screenwriting class in Bondi. In those couple of hours, talking about movies and writing, all thoughts of personal and professional worries were held in abeyance. It ultimately led me to resigning and returning home to Perth to pursue my creative dreams. But that's another story.

In Stepping Out seven women from diverse backgrounds and a sole male attend regular tapdance classes to escape all manner of domestic disharmony or their own personal demons. In essence the play is an extended choreography session with hints at the dysfunction outside the walls of the studio that drives these people here. There is also the inevitable clash of personalities as pressure builds on learning they will be performing in front of an audience for the first time at a charity event.

It's a familiar arc - tyro performers race against time to prepare for an event where public humiliation lurks yet somehow pull it all together to triumph. The trick here is to show people tapping badly for the majority of the production before the razzle dazzle of the ending.

And razzle dazzle it does. Choreographer Allen Blachford has taken a true ensemble of actors, some of whom have never tapped before in their lives, and crafted a credible character trajectory from enthusiastic novices (though some characters less than others) to competent tappers. It's a surefire crowd pleaser when all the stumbling and bumbling turns into a polished routine.

In this Hannah Harn is Blachford's surrogate as Mavis, the tap instructor. Harn's Mavis shows glimpses of true ability as she puts the class through its paces while dealing with surly pianist Glenda (Lucy Eyre) who provides arch comments and hurt feelings as appropriate. Harn clearly has the dancing chops and features heavily in the showpiece numbers at the end. I wasn't quite as convinced when Mavis is required to turn bitchy as complications arise over the routine for the charity event. There is also a revelation that didn't quite land and was quickly forgotten.

Indeed, a lot of threads are left hanging in the personal lives of these women and the introverted Geoffrey (played with great understatement by David Gardette). Dilemmas are set up but never truly tackled or resolved. The play seems to be saying you can have your moment in the spotlight no matter what demons await in the darkness.

The character most afflicted by this is Andy whose unseen husband looms large in crippling her self-esteem. Casey Edwards inhabits the character with stark rigidness - hunched shoulders, arms stiff by her sides with hands frozen. Edwards' work with Gardette is a quiet highlight as Andy tentatively reaches out to make a truthful human connection. The character is also, in many ways, the moral compass of the tale with her petition regarding the local park and a well earned outburst.

If Andy is quiet then there are more than a few characters who go large in counterpoint beginning with the fastidious newcomer Vera. Claire Matthews gives Vera a colurful persona, all fussy and strutting, with a knack for the well meaning dagger to the heart as self-censorship isn't Vera's strong suit. Costume designer Lynne Leeder adds to the peacock allure dressing Matthews in outrageously bold outfits that she pulls off with panache. The well-judged performance is the engine room for most of the friction within the class.

Chief adversary is Anita Telkamp's straight-shooting Sylvia who, by comparison, has a bogan twang which she wields with cutting one-liner retorts. Telkamp's comic timing and delivery are very good here. The costuming reinforces the difference between the two women with Sylvia looking more at home in Tap Dogs than shopping at Man-doo-ra Forum.

Then there's Maxine as played by Rachel Monamy, a character who always seems to be on the hustle selling outfits to the group and (eventually) providing the costumes for the charity event whilst dealing with her step-son "Wonderboy". I liked that the style of humour for each character was in a different spectrum. Monamy's more a conversational style here; Eyre's pointed and gruff; Matthews' sly and demeaning; Telkamp's dry and cutting.

The cast is rounded out by Stacey Holling's Lynne who has more confidence in her tap ability and a nice personality to boot; Jenny Lawrence's Dorothy who was a little nervous and fidgety about the whole thing; and Nontuthuzelo Mqwati who had some telling lines in response to being the 'ethnic' of the group as Rose.

There is a lot of good physical comedy as well as they all come to terms at having to tap with sticks AND bowler hats. A running - well, actually, tripping gag with Gardette whose earnest attempts at being out front as the only male are a delight.

The audience was enthusiastic with much appreciation of set-pieces. The final tap routines went down a treat though there were a few moments in the lead up that dragged a little as the focus shifted to oblique mentions of the world outside the studio. That those set-ups weren't paid off or resolved left me with the uneasy feeling that these women's triumph was but temporary. Given recent revelations in the world of comedy, news broadcasting, and Hollywood, perhaps, sadly, an all too true outcome.

Overall though I laughed throughout and had a good time with this. The ending was well earned and executed with style as director Geoffrey Leeder showcased the ensemble to full effect.