Diva - Creative Collaborations (28 October 2015)

Warning: contains strong language, drug and sexual references.

There’s no denying any of that.

There’s also no denying the fact that this is a searing psychological profile with no less than a full-throated performance by Tiffany Barton. She completely inhabits the character of June, a former New York opera singer now stricken at the thought of leaving her apartment. 

Barton is fearless in exploring all the complexities of this larger than life diva; from the grotesque to the outrageous; the flat out funny to the poignant; often with devastating self-reflection. It’s in your face, immediate and compelling. What a joy to witness an actress not only embrace but trumpet all the jagged little edges, contradictions, hopes and fears of a character so thoroughly. June is, in part, based on a real person so this bleeds with authenticity.

The show literally jumps out at you and at first I was taken aback. There’s a certain shock value as we initially meet June but various story strands slowly emerge in this meticulously crafted monologue. Two great love affairs come to the fore – one with June’s husband Manny; the other with the opera and performance itself. The discovery that one largely destroys the other adds to a sense of pathos. But make no mistake; there is a fierce determination here to enjoy all that life has to offer, with every lump and Tosca inspired orgasm!

Underpinning this is June’s relationship with her father who will abandon the young girl and be absent through key moments of her life. Then there’s the reason why June can’t leave her apartment that is potent in its understated recounting. It will resonate with any artist who aspires to greatness.

All these strands are woven together amidst moments of manic energy as June dresses up, sings along to her beloved opera, laments the effect of age on her looks, consumes pills hidden in a teapot, and happily submits to the attention of ‘Mr Buzzy’, a formidable looking vibrator. Tellingly though, it’s the quieter moments that pack the biggest wallop – Barton and director Helen Doig aren’t afraid to let us observe June who becomes increasingly bizarre in appearance. Those moments of stillness and sense of vulnerability are quite special.

There are two clever devices to allow the character to ‘perform’ and share her memories – one, improbably, is a stuffed cat called Eugene, smothered to death by a drunken June; the other, an ingenious puppet of Manny made of cardboard boxes and rollers. Again, having Barton ‘impersonate’ Manny, become the innocent child who misses her Daddy, or admonish her dead cat allows for changes in rhythm and pace that keep this unpredictable and enthralling.

The simple telephone injects a note of dread as a symbol of the outside world (and the past) that June seemingly craves to reconnect with but is paralysed at the very thought of. Indeed, audio cues are an important component from the strains of opera to amusingly salacious lyrics to prompts to snap June in and out of moments of self-reflection.

This is a well written, well directed and beautifully crafted piece of theatre with a memorable performance that sponsored a most interesting discussion afterwards in the lobby. Highly recommended.

Diva was written by and stars Tiffany Barton and is directed by Helen Doig with puppets, set and costumes created by Cherie Hewson and sound by Max Porotto. Perfectly suited to the intimate black box theatre upstairs at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Fremantle, it runs until 1 November as part of the Fremantle Festival.

Romeo and Juliet - Class Act Theatre (6 September 2014)

This show marks the end of a twenty year association between Perth and Class Act Theatre, founder and driving force Angelique Malcolm deciding to head eastwards at the end of the year. Class Act has always been notable for making the great Bard’s works accessible to a wider audience and this is no exception.

Here, Will.i.am Shakespeare’s famous tragedy is given a re-imagining with a decidedly hip hop flavour which will no doubt catch the attention of a younger audience. It’s an interesting stylistic choice and one that infuses the play with an energy and playfulness that works surprisingly well in the first act before largely disappearing in the second. As it must as the tragedy unfolds. I’m still undecided about this as I enjoyed the first half so much and missed the unusual flourishes as a more traditional rendering occurs in the second act.

The set is littered with milk crates, a shopping trolley, and refuse as two homeless people watch the action (Malcolm and Stephen Lee, both of whom also play the Sister and, most amusingly, the Nurse respectively). The Capulets and Montagues loiter in the wings. At the rear of the stage is a torn white sheet where the occasional narration of (Perth based lyricist) Ryan ‘Trooth’ Samuels is projected. The upper tear in the sheet will provide the setting for the iconic balcony scene.

What follows is the use of certain passages of text performed as rap with recorded musical support by the aforementioned Trooth and Loftee Beats who are co-musical directors.  Lucas Marie adds impressive interludes of breakdancing or 'bboying' as it’s referred to in the program. The cast are attired in modern clothing that reflects the hip hop aesthetic.

The standouts in the early going are Daniel Buckle as Mercutio who adds a real sense of mischief while Jessica Messenger is a feisty Benvolio. Lee initially provides comic relief as the Nurse and his song and dance number was all kinds of brave and funny.

Nick Pages-Oliver plays Romeo with a twinkle in the eye and there is a lot of sly humour here. The well-built Rubeun Yorkshire makes for a menacing Tybalt and the rap-style fight between the two works well. Our Juliet is Maja Liwszyc who was excellent in the last Class Act production I saw (Frames) and excels again here. She conveys strength in opposition to her mother and father’s wishes (Katya Shevtsov and Zane Alexander) while displaying a real sweetness and joy in her love for Romeo. The cast is rounded out by Josh Walker as the rival suitor, Paris.

What adds to the first act working so well is that the actors are never off stage and add spontaneous laughter and catcalls from the wings that enhanced the sense of play. The company had genuine chemistry with ‘in the moment’ interactions. I was really enjoying the humour and fresh take on such well known material. Again, by necessity, the chorus falls silent after the intermission.

I confess I enjoyed Act One more then the second and this is a long play. The fusion of the classical text with rap and hip hop was an interesting one and I thought worked well. Its absence was all the more notable because of its uniqueness. That’s not to say the second half isn’t without its moments with Liwszyc in particular strong.

Directed by Helen Doig, hopefully this production will attract a new generation of young audience members who will become acquainted with one of Shakespeare's masterpieces. I also wish Angelique Malcolm all the best as she braves new frontiers in Melbourne.

Romeo and Juliet is on at the Subiaco Arts Centre until 13 September and then down at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 18-19 September.