A History of Happiness - Hayman Theatre Company (11 June 2014)

Ah yes, that elusive state we all strive for – happiness. But what does it mean to be truly happy? What has it meant down through the ages? What does it mean to YOU?

These are some of the questions posed by acting students from Curtin University in this 90 minute, self-devised production that is comprised of vignettes from moments in history, dance, direct audience interaction, various narrators, and even a ‘happy counsellor’.

The last of which I became acquainted with after being asked a question early on in proceedings and led out to the ‘happy room’ downstairs where I had a nice chat with said counsellor and sampled the assorted creams. (We agreed that the Monte Carlo is clearly the best choice in this regard. Another two audience members also had ‘counselling sessions’ though I can’t vouch for their biscuit preference!)

Back inside and the Neanderthals are giving way to Philosophy as we start asking questions about the nature of happiness and our place in the world before Religion arrives to shut down this practice and provide a ‘definitive’ answer (as Joan of Arc discovers in a re-enactment of her fiery demise). The discovery of Capitalism declares Money to be the new God before Power takes over and finally Freedom presents us with an overabundance of Choice. These moments are played with the majority of the company of some 35 actors on stage and I apologise for not naming the individuals until the end of this review as I am unfamiliar with most of them. Included in this are some four narrators deployed at various stages - setting the scene, interacting directly with the audience and each other, with one even asking questions of the actors. 

This is where the piece really shines because within the overarching construction of the ‘history’ there are recurring scenes - essentially two-handers - that examine different aspects of happiness and, interestingly, love.

The standout of these is a couple who are shown, mainly through dance, falling in love, being in love, falling out of love, then reconciling, with, if I interpret the last beat of the last scene correctly, impending parenthood. This was beautifully acted and handled.

Then there’s the anorexic egged on by his subconscious to exercise and lose weight, ever more weight, otherwise he is a disgrace. This arc has both dark and light with some nice comic moments by the two actors including an old-fashioned surprise that I won’t spoil but was a ‘laugh-gasp-out-loud’ moment.

We have two obsessive-compulsives who find each other after separate dates at the same restaurant go horribly wrong due to their ‘weirdness’. Again, full of humour but also a nicely narrated commentary about how love is sometimes about when two people find and accept each other’s weird habits and obsessions.

There is also a virginal, God-fearing woman in white hounded by a black clad Satan that has an interesting role reversal as the theme of Power is introduced in the context of relationships and how we handle that.

Lastly, there are six actresses who we see as young children around the age of 5-6 drawing on the back wall of the stage; then later as teenagers in what ends up being a quite raunchy sequence with the other cast joining them on stage doing what teenagers do; then as young mothers, and finally as elderly women. They are questioned by one of our narrators about what makes them happy, about their life choices, work choices, regrets, and the like. This personal history dovetails nicely with the larger history being told. There is a quiet highlight at the end of this sequence when the ‘surly’ one gives a quite moving plea to allow yourself to be marked by the dirt of life lest you end up in a nursing home alone, childless, with no friends.

When A History of Happiness first started it felt a little chaotic but then all these different threads were slowly deployed and this construction for a self-devised piece is quite elaborate and thematically impressive. There is also a great sense of zest in the performances and you can see the time and care the cast have invested. This is reinforced at the end when one of the actors simply states that being on stage performing is what makes the cast happy and it’s a wonderfully genuine and heartfelt statement. The cast sing Pharrell’s smash hit ‘Happy’ (of course) as they dance their way off stage before the audience is entreated to go out and find their own happiness.

This is a fun show with great use of humour and movement but it is also quite perceptive in its interrogation of what happiness is for without showing the dark how can we truly know the light?

There are three more performances, 12-14 June, upstairs at the Hayman Theatre and stars the Curtin University Performance Studies Devised Class of 2014: Zoe Barham, Samantha Barrett, Roisin Bevan, Holly Dodd, Danen Engelenberg, Rachel Foucar, Amy Johnston, Georgia Knox, Josh Lang, Lachie MacDonald, Kayla MacGillivray, Jim Maxwell, Gemma Middleton, Ashleigh Morris, Ellie Morrison, Amri Mrisho, Daniel O'Brien, Monty Sallur, Nicole Sandrini, Polly Seah, Aaron Smith, Emma Smith, Georgia Smith, Georgia Spencer, Madison Stirling, Zara Suryani, Nattida Thongin, Amelia Tuttleby, Savannah Wood and Judy Young.

Oliver! - Mandurah Performing Arts Centre (7 June 2014)

There was a moment during the first act of Oliver! that I caught myself grinning like a loon. On stage over sixty cast members including some forty children were performing a standout number that was simply joyous. 

When musical theatre gets it right, when everything is firing on all cylinders – the performances, the vocals, the orchestra, set, costume, lighting, everything – it is a sight and sound to behold. The joy is evident in those on stage (and implicit in the music pit) and is reciprocated by the audience in spades. It’s what makes musical theatre so magical - that joy and sheer optimism is infectious and a counterpoint to the anti-heroes and cynicism that populate much of the small and big screen these days.

This is the third production I have seen at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre directed by Karen Francis after Hairspray (2012) and The Phantom of the Opera (2013). Francis picks crowd-pleasers that pull eager audiences and are big in scope and ambition. In Oliver! she has outdone herself - a huge cast of well over sixty that features forty children; a twenty piece orchestra that was in top form; and what I’ve come to expect from all of her productions, impressive set design that takes advantage of the spacious MPAC stage and attention to detail in the costuming. What especially stands out with this production is the lighting – it’s a beautiful looking show with copious use of smoke to enhance the lighting design.

Then there are the songs. Oliver! is littered with memorable numbers – Consider Yourself, You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket, Oom-Pah-Pah, As Long As He Needs Me and so on. It was during Consider Yourself that I was smiling away happily but every number is so well staged and sung. It is foot-tapping, rousing material that is thoroughly entertaining.

To the story - Oliver (Ryan White) is an orphan in a workhouse who has the audacity to ask for more food from Mister Bumble (Scott Hansen). For his trouble he is sold to undertaker Mister Sowerberry (Rory Ellis) to be his apprentice. Oliver promptly runs away and ends up meeting the Artful Dodger (Bailey Bridgman-Peters) in London who takes him to Fagin (Jon Lambert), the leader of a band of pickpockets. Oliver’s first attempt as thievery doesn’t go well, however, he ends up with the wealthy Mister Brownlow (Peter Sydney-Smith) who could be the provider of a better life. This doesn’t sit well with Fagin’s notorious associate Bill Sikes (Tom Hennessy) who abducts Oliver over the protests of his put upon girlfriend Nancy (Sky Ogier). Events come to a head with a tragic end for Nancy, the demise of Sikes, and Oliver’s rescue. Fagin remains as he ever was… or will he seek an honest living as he disappears off stage laughing?

That brief summary hardly does justice to a story populated by so many other memorable characters. It also bears some resemblance to that other ‘orphan’ musical, the one from across the Atlantic – Annie – that was on at Koorliny Arts Centre recently. Oliver! is much darker in places but both are preoccupied with the quest to (find and) better yourself and interestingly the involvement of a wealthy benefactor to assist you in doing so (Brownlow, Warbucks).

Like Annie, the title role here is critical though it could be argued that Oliver is quite a passive character mainly reacting to events that swirl around him. White is solid as the eponymous character and has a couple of lovely vocal moments, especially with Where Is Love. Hennessy is a suitably menacing Sikes and his showpiece number My Name is very well done. Sky Ogier is a standout as Nancy with a wonderful rendition of As Long As He Needs Me and a raucous Oom-Pah-Pah. Hansen has enormous fun as Mister Bumble and Jon Lambert is excellent as a charismatic Fagin. To think Lambert was the lumbering monster in Young Frankenstein earlier in the year and the contrast is astonishing. Bridgman-Peters is a cheeky Artful Dodger with the rest of the supporting cast all good. Then there is the huge ensemble mainly comprised of children which is a delight especially when the whole company is on stage.

There are so many highlights but three that immediately stand out are: the jaunty Consider Yourself is superb; As Long As He Needs Me strips away the multitudes to shine a spotlight solely on Ogier and she excels; and the extended Who Will Buy features members of the ensemble in fine voice, including Samantha Ferguson, in what is quite a moving sequence. I should also mention the on-stage violin work of William Huxtable who I initially thought was mimicking before realising, no, he actually is playing and is very good!

This really is an impressive production and I apologise to all those people I haven’t mentioned. When it finished a woman turned to me and exclaimed, “Wasn’t that brilliant?” It’s hard to argue otherwise and there was certainly a buzz as the audience was leaving the full matinee session.

Oliver! is directed by Karen Francis with Musical Director David Hicks, Choreographer Andre Beissel and Vocal Director Kristie Gray. There is only one performance remaining, Sunday at 6.30pm which, according to the MPAC website, is deservedly sold out. 

Broken Glass - GRADS (5 June 2014)

1938 and the infamous Kristallnacht takes the harassment of Jews in Nazi Germany to new levels as a precursor of the horror to come. In Brooklyn, a Jewish woman - Sylvia Gellburg (Maree Grayden) - obsessed by the newspaper reports of the persecution suddenly finds herself unable to walk. Baffled by this, her husband Phillip (Geoff Miethe) engages the services of Doctor Hyman (Neil Cartmell) who becomes personally invested in finding the cause.

The great Arthur Miller, Nazis, American Jews and what was billed as a mystery has me intrigued. What I quickly come to realise is that this play is essentially two things: a kitchen sink, husband-wife melodrama; and an exploration of what it means to be Jewish. I have no personal context for the latter which infuses the play especially in the second act and therefore I felt emotionally distant from its characters and message. The ‘mystery’ of the marital breakdown is related to this over-arching theme and allusions to events in Germany are none too subtle thematic buttresses.

However, I was interested in how the play was constructed, predominantly as a series of two-handers with only two, maybe three moments I recall with more than two people in a scene - Husband and Doctor, Doctor and Wife, Husband and Wife, Doctor’s Wife and Husband, Wife and Sister and so on. This means it’s quite a static play and very dialogue heavy.

The set is beautifully appointed – stage left is the doctor’s office; centre stage is the Gellburg’s bedroom; stage right is the office of Stanton Case (Phillip Mackenzie) who Phillip works for. Cellist Sophie Parkinson-Stewart is situated back of stage behind a transparent screen and adds texture and tone with music composed by Grant Olding.

Cartmell is good as Doctor Hyman but in many ways his character is essentially a device – his occupation allows him to constantly ask questions of both husband and wife to probe and reveal the true state of the Gellburg marriage. In this respect many of the questions are oddly personal. There is an attraction manufactured between his character and Sylvia that allows him to (almost) get away with this. Grayden gives a strong performance as the neglected wife though the latter stages do verge into heavy melodrama as confessions are made and declarations intoned.

Georgia Jones as Mrs. Hyman adds much needed sassiness and Sally Barendse has a couple of lovely moments as Sylvia’s sister, Harriet. These two characters add life to what otherwise is pretty earnest material. Mackenzie has three scenes as the wealthy businessman who gets cheated out of a property deal due to Phillip’s misunderstanding of events. Miethe, however, did not have the best of nights as the main character, struggling with his dialogue throughout. Hopefully this is only opening night nerves as it affected key scenes, his characterisation, and created a few awkward moments.

I found the play difficult to embrace as it has a very specific message in mind which I can intellectually understand but have no emotional connection to. It is, however, an Arthur Miller play so there are some nicely written exchanges and the cello music does add another layer.

Directed by Barry Park, Broken Glass is on at the Stirling Theatre in Innaloo until 14 June.

Absolutely - Flaming Locomotive (4 June 2014)

What makes a person decide to become a performer? What are the influences that shape that performer? How does an introvert become a clown in the world famous Cirque du Soleil? 

What does this all have to do with Vikings, cheese and vegemite sandwiches, and the Fosbury Flop?

Absolutely is the fascinating insight into the journey of Allan Girod from introverted grammar school boy to international performing artist.

What immediately grabs you is the intimate, stripped down nature of this one hour show. But show is probably the wrong word because even though there is a performer ‘on stage’ and symmetrically arranged audience members it felt more like a chat, as if Allan is talking only to you. He is a warm and generous storyteller who is candid, funny, insightful and reflective about key moments in his life. There is a genuineness and honesty here that is compelling but also a little mischief and gentle humour throughout.

I won’t go into the specific details of the journey – this is Allan’s story to tell and for an audience to discover and delight in – but it starts all the way back at his Year 10 social, takes us to his first job in the country, the exact moment of his epiphany about becoming a performer, to developing his first show, touring to Canada, and the Cirque du Soleil experience.

There are moments that will truly resonant if you have ever tried to create your own work, or stepped on a stage, or suffered the indignities of high school or indeed a job you weren’t suited for. There is the joy and amazement at revelations along the way as well as the decisions and sacrifices that have to be made. Then there is the perfect plan, tried and tested, for a certain computer strategy game. Trust me, this is important!

It is quite a remarkable story with a glimpse into the inner workings of the world renowned Cirque du Soleil only one of the highlights. Some of the quieter, more introspective moments are perhaps the ones that will linger with you longer.

There are three more shows 5th, 6th, 7th June, 8pm at Chrissie Parrott Arts in Maylands with proceeds going towards Allan touring the show to Edinburgh. There is also a crowdfunding campaign where public pledges are matched dollar for dollar by Creative Partnerships Australia and The Blue Room Theatre.

One of the motifs I will share is how Allan sensed the voices of all the artists who had performed previously at places like The Blue Room and how that spurred him on. Allan’s voice is now one of those that others might hear one day in Maylands, Edinburgh, and beyond.

Acceptable Losses - Curtin University (1 June 2014)

The second play tonight was a scripted piece set in a dystopian future where the Lord Protector (Carlin Monteiro) aided by the Guard Captain (Rachel Foucar) keep the peace in an unnamed city using quite brutal methods. Citizens are rounded up by the Protectorate guards (Jenn Scullion and Dylan Searle) to be experimented on by Doctor Anders (Alexander Gerrans) for the mysterious Project 12.

Things go awry when Anders’ child Millie is kidnapped by unknown forces and his wife Fiona (Beth Tremlett) is implicated. She is tortured by the Guard Captain and eventually manipulated to be the scapegoat as ‘the masses’ have grown restless about the disappearances. Rhiannon Petersen plays the ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ of Project 12 as well as the Judge at Fiona’s sham trial.

Ambitious but uneven, the play sets up a quite atmospheric world especially with the use of sound effects such as thunder, constant rain, the slamming of cell doors; a range of costuming from the Lord Protector’s sleek look in buttoned down vest and wingtip shoes to the uniforms of the guards; and quite graphic violence, Foucar in particular delighting in putting a bit of stick about. The tone is mostly grim except for a curious Droog-like scene by Searle’s guard as he practices pickup lines on Petersen’s inanimate ‘monster’.  

Monteiro is all sinister charm as the pre-eminent villain behind it all but Foucar has the far more boisterous performance as the violent Guard Captain. Tremlett is clattered about and bound most of the play but gives a nice performance as the anguished wife concerned for her child. Gerran’s Anders proclaims himself to be a monster - the ‘silent scalpel of the city’ - but I was never convinced this was the case as he seemed impotent in the face of the Protectorate. The play also never addresses who did kidnap Millie so this felt more plot device than anything as I was waiting for the twist that never came.

It is, however, a concept that could be further developed as there are some interesting moral dilemmas thrown up, especially for Tremlett’s character.

Written and Directed by Dan O'Brien with Dramaturgy by Jesse Daniels.

Yes/No - Curtin University (1 June 2014)

Curtin University regularly has two One Act plays presented under the banner Sunday Night Theatre in the converted lecture room upstairs at the Hayman Theatre.

The first of these tonight was a self-devised piece that explored Fear. An unnamed woman (Rebecca Fowler) battles her demons and doubts with a “raven” perched on her shoulder. She awakes to find Fight (Ariel Tresham), Flight (Holly Dodd), Endure (Aaron Smith) and Undermine (Sean Guastavino) fighting to be the dominant force in her life… or is it all just in her head?

This is a high energy piece incorporating dance and stylised fighting between the different impulses with the use of a bongo drum and vibrant lighting giving the play a real kinetic feel. Fowler is literally torn between these opposing forces as different scenarios are explored – the drunk on the train who demands the shoes from a fellow passenger who meekly agrees in the first instance (flight) but when the scene is reprised chooses to fight which doesn’t end well for him either.

Fowler’s character at one stage has a lovely ‘courtship’ with Smith’s only to renege as they walk down the aisle. Characters narrate from the sideline and in this case tell us the figures about domestic violence against women, a prevalent fear unfortunately in this day and age. The characters also interact with the audience asking them to name their own fears before Fowler recites a list that includes rejection, loneliness and various others.

I really liked the energy in this piece and especially the ending where Fowler’s character states that her greatest fear is that she will stop trying. In an age where there is seemingly so much to be fearful of this was a poignant statement to end the play on.

The space is well used with the actors entering and exiting from various points and yes, I didn’t even realise I sat next to the lead in the front row before the play began! Talking to one of the actors afterwards this took 7-8 weeks with two rehearsals a week to develop. I found it an interesting exploration of what stops us growing and moving forward and maybe how a lot of this is indeed in our head.

Directed by Savannah Wood with Dramaturgy by Amy Johnston.

The Warrior and The Princess - Blue Moose Theatre Productions (31 May 2014)

I had the great pleasure of going along to the first of two fundraising nights on Saturday to assist the cast and crew of this play get to New York for the Fringe festival there.

Not only did I see the play, enjoy wine and supper, and have some great conversations, the evening’s entertainment commenced with a cabaret of some nine songs. Performed by two of the cast members – the fabulously talented Rhoda Lopez and Ian Toyne - this was a highlight in itself.

Rhoda kicked off proceedings with three songs from her tour de force performance as Edith Piaf in Madame Piaf with a lovely acknowledgement to the writer-director Stephen Lee who was in the audience. Toyne added two Frank Sinatra classics to make no doubt New York was on everyone’s mind and they shared a couple of duets – Cole Porter’s Night and Day and Somewhere from West Side Story. Rhoda also gave a wonderful rendition of Someone To Watch Over Me which was greeted with a simple “Beautiful” from an audience member in the row behind me. There was no chance of any disagreement on that score.

What a way to start! Another glass of wine at intermission and everyone settled in for the play itself which has been invited to New York’s Fringe…

“The Boss is always right.”

A phrase repeated throughout this play about Jewish refugees stranded in Lithuania during the Second World War and the Japanese diplomat who helped save thousands of them. Based on a true story, writer Shirley Van Sanden has crafted what the cast announce at the very beginning is a ‘fable and a fairytale’ and it is presented as such with various storytelling devices. There are three large, white screens at the back of the stage with two in the wings on a 45 degree angle. The three main screens are used to project various images onto but also show silhouetted action of the actors in crucial moments, notably acts of violence. Then there is the use of a puppet to represent The Boss himself and another that is a feisty dog which is part of an actual puppet show in the story. Throw in the use of origami, various other props from a Katana to a baseball bat and ball, and the recurring appearance of a bird both projected and on a stick wielded by the writer herself, and this is an inventive piece of storytelling. It did take me a little while to get into its rhythms and highly stylised and episodic nature but once onboard it proves highly rewarding.

But back to that statement:

“The Boss is always right.”

Easy to disagree with in this day and age, not so easy at a time of war when your boss is in the Japanese Foreign Ministry and you are a junior diplomat who has been reassigned after speaking out about the treatment of the local population during your posting in Manchuria. This is Yoshida (Brian Liau) who has a love of baseball and adheres to the seven virtues of Bushido, the Samurai’s code. He is The Warrior to Rhoda Lopez’s Anna, a Polish child and The Princess, who witnessed her mother’s death at the hands of the Nazis and flees to Lithuania with her Uncle, Jacob (Ian Toyne) where they are taken in by his sister (Monica Main). There they set up a puppet theatre but this is burnt down when the Soviets take control of Lithuania and the Jewish refugees are under even more threat. Yoshida had spotted Anna throwing a baseball and befriended her as she could make a great pitcher for the refugee team he coaches. As things become bleak, Jacob in desperation approaches Yoshida to help obtain transit visas so they can leave the country. Yoshida, with the assistance of his German assistant, Johanna, eventually disobeys The Boss and end up issuing more visas than is authorised. Jacob and Anna escape while Yoshida is summoned to Berlin for re-assignment and eventually ends up in an internment camp.

The acting is excellent across the board with Brian Liau very strong as the conflicted Yoshida who eventually decides to do what is right rather than follow orders. But we also see episodes from earlier in his life – the falling out with his father who wanted him to be a doctor; how he met The Boss whilst a waiter in a restaurant; the incident in Manchuria – which allows Liau plenty of latitude to give depth to his character. Lopez is excellent as the traumatised Anna who also finds a childlike joy in the puppet show and hitting a home run - the true innocent in a time of turmoil and unimaginable suffering. Toyne shines as Jacob who is determined to make life as tolerable as possible for his niece and pleads with Yoshida to help them and the others escape. He also has an amusing turn controlling the dog in the puppet show and plays a Dutch diplomat who is the catalyst for the idea regarding the visas. Finally, Main plays the ‘stern’ Johanna with a deft touch adding most of the humour to proceedings.

I say finally but a key component is the keyboard work of Mark Turton who adds mood and atmosphere throughout. One impressive sequence is the communiques between Yoshida and Tokyo which is a combination of keyboard effects, puppetry and the use of origami. Creative and telling.

There is a lovely coda at the end which brings all the threads together as a grown up Anna seeks out the elderly Yoshida and tells him of all the good his sacrifice accomplished.

This is a creative mix of elements that shines a light on a little known story that celebrates the ability of one person to affect the lives of literally thousands by choosing to do the right thing at great personal risk in a time of horror and war.

The final fundraiser is on tonight, Sunday the 1^st June, and is well worth braving the football crowds to attend. A terrific night’s entertainment.