HOME, I'M DARLING (PLAY)

 

Written by Laura Wade

Directed by Alexandra Pelvin

Canberra REP production

Canberra REP Theatre, Acton to 8 July

 

Reviewed by Len Power 28 June 2023

 

The audience’s uncertain reaction (‘Is this a comedy?’) as the lights came up for interval, showed that ‘Home, I’m Darling’ is not just an enjoyable comedy romp.  It certainly is very funny but it also makes pointed observations about relationships, nostalgia, responsibilities and choice in marriage.

English playwright, Laura Wade, has produced a cleverly sharp satire of modern life.  Judy is on a quest to be the perfect 1950s housewife to her husband Johnny.  The problem is that it’s 2018 and being a domestic goddess isn’t as easy as following a manual.

On an extraordinarily detailed set by Andrew Kay of the entire interior of a house decorated to perfection with 1950s furniture and fittings, director, Alexandra Pelvin’s production is a highly detailed delight.  Her cast of six all give fine performances of great depth and comic timing.

As Judy, Karina Hudson plays the 1950s housewife to perfection.  As the cracks begin to show, she deftly shows the other side of Judy struggling to maintain her fantasy in a modern world.

Ryan Street, as her husband Johnny, plays him as a mild-mannered, kind and decent man who is ready to indulge his wife’s fantasy but then finds that modern life’s pressures make him question their marriage.  Ryan Street took over the role recently due to the illness of the original actor playing the role.  He has achieved an effective performance in a short time.

Amongst the other performers, Adele Lewin shines as Judy’s cynical mother.  Her long speech about actual life in the 1950s is a highlight of the show.  Terry Johnson as Marcus, a friend of Judy and Johnny, gives a terrific performance that is funny, oily and then chilling as his character shows his true colours.  Natalie Waldron as Marcus’s wife, Fran, is effective as a very modern day self-centred woman.  Kayla Ciceran is very natural as Johnny’s boss, Alex.

The scene changes that involve a lot of clearing away and resetting of props, is well choreographed with a wicked sense of humour.  Stage Managers Paul Jackson and Ann-Maree Hatch are a delight as the silent ‘domestic elves’ working in the dark.

There is also a good choice of 1950s music in Justin Mullins’ sound design and colourful period costumes by Helen Drum.

 

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

FOOTLOOSE (MUSICAL)

 

Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie

Based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford

Directed by Anthony Swadling

Musical Director: Jenna Hinton

Queanbeyan Players production

Q Theatre, Queanbeyan to 2 July

 

Reviewed by Len Power 23 June 2023

 

A musical with a forgettable book, ‘Footloose’ depends on the quality of its production to be a success.  Luckily, Queanbeyan Players and director, Anthony Swadling, have given us a rousing entertainment in which the sheer enthusiasm and ability of the cast shines through.

Ren McCormick moves from Chicago to the small town of Bomont USA where dancing and loud music are prohibited following a tragic accident.  How Ren challenges and overcomes the town’s conservative stance is the basic idea of the plot.  The predictable plot doesn’t matter, though.  It’s the musical numbers that make this show.

The music is mostly by Tom Snow but several well-known songs by Kenny Loggins, Sammy Hagar, Jim Steinman and Eric Carmen are woven into the show.

Luke Ferdinands sings and acts the role of Ren McCormick very well and Sammy Marceddo as Ariel, the minister’s daughter, raises the roof with ‘Holding Out For A Hero’.  Together, they gave believable warmth to the romantic song, ‘Almost Paradise’.

There is fine vocal work also from the trio of Kara Murphy, Kay Liddiard and Emily Pogson with the song ’Somebody’s Eyes’ and Kara Murphy is a standout with ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’.

Pat Gallagher and Sarah Hull play the Rev. Moore and his wife, Vi.  These very experienced actors bring a realistic depth to their roles and both are fine singers, handling their solos with ease.

Zac Izzard as the bullying boyfriend, Chuck, and John Whinfield as the slow country boy give strong performances, too.

From the opening number, ‘Footloose’, until the end of the show, the hard-working large chorus are the strength of this show with their enthusiasm and good singing.  They handle Rachel Thornton’s choreography very well.

Jenna Hinton and her band of musicians play the score superbly.  Sound by Kyle Maley was well-balanced and Jacob Aquilina’s lighting design added considerable atmosphere to the practical set by Steve Galinec and Anita Davenport.

Anthony Swadling’s assured direction kept it all moving at a good pace and made it a show to remember.

 

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

 

 

 

 

RED DESERT SAND (CONCERT)

CSO Chamber Ensemble

William Barton, didgeridoo

National Museum Of Australia 22 June

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

The vastness of the desert landscape and red, the richest of colours, inspired the five works presented in concert in the cavernous foyer of the National Museum Of Australia.

The program began with William Barton’s “Square Circles Beneath The Red Desert Sand” with William Barton on didgeridoo and the CSO Chamber Orchestra consisting of Kirsten Williams, violin, Doreen Cumming, violin, Tor Frøhmyhr, viola and Patrick Suthers, cello.

The work, about the spirit of Barton’s country, Kalkadunga (Mount Isa), commenced with Barton’s distinctive voice coming from the rear of the foyer while the ensemble improvised on stage. As Boyd joined them onstage with his didgeridoo, it developed into the rich sounds of life awakening. The western instruments with the digeridoo gave a sublime sense of two cultures blending together. It was a haunting work, colourful and very well performed.

William Barton and members of the CSO Chamber Ensemble

Red light suddenly bathed the vast foyer as we heard sound artist, Ros Bandt’s composition for electrified steel. “Red” is the first movement of her electroacoustic symphony “Stack”, a sonic work of an industrial chimney stack designed to extract fumes from a Victorian road tunnel.

It was an immersive experience with random sounds coming together in elaborate sub-mixes that included the use of the Indonesian brass mallet instrument, the Gender. This was all combined symphonically in the computer. The result was a memorably vital and alive work.

Peter Sculthorpe’s “String quartet no. 7 – Red landscape” was a quietly ferocious and austere work that created its own unique and descriptive musical atmosphere. It was played with great energy and precision by the chamber ensemble.

“Re-Echo”, a re-imagining of another work, “The Empty Quarter”, by Katy Abbott gave a fine sense of empty physical space combined with a lonely feeling of empty emotions. Patrick Suthers on cello played this reflective, melodic work with ensemble percussionist, Veronica Bailey, on vibraphone.  It was a performance of great sensitivity by the two artists.

A world premiere by Aaron Wyatt, “The Coming Dawn”, was the final work to be played. The full CSO chamber orchestra with William Boyd on didgeridoo produced a sense of the stillness of night in the early hours before sunrise which developed into a rich soundscape that evoked the land and its memories. This rich, highly coloured and imaginative work was given a memorable performance.

 

Photo by Martin Ollman

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 23 June 2023.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

  

MARRY ME A LITTLE (MUSICAL)

Conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene

Directed by Jarrad West

Everyman Theatre production

ACTHub Theatre, Kingston to June 24.

 

Reviewed by Len Power 15 June 2023

 

When Craig Lucas, a chorus member in a Stephen Sondheim show, happened to hear of the existence of some of the composer’s unperformed songs, he asked Sondheim if some of them could be used in a revue that he was devising. Together they chose 17 songs, a storyline was added and ‘Marry Me A Little’ opened off-Broadway in 1980.

The show is full of songs that were unknown to the public at the time. Some were from unproduced shows and others had been included but dropped for various reasons while the shows were being developed. It’s a treat for Sondheim aficionados, hearing tunes that sound familiar from other Sondheim shows.

Two single strangers, left alone in their studio apartments on a Saturday night, pass their time with sweetly secret, unshared fantasies, never knowing that they're just a floor away from each other and the end of their lonely dreams.

The action plays out on a cluttered set, cleverly designed by Michael Sparks. Somehow morphed together, the set represents two separate New York apartments in the same building. The two strangers never meet except in their fantasies. It’s a bitter-sweet show as we experience the hopes, dreams and the pain of these two lonely people, in reality very close to each other.

Alexander Unikowski, in his stage debut, is well known in Canberra for his work as musical director of a number of shows. Regular Canberra musical theatre performer, Hannah Lance, plays the other character. They have to carry the entire show which is presented in song with no dialogue.

Alexander Unikowski and Hannah Lance

They are accompanied on the set by the musical director, Elizabeth Alford. For a play concerning just two people, it might have been better to place her where she did not look like she was another flatmate.

Unikowski sang his role well but his vocal quality often seemed at odds with the character he was playing. Hannah Lance sang unevenly and at times harshly. It was hard to understand the lyrics clearly at times. Sondheim’s music and lyrics have a level of difficulty that would test any performer. Both of them seemed to be concentrating on getting the songs right at the expense of character development.

Director, Jarrad West, in his staging did not clarify that the pair were interacting with each other only in their fantasies. This caused confusion in some of the joint musical numbers.

A phone gag, described in the program as ‘gratuitous texting’ was distracting and did not add anything worthwhile to the show.

It was interesting to see this little known show of Sondheim’s previously unperformed songs but the underwhelming singing and performances and the lack of clarity in certain aspects of the staging worked against it.

 

Photos By Janelle McMenamin and Michael Moore

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 16 June 2023.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.

 

WATANDAR: MY COUNTRYMAN (FILM)

 

Written by Muzafar Ali and Jolyon Hoff

Directed by Jolyon Hoff

A Light Sound Art Film production

Screening at Dendy Cinemas from June 16

 

 Reviewed by Len Power June 13 2023

 

Muzafar Ali is a Hazara artist from Afghanistan who grew up in Pakistan as a refugee. In 2004, when he was 17, he returned to Afghanistan to work with the United Nations disarmament program. This work took him across the country, and he extensively photographed the regions, providing an insight into rarely documented areas.

In 2015, Muzafar was resettled to Australia through the humanitarian visa program.  In collaboration with director, Jolyon Hoff, he made the documentary film ‘The Staging Post’, about the process of establishing a refugee-led school in Indonesia, which became one of Australia’s most successful documentaries ever.

When Muzafar discovers that Afghans have been in Australia for 160 years he’s compelled to photograph and document the stories of their descendants.  His photography project becomes an even more personal journey as he interacts with these people.

Then, in 2021, the Taliban take over Afghanistan.  With his homeland lost, he’s driven to help and reaches out to his former colleagues, whose lives are in danger.  Finally, at the Camel Cup in Maree, Muzafar and his family find they have a new home with their Watandar - their countrymen.

This new documentary covers the stories of Muzafar’s meetings with Afghan descendants in Australia, his ever-increasing concern for people still trapped under current Taliban rule and his own search for a new Afghan-Australian identity.

Muzafar Ali’s charismatic personality and his cheerful interaction with the Australian Afghan descendants, drives this documentary.  The people that he meets seem to be true-blue Aussies on the surface but he finds that they are very much aware and proud of their heritage.  Although born in Australia, they find it difficult to have a true sense of their own identity – are they Australians or Afghans or what?

The Afghan descendants that he meets all tell their stories in a warm, disarming way, enabling Muzafar to understand their history in this country and become part of their lives and identity.

Meanwhile, Muzafar is dealing with the horror stories of Taliban rule coming from Afghanistan and he provides us with a first-hand perspective on their experiences.

This is a moving documentary that gives a compelling insight into a refugee’s search for his own Afghan-Australian identity.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

THE WALTZ (PLAY)

Written by David Cole

Directed by Jock McLean

Q Theatre, Queanbeyan to June 10

 

Reviewed by Len Power 9 June 2023

 

 

In this youth-oriented world, it’s not often that we see plays about older people and the issues they face.  ‘The Waltz’ is an Australian play about two past radicals who meet again in their twilight years.

Once part of the Sydney Push, a large, loose grouping of libertarians and nonconformists who talked, loved, drank and partied in the pubs of inner Sydney in the 1960s, the man and woman meet by chance on a park bench overlooking Bondi Beach. Warily ‘waltzing’ around each other at first, they realize that they knew each other all those years ago. Now in their 70s, they find themselves drawn together.

David Cole’s play is a character piece that gives us two characters who show you’re never too old to find love. The woman is feisty, forward and determined to live independently.

He is recovering from the effects of a stroke which has left his thoughts and speech affected. Drawing portraits of past acquaintances gives him comfort during his recovery. It’s a drawing of one of those friends known to both of them that bring the two people together.

Pauline Mullen and Martin Sanders give fine, heart-felt performances as this couple. They display considerable depth in their characterizations especially with their unspoken emotional responses.

Pauline Mullen and Martin Sanders

David Cole’s play is strong on character and laced with humour, but the scene where the man, while alone, declares his anguish and frustration about the couple’s past relationship doesn’t ring true and goes on too long. The ending of the play seems a bit contrived.

Jock McLean’s direction of the play has achieved considerable depth in the performances of his actors. The production was too spare and looked a bit lost on the wide Q Theatre stage.  The centrepiece of the settting - a hill overlooking Bondi - was just a park bench on a few scuffed rostra with a black curtain behind it.  It needed more imagination to lift the show from feeling like a rehearsal.

The well-chosen music from the 60s that weaves in and out of the play adds considerable atmosphere.

Overall, this is a fine character play exploring aspects of ageing in our community.

 

Photo By Geoff Moseley

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 10 June 2023.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

 

  

COME FROM AWAY (MUSICAL)

Book, Music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein

Directed by Christopher Ashley

Management – Newtheatricals

Canberra Theatre, Canberra Theatre Centre to 9 July

 

Reviewed by Len Power 8 June 2023

 

Who would have thought that there was a hit musical in a situation that happened in Newfoundland, Canada following the New York and Washington DC terrorist attacks of 9/11?

‘Come From Away’ has been embraced by audiences from Broadway to London and Melbourne, where it opened in 2019.  Canberra has had to wait through two covid-cancelled seasons until now to see it.

The show follows the incredible real-life journey of 7,000 air passengers who became grounded in Gander, Newfoundland in the wake of the September 11 tragedy.  The small community that welcomed the ‘come from aways’ into their lives provided hope and compassion to those in need.

Award-winning husband and wife duo David Hein and Irene Sankoff (book, music and lyrics) travelled to Newfoundland and interviewed thousands of locals, compiling their stories to share with the world.

This 100 minute without interval musical plays at a breathless pace.  It may have only one set but the imaginative direction and the playing by the ensemble cast is astounding.  This cast of twelve all play multiple roles so superbly that it feels like the show has a huge number of performers.  It all takes place in a multitude of locations and the imaginative way they are staged is part of the fun of the show.

The cast of 'Come From Away'

From the opening song, ‘Welcome To The Rock’, we quickly engage with the characters as they tell and re-enact their stories.  These are all ordinary people thrust into an extraordinary situation.  Our empathy with them is total.

The music, played by six performers, drives the show forward with its insistent folk rhythms and delightful harmonies.  One song, ‘Me And The Sky’ is a standout.  Beverley, a flight captain, sings to us about her passion for flying.  It’s incredibly uplifting and the actress, Zoe Gertz, sings it memorably.

Zoe Gertz and members of the cast of 'Come From Away'

The sheer energy of all of these performers is astounding.  As well as singing the fast-paced songs, they are constantly on the move, changing set pieces and costume items as well as always being effortlessly in the right place at the right time for individual lighting cues.

Without our being aware of it, these characters are stealing our hearts.  At the end of the show as the passengers leave Gander and everyone goes back to their normal lives, we find ourselves wanting to know what happened to these people afterwards.  What they tell us is highly moving and a perfect ending to the show.

The audience reacted with a well-deserved standing ovation and a roar of approval.  Following the curtain call for the cast, the band have their own chance to shine and they show their obvious enjoyment at playing this infectious music.

‘Come From Away’ is a memorable musical.  It’s third time lucky for Canberra that this brilliant show is finally here!

 

Photos by Jeff Busby

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/

  

THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY (FILM)

 

Written by Rachel Joyce

Directed By Hettie Macdonald

In Cinemas from June 8^th

 

Reviewed by Len Power 2 June 2023

 

A film about an ordinary elderly couple that starts quietly and then develops into a highly involving and gut-wrenching story, ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry’ is unforgettable.

Jim Broadbent plays a man who has done very little in life and when a fatally ill old friend writes to him from a northerly hospice, where she is an inmate, he confounds his wife by suddenly setting out on a walking pilgrimage from Kingsbridge,Devon to Berwick-on-Tweed, a distance of over five hundred miles.

Reminiscent of movies like ‘The Lawnmower Man’ and ‘A Trip To Bountiful’, the reason that drives this man to undertake this journey on foot becomes clear as the movie progresses. The question, ‘Why doesn’t he just take the train?’ slips quietly away as we realize his long walk is as much a penance as a pilgrimage.

The various people he meets along the way, most of whom show him great kindness, cause him to reflect on past episodes in his life.  Before long, we are equally engaged with him and hopeful that he will make it to the hospice in time.

Jim Broadbent

Always a fine actor, Jim Broadbent gives a superb performance as this troubled man.  His heartfelt, matter-of-fact portrayal avoids sentimentality and is quietly powerful as a result.

As his initially puzzled and frustrated wife, Penelope Wilton is also highly effective in her performance of a woman keeping a tight rein on her emotions and eventually arriving at an understanding of her husband’s actions.

Penelope Wilton

Linda Bassett, from TV’s ‘Call The Midwife,’ has a small but telling key role in the drama.

The photography by Kate McCullogh is striking and there is firm direction by Hettie Macdonald.  The various characters met during the journey are all vividly portrayed.

This is a fine movie that will stay with you for some time to come.