EVERYBODY LOVES JEANNE (FILM)

 

Written, directed and with animations by Céline Devaux

Stars: Blanche Gardin and Laurent Lafitte

A Transmission Films release

In cinemas from 7 September

 

Previewed by Len Power 31 August 2023

 

Everybody has always loved Jeanne.  These days, however, she hates herself.

When Jeanne’s much-heralded ‘sea-cleaning machine’ fails monumentally, her life suddenly unravels.  Out of a job and with nowhere to turn next, Jeanne’s internalised self-doubt begins to spill to the surface.  To earn some fast cash, Jeanne heads to Lisbon in Portugal with the hopes of selling her late mother’s flat.

A clever exploration of self-doubt and embarrassment, it’s easy to relate to Jeanne’s interior voice, depicted here in amusing line-drawing animations as the ‘little ghost’.  She might appear cool and collected on the outside but that interior voice is causing major turmoil within.

Men only add to her confusion.  Running into a former classmate, Jean, at the airport, she is thrown by his over-familiar and quirky approach.  A former boyfriend, Vitor, in Lisbon still seems interested but now has a child from an open relationship.  Nothing is straightforward and, for a woman full of self-doubt and no money, life seems overwhelming.

Director and screenwriter, Céline Devaux, artfully juggles Jeanne, the men in her life and her mounting problems.  There’s a lot of truth here amidst the offbeat humour and the screenplay has a sensitivity that is moving as well as funny.

Blanche Gardin, who was very funny dealing with a social media problem in the 2020 film, ‘Delete History’, is superb as Jeanne, cool on the surface but a mess underneath.  Handsome Laurent Lafitte is a delight as the quirky former classmate, Jean.  Who wouldn’t be drawn to the charm of this man, even if he seems a little mad?

Laurent Lafitte (jean) and Blanche Gardin (Jeanne) 

There are good performances, too, from Nuno Lopes as the former boyfriend, Vitor, and Maxence Tual as Jeanne’s brother, Simon.  Marthe Keller makes effective ghost-like appearances as Jeanne’s mother.

Blanche Gardin (Jeanne) and Maxence Tual (Simon)

The film is a reminder that we should not take ourselves or our failures too seriously.  Jeanne’s problems may seem insurmountable and her inner voice is holding her back but is there a glimmer of light at the end of this long tunnel?

 

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

AUSTRALIAN CHOPIN FESTIVAL PRELUDE (CONCERT)

Kotaro Nagano, piano

Wesley Music Centre, Forrest 27 August

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

Kotaro Nagano has performed in cities across Japan as well as in Europe, Canada and Australia. He was the First Prize Winner and the People’s Choice prize winner of the second Australian International Chopin Piano Competition 2014. He has returned to Canberra many times since to give concerts for the Friends Of Chopin Australia. This was his first recital in Canberra with the Friends since Covid.

This program gave an insight into the major styles that Chopin composed in for the piano. It also demonstrated Chopin’s ability to compose small, intimate miniatures through to major long form works.

The program opened with these shorter works – Mazurkas, Etudes, Preludes and Waltzes. Some were well-known works by Chopin like the Fantasie Impromptu and the Prelude in E minor and the longer Scherzo in E major completed this first part of the program. Nagano impressed with his calm manner and the depth of emotion he achieved in the works. He seemed through his playing to find another dimension in works you thought you knew well.

Kotaro Nagano

The second part of the program commenced with Chopin’s superb Nocturne in E flat major. Again, Nagano gave a thoughtfully restrained edge to this work that made his interpretation truly memorable.  It was followed by the Berceuse in D flat major, a sensitive lullaby. Nagano gave it an appealing softness in his playing.

The final work of the program was Chopin’s Sonata in B minor. This challenging, long work with its changing emotions was given a thrilling performance by Nagano.

As if that was not enough, he calmly gave two encores to the delight of the audience who gave him a well-deserved standing ovation.

Photo by Peter Hislop

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 28 August 2023.

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

 

BOYD MEETS GIRL (CONCERT)

Rupert Boyd, guitar

Laura Metcalf, cello

Wesley Music Centre 26 August

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

Canberra born classical guitarist, Rupert Boyd, and his American wife, cellist Laura Metcalf, are the duo of Boyd Meets Girl. After a Covid-interrupted Australian tour in 2022, the pair have returned to tour the country with their eclectic mix of music from Bach to the Beatles. They have toured throughout the USA, India, Nepal, New Zealand and every state and territory in Australia.

The duo arranges much of their repertoire themselves, drawing inspiration from artists across all genres. During their performance, they provided the near-capacity audience with interesting anecdotes about the music and why they are playing it. Their intimate, friendly style quickly won the audience over.

Rupert Boyd (guitar) and Laura Metcalf (cello)

Their program included a number of works by Brazilian composers such as Jaime Zenamon, Radamés Gnattali, Chrystian Dozza, Marián Budoš and Heitor Villa-Lobos. Their playing of these pieces brought out all the passion and vibrancy of this music. Dozza’s very busy “Beetle’s Dance” and Budoš’s intricate and atmospheric “A New York Minute” were the highlights of these works.

The well-known Debussy work, “Arabesque No. 1”, with its sublime melody was given another dimension by the combination of guitar and cello and Franz Schubert’s art song, “Gretchen am Spinnrade”, was haunting and sensitively played.

The duo also played J.S. Bach’s keyboard compositions of four short “2-Part Inventions”, in their own refreshing and pleasing arrangements that sounded as it if they must have been composed for guitar and cello.

They also played the arrangement by American composer, Caroline Shaw, of “Shenandoah”.  While the well-known melody was played on the cello, the arrangement for this piece for the guitar gave the work an unexpected memorable depth and emotional sensitivity.

In a lighter mood, they also played two works by Lennon and McCartney, “Blackbird” and “Eleanor Rigby”. These well-known songs with their complex and appealing arrangements were also well played.

Photo by Peter Hislop 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 27 August 2023.

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

TIM (PLAY)

Adapted by Tim McGarry from Colleen McCulloch’s novel

Directed by Darren Yap

The Q Theatre, Queanbeyan to August 26

 

Reviewed by Len Power 25 August 2023

 

Collen McCullough’s popular 1970s novel, “Tim” has been adapted by Tim McGarry who has set his play in the present day when issues surrounding disability and appropriate sexual behaviour are often the subjects of lively debate.

A chance meeting between Mary, a career-driven business executive in her mid-50s, and Tim, a handsome 25 year old labourer with an intellectual disability, leads to a relationship developing between them. Tim’s sister, Dee, has a deep suspicion that Mary is just interested in Tim sexually while Mary is concerned at the way society may view their relationship as she struggles with her growing feelings towards him.

This is a story of love, embracing differences and opening up to life’s opportunities. It also shows the cruelty that can exist for disabled people in the workplace and the over-protectiveness of family members.

“Tim” has been given a lavish touring production. The substantial and attractive set with a double revolve, designed by James Browne, enables the show to flow through multiple scene locations with ease. Sound design by Max Lambert and the lighting design by Ben Hughes add considerable atmosphere to the show.

Jeanette Cronin as Mary gives her role a touching sensitivity in her scenes with Tim and his family but she is a force to be reckoned with when she berates Tim’s workmates for their unthinking abuse of him. Ben Goss is fully believable as Tim, child-like in a man’s body. His non-verbal behaviour as well as his vocal delivery are completely convincing.

Jeanette Cronin (Mary) and Ben Goss (Tim)

Andrew McFarlane is very real as the warm and caring husband and father who gambles more than he should but is concerned for Tim’s future. He also gives a vivid performance in a second role as Tim’s abusive work boss. Julia Robertson is appropriately strong as the over-protective sister who is suspicious of Mary’s motives.

Valerie Bader gives a warm portrayal as Tim’s mother and also shines in a second role as Mary’s feisty down-to-earth neighbour.  The scenes between them where Mary confides her concerns about her growing relationship are touching and unexpectedly amusing.

Akkshey Caplash plays three roles as Dee’s well-meaning partner, Tim’s abusive workmate and the trusted friend that Mary turns to for advice. All three characters are nicely distinctive due to Caplash’s skilful playing.

Darren Yap, the director, has produced a warm and sensitive show that is quite touching, enjoyable and leaves you thinking.

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 26 August 2023.

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

  

MISS PEONY (PLAY)

Written by Michelle Law

Directed by Courtney Stewart

Presented by the Canberra Theatre Centre and Belvoir St Theatre

The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre to 26 August.

 

Reviewed by Len Power 23 August 2023

 

In ‘Miss Peony’, Lily’s grandmother was a beauty queen back in Hong Kong. She doesn’t care that times have changed, that Lily lives in a new country and a new century. She sees a granddaughter caught between worlds.  No matter how hard Lily tries to wriggle out of it, her grandma won’t take no for an answer.

Michelle Law’s comedy has a lot to say about the experience of a Chinese girl born in Australia and not feeling at home in either culture.  She thinks of herself as an ABC (Australian Born Chinese) and like a banana – yellow on the outside, white on the inside.  It’s not just about the difficulty of feeling Australian but looking Chinese, it’s also about the expectations demanded by a traditional culture that is hard to relate to.

Director, Courtney Stewart, keeps the show moving at a swift pace.  The arguments between Lily and her grandmother are the highlight of the show.  The Beauty Queen Contest provides ripe opportunities for a great deal of the humour but, behind the scenes, there is just as much to laugh at as the girls prepare nervously for the various segments of a competition that demands a knowledge of Chinese traditional values that they just don’t have.

Stephanie Jack as Lily and Gabrielle Chan as her grandmother, Adeline

The set and the lavish costumes, designed by Jonathan Hindmarsh, are attractive and the clever lighting design by Trent Suidgeest works well for the supernatural scenes in the plot and the bright TV-style lighting needed for the competition.

A standout in the cast is Gabrielle Chan as Lily’s grandmother, Adeline.  Formidably bossy and demanding, she is a force of nature throughout the show, providing many of the best laughs.  Stephanie Jack as Lily, the Australian-Chinese girl struggling to fit into a contest that her grandmother has pushed her into, gives an appealing and  finely detailed performance of a girl caught between two cultures and feeling she belongs to neither.

The other contestants are more stereotypes but they are played well with good comic timing by Deborah Faye Lee as Marcy, Mabel Li as Sabrina and Shirong Wu as Joy.  Jeffrey Liu nicely captures the character of the polished and flashy pageant host, Zhen Hua.

Jeffrey Liu as Zhen Hua with the four contestants

There was too much emphasis on the pageant scenes in the second half of the show and the resolution of the supernatural element was weak.  The strength of the play was in the cultural conflicts experienced by Lily and the other contestants and the amusing way they were presented..

The show is surtitled in English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese as the characters switch between English, Cantonese and Mandarin, just as they would do in real life.  At times, we were distracted from the frenzied stage business by the need to read the surtitles, but otherwise it was good that the surtitles had been provided.

It certainly was refreshing to see a play told from the Chinese-Australian point of view.

 

Photos by Jason Lau

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

 

JAZZ at LINCOLN CENTRE ORCHESTRA with WYNTON MARSALIS (CONCERT)

Music Director: Wynton Marsalis

Snow Concert Hall, Red Hill to 18 August

 

Reviewed by Len Power 17 August 2023

 

There was a great sense of excitement as the audience took their seats for this sold-out concert.  Everyone was aware that this was a rare live opportunity to see and hear these world-famous artists doing what they do best.

The Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra is composed of 15 of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today.  They have been the resident jazz orchestra at Lincoln Centre, New York since 1988 and they perform, educate and broadcast at home and internationally.

Wynton Marsalis, trumpet player and the Music Director of the company, is the Artistic Director Of Jazz at Lincoln Centre.  Born In New Orleans, Louisiana, he began playing trumpet at age 6.  By 19, he had his own jazz band and has been touring the world ever since.  He is the only musician to win a GRAMMY Award in two categories, jazz and classical, during the same year 1983-84.

 Marsalis may be famous but he took his place on stage amongst the other trumpet players, indicating that this was a true ensemble.  As Music Director, he announced the works before the orchestra played them and quickly built an intimate and warm connection with the audience with his down-to-earth manner and flashes of humour.

Wynton Marsalis

Hearing a big band live is an electrifying experience.  In the first piece, ‘Grand Central Giveaway’ by Dizzy Gillespie, the power of the trumpets together with the other instruments all but lifted you out of your seat.

The orchestra played 10 works by composers as varied as Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Kenny Dorham, Wayne Shorter and Dizzy Gillespie.  Various orchestra members had also provided the arrangements for several of these.  Watching and hearing these masterful players working together and improvising as a group or effortlessly taking solos was pure magic.

Jazz At Lincoln Centre Orchestra

A jazz concert like this one produces a feeling that the audience is a part of the action, not just the players. These performers’ awareness of the excited audience reaction must inform their improvising.  Jazz, like no other art form, brings people together like that.

 

Photos by Peter Hislop

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

  

OLD FRIENDS - APEIRON BAROQUE (CONCERT)

 

Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest 13 August

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

As well as performing fine music on period instruments, Apeiron Baroque’s players give relaxed, informative concerts and detailed explanations of their instruments. In addition, the music of dances from the period came alive with dancer, Aimee Brown, Director of Sydney Baroque Ballet, demonstrating and explaining the dances from the French Court opera.

The players were John Ma (violin/viola d’amore), Marie Searles (harpsichord), Anton Baba (cello/viola da gamba) and Gabriel Frømyhr (cello).

 The concert consisted of works by Dario Castello, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, Johann Sebastian Bach, Thomas Baltzar and Arcangelo Corelli, all from the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

They began with Castello’s Sonata Prima. The combination of lively violin and sombre cello was very appealing and created a period atmosphere for the rest of the concert.

Aimee Brown danced in period costume in Sarabande pour une Femme by Lully. The intricate, light dance steps and arm movements added another fascinating dimension to the lilting music.  Brown also danced a Chaconne by Lully, a Bouree by Bach and in the “Folla” Sonata by Corelli.

Aimee Brown

John Ma explained the difference between a modern violin and a scordatura violin which he played for the work by Erlebach. Its different tuning produced a unique sound in the music which was especially pleasing against the viola da gamba of Anton Baba and the harpsichord of Marie Searles.

John Ma

Anton Baba also explained the features of the viola da gamba. His seven stringed instrument was used to great effect in the Anonymous (Zaragotha) Sonata and in the Sonata by Erlebach.

Towards the end of the concert, John Ma played a Prelude and Almond by Thomas Baltzar on solo violin. This beautiful, melodic work was one of the highlights of the program.

The title of the concert, “Old Friends”, referred, not to the music, but to the fact that John Ma and Anton Baba went to school together and were now enjoying performing with each other.

Photos by Peter Hislop

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 14 August 2023.

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

 

B.A.C.H. (CONCERT)

Luminescence Chamber Singers

Drill Hall Gallery 6 August

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

J.S. Bach’s passion for numerology and the frequent encoding of his name in his music, is no secret.  The BACH motif is perhaps the most famous musical cryptogram, but it was by no means the first.  From Josquin de Prez to Heinrich Schütz, composers have weaved their own name into the very fabric of their music.

Anna Freer - photo: Joanna Paluch

Joining with guest artist Anna Freer (violin/soprano), the Luminescence Chamber Singers, AJ America (mezzo soprano), Lucien Fischer, (baritone), Veronica Milroy (soprano), Alasdair Stretch (bass) and Dan Walker (tenor), performed a number of works with these musical cyphers.

Commencing with “Das ist je gewisslich wahr” (This is a faithful saying) a 17^th century work by Heinrich Schütz, the singers presented choral works by Guillaume de Machaut, Adrian Willaert and Josquin de Prez which ranged from the 14^th to the 16^th centuries.

Two works by Bach followed and then Anna Freer played four movements of his Partita No. 2 in D minor on the violin.  Between these movements, the singers performed more choral Bach works.

Then the singers and the violin of Anna Freer combined to present a new arrangement by Christoph Poppen and edited by Dan Walker for violin and voice of the final movement of the Partita, the Ciaccona.  The concert ended with another choral work, “Selig sind die toten” (Blessed are the dead), by Heinrich Schütz.

The overall performance of these works was exceptional.  Haunting, ethereal and even dream-like, the singers were remarkable for their clarity and the depth of colour in their vocal combinations.

Anna Freer’s fine soprano blended very well with the singers and her violin playing of the Partita movements was accurate, sensitive and a highlight of the concert.  Other highlights were the male voices singing with a touch of humour “Ma fin est mon commencement” (My end is my beginning) by de Machaut and the electrifying moment in the Ciaccona when Veronica Milroy’s beautiful soprano unexpectedly rang out above the other voices.

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 7 August 2023.

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

THE ART MUSIC OF JOE HISAISHI (CONCERT)

Phoenix Collective Quartet - Dan Russell, violin, Pip Thomson, violin, Ella Brinch, viola and Andrew Wilson, cello

Phoenix Collective Quartet

Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest 4 August

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

Joe Hisaishi (born Mamorou Fujisawa in 1950) is best known for his scores to blockbuster Japanese anime films such as Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away.

The partnership of Hisaishi and Studio Ghibli led to some of the best-loved film scores of all time, encompassing the historical fantasy Princess Mononoke, the whimsical Porco Rosso and the charming coming-of-age story Kiki’s Delivery Service.

Hisaishi’s success as a film composer has led to him being dubbed “the Japanese John Williams”. However, unlike John Williams, Hisaishi has always produced his own art music in tandem with his film scores. Influenced by jazz and Japanese electro-pop, Hisaishi explores a unique musical language in his art music which has an entirely different flavour to his sweeping cinematic scores.

Phoenix Collective Quartet’s concert began and ended with examples of Hisaishi’s film music. Several of them had been arranged by Phoenix Collective’s cello player, Andrew Wilson.

Beginning with “Mononoke Time” from the film Princess Mononoke, the film music was very appealing, melodic and accessible, immediately engaging the emotions and taking us on a very pleasant journey. All of the items of film music played were of various moods, some more edgy and tense than others, but all were very enjoyable and expertly played by the quartet.

As well as the film music, there was the Australian premiere of Joe Hisaishi’s String Quartet No. 1. Written in 2012, it was inspired by Hisaishi’s exploration of the artworks of Vermeer and Escher. This example of his art music was very different to his film music.

The four works which subsequently became the String Quartet No. 1 are Hisaishi’s responses to four works by the Dutch artist M.C. Escher. Known for his mesmerising fractal artwork, Escher’s detail and visual illusions are reflected in the almost mathematical complexity of Hisaishi’s composition.

 Audience members were given copies of the four Escher works to refer to as each of the four movements focussed on a particular work. The four movements were “Encounter”, “Phosphorescent Sea”, “Metamorphosis” and “Other World”.

The music was a remarkable response to these Escher “landscapes of the mind”. Unlike the film music of the composer, this work was challenging, atmospheric and deftly evoked a sense of other worldliness, time and space. It clearly required musicians of exceptional skill to play it and the Phoenix Collective Quartet met the challenge brilliantly.

The members of the quartet, Dan Russell, violin and artistic director, Pip Thomson, violin, Ella Brinch, viola and Andrew Wilson, cello, richly deserved the enthusiastic applause from the audience at the end of this remarkable concert.

Photo by Peter Hislop 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 5 August 2023.

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

HAY FEVER (PLAY)

Glenn Brighenti, Andrea Close and Holly Ross in "Hay Fever"

 

Written By Noel Coward

Directed by Joel Horwood

ACT Hub Theatre, Kingston to August 12

 

Reviewed by Len Power 3 August 2023

 

Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” first appeared in London in 1925 and has been frequently revived ever since. This comedy of manners bordering on farce introduces us to the Bliss family, four unconventional, eccentric and self-centred people that seem to live in another world. When each family member invites a guest to stay for the weekend, the guests find to their horror that it is almost impossible to connect with these people and understand their unique reality.

Director, Joel Horwood, whose first directing job this is, has gathered a strong cast who have been costumed attractively by Fiona Leach and Tanya Taylor.

Andrea Close plays Judith Bliss, a famous retired stage actress who still lives life theatrically. Many famous actresses have made their mark playing this role and Close plays the dominant role with relish and is a thoroughly convincing and delightful nightmare from start to finish.

Holly Ross and Glenn Brighenti show a fine understanding of character with their playing of her languid children, Sorel and Simon Bliss, who play up to their mother at the drop of a hat.

With a gender change for this production, Judith’s partner has become Frances, still a novelist working on her latest book. Steph Roberts gives the role a bad-tempered strength that works very well. The other household member is Clara, once Judith’s stage dresser and now grouchy housekeeper. Alice Ferguson plays the role with gusto and is very funny.

Two of the guests include vampish Myra Arundel, played with fine comic timing and attitude by Tracy Noble and Joe Dinn as Richard Greatham is hilarious as a blustering diplomat who finds his skills are no match for this family.

The other two guests are Robbie Haltiner as gender-changed Jackie Corvton, now a nervous, wan young man and Meaghan Stewart, also in a gender-changed role, as Sandy Tyrell, now a butch, sporty young woman.

These particular gender changes confuse the relationships and the revelation that just about everyone turns out to be gay was never Noel Coward’s intention.  Gender changes have shown they can work effectively elsewhere but they should not alter the original focus of the play as they have here.

The character of Jackie Corryton would have been more colourful as a brainless young female flapper. Robbie Haltiner, through no fault of his own, has been left with a character that he could do little with.

Meaghan Stewart, usually a competent actress, looks ill at ease and flounders in her role as Sandy Tyrell, resorting to silly walks and mugging because she has nothing else to work with.

Aside from those gender changes this is a fine, entertaining production. Joel Horwood, who is well-known as a strong actor, shows great promise here as a director. There is good attention to detail, fast pacing and depth of character, for the most part.

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 4 August 2023.

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