QUEERS (PLAY)

Curated by Mike Gattis

Directed by Steph Roberts and Jarrad West

Everyman Theatre at the ACT Hub Theatre, Kingston to February 24

 

Reviewed by Len Power 14 February 2024

 

Seated with us in a typical British pub setting, “The Prince’s Arms”, seven individuals bring to life the changing social and political attitudes of the last hundred years of gay history by relating deeply affecting and human personal experiences.

A young soldier returning from the trenches of the First World War recollects a love that dare not speak its name. Almost one hundred years later, a groom-to-be prepares for his gay wedding. Amongst other experiences, a woman tells of coming to terms with her husband’s closeted gay life and a young actor struggles with the impact of the AIDS epidemic. Their stories are tragic, funny, outrageous and moving.

Alexander Hoskison

Curated by Mark Gatiss, the monologues were commissioned to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men over the age of twenty-one. They were broadcast on BBC Four in the UK in 2017, directed and produced by Gatiss.

Karen Vickery

The ACT Hub theatre has been turned into an atmospheric British pub with a bar where drinks are available, and the audience is seated at tables with the performers positioned amongst them. There are music interludes with singer, Louiza Blomfield expertly performing songs that set the mood for each of the monologues. Blomfield changes costumes to suit each period of the show.

Louiza Blomfield

Directors, Steph Roberts and Jarrad West, have produced an emotionally charged evening in a perfect setting. They have obtained detailed, in-depth performances from each of the actors. Alexander Hoskison, Natasha Vickery, Karen Vickery, Geoffrey Borny, Joel Horwood, Patrick Galen-Mules and Joe Dinn hold the audience’s attention throughout their monologues, bringing these people skilfully to life.

At three hours, it’s a long show but a satisfying, enjoyable and memorable one.

Photos by Ben Appleton – Photox Photography

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 15 February 2023.

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

 

 

 

NEXT TO NORMAL (MUSICAL)

Book & Lyrics by Brian Yorkey

Music by Tom Kitt

Director: Christopher Bennie

Musical Director: Jen Hinton

Choreographer: Belinda Hassall

Queanbeyan Players production

Belconnen Community Theatre to 24 February

 

Reviewed by Len Power 15 February 2024

 

When a theatre company takes on a project like ‘Next To Normal’, it’s either going to be brilliant or a disaster. This demanding musical about the effects of a mother’s worsening bipolar disorder and the way her family cope with it, needs an unusually sensitive approach as well as very capable musical performers who can sing a taxing musical score and bring these characters and their problems realistically to life.

This powerful rock musical opened on Broadway in 2009.  It won three Tony Awards as well as the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Sarah Hull is excellent as Diana Goodman, the mother suffering from bipolar.  She sings the demanding musical aspects with accuracy and appeal and her vivid acting of the role indicates a deep understanding of the character’s condition.

Sarah Hull (Diana), Kara Murphy (Natalie) and Dave Smith (Dan)

Dave Smith gives a fine performance as her husband, Dan Goodman.  His strong singing and acting abilities show a sensitive and caring man desperately trying to keep the family together as normally as possible through this crisis.

Kara Murphy as their daughter, Natalie Goodman, sings her role with confidence and skill. She achieves a touching performance of a young woman dealing with normal late teenage issues on top of the problems that her mother’s illness presents. John Whinfield as, Henry, gives a sensitive performance of her dependable and often unappreciated boyfriend.

 

John Whinfield (Henry) and Kara Murphy (Diana)

In the role of Gabe Goodman, Luke Ferdinands has a strong singing voice and charismatic presence. Andrew Finnegan in the dual role of two doctors is calming and re-assuring but also is unexpectedly alarming in certain moments of the treatment of the illness.  Both actors handle the musical demands of the score very well.

There is a large amount of music and singing in this show. Musical Director, Jenn Hinton, has done a fine job in preparing the cast vocally for this show and conducting the musicians during the performance.

The excellent sound designer, James McPherson of Eclipse, has ensured that the sound is clear and well-balanced.  It’s particularly important that every word of this show can be heard.

Christopher Bennie, Jenn Hinton and Belinda Hassall have worked with a strongly successful vision and in the program they are listed as ‘Creative Team’. Surely all other crew members like costume, lighting and sound designers etc. are a part of that creative team, too?

A musical about a family trying hard to cope when one of them is suffering from bipolar disorder maybe doesn’t sound like a fun evening or even an attractive subject for a musical, but you really can’t afford to miss this sensitive, entertaining, at times funny and thoughtful production.

 

Photos by Ben Appleton – Photox Photography

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

 

RIVER (CONCERT)

Screen Australia

Australian Chamber Orchestra

Richard Tognetti, musical director and composer

William Barton, composer, vocals and didgeridoo

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

Filled to the rafters, the Canberra Theatre’s audience for River experienced an extraordinary concert of live music and film.

The film, written and directed by Jennifer Peedom, is a cinematic exploration of the way rivers have shaped our world. For millions of years, rivers have passed through our landscapes and sustained communities. Within a couple of centuries, the ability to reshape rivers to suit our perceived needs has brought changes downstream that have proved to be catastrophic.

The breathtaking principal photography in the film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Ben Knight, Sherpas Cinema, Renan Ozturk and Pete McBride has been fashioned by film editor, Simon Njoo, into a remarkable visual exploration of rivers around the world and the impact of man on them.

Richard Tognetti and William Barton with the Australian Chamber Orchestra

On the film, the distinctive voice of actor, William Dafoe, accompanied the journey with a commentary that was informative, warm and poetic.

The music score features a large number of works by a range of classical composers including Bach, Vivaldi, Ravel, Sibelius and Mahler as well as works by the contemporary composers Piers Burbrook De Vere, Jonny Greenwood and Radiohead.

There was also new, original music by Richard Tognetti and William Barton.  Barton also performed on didgeridoo and provided vocals and Satu Vänskä provided vocals as well as performing on violin.

The powerful combination of music and film produced a haunting, dream-like atmosphere. While a mesmerising experience, the film’s message was very clear. Showing the fragile beauty of untouched waterways as well as the damage that humans have inflicted in recent years, the film pleads for a major re-think in how we live with rivers the world over.

 

Photo by Nic Walker

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 8 February 2023.

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