Pericles

July 3rd 2009 11:51 pm | Theatre | Review - By Diana Simmonds

Pericles Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, then Melbourne; Bell Shakespeare Company

The trouble with having a great big good idea is that it can blind the haver of the idea to its true worth; or at least, obscure the appropriateness of putting the idea into practice in a particular situation. So … the great big good idea, of director John Bell, was to incorporate Australia's famous taiko drummers, Taikoz, into a collaborative production of a Shakespeare play.

As ideas go this is potentially a really interesting one: imagine a Samurai-style Hamlet, or a Midsummer Night's Dream set amid cherry blossom with a mob of fumbling, third rate yakuza as the Mechanicals. The Scottish play could probably bear the weight of massive drums too.

But alas, poor Pericles, we knew him not well - because the dear thing is a dull soul who is rarely allowed out. And no wonder. It transpires that Pericles is a reminder of why "lost" or "forgotten" classics ended up that way - and should not be exhumed and definitely not dusted off and clad in dazzling finery that can only accentuate his shortcomings. And this is the basic - and sadly - insurmountable problem with this new Bell Shakespeare Company-Taikoz production. The play simply cannot carry the weight and pizzazz of the new element and the inevitable slewing of the production towards it.

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Lying Cheating Bastard

July 3rd 2009 2:53 pm | Theatre | Review - By Diana Simmonds

Lying Cheating Bastard, Soft Tread Enterprises in assocation with Tamarama Rock Surfers at the Old Fitzroy Hotel, July 2-25; http://www.rocksurfers.org/

JAMES GALEA is gorgeous to look at and charming in a twinkly, provocative way. It means that when he looks you (the audience) in the eye, grins and says he's about to cheat you out of the contents of your wallet and there's nothing you can do about it, you believe him. More than that, however, it's almost impossible to resist the impulse to take out the wallet, open it and simper pathetically, "Help yourself."

Galea and his script collaborator and director Nicolas Hammond have conspired to demonstrate how a lying, cheating bastard can be at once irresistible and repellent, honest and dishonest, sensitive and ruthless, funny and shocking. In the end they hold up a (metaphorical) mirror to us - the victims - to show us just how responsible we are for allowing ourselves to be conned, fleeced, gulled, duped, bilked, diddled and - well, it's embarrassing to discover how many words there are to describe the act of being helplessly greedy.

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Michael Jackson – 1958-2009

June 29th 2009 6:20 pm | Music | Feature - By Diana Simmonds

Michael Jackson is dead just short of his 51st birthday. It's a tragically short life unless, like Judy Garland who died at 47, your spirit and body had already endured what she once referred to as three lifetimes - and were worn out. Stardom at the level experienced by both these great talents is toxic and both were its victims. Whatever it says on the paperwork, their deaths were caused by the lives they lived, the level of work they achieved, the mindless but addictive adulation of the public and the drugs that helped them get through it all - both the days and the nights.

Although Michael Jackson's life and death have been likened to the King's - Elvis Presley - Jackson has far more in common with Garland. Their working lives began when they were both small children, she was four when she first blew away an audience, as Baby Frances Gumm; and he was eight when he first fronted the Jackson 5. Both were lumbered with pushy parents and less talented siblings; and had to drag them all ever upwards most of their lives.

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Lotte’s Gift Mk3

June 29th 2009 3:22 pm | Theatre | Review - By Diana Simmonds

Lotte's Gift Q Theatre, The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith 2-6 June; Street Theatre, Canberra 9-13 June; Easstbank Centre, Shepparton Vic 16-17 June; Portland Arts Centre, Portland Vic 19 June; Townsville Civic Theatre, Qld 26-27 June; Edinburgh Fringe - August

It's not often that a theatre work starts out as one thing and then, with a lot of work and over time, becomes another, but this has happened with Lotte's Gift. The piece began as an entertainment with music performed by Karin Schaupp for the Noosa Longweekend festival. David Williamson wrote it from the memoirs and reminiscences of Lieselotte Reinke and the recollections of her daughter Isolde and Isolde's daughter Karin.

Two things made it special; first of all Lieselotte - Lotte - has an extraordinary story to tell and her life's trajectory has been extremely unusual. Second, her granddaughter Karin is one of the finest classical guitarists in the world.

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Savage River

June 19th 2009 4:18 pm | Theatre | Review - By Diana Simmonds

Savage River, SBW Stables Theatre, 18 June-18 July; Griffin co-production with Melbourne Theatre Company and Tasmanian Theatre Company; touring to MTC Theatre and Backspace Theatre, Hobart. Tickets: +61 2 9361 3817 or +61 2 8002 4772 or www.griffintheatre.com.au

Savage River is an evocative title for a play. It instantly conjures up images of Kevin Bacon scheming to murder Meryl Streep, or Robert de Niro being extremely intense and vicious. However, as truth is almost always stranger than fiction and much more hazardous, it's not surprising that Steve Rodgers' Savage River is easily as perilous and even more dangerous - in unpredictable ways.

Rodgers is one of our best character actors and is rapidly becoming one of the rising playwrights. His first play, Ray's Tempest, was staged at Belvoir St last year to what's known as general acclaim. This new play was developed in Brisbane last year through the National Play Festival and was also well received. Now, a handsome production - directed by Peter Evans and designed by Stephen Curtis - has opened to a packed house at the Stables Theatre.

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LA SONNAMBULA – PACIFIC OPERA

June 18th 2009 1:52 pm | Theatre | News - By Diana Simmonds

LA SONNAMBULA Glen St Theatre, July 31, August 2, 6, 7 and 8; 02 9975 1455 or www.glenstreet.com.au

Christine Douglas and Pacific Opera - her little operatic engine that could - are taking a further leap forward with a production - the first in Australia since 1965, she thinks - of Bellini's La sonnambula.

It's also a series of first for Pacific Opera. According to Douglas she has "A few fabulous young sopranos to choose from who could sing it." And "moving to Glen Street Theatre means more resources available, including an orchestra pit and screens for surtitles." But wait - there's more!

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