31 January, 2010

Sydney Festival - Week 3b (festival)

Sydney Festival
Various venues, Sydney (9-30th January, 2010)


Rogue's Gallery by Hal Willner
Sydney Opera House Forecourt (28 Jan)


I bought tix to Rogue's Gallery because the concept sounded fascinating, a retrospective, if you will, of sea shanties and ballads to warm the cockles. Besides which, Sir, my impoverished but pirate-loving flatmate, even saw sense in shelling out big bucks for this gig. And because I'd bought so frickin' many Sydney Festival tix, I was entitled to a 20% discount which saw the price drop from $140 to $116, an extra bonus.

In the lead up to the date, I then discovered how very awesome the lineup was: in addition to the unexpected but welcome appearance of actor Tim Robbins, there were stalwarts like Marianne Faithfull and Peter Garrett as well as crowd favourites Camille O'Sullivan and Sarah Blasko. It was going to be a musical bonanza.

Now, I'd retired home from work at 3-ish due to oncoming illness and general fatigue but couldn't nap cos of some inconsiderate power gardening going on outside. I give you this context because when the rain came buffeting down on us as we sat on the hard steps of the Sydney Opera House Forecourt (not a very comfortable place, mind you) I was kind of resigned to enduring the gig rather than fully embracing it.

It didn't start off well. Some artist named Baby Gramps sang some incomprehensible country-style twaddle that didn't even sound like it'd ever heard of the sea and hogged the stage for a good 10 minutes. Sir and I sighed with relief as he was replaced by Peter Garrett, best known as former Midnight Oil frontman (before his current stint as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts). Who knew that Garrett had a pirate voice? He was surprisingly good, though I thought he could've dressed more piratish to get us all in the mood.

I won't disseminate the whole gig for you but I will provide you with highlights and lowlights. On the up side was the delightful Camille O'Sullivan and Todd Rundgren, who both brought the right attitude and a bit of panache to the whole evening. Camille was wench-like in her flirtation with the audience, while Todd was suitably charismatic as a veritable captain of a ship. Their pairing on 'The Good Ship Venus' was a killer and there should have been more of that sort of thing.

Honourable mentions go to local gals Katy Steele and Sarah Blasko, whose steady, worldly voices encapsulated journeys around the world in each of their pieces. Gavin Friday and Liam Finn also impressed; Gavin especially with his filthy shanty about whores - ha! They both had the spirit of the night at the right level, giving as much to the crowd, which had already endured thunder, rain and lightning, as the crowd was pumping onto the stage.

Peaches' appearance was also suitably chaotic with a troupe of dancers in costume parading about the stage. The rest of the show would have been much livelier - colourful, rowdy - following her lead.

On the down side there was Marianne Faithfull, overhyped and underperforming in such an achingly obvious way (reading the lyrics off the song sheet, anyone?). Marry Waterson's a capella was unfortunately interrupted by the departure toot of the Diamond Princess, but it didn't excuse the fact that she sung the beautiful ballad mostly offkey. I mean, if you're going to sing a cappella, you have to be able to hit the notes, right?

David Thomas also failed to hit the right notes, growling his way through his numbers. I don't know anything about David Thomas as an artist, so I don't know if this was expected, but it just brought an unwelcome edge to the show. Look, I understand that pirates are supposed to be gruff-voiced, but you'd think you'd at least be able to hear the words.

Neither up nor down were Tim Robbins, Glenn Richards and Kami Thompson. Tim wasn't a bad singer nor guitarist, but there was no real flavour to his performances, and I can't even remember Glenn Richards being there, so unmarked was his contribution. Kami did a competent job of her part, but again, nothing of note.

Overall the show was an uneven collection of performances. If the 'shambles' were more colourful I could have forgiven it, but it seemed like two-fifths of the company were unable to muster enough energy to get into the spirit of things. I expected a bit more pluck, a bit more Peaches-like rowdiness and filthy fun songs good for a singalong. We needed this night to be rollicking and Rogue's Gallery did not provide this in the quantities required.

We came in the wind and the rain and the thunder and the lightning but the Rogues had battened down the hatches and left us with a damp show.

Gig rating: 6/10
Enjoyment rating: 7/10


Six Characters in Search of an Author by Headlong Theatre
York Theatre, Seymour Centre (30 Jan)

I'd never read Pirandello's original of this play, but the premise of characters looking for an author harks back to my cultural studies education and almost made me want to return to university. Almost.

The start is a little unsettling, setting the scene as a documentary-maker struggles to get the footage she needs to finish off a piece on euthanasia. Tempers begin to fray in the editing suite when six people dressed in black enter the scene. After much confusion, it is established that they are characters, abandoned by their author. Against her better judgement, the filmmaker allows the patriarch to tell his tale, which is then interrupted and twisted by each of the characters in turn. Things come to a head when she begins to recreate their story on film and they refuse to be recreated, insisting that they just are.

Throughout, I could see echoes of Beckett and Stoppard and this pleased me no end because I have always found discussions of existentialism most fruitful in theatre and literary demonstrations. There is also reference to 'Hamlet' - "To be or not to be" to describe the euthanasia that occurs in the doco as control over one's life, but also the "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I" soliloquy to illustrate the 'playing' metaphor - and a funny reference to the German 'Hamlet', which also played at the Sydney Festival.

It also reminded me of a Year 12 English unit I used to tutor, 'Telling the Truth'. I would give my students a reading of 'Rashomon: In a Grove' to illustrate how one event could have so many versions depending on the author of the story. The story from which the six characters derive undergoes a similar fragmentation as each brings their own attitude and bias to it, trying to bring the author, the filmmaker, onside. Everything thens twists away as the filmmaker herself becomes a character - which she is, in this play - and things go awry.

Outstanding performances by Catherine McCormack (the filmmaker) and Ian McDiarmid (the patriarch) make this production a real eye-opener of a play. Where many ensembles would make the premise seem contrived or even self-indulgent, Headlong's cast show a restraint that serves the corkscrew premise of the play well and bring everything to its poignant, razor sharp end.

I haven't seen a play that has made me think so much as this in a long while and I was surprised at the occasional bites of humour interspersed in the material. Not only did the troupe not make the mistake of taking the text too seriously, it gave complete control of meaning to the audience. Audience as author? Barthes would be proud.

Gig rating: 9/10
Enjoyment rating: 9/10

Sydney Festival - Week 3a (festival)

Sydney Festival
Various venues, Sydney (9-30th January, 2010)


Oedipus Loves You by Pan Pan Theatre
Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre (24 Jan)

I wanted to like this production, I really did. I eschewed the traditional 'Oedipus Rex' on the program for what promised to be a refreshing - even humorous - retelling of the classic Greek tragedy.

The first thing I saw when the curtain rose was a naked man, about 1.5m away from me. Curses be to the blight of the centre front row when this unexpectedly happens. The worst part was I'd been put in C row, thinking it was the third row, but apparently the theatre had done away with A and B.

Having recovered, I watched as the drama unfolded - in a very odd, haphazard way, I might add. This 'Oedipus' retelling was set in a suburban home, with all the premise of the original. But there was no majesty in Oedipus that put him at the head of a city, let alone his own household. The house seemed overrun with the activities of Antigone and Creon, who had formed a band, and the sage elderly mutterings of Tiresias.

But in the end I had no emotional connection with any of the characters. I actively disliked Jocasta and felt the others were just going through the motions that they were supposed to as scions of their Greek character namesakes. The actor who played Creon was the only one who got close to that fine balance between past character and present remodelling.

The use of video was engaging and one of the standout features of the set. It featured a camera focused on the bed and another in a studio where a video actor wrote and used objects to illustrate things further. The scene where the family go into 'therapy' was also well done, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that this was a clumsy attempt at a post-modern 'Oedipus' that failed to hit its mark.

(I could also never understand why no one thought it odd that Oedipus would marry a strange woman some 20 years his senior, mother or no.)

Gig rating: 6/10
Enjoyment rating: 6/10


Smoke & Mirrors
The Famous Spiegeltent, Hyde Park (25 Jan)

Cabaret and the Spiegeltent go hand in hand, so it was with great anticipation that my friends and I descended upon the Smoke & Mirrors performance. And iOTA took that buzz and rode it right through the show with unforgettable musical numbers (by himself and by Todd McKenney, and band) interspersed with theatrical acrobatics provided by ThisSideUp and Chelsea McGuffin and breathtaking (no, really) illusions by magician Timothy Woon.

The only thing I would question was the 'bearded lady' number by Queenie van de Zandt near the end. She is a great singer, but the fact that iOTA had already sung her song in the first half meant it was a repeat rather than a reprise. It would have been more powerful if the song were introduced earlier, but not sung in its entirety.

The crowd-pleaser was definitely ThisSideUp's 'strong man' act. What's not to like about three buff young men hamming it up on poles and showing their strength and skill? My friends all decided they had a crush on James.

One friend remarked that the show was too music-heavy. Compared to previous years' 'La Clique', which also featured physical acts such as contortionism, hula-hooping and burlesque, it was definitely music-led, but I thought iOTA did a great job turning the dark quirkiness of the circus/cabaret into song and personally hope that he will release an album of the show's tunes. I was surprised to learn he'd written everything but Todd McKenney's two vaudeville numbers so rich was the music, steeped in the murky 1920s.

Overall, the performances, the music and the costumes were spot on, so I'm not surprised the three weeks of the show sold out so quickly - otherwise I would have gone again.

Gig rating: 9/10
Enjoyment rating: 10/10


Dirty Three and Laughing Clowns
The Enmore Theatre, Enmore (26 Jan)


Other than wear green undies, seeing these two Australian bands was the only Australian thing I did on Australia Day on account of having just $7.50 to my name (I was deciding whether to buy beer or gelato but ended up with neither).

I was pretty early into the moshpit and staked out a spot about a third of the way back from the centre of the stage, sitting and reading a book (well, I was going to be standing for three hours, so had to get my sitting in), but when the lights went down it was ridiculous to leave so much room, so I ended up three rows back for Laughing Clowns.

I didn't know anything about Laughing Clowns, other than they were Australian, so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself folded into their punk-ish, rock-ish world with some really curly lyrics off their 'History of Rock ‘n’ Roll Vol. 1' album. I took particular note of drummer Jeffrey Wegener because I thought he was a genius on the kit. Seems weird to write it, but I felt he and the drums were one being. (How very Zen!). Their set was epic.

I then found out I was standing next to an acquaintance of mine, another festival junkie, so we spent the break swapping notes about other events and complaining about being on our feet, which passed the time quite nicely.

Dirty Three then swaggered onto the stage. I don't think a band that contains Warren Ellis (violinist) could possibly go anywhere without swaggering. He may possibly be a nutbag, but by god he's good on the strings. I mean, violins are meant for sweet serenading, right? They don't get angry unless it's the 1812 Overture or something. But no, there's nothing quite so expressive as a punk violin. The skill is in having the notes rip at your sensibilities without grating on your ears, and that's the beauty of Dirty Three.

Was quite amused by Mick Turner's (guitarist) comparatively placid playing next to the shenanigan that was Warren, stamping and striking his way through their 1998 album 'Ocean Songs'. (Can shenanigan be used in the singular? Never mind.)

Just as amusing were Warren's introductions to each of the pieces, for example: "This song is like that time that you had to live in a hallway for five years and you discover it's a hole. But you fill it with furniture and make it all nice with pictures. And then you think back years later and go 'geez, they were the best five years of my life'."

Simply searing - and that's not even taking into account the amount of sweat I saw and made all evening.

Gig rating: 8/10
Enjoyment rating: 7/10

17 January, 2010

Sydney Festival - Week 2 (festival)

Sydney Festival
Various venues, Sydney (9-30th January, 2010)


Jai Ho by AR Rahman
ABC TV / Parramatta Park (16 Jan)

I'd planned a public transport odyssey to Parramatta Park long before the Sydney Festival push, but a family emergency meant that I had to commute in from West Pennant Hills instead of Waverton and I wasn't likely to reach Parramatta Park before 7pm. The clincher was no services coming BACK after 10pm; without a car, I was stranded.

As a result, I ended up going to my crowd-phobic friend's place (actually, it was my Waverton flatmate who was at her parents' place in West Pennant Hills too) to watch the ABC telecast on a widescreen TV.

Jai Ho looked a colourful and well choreographed medley of hit after hit. Sir took the time to semi-translate the Hindi songs and also give me a big rundown of the musical pedigree of all the singers, plus the movies from which all the songs came, which gave the presentation solid context from which to view the spectacle.

The telecast was superb, switching focus among the musicians as well as showing shots of the crowd. On TV, the gig seemed much more intimate than the 70,000-strong audience should allow. (I feel I would have enjoyed it more by soaking up the vibe with some other friends who were there from 2pm, had I been able to go at that time, as the gate system meant if you arrived separately you'd be put in different sections.)

The colour and light of the performances, and the peaceful overtones of Rahman's songs was a poignant reminder of Indian talent, and you could not miss the friendship exuded by the troupe.

A feast for the eyes and ears, this gig seemed like a gift from Sydney Festival to the people of Western Sydney, particularly those of Indian descent, while opening the culture and the music to other Sydneysiders who may not be as familiar with Rahman.

(A side note: The chick who hosted the telecast kept pronouncing AR Rahman 'ramen' - like the Japanese noodle - when it's 'ray-mahn'. You would THINK she would learn it before mispronouncing it to the whole of Australia and some of the world...)

Gig rating: 9/10
Enjoyment rating: 7/10


Camera Obscura
Beck's Festival Bar, Hyde Park Barracks (21 Jan)

Apart from The Famous Spiegeltent, the Beck's Festival Bar is my favourite Sydney Festival venue, beating out the likes of the Domain, the Sydney Opera House, The Carriageworks and The Seymour Centre. It's a tent beside a monument that, for most of the year, is a museum. An austere building that used to house the army (and other people throughout history) could not ask for a more exciting neighbour than the marquee that brings it to life every January.

Usually, I visit the Beck's Bar twice a festival (largely because I suspect the lineup there is curated by my favourite radio station FBi, whose taste is impeccable) but unfortunately this year I missed out on Grizzly Bear tix as they were incredibly popular. So Camera Obscura was it.

The thing I love about the Beck's gigs is that they almost inevitably feature some artist you kind of know but not intimately (some exceptions, but bear with me) so it's always a gig of discovery. Supporting Camera Obscura were the Popfrenzy DJs and The Slow Club, a lively duo of folk-pop goodness that got the dancefloor bopping. Unfortunately I had neglected to change my shoes from work so had to beware the red gravel but had a good, but oh-so-short bop-along. The Slow Club were only warming up so I think this calls for a show of their own next year, don't you?

Camera Obscura were sweet and true to their indie folk pop sensibilities. The roof of the marquee was different from years before, higher and more accommodating of hundreds of rhythmic jostling bodies that were simultaneously coping with a warm summer evening. And here's the funny thing: their music glided through the night as if it were created for warm Sydney nights instead of cold Glasgow ones. The gig was thus well suited and well constructed, the right setlist of new and old, popular and more obscure songs and the right amount of intra-band banter that made them endearing.

Alas, Sir and I succumbed to old people-itis, which is when we decided our feet hurt and we needed a sit-down. The Beck's Bar is good like that, especially this year when it provided us with plenty of areas to hang out in with long comfy seats and everything.

The only two gripes I have is: this year the new marquee has commandeered the best breakout spot, under the tree at the back, as part of the VIP area; a continuing gripe is the house beer, Beck's, is $7 (or $7.50... I don't recall exactly). A bit much considering they don't import it any more. Sir and I always have the same discussion every year - surely they could sell it for $5 and really make it a Beck's night? Oh well, it was just one bottle apiece.

Gig rating: 8/10
Enjoyment rating: 7/10

11 January, 2010

Sydney Festival - Week 1 (festival)

Sydney Festival
Various venues, Sydney (9-30th January, 2010)


Barely Contained by Circus Oz
Big Top, Tumbalong Park (9 Jan)

The first thing I noticed was the fact we had Row A seats, which meant if any performer misstepped, they were probably going to hit us. No one did, of course, but we did have a close call with Tom, who ended one flip staring closely at my companion and grinning, and I did get asked by Mel whether her bum looked big in the roo costume.

There was plenty of mayhem to keep amused for 90 minutes and each set was well-constructed with a nice balance of character and skill in each segment. While Circus Oz don't have the polish or awe-inspiring acrobatics of something like Cirque du Soleil (or the budget), they certainly have a lot of humour and irreverence, which I greatly enjoyed.

The win was definitely the endearing nature of the characters constructed through performance, something bigger acts tend to forget in favour of smick costumes. The dynamic of the cast was also a joy, and for a lot of it, it felt as if the audience were incidental to a bunch of performers having fun. Definitely worth the admission price.

Show rating: 8/10
Enjoyment rating: 8/10


Festival First Night
Various venues, Sydney (9 Jan)

My evening began when I headed up to Hyde Park to see Seekae. Although I'd caught them at Peats Ridge, I felt they could really kick start the festival vibe, which they did in style via a very interesting rendition of White Town's 'Your Woman'.

After their set I made my way to Martin Place to see Jay Katz and Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro (below), a Japanese funk band I'd only heard of that morning when FBi radio played a track and I rang in and won a copy of their album. They were incredibly tight with their set and I was impressed at how energetic they were, considering the chilled out (albeit enthusiastic) nature of the crowd. Definitely a band to follow.


I returned to Hyde Park to see Bobby Singh and friends (including Circle of Rhythm and Band of Brothers) and The Manganiyar Seduction, an Indian group of some 40-odd musicians who sing and play instruments while encased in lit boxes (that's the best way I can describe their show).

Circle of Rhythm presented a complex timbre to a flight of beats, while Band of Brothers layered that loosely-defined 'world' music onto some skilled musicality, a deep understanding between the two sets of brothers that fed a exceptional dynamic.

Manganiyar was mesmerising, simultaneously an introduction to Indian singing and music as well as a display of its finest components. The set of lit boxes worked well to, by turns, highlight individual members of the group and bring them together. I felt as if I'd fallen into a trance while listening, and yet I also believed parts of my brain awakened upon hearing the woven sounds.

I was supposed to meet a friend but she bailed because it was really hot (that's what you get when you do Bollywood dancing in full sun), so I left after that and went to eat ice cream at Passionflower, foregoing Al Green in The Domain. I heard I missed a good show.

Night rating: 8/10
Enjoyment rating: 7/10


The Arrival by Red Leap Theatre
The Carriageworks, Eveleigh (10 Jan)

I was walking down Wilson Street, very close to The Carriageworks when I saw a man who looked remarkably like illustrator Shaun Tan alight from a taxi. I've seen him a few times at festivals (Sydney Writers, Melbourne Writers and National Young Writers) so I was pretty sure it was him but I didn't want to be caught staring. (Turns out it was him; he received thanks for his book 'The Arrival' at the end of the performance and was sitting just a few rows in front of me.)

If you've never 'read' the book (it's a wordless illustrated tome, how do you describe 'reading' that?), I suggest you at least have a flick through in a book shop prior to coming to the show to get an idea on what it's about. You will thus also appreciate the exquisite sets, which pay homage to his work but also work as practical scene-changing devices.

'The Arrival', like the book of the same name, is deliberately disorientating as the audience is taken on a journey of discovery akin to that of the protagonist, a man who leaves behind his family to search for comfort in a new land. To call it theatre is a misnomer; it is as much interpretive dance and performance art as it is a play. The most wonderful aspect is that it contains just enough humour, and a balanced dose of endearing charm, to outweigh any element that seems contrived.

What really worked was the encounters the protagonist had with the land's inhabitants and the segue as they 'tell' him their story, always done in a moving, beautifully dark way. I have to commend the ensemble, whose dynamic really shined throughout. The only thing I would criticise was the recorded sound, which was occasionally overbearing, and used a tad too often.

As a mostly wordless performance, I would recommend against going with, or sitting near, a kid who asks lots of questions about what's going on, which was the unfortunate position I found myself in. At least take them through the book before you go!

Show rating: 9/10
Enjoyment rating: 8/10


The Handsome Family
The Famous Spiegeltent, Hyde Park (15 Jan)

I'd heard a couple of songs by The Handsome Family, but still didn't know what to expect when I walked into The Famous Spiegeltent with my friend Ness (who also had no idea as I'd bought her the ticket for Christmas).

Brett and Rennie Sparks delivered 90 minutes of alt-country - the 'alternative' meaning 'more than slightly disturbing in a poetic kind of way' - using electric guitar (Brett), banjo/electric bass (Rennie) and pre-recorded drums (Mac laptop).

Although Rennie's humorous introduction buttered up the audience, the gig started slowly, a little sleepily, and I was afraid I might get bored by halfway through. I was wrong. Who could ever get bored with songs about bottomless holes in the garden, snakes and whiskey, and scenes in graveyards? And better yet, Rennie's hilarious introductions to each song? "I wanted to write a song about the night sky but instead it ended up being a song about how sad convenience stores are." The banter between husband and wife also kept things fresh and kooky.

Even if you only have a passing interest in their songs, definitely try and catch a Handsome Family show because these two are two-thirds country/folk musicians and one part comedy duo.

Gig rating: 7/10
Enjoyment rating: 8/10