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 Way Out West  
La Boite Theatre

Writers Margery and Michael Forde together with director Sean Mee have given contemporary Queenslanders a valuable and moving insight into their past and themselves in this mixture of story and song. The Fordes spent hours transcribing anecdotes and reflections from people in western Queensland (specifically, Roma, Mitchell, Quilpie, Thargomindah, Charleville, Cunnamulla and St George) to provide the basis of this reenactment of pioneer days' tent-based vaudeville.

An energetic, multi-talented cast re-tell the authentic bush stories while conjuring up something of the spirit of the old tent shows and of country life. The tales flow seamlessly, with smooth transitions from story to song, sad and wistful tales broken up by comic relief.

In all, the effect is one of understatement. Here we find the genuine voice of outback and bush people telling stories of things that have amused or fascinated them. There are happy stories, funny ones and some of great pathos. We enjoy the fun of a rodeo and a young woman's determination to compete and win on men's terms. We share a family and community's grief over the loss of a son in a light plane crash. We witness the gaucheness of young men and women eyeing each other off at a B&S dance. We learn something of Aboriginal dispossession and the various attempts of individuals to make a new life. We share campfire chats (splendid effects here) and stories which may have grown in the telling about such things as exploding dunnies and accidentally hijacked bush planes. Above all we learn something of the people's affection for the land and their sense of wonder at the transforming effect of nature.

No member of the cast could be faulted. They're competent rather than star-quality singers, but their voices are just right for the setting. They act and carry-on well, in a show which is very physical. Karen Crone as MC gets the whole show off to a folksy and fun start (in the foyer), while Nathan Kotzur cracks a good whip. Kyas Sherriff makes an impressive debut, while versatile Bryan Probets and fight expert Scott Witt give us lots of laughs. Musicians Gary Nunn and Ross Smith unobtrusively keep the rhythms alive with a song list that ranges far and wide.

Way Out West comes to Brisbane having done the rounds of country towns with big tent presentations of the show. The "in-the-round" La Boite has a better shape than most theatres to reproduce the tent environment, yet I found myself hankering for a real tent-based show, complete with the smell of sawdust and dung. The well equipped theatre seemed a little too "proper" a place for this effort. Perhaps it would have been better staged in a big tent over the road in Lang Park, before the bulldozers move in.


(Performance seen: 9th June 2001)

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 Humpty Dumpty  
Arts Theatre, June 2 - July 7

Humpty Dumpty contains the usual loveable goodies, despicable baddies, magic and song and dance routines, and with plenty of in-jokes to keep the adults amused, one would think the success of a kids' pantomime would surely be guaranteed. Unfortunately, despite a strong cast and excellent musical score, it wasn’t until second half that Humpty Dumpty managed to live up to its full potential on opening night.

The play centres on the title character, Humpty Dumpty, who by falling from his perch on the wall of the King’s courtyard brings into action a prophetic rhyme that promises the destruction of Nursery Rhyme Land should the egg ever fall. With the villain Grimm close at hand, determined to see the downfall of the kingdom, it is up to Humpty to save the people of Nursery Rhyme Land.

The first half crams a lot of story into an hour, to the detriment of the production, as the story line tended to be developed through too much talk and not enough action, testing the patience of some of the younger audience members. A lack of regular opportunity for audience/cast interaction in the first half also led to the feeling that the show was dragging on a bit. Despite the sluggishness of the story line, the leading cast were almost faultless in action. Sean Dennis as Humpty Dumpty brought an endearing naivety to the title role, making him instantly loveable for the audience. Likewise, villain Grimm, played by Matthew Bass, achieved similar instant “boo and hiss” success with the kids. Only Mother Goose (played by director Bianca Peltola) suffered from any character awkwardness — she seemed a little uncomfortable in her role as the magical, maternally-minded godmother.

By the second half however, any first-half awkwardness had disappeared and the level of action picked up almost immediately with an uplifting and energetic opening song-and-dance number. It was in this half that the show really came into its own, packed full of audience interaction, fun, jokes, excitement and liveliness. The faster continuous flow of action offered no opportunity for boredom and the energy (and volume) level of the kids’ responses increased accordingly. The cast really seemed to find their feet in the second half (most notably Bianca Peltola as Mother Goose) with character-to-character interaction improving significantly as a result.

Two characters who played off each other particularly well in the second half were Tommy Tittlemouse (Gavin Ingham) and Jack Spratt (James Cook), whose cheesy boyish macho-ness amused the younger half of the audience no end. Also in the second half, one of the best comic moments in the play parodied a Spanish Habanera-esque duet and dance between the hero Humpty (Sean Dennis) and widow Dame Dobb (John Da Conceicao). Da Conceicao proved a valuable addition to the cast, playing up his campy cross-dressing role with plenty of cheesy puns, gags and pop culture references, to keep the adult contingent amused.

In general, the standard of individual talent in the cast is high, with many displaying talented singing voices as well as excellent acting abilities. Consistently solid throughout the play were James Cook as Jack Spratt, and Taneysha Toft, as Mary Quite Contrary, their impressive vocal talents well supported by the self-possessed confidence of Gavin Ingham in his comic turn as Tommy Tittlemouse.

Apart from a few opening-night slip ups and awkward moments Humpty Dumpty is still an entertaining production. The faults in the first half were more a sign of lack of performance practice than inferior preparation or skill and will no doubt improve with each show. With that in mind, a talented cast, appealing characters and plenty of cheesy jokes for the adults, Humpty Dumpty is a show worth seeing and, with its heart in all the right places, it’s sure to be a hit with the kids.


(Performance seen: 2nd June 2001)

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 Annie  
Lyric Theatre, May 22 - June 24)

Publicity for Annie doesn't make much reference to its origins as a 1920s U.S. newspaper comic strip, and it's easy to see why. The tousle-haired tough who solved crimes and defeated criminals and enemy agents at the hands of creator Harold Gray bears only superficial relationship to the musical's central character. They're both orphans and have red hair, a dog called Sandy and a rich friend called Daddy Warbucks, but that's about it. The orphanage framework of the musical show is new, as indeed is the whole story line.

Not that it matters. While the link with a heroine of traditional popular culture helped sell the idea of the musical, most Australians today have heard of the comic strip only through the musical. In an entertaining essay in the Annie program notes, director and originator of the show Martin Charnin talks frankly of the origins of the musical and the various trials and travails it went through in development. The musical, like its character, had a rags to riches story.

It's not the greatest musical ever written. Many of the musical numbers are fairly ordinary, as is the script. (Comic strip Annie would not have been impressed at the fairly easy time musical Annie has of things.) But as a show it comes together very well, and this is a top quality production. It's a great outing for families.

Gold Coast 10-year-old Angela Symons as Annie gives a spirited and professional performance. Bouncing back from the setback that resulted in Melbourne Annie Nicole Gusasekharam taking over in Act 2 at Thursday's official opening, Angela gave a first-class performance on Sunday, acting and dancing with great vigour and holding her pitch very well in the songs.

Anthony Warlow as Daddy Warbucks is top class. It's a pity that most of his songs don't give him the chance to demonstrate the full range of his singing talents, but when he does let go, it's great to hear him.

Amanda Muggleton as orphanage boss Miss Hannigan is a likeable villain. Her tough treatment of the girls seems less unpleasant when we realise how much fun her orphans are having at her expense, and her tipsiness and hangover blues are captured with great comic effect. Angela Kelly is a most charming Grace (Warbuck's secretary and admirer), Philip Gould and Jane Scali play a devilish pair of crooks, while TV newsreader Brian Bury is a convincing caricature of President Roosevelt. The support cast, including the bevy of leggy ladies, are splendid in various roles (if more convincing as palatial mansion staff and New York milling crowds than as skidrow inhabitants).

The show flouts W.C. Fields' dictum on children and animals and gets away with it. The orphans are a treat: they sing and dance well and are very appealing. They don't always keep their New York accents, but neither do some of the adults. Meanwhile the docile labradoodle playing Sandy seems quite unfazed by the singing and dancing all around him as well as the applause, dutifully making his entrances and exits on cue.

Special mention must be made of youngest cast member Nikita Johnston, also a Gold Coast girl, and aged only 7, who delights the audience with her depiction of the little kid orphan who is variously getting into mischief and being picked up like a package. (There's a double cast of orphans, to give the children some much-needed time off.)

Musical numbers which work very well are Annie's "Maybe" and "Tomorrow", as well as the girls' "You're never fully dressed without a smile" and Warlow's "Something was missing". Paul White's orchestra gives a rich layer of support, and the overall sound is excellent, thankfully succeeding in not inflicting pain on the eardrums as do many musicals with miked singers. The dance numbers are generally very good, and the choreography is well executed by children and adults. Jack Webster makes a popular butler with his entertaining dance steps and commanding presence.

The design of the production is spectacular. Front & back projection in combination with beautifully crafted sets succeed in capturing various faces of New York, and the stark and functionally ugly orphanage is perfectly contrasted with the palatial Warbucks home, right down to his "originals" of the Mona Lisa, Birth of Venus and Whistler's Mother. (Not that there is any danger of social commentary on the contrast between the two ends of society: the impoverished conveniently blame all their problems on the previous president, and for Warbucks, success is simply the result of hard work.)

There are some flat moments, such as the latter part of Act 1. But various comical scenes succeed in evoking the 1930s era, including references to the likes of Elliot Ness, J. Edgar Hoover and Harpo Marx. Meanwhile, Roosevelt's New Deal turns out to have been inspired by Annie's cheerful optimism. It's a pity this production isn't playing in Canberra in this election year.


(Performance seen: 27th May 2001)

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 The Small Poppies  
(Company B Belvoir, May 23 - June 2)

For such a significant rite of passage, the first day of school has received surprisingly little attention in art and entertainment. It's one of those life-changing experiences that many of us remember for the rest of our lives, with its mixture of excitement and trepidation. David Holman's play has captured the essence of starting "big school" in this delightful play, which Sydney's Company B Belvoir has staged sensitively and lovingly.

For adult actors to characterise tiny children and sustain the illusion without slipping into pantomime is a challenging ask: it is greatly to the credit of these actors and their director Neil Armfield (Company B's artistic director) that it comes off so well. The entire cast succeed in capturing the mannerisms and facial expressions of little ones as they run their random, ego- centred, curiosity-driven but vulnerable lives. Richard Sydenham is particularly effective in the key role of Clint: he beautifully captures through posture, gait and hand movements Clint's sookiness and fragility but also his sense of wonder and excitement. We feel for him at the threat of his mother's having a new boyfriend just at the pivotal point of his first day at school, at his loss of the companionship of his neighbourhood best friend who is summarily switched to a new school, at his fear of the classroom bully, and his shame at wetting himself.

The job of characteristation is even tougher for the other actors, who switch repeatedly from child to adult parts. They all rise to the challenge, Andrew Gilbert as the slightly whacky little Theo and also as the understanding headmaster with his little human foibles; Arky Michael as menacing bully and also Greek immigrant dad, worried about the Asian migrants; Felicity Price as Clint's mum and also two little girls (one of them Vietnamese); and Ursula Yorich as Cambodian orphan Lep and also a mum. And Genevieve Mooy is a delightfully saccharine sweet and ever-so-jolly grade 1 teacher as well as guardian of Lep.

The story of Clint and his classmates' perceptions of school is further enlivened with song and dance, ably accompanied on percussion and keyboard, plus a whole series of knock-knock jokes and ditties which particularly delighted the child component of the audience. A simple but effective set gives us the paraphernalia of a busy kindy classroom as well as the solid ugliness of the brick toilet block and bubblers.

And to add to the enjoyment there are several moments of audience participation, Edna Everage style. Be warned: avoid the front row unless you want to be part of the show.

This is a production which everyone will enjoy who has taught at a school, sent children to school or been to school.


(Performance seen: 26th May 2001)

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 Oklahoma  
(Ignatians Musical Society, May 17 - June 2)

Is there a better time than this to revisit an old-fashioned musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein? Right now, while the movie musical is being redefined by Moulin Rouge, theatres all around Australia, and overseas, are ringing to the sounds of a new wave of old movie musicals revived for the stage.

And the Ignatians' production of Oklahoma, directed by Carolyn Kinniburgh, is a faithful version of an old favourite, down to the choice of the leading lady. Benita Stubbs, as Laurie, bears an uncanny resemblance to the movie original, Shirley Jones, and is one of a large cast of very capable and enthusiastic performers who offer a lively and enjoyable night's entertainment. The program notes give no indication of what else the performers have done, but the quality of their performance breathed life into the definition of an amateur as one who cultivates their art for personal pleasure rather than gain. They had clearly cultivated their art and, as they sang and danced up a storm, they were certainly having a good time that reached out to, and included, the audience.

The singers had a justified confidence in the capacity of their voices to deliver full-throated versions of their songs, whether they were singing solo, in duets, or as a finely tuned chorus. The small orchestra supported them ably all the way, without over-riding or losing them at any time; and choreographer Ruth Gabriel must have been extremely satisfied with the sure-footed dancers who cavorted expertly and exuberantly through her steps.

For someone of my vintage, this is a hit-filled show, right from the outset, with a cheerful version of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin''' by Scott Bolland as Curly. Oklahoma was a new type of musical in its day, in its use of songs to advance the plot. It did this through a mix that included romantic songs, narrative songs, and, most of all, funny songs. Humour is an important element in Oklahoma, and several of the musical numbers required that the singers could not only dance, but also make us laugh. And they did. Much of the comic relief fell into the lap of the engaging Michael Corcoran, as Will Parker, who had fun with his contribution to "Kansas City" and "All or Nothin'". In the latter, he was joined by his sometime betrothed, Ado Annie Carnes (played by Susie Carter), who also had a role and her own song ("I Can't Say No") that were played for laughs. To balance them, Jeremy Whitlock gave Jud Fry the requisite menace while Mark Tsang added a brooding sensuousness to the dream ballet sequence Jud (and, therefore, accentuated the perhaps slightly too-youthful freshness of his rival in that sequence, Ronan Lock's Curly).

Other standouts in the cast of 36 players include Algernon Rowe as Ali Hakim, the peddler who is torn between his love of freedom and his lust for women, Elspeth Sutherland, who starts out looking a tad young to be Aunt Eller but has grown into the part by the end of the show, and the Can-Can Girls, who can can-can.

But Oklahoma isn't just singing and dancing. Between times, there's the dialogue. And, especially in the first half, there was a problem with the American accents, particularly Bolland's. The problem — for me — was over-kill, to the point where it was often quite difficult to understand what was being said. By comparison, the songs were very clearly enunciated. Fortunately, however, as things got into their stride those who had been overdoing their Western drawl gradually pulled back to a more intelligible level.

The size of the stage at the Schonell Theatre (in the University of Queensland) easily accommodated the vigorous activities of the whole troupe, against scenery that was simple but effective in conveying the wide open spaces and colours of the west of America at a time when it was still a bit wild.

All in all, this is a happy show which will remind those whose memories go back far enough, of the tuneful music of another era. And for those who weren't around the first time round, this polished production by a youthful cast is a great introduction to a classic musical.


(Performance seen: 24th May 2001)

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 Dirt  
(Queensland Theatre Company, May 21 - June 23)

These are a pretty gritty set of plays which will not be to everyone's taste (including mine). The quartet is well-named. Director Michael Gow tells us that Dirt is social criticism giving a "behind the gloss" view of Queensland. He also tells us this is "exciting experimental 'pushing the envelope' writing".

It is a pity that young playwrights are so obsessed with the gritty and the grotty. Most of the writers seemed to delight in the type of in-your-face grossness which I would have thought rather passe in the modern theatre. Not one of the four plays lacked the "f-ing" epithet and between them they featured sex, masturbation, lavatory business, drunkenness, vomiting, urination, self-immolation, rape, bisexuality and homophobia.

Yes, sure, the parallel theatres in the QPAC complex are showing more wholesome fare — Annie and Small Poppies — and we need reminding of life's underside, yet . . . There are positive stories to be told too. In real life, problems do get resolved, acts do occur of love, faith, tenderness, sacrifice. Try watching "Australian Story" on ABC-TV on a Thursday night.

That said, the plays feature some powerful and effective writing. The short play is, like the short story, a difficult form, requiring special skills to enthrall an audience and say something useful within 30 to 40 minutes. Some of these succeed.

Maryanne Lynch's Shoe Biz starts from the interesting premise of a young woman's dilemma in buying a pair of shoes, shifting focus to her various relationship problems. Characters in her life appear in frames above her, adding to her confusion while staying out of reach. The mini-set of her parents' 1950s parlour is comically realised, down to the three china ducks and the bakelite wireless. But the comedy of the absurd into which the play develops is, for me, not really successful. Nor did I find Angela Betzien's Playboy of the Working Class particularly effective, with its ambitious treatment of the myriad experiences of a compulsive gambler as his habit tears his life apart and he seeks help through Gamblers Anonymous.

Stephen Davis's Drown is the ugliest of the four plays, as two surfies grossly humiliate a third. It features the filthiest language of the quartet (worse than anything I've heard since I was in the barracks). It deals with some very nasty specimens of humankind, one in particular, eventually and effectively unravelling the basis of his homophobia and hatred of his victim. The best of the quartet is Sven Swenson's In Lieu of Flowers, depicting the closed and unhappy world of two rural teenage sisters faced with their disciplinarian father's menace and verbal abuse. It establishes an atmosphere of threat, fear and hidden secrets reminiscent of William Faulkner. It was also the play which made cleverest use of the "wet newspaper" stimulus provided to each author.

The youngish cast are for the most part effective in diverse characterisations (as a QTC cast should be), and the directing works well. For me the pick of the cast is Melinda Butel, especially for her performance as the slightly intellectually disabled Deirdre in Swenson's play, anxiously dependent on her more savvy 15-year-old sister while trying to anticipate their father's commands. Paul Denny as Len in Drown captures the sheer malice of the pack leader who tortures his victim to erase the inner torture of his own demons.

We have much acting and writing talent in Queensland, as this experiment by the QTC confirms. But let's move beyond the obsession with the underside that characterised so much of late-20th Century theatre, and face the new century with some new and more hopeful paradigms.


(Performance seen: 24th May 2001)

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 Decent Spinster  
(Christine Johnston, Merivale Street Studio, May 18-25)

Seeking something quirky? Do you want performance art that actually leaves you satisfied? Then you need to share in the bizarre reality of the Decent Spinster, where chaos seems to make sense and the sounds and signs of music can be found anywhere and everywhere.

On entering the performance space you are greeted by the unnerving sounds of music closely resembling a primary school recorder band. (I still shudder at the thought!) The stage is sparse and black dressed only with a film projector, an object resembling a furnace, and a still-life tableau of a standing hair-dryer and mirror. Christine Johnston’s Decent Spinster enters the space in conservative, Victorian garb (with amazingly large hair), illuminated by a hand-held fluorescent camping light..

Enter the Modern Spinster. The musicians accompany her entrance with a brassy dirge. When the Decent Spinster acknowledges the music around her, the musicians mysteriously disappear. Are they really there?.

This is performance art with a narrative. The Decent Spinster takes us on a quest for adventure, art, music, and the inner rebel. Her eclectic journey encounters the beauty of the saw, skateboarders, hotted up cars, netball, bumper stickers and 20th Century music notation. Did you know that you can sing Sports Stripes from the side of cars?.

Decent Spinster is a seamless production thanks to Louise Gough (dramaturg) and Lisa O’Neill (creative and directing consultant) who should be commended for facilitating a production that is fluid, delicate and humorous. It is extremely well constructed and each vignette is tight and concise.

Christine Johnston is an absolute powerhouse performer who is dynamic, controlled and exceptionally talented. Her voice is a virtual mythical instrument producing husky alto tones, crisp bell-like notes, inhuman mumblings, and bird and insect sounds. Christine’s Decent Spinster is always poised, even with the intermittent presence of the odd rap routine.

Sounds all too incredible to believe? Then you must see this!

The other binding force in the show are the musicians attired aptly as modern monks. Trent Arkleysmith, Peter Nelson and Owen Newcomb are highly skilled and competent. They switch with ease from cello and double bass to electric guitars. I must admit that the switch to brass instruments is little bit uneasy, with some tentative playing. Despite the breathless horns, they master a variety of music genres and complement the show admirably.

Decent Spinster doesn’t challenge or shock. Oh no, any performance art can do that. This Spinster welcomes us and invites us to share a slice of her surreal reality. But is it all that strange? Decent Spinster sits somewhere between the unashamedly new and the deceptively familiar. This is a projection tour into the world of the innocent academic. is created through subtle association and repetition. It is the art of taking objects literally, then twisting to find the music and humour within.

This performance is all about the power of endowment. A touch, a sound, a facial movement are all so economical that their meaning is weighty far beyond your everyday, superficial interpretations. That’s not to say it makes the interpretation “deep”. It’s just that you are suddenly looking at and hearing things from another perspective. And what a fun and playful perspective it is!

Decent Spinster is an endearing, charming and palatable piece of performance art. The Decent Spinster is decent, not because she is prudish, but because she is open-minded, adventurous and non-judgmental. She is willing to try anything without bias.

Is there anything more decent than that?


(Performance seen: 22nd May 2001)

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 Murder By Misadventure  
(Arts Theatre, May 18 - June 9)

When asked what makes comedy the late great Charlie Chaplin is said to have said, “Stepping over a banana skin and into an open manhole.” He was talking “moving pictures” so we must assume that the audience does not get to see the manhole till immediately after the hazard of the banana skin has passed.

Murder by Misadventure has some dry one-liners, but it’s not a comedy. It’s a murder mystery. Nevertheless Chaplin’s comment carries a message for the Arts' current production of the piece.

Murder is serious business. Sometimes bloody serious business. For 90 percent of its running time that’s where we should have been >— locked into the belief that we were watching serious murder business (granted by first-timers at the murder trade), but serious murder business nonetheless. Until the last gasp of a character for whom rigor mortis is certain, we should have remained totally ignorant of who had done what to whom and most importantly how and when.

Generally Gary O’Neil’s tight and well-moved-and-timed production would have done its part in generating and maintaining that belief. On its own it would have allowed us to see two of the protagonists plotting to execute the perfect murder by stepping over the “banana-skin” of any flaws in the plan.

Regrettably the printed program doesn’t allow the production to reach its full potential. It may not quite show us the manhole in the mayhem but it comes very close. “About the play” renders much of the first act dialogue second-hand information. Otherwise the program offers so many hints that all is not as it seems, that we spend our watching time more primed to second-guessing than being engaged in what is a wonderfully constructed piece of mystery theatre, with a few minor and a couple of major moments of comic relief. In a theatre as intimate as the Arts it could have been played with the intimate tensions of television.

Of the players only Greg Hood displays the degree of reality and intensity that the play in its deceptions demands. While the performances of Ken Callan and Lynne Schofield were secure in pace and timing, it was difficult at any time to believe that they believed in the situation or were seriously engaged in the serious business of murder.

As may be evident this reviewer is trying desperately to avoid the pitfalls of the program. For that reason I can only say of Darrell Plumridge’s Inspector Egan, that he too only skims the surface of what is one of the most difficult “double acts” any actor faces.

The play ran two years in the West End, the program informs. The plot justifies that level of popularity. This production is worth a visit. But don’t read the program till it’s over!


(Performance seen: 19th May 2001)

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 Murder in Company  
(Sunnybank Theatre Group, May 11-26)

Editor's note: In view of the criticisms of Act I plot revelation by the reviewer above, readers may wish to skip paragraphs 2, 3 and 6 of the following review if they wish to see the play!

Sunnybank Theatre's latest production is all amateur theatrics. But not in a bad way. Murder in Company is a whodunnit set in an old church hall where an amateur dramatic society rehearses — making it a great choice for one of the southside's best known community theatre groups.

The first act begins with the cast of the society's latest play arriving in dribs and drabs for the evening's rehearsal. One by one they all encounter the new church hall caretaker Smith — a wonderfully smug Ross Wilson — and one by one they decide they don't like him. Wilson leers and swaggers and makes Smith such an appealing villain it's almost a pity to kill him off. But die he must, in order for the "whodunnit" second half to happen.

It turns out that Smith was in the process of blackmailing most of the cast. His death by electrocution thanks to a faulty coffee urn means anyone could have done it. Margaret (Deanne Scott) is having an affair with the much younger Alan (Stuart Sephton), and wants to keep it a secret from her husband Phillip (Eric Scott), who happens to be the director of the play. Phoebe (Viv Staley), has links to Smith from her mysterious past, and Ronnie (David Duncan) doesn't like Smith's threats.

Murder In Company works because of its characters. All of the actors give strong, individual performances, most of which belie the "amateur" status of STG. Director Chris Guyler has drawn out the emotions from the script, and with a range of ages among the actors the result are some very well-crafted characters. Particularly good were Eric Scott as the dictatorial director (a creature familiar to ALL actors!) and Duncan as the tragi-comic stage manager Ronnie. The rest of the cast were all believable, and contributed to the high standard of the production.

Lighting, sound and set design were all infinitely suitable for Sunnybank's theatre, and were used to great effect. Murder in Company is another example of community theatres choosing material that optimises their financial and creative resources.

Ultimately any criticisms of this play take their root in the script. Philip King and John Boland's work uses the conventions of whodunnit well enough, but does not ever reach the standards of those it tries to emulate. The suspect list is reduced from seven to five simply because Donna (Catherine Grech) and Pat (Rachel Lester) have absolutely no reason to dislike Smith — apart from his general nastiness. And because Smith has only been caretaker for a week, it seems odd that he could become so despised in such a short time. Customers hastily justify letting Smith blackmail them by saying, "It would have gone on!". Conventional whodunnits provide a variety of reasons for each person to kill the blackmailer which are simply not present here. That said, when the eventual killer is revealed, it is a surprise — not as much for who, but why.

Murder In Company as a script is an attempt to transfer the grand traditions of whodunnit (i.e., rich people and the seven deadly sins) to a small dramatic society. It's an interesting if imperfect experiment. As a production, however, it allows STG to efficiently utilise the space and resources they have, and gives director Guyler the opportunity to get strong, diverse characters and performances from his actors.


(Performance seen: 18th May 2001)

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 The Caucasian Chalk Circle  
(Harvest Rain Theatre Company, May 4-19)

Bertold Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a difficult play to make relevant and enjoyable for a 21st Century audience. The generally more mainstream-oriented Harvest Rain Theatre Company has made a brave attempt to do this, without quite succeeding.

"Does anyone know what's happening?" cries a woman during the cacophany and chaos of an early scene depicting violence and revolution, and the audience cannot do other than agree with her. A storyline and theme do emerge from the chaos, but not without further distractions and diversions of various kinds, as Brecht's characters clown about and philosophise. Some of it is funny, but not enough, and little of the theorising is particularly arresting or memorable.

Much of the difficulty with the play comes from the posturing of Brecht's characters and their lack of humanity. They are for the most part caricatures rather than characters, lacking any dimensionality or human warmth. Harvest Rain's talented young cast, many of whom have recently played to acclaim in more conventional plays, have tough material with which to work.

Brecht's brand of "epic theatre" gets the big-scale treatment from director Andrew Buchanan, who makes full use of the large stage of the Gardens Theatre. The wide, deep proscenium stage is dominated by a set of multilayered scaffolding including ladders and ramps, and allowing much three-dimensional movement. The various crowd scenes involving revolutionaries, armies on the move and peasant gatherings work very well (although dialogue is often lost, especially when characters talk upstage). Sound effects and lighting are excellent. A centrally-placed revolving stage (laboriously turned by several of the cast) permits Hollywood-style movement and action. The levels of activity and movement are indeed epic for a stage play, with more than 50 characters played energetically by a cast of 19, accompanied by on-stage musicians.

At the technical level the production is very good. Similarly, the cast work very well as a team. The part of Grusha, one of the few genuine characters in the play, is well played (and sung) by Liz Buchanan. She succeeds in capturing the ordeal of the simple kitchenmaid seeking to care for and protect a lost child. Caroline Kennison does well as narrator. Also excellent is Hayden Spencer as Azdak, the hyped-up village clerk who astonishingly becomes a judge and must determine the question of who will have the child. And special mention must be made of Michael Futcher, who plays a variety of characters with originality and conviction.

But overall, because of the limitations of the text itself, the production fails to engage the sympathy of the audience, to stimulate or adequately to amuse. Brecht would be better left in the Twentieth Century.


(Performance seen: 4th May 2001)

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Other views: For Alison Cotes (Courier-Mail, 10 May) the director's attempt to balance his professional actors and "enthusiastic amateurs who have been the backbone of this impressive little theatre company" "has led to a rather uneasy production, with a number of stand-out performances often dragged down by high-pitched shrieking and disorganised flailing-about from the minor players".

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 Beyond Therapy  
(Centenary Theatre Group, May 5-26)

Speaking as a therapist, which I'm not... I mean that both ways... I mean, I'm not a therapist and so it would seem to follow that I can't be speaking as one... But then what can anyone ever be sure about anymore, really ? But if I was one, a therapist I mean, in case you've forgotten, and could therefore speak as one with some measure of authority, I would say to anyone left who hasn't yet lost the plot, that if you enjoy the sort of theatre experience which goes over the edge without really running off the rails ... "Go see this play!"

For most of the evening, the Centenary Theatre Group's production of Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy will delight those in need of, considering, or simply curious about "therapy". It will also introduce those too young to remember to a time when gossip magazines reported more on which celebrities were or weren't resorting to therapy to restore their publicly damaged egos, than those since, who have resorted to surgery to reshape and restore selected body parts for the public benefit.

In a well orchestrated production, director Len Granato and his determined cast of delightfully neurotic characters establish beyond all reasonable doubt that love, the most elusive of all human conditions, can inhabit a comedic twilight zone which is indeed "Beyond Therapy". It's really this simple.

In seeming desperation, Prudence (Jo Syme) — who hardly lives up to her name — blind-dates a person who has advertised himself as a "white male 30 to 35, six foot two inches, blue eyes etc." in the personal columns of a New York magazine, without seeming to appreciate that you can advertise for someone 30-35 but not as such a someone.

This someone is Bruce (Peter Condon), who within a minute of their meeting compliments Pru on her breasts, within two reveals his bi-sexuality, admits he's deeply emotional and likes to cry in three and before we get to five, wants her to have his children. And that's just the beginning folks.

It may come as some surprise that both Pru and Bru are "in therapy". Bruce has Charlotte (Laura Wilde). Prudence has Stuart (Cameron Castles). Both the purported professionals establish as quick as an insecure blink that the pair might benefit from a few running repairs to their own egos and interfaces with the real world. Stuart's having short liaisons with Pru and Charlotte communicates with her clients through toys.

In due course we meet Bruce's male partner Bob (Mark Scott) and finally Brendon Katowicki as the "Waiter".

Durang moves us back and forth between four sets, swiftly, simply and effectively established and changed by designer Anne Lyons. The scenes expand from two characters to three and finally to all six with episodes, antics, anxieties and outcomes that more than justify the play's title.

The talents of the players are well balanced, secure and offer a warm ensemble feeling. All maintain their American accents comfortably and while timing was occasionally uncertain on opening night it will no doubt improve as they settle into the season and find where the best laughs (and there are plenty of them) are. Moderate use of the blue pencil may have helped in this regard.

Walking into the Chelmer Community Centre I was nostalgically reminded of the early playing spaces of Brisbane Repertory, Brisbane Arts, the original Twelfth Night and the U of Q's Avalon, where imagination made up for limited budgets and where talents of the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Jack Thompson, Barry Otto, Carol Burns, Rowena Wallace and Bille Brown first cut their creative teeth.

Long may such venues survive in our suburbs presenting works with this production's commitment to production values on a shoe-string — or should that be on a strip of velcro these days.




(Performance seen: 5th May 2001)

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 48 Shades of Brown  
(La Boite Theatre Company, May 3-26)

I noted in my last review that I had inadvertently been seated next to another reviewer. It looks like it's going to be a recurring theme. As I took my seat for Friday's performance of 48 Shades of Brown at La Boite, I noticed the row of people in front of me — and others dotted around the theatre — were all keenly holding notebooks and pens. They turned out to be first year Theatre Studies students from QUT, there to critique an actor's performance. I thought about mentioning to them the problems associated with trying to write in the dark while watching a play, but the lights dimmed and we were away.

After the success last year of After January, La Boite has once again turned to the works of Brisbane author Nick Earls, and the result is this world premiere performance adapted for the stage by Philip Dean. The story of a sixteen-year-old boy's rites of passage, 48 Shades of Brown is witty, charming and above all, very very funny.

The story goes something like this. Dan (Michael Dorman), 16, is living in a share house with his young aunt Jacq (Rebecca Murphy) while his parents are in Geneva. Jacq's 23, at uni, plays bass for a garage band, and nothing like her sister, Dan's mum. Also in the house is Naomi (Cara McIlveen), a nymph-like second year psychology student who becomes the object of Dan's teenage lust. Throwing more wackiness into proceedings is Chris, Dan's schoolmate for whom scoring a chick with a car is the ultimate fantasy, and Phil, the square landlord always popping round to fix or prune something (both Chris and Phil are played by Tony Brockman).

Life for Dan is not what life is like for most Year 12 boys. Thrust into a uni share house, he has to learn to wash, cook, clean and study even when Naomi is having sex in the room next door. He goes to lengths to try to win loser-in-love Naomi — even memorising bird species and their particular shade of brown (hence the title). All the while he's having fantasies of Danish girls and Clare Danes, which are played out for maximum effect.

The central performances are strong. Murphy as Jacq brings a tough, streetwise attitude to Jacq, making her the type of aunt I'd sure like to have. Brockman is superb in all three of his roles — each is distinctly different and all were crowd favorites, the sign of a great character actor. Cara McIlveen was suitable as the lusted-after Naomi; however I felt the character was getting more and more stupid as the play went on. By the play's end, I felt she was positively dumb, and wondered how she could be so admired. McIlveen's other characters were all played well, especially the very drunk schoolgirl Imogen.

The real star though is Michael Dorman as Dan, who looked uncannily like a young Matt Damon. That could just be me. Dorman, as the main character, is onstage for 99 percent of the play, and he holds his role marvellously. Even his voice had the right amount of high and low in it, signifying his growth into manhood. The set was best arranged for La Boite, with Dan's room the main set piece. Although this meant backs of heads, no comprehension was lost, and the in-the-round set-up was used efficiently. The play also had great pace, even though I felt some of the scene changes could have been slowed down a bit. The music used helped create a good feeling of time and place.

Often plays about "youth issues" deal with such themes as love, violence, drugs, alcohol, suicide, race, religion and death —all weighty issues which theatre is correct in discussing. La Boite has indeed had its share of these topical plays — X-Stacy and even its version of Romeo and Juliet. Worthy as they are, these plays have heavy subject matter, and deal with extremes. There rarely seem to be plays that deal with the (for want of a better word) "normal" side of growing up. 48 Shades of Brown fills this gap. As La Boite artistic director Sean Mee notes in the program, "These kids are OK".

For me, this is what makes the play work. The audience really can identify with the character's problems, and director Jean-Marc Russ has ensured it's accessible to all. Now if only I was a Theatre Studies student, I'd have just completed my first assignment...


(Performance seen: 4th May 2001)

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Other views: Alison Cotes (Courier-Mail, 10 May) found this "a really lovely play, even for grown-ups, because above all else we want to believe it's true", and because "this tender, escapist, very funny play makes me believe it, I give it 18 out of 20, which is a High Distinction in anyone's terms". For Martin Buzacott (Australian, 11 May), "shared house and rite-of-passage literary works have become something of a genre". The "latest spin on the genre is a play that reaffirms existing beliefs and life experience", and the appeal of "such a curiously gentle and conservative approach" "is the excellence of the young, mainly debutant, cast."

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 Kiss Me Kate  
(Savoyards Musical Comedy Society, May 4-13)

Kiss Me Kate is an entertaining night of community theatre. The Bayside-based Savoyards Musical Comedy Society have done a commendable job in putting together an enjoyable version of this Broadway favorite.

Staged in the spacious Iona College Performing Arts Centre, the show works well at dealing with all the difficulties of a "play within a play". Sets (involving many changes) are excellent and costumes magnificent as the cast switch from playing actors to Shakespearean characters in "The Taming of the Shrew".

With a cast of more than 40 there are many fine performances, although, as is common with large-scale amateur productions, a degree of unevenness.

Of the principals, operatically-trained Linda Peach gives a very good vocal performance as Lilli/Kate. Of many good numbers her "I hate men" is particularly successful, and she also acts well as both the shrewish Kate and the jealous Lilli. Gary Rose is somewhat more confident playing Petruchio than the lead actor/director Fred, where he is somewhat too understated in performance. His singing is generally up to the mark, although with some uncertainty in upper registers, and in duets he is a little overpowered by Peach. I found their famous duet "Wunderbar" a disappointment. Kim Bridges as Lois needs more projection vocally but warmed up for her Act 2 solos, as did Damien Orth as Bill, who showed his fine lyric voice to best effect in "Bianca".

The small orchestra captures the Cole Porter mood and beat, but needs more depth in the strings. They sometimes overpower soloists, which is not their fault. The chorus are well-trained vocally, but somewhat static in movement. They are too often immovable blocks on stage, with too little interaction between individuals or across groups, and there is an overall lack of energy during several sequences. Similarly the choreography and its execution needed somewhat more vim.

Alec Raymond and Michael Nash are well cast as the two gangsters who take to the stage as Shakespearean courtiers in order to keep the leading lady from fleeing. Their "Brush up your Shakespeare" is the hit of the night, earning several encores.

Despite some flaws this is in all an enjoyable production for which the Savoyards deserve congratulation in this, their 40th year.


(Performance seen: 5th May 2001)

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 The Forest  
(Queensland Theatre Company, April 26 - May 12)

Being obliged recently to check the dictionary definition of "several", I discovered one meaning to be "two or three, but not many". There are several reasons why Tom Gutteridge's current QTC production of The Forest provides a rewarding evening's entertainment.

Primary among the several was Bille Brown as Gennadily Dem'yanych. It is worth the night for him alone. He moves, amuses and amazes as he dances on the performance high-wire as an actors' actor, playing an actor playing an indeterminate military personage with a heart as large and as warm as this gifted artist's compelling presence and near flawless craft.

Other aspects of the production are sound and secure but on a lesser plane.

While the design and lighting allow the action to progress fluidly, the endeavour to bring to the play a touch of modern green relevance with a smattering of tree stumps and a brief appearance by a thankfully silent chain-saw was forced and irrelevant.

The forest of this play is not one of the ecological plunder of timber, but the enervating hypocrisy of petty people possessed by power, manipulation and greed. As Brown's character (Neschast for short) questions shortly before his final departure, "How did we get into this forest, crawl into this undergrowth? See what we've done? We've disturbed the wildlife old chap. Frightened the birds of prey. Upset the natural order. Where old ladies marry schoolboys and young girls drown because life's so unbearable. That's the forest for you"

This may suggest a timelessness and universality in theme but Ostrovsky (1823-1886) wrote some 50 plays and is described by Britannica.com as a "Russian Dramatist who is generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period". The Forest is called a comedy, but its humour is of its period, potently Russian and a prelude to Chekhov's. Ayckbourn's version does not consistently capture this essence.

It generates from the friction between classes. At the time of its writing the power of the landowners was declining and the social standing and economic power of the recently emancipated serfs was rising as seen in the bargaining for land between the forest's matriarch, Raisa Pavlovna (Geraldine Turner) and the wood merchant Ivan Petrovich (Alex Menglet).

It echoes in the droll humour of the servants Karp (Bryan Nason) — "It's not a good thing to be very young, sir. There's no advantage to be gained", and Ulita ( Nicola Scott), who spies and reports on behalf of her mistress with the grim expertise of a Nineteenth Century prototype of a KGB agent.

It resonates in the conflicts in attitudes between those for whom love and friendship are genuine — the young lovers Aksyuska (Raisa's neice) and Pytor (the wood merchant's son), and those for whom such are simply matters of convenience, accumulation and immediate gratification — the 50-plus Raisa and her 20-year- old ward and ultimate fiance Bulanov (Trenton Shipley).

These are the "wild life" of the forest whose plans are disturbed, but ultimately unaltered, by the unexpected appearance of Raisa's "provincial actor (tragic)" nephew Neschast after an absence of 15 years, together with and his "comic actor" companion Arkadiy (Iain Gardiner).

Accused of being "clowns" as they prepare to finally depart, Neschast retorts, "Clowns? We are artists ma'am, artists. You are the clowns. Us? If we love, then we love ... But you? All your lives you talk about social welfare, about loving your fellow men. And what have you done? ... Who have you ever given, comforted or consoled?"

The first paradox of actors is that in their creative blend of art and craft, they work extremely hard at appearing not to be working at all. The production works at its bitterly humorous best when it plays at the Ostrovsky end of the spectrum. This is the realm that Brown and Alex Menglet inhabit and exploit. In performance Menglet is the second of my several and Nason and Nicola Scott the third and fourth.

The production pressures us for laughs at the Ayckbourn end of the scale. In Ayckbourn's style, Miss Turner's studied posing and playing at, rather than in the character of Raisa, deprived her of the sadly humorous pathos of a woman endeavouring to deal with aging through a young lover, as a balance to Ostrovsky's otherwise obvious lack of any sympathy for his greedy and grasping creation. Likewise at the Ayckbourn end, Iain Gardner often worked patently too hard at being comic, to be comic, and provide a balanced foil to Brown.

The younger players, while competent and clearly committed, would do well in the course of the season to analyse what it is in performances of the several, which in addition to experience, sets them apart. Perhaps current acting schools have forgotten that creativity and craft are sail and rudder of Thespe's ship.




(Performance seen: 27th April 2001)

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Other views: Alison Cotes (Courier-Mail, 28 Apr) described The Forest as a "real winner". Some of Geraldine Turner's stage moments are "simply brilliant": "this woman fighting exploitative men retains humanity and pathos". Bille Brown "gives his finest comic performance to date while proving what a subtle actor he can be". Paul Galloway (Brisbane News, 9 May) praises Brown's "bravura performance". The production's "more experienced actors know better [than the younger actors] how to orchestrate a character, and that is what gives this production, when they alone share the stage, its particular lushness".

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 Touch and Go  
(Act 1 Theatre, April 27 - May 12)

I was amused to realise halfway through Touch and Go that I had been seated next to another reviewer — one with a notebook, no less. I tried to point this fact out to my mother, who I'd taken along, but she told me to shush quick smart, or I'd miss the show.

Good advice, too. A farce comedy requires undivided attention, as the plots normally twist and turn faster than the Wipeout ride at Dreamworld. Touch and Go is no different. A clever script supported by strong performances makes for a great night of theatre in Brisbane's northern suburbs.

I won't get too carried away with plot, but stay with me while I outline the basics. Every Wednesday, Brian (Ross Marsden) borrows his friend George's (Glen Male) flat to conduct an affair with the delectable Wendy (Kimberley Platt). George is fine with this arrangement, as at that time, he's round at Brian's house doing the nasty with Brian's wife Hilary (Wendy Kemp), and his wife Jessica is on business in America.

This has been going on quite smoothly for three months, but this Wednesday is different. Jessica returns from overseas a day early, and discovers Brian and Wendy in her flat. This is the beginning of, as a friend of mine would say, the "wacky shenanigans" that comprise the rest of the play. What follows is two hours of mayhem and madness, and plenty of cocovan thrown in to boot.

Act 1 has chosen well with this play, written by Derek Benfield and directed by Act 1 veteran Colin Russell. The small cast allows for strong performances, and the minimal set design works well on the Old Shire Hall stage. Male and Marsden play up their roles as the cheating husbands, desperately trying to have their cake and eat it too. The play calls for some great physical humour and visual jokes, and Male and Marsden get to exhibit their flair for physical comedy and slapstick. When Male ran into his flat in an ill-fitting Oxfam suit after twice leaving Brian and Hilary's place in his boxer shorts, my mother laughed so hard I didn't think she'd make it to the curtain call.

Kemp and Platt as the objects of the men's desires are also entertaining — Kemp by giving her husband Brian more and more to worry about, and Platt by looking horribly confused for most of the second half as she wonders why everyone thinks she's a Red Cross nurse. I particularly enjoyed Pauline Davies' performance as George's wife Jessica. Fantastically English in all of her mannerisms, she carried off her role as the only one with nothing to hide with a Penelope Keith in "To The Manor Born" precision.

My criticisms would only be technical ones, most notably the design of the stage. The Act 1 stage is quite a small area, and it was divided in two to represent the two flats. Since more of the action took place in George and Jessica's flat, the Brian and Hilary flat could have been slightly smaller. The play called for a lot of jumping up and running around, and occasionally the "invisible wall" between the two flats was crossed. A smaller second flat could have remedied this problem. Also slightly inconsistent were the characters' accents, all ostensibly English, but not of the same standard.

However, these things did not ruin a fine night of theatre. It's good to see smaller theatres like Act 1 choosing plays that suit the space they have to work with and also suit the taste of the audience, who all enjoyed it. Well, I know my Mum did, but as for that other reviewer . . .


(Performance seen: 27th April 2001)

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 Ruthless! The Musical  
(Cement Box Theatre, April 20 - May 12)

I missed Ruthless on its first, and highly successful, time round in Brisbane last year, when it won the Perform/4MBS Award for Best Musical. I'm glad I didn't miss it this time, because Mixed Company's Director Simone de Haas has once again given Brisbanites a great night's entertainment. This clever show is a mad mix of old fashioned melodrama (piano accompaniment and all) and cynical post-modern reflexion of all the clichés of musical comedies past and present, with a special focus on the cut-throat world of child stars and wannabes, and a side-swipe or two at theatre critics and the media.

The performance was punctuated by the applause of the packed house showing its appreciation of the array of talent displayed by a top-line cast who, to a woman (and Paul Dellit, in stunning drag), had the voices to carry off the musical demands of songs that were more narrative than memorable, but very right for the night. Each of the excellent ensemble cast had several well-deserved moments in the sun. Charlie Koranias played flinty-eyed child actress, Tina Denmark, as Shirley Temple out of Bad Seed. Alida Rae gave Tina's teacher and wannabe actress, Myrna Thorn, a darkly comic bitterness, and Sarah Watson made the most of the thankless position as her hapless rival.

Gillian Simpson's stirring rendition of one of the most cynical songs, 'I hate musicals', was a highlight of the show, while Janet Devlin blossomed in the role of the maid rampant. Dellit was delicious in his reprisal of Sylvia St Croix, whose flamboyant style was Auntie Mame with acid drops of Sunset Boulevard's ageing Norma Desmond.

But perhaps the most remarkable performance was that of Leisa Barry-Smith, also from the original cast, and who gets to play a Stepford wife in reverse. Her unravelling robotic housewife is a masterpiece, and she does this on a set that also deserves a special mention, with its dramatic transformation from virulently cheerful Sears Roebuck kitsch to slick New York chic.

And every other element of this production matched the performances on stage. The orchestra, and the pianist, were stars in their own right, and careful attention was paid to getting the rich assortment of costumes, the accessories and the hair styles just right.

The Cement Box is small enough for even those in the back row to get a good view of the actors, provided that they don't sit or crouch down at the front of the stage.

Altogether, this is yet another show that shows that Brisbane is flush with talent that we should be supporting to save them from becoming yet another statistic, or just leaving us for greener fields. And Ruthless gives not only those of us who love musicals, but those of us who don't, a very satisfying theatrical bang for our buck.


(Performance seen: 21st April 2001)

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