RSC Love's Labour's Won

A great version! http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/the-royal-shakespeare-companys-in-loves-labours-won/ This glorious comedy presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company is more commonly known as MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. The Bard’s narrative has been transposed from sunny Sicily to a bitterly cold December in the UK at the end of 1918 . The action in this version is set in an Elizabethan manor at Charlecote Park, just outside of Stratford-upon-Avon, at Christmas and the house has been turned into a hospital. Beatrice and Hero are among the nurses. There are plenty of laughs with delicious comic timing, but the film is also, at times, at certain times quite dark. A scene that comes to mind is when poor Hero is unjustly accused. Strong, feisty, argumentative Beatrice is delightfully played by Michelle Terry who impresses delivering her delicious, witty lines. Terry’s most eye catching outfit is a very stylishly cut purple trouser suit. It quickly becomes apparent that Beatrice and Benedick have a rocky, hidden past. Edward Bennet has much fun stealing the show as world weary determined batchelor Benedick .He has some wonderful witty lines and he delivers his monologues impeccably. His ‘gulling scene’ with the Christmas tree was hilarious. The audience was in fits of laughter. The battle of wills between Beatrice and Benedick are played out memorably. When Beatrice demands that Benedick ‘Kill Claudio’ she is a hissing spitfire. Our second leads, the young lovers Hero and Claudio, were terrifically played. Flora Spencer-Longhurst makes for a gorgeous looking Hero. Beautiful and completely innocent of all she is accused of, passionate and determined, she suffers dreadfully yet all is put right at the end. Young patrician Claudio, well played by Tunji Kasim, is elegant and well favoured. He is tricked and deceived and suffers and eventually attempts to make things right, if he possibly can. All thankfully ends as happily as possible. Don John, the malevolent villain of the show, played by Sam Alexander, is portrayed as a walking wounded, extremely embittered soldier. I agree with the character of Leonato who described Dogberry and his cohorts as rather tedious- a kind of Dad’s Army troupe- though some in the audience enjoyed their shenanigans. The film featured fine ensemble work throughout. The film is well directed by Christopher Luscombe. A feature of the film is the great attention to detail in its production values. The costumes, set and lighting designs are sumptuous. Composer Nigel Hess ‘ marvellous score, influenced by Coward and Novello and with hints of early jazz, and includes Christmas carols and Debussy. The score is a a treasure-trove of wistful yet stirring songs that conjure a lost England wistfully re-imagined . All ends delightfully. Both cast and audience are practically dancing in the aisles. Running time – allow about 3 hours 20 including one interval The RSC’s LOVE’S LABOUR WON is playing at cinemas from Saturday 4th April. Share this:3Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)3Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Les Miserables

http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/les-mis-the-capitol/ My Sydney Arts Guide review Visually stunning ,with some wizard special effects this is a tremendously thrilling production of one of the world’s most popular musicals.There is magnificent ensemble work and the leads are terrific. We follow Hugo’s epic, sweeping tale of love, morals, suffering and redemption and a sharp criticism of the state of society at the time. This production was first seen in London in 2010 .Here in Australia it has been seen in Melbourne and Perth and there are some changes to the ‘standard’ version for those of us who know the Trevor Nunn production well:- there are no dates and town names… the barricade is slightly different…coup de theatre with the two halves revolving and joining…snippets of dialogue are sometimes given to different characters- but overall it is the gripping , heartbreaking musical we know and love. There is sensational use of projections for Jean Val Jean’s disappearance and trudge through the sewers. This production moves the story at a cracking pace and has very fluid, essentially cinematic scene changes using sliding trundles and screens and fly-ins, and the musical score has been slightly tinkered with to bring it up to date .A small quibble I have is that for almost all the songs (including Javert’s ‘Stars’ , Val Jean’s ‘ Bring Him Home’ and Eponine’s ‘ On My Own’ ) the sound level was too high. Our Everyman suffering hero Jean Val Jean , 24601 , the reformed convict,was tremendously played by Simon Gleeson. A rock solid performance we follow his suffering and moral dilemmas and trying to be good. He is brilliant in his defiant ‘ Who Am I?’ and his passionate , pleading ‘Bring Him Home’ stops the show. His cold, implacable nemesis, steely Javert, is given a towering performance by Hayden Tee who brings the house down with his troubled ‘Stars’ soliloquy aria and his whirling suicide. Their confrontation scenes are electric. Our young romantic lead Marius is terrifically played by Euan Doidge who transforms from love-struck student on the fringes of rebellion to a loving husband..He is blind to poor Eponine’s love and thunderstruck by Cosette. His ‘Empty Chairs and Empty Tables’ is very moving. Poor abused young Cosette was enchantingly played by Chloe de los Santos ( “ There is a Castle On A Cloud’ ) and grown up Cosette was delightfully played by Emily Langridge who revealed at times a quite operatic voice. Eponine ( Kerrie Anne Greenland) stole our hearts with her ‘ Only On My Own’ which brought the house down and we wept at ‘A Little Fall of Rain’ . Young handsome rebellious leader Enroljas is thrillingly , hypnotically played by Chris Durling . Plucky Gavroche was excellently portrayed by Nicholas Craddock .Fantine was angelically played by Patrice Tipoki in a fine, strong performance, stopping the show with her’ I Dreamed A Dream’ .She was very pretty in a lovely blue dress and then white at the end . It is interesting to note that for ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ her hair is already cascading down , unlike the Nunn version . There was great comic timing at certain points, especially for example with the Thernardier’s ‘Master of The House’ ( in reality very tightly choreographed and polished)and their cynical ‘Beggars at the Feast’ . While they were brilliantly performed I found the Thernardiers ( Trevor Ashley and Lara Mulcahy) played as panto villains , played for laughs and extremely vulgar and uncouth . ( And that dress Madame wears in ‘Beggar’s Feast! ‘ ) But the rest of the audience seemed to love them . A stirring , thrilling version that will have you scrambling to join the barricades. Do you hear the people sing?! Running time 3 hours (approx) including interval. LES MISERABLES at the Capitol Theatre Sydney is currently selling tickets for performances until July 12 2015 For more about Les Miserables, visit http://www.lesmis.com.au/sydney/booking-information/

Sydney Dance Company Frame of Mind

A marvellous show here's my artshub review http://performing.artshub.com.au/news-article/reviews/performing-arts/lynne-lancaster/frame-of-mind-247403 Under the umbrella title ‘Frame of Mind’ the latest production by Sydney Dance Company treats us to an Australian premiere of William Forsythe’s Quintett and a world premiere of Rafael Bonachela’s Frame of Mind. Both works come from a place of contemplation, of changing circumstances and heartfelt emotion, and reflect those moments in time that seem to shift everything. Forsythe’s Quintett is a final ‘love letter’ to his wife, dancer Tracy-Kai Maier. It was created in 1993 and for Sydney Dance Company, one of only seven companies world wide licensed to perform it , it has been staged by Ana Catalina Roman Horcajo and Thomas McManus. It is abstract, tender, full of Forsythe’s demanding choreography. As the title indicates, it is performed by five dancers: three men two women. The set is minimal with just an old fashioned light box machine and a mirror. While touched by death the complex duets are tender and essentially celebrate life. Their moods are sometimes yearning, confused, playful, pushing, and, above all, equal in friendship. Each of the dancers feature in short solos and there are some astonishingly breathtaking duets and trios. There is also use of repetition, not just of the music but in short snippets of phrases of choreography. The music (Gavin Bryars repetitive loop 1971 recording of a homeless man in London singing Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet) can at first be irritating, but eventually leads to a trancelike, meditative state. The bond between the dancers is obvious. Three of the five dancers especially stood out – tall Sam Young-Wright in black in his amazing solos, dark, petite and elfin Jesse Scales in a beautiful short blue dress and Chloe Leong in a long sleeved yellow outfit. A most powerful and hypnotic work mixing quirky detail with the jagged. Bonachela’s Frame of Mind is an eerie, haunting abstract mood piece. The set – peeling painted walls and a window , as devised by Ralph Myers of Belvoir – is sort of a dreamlike room of melancholy and memory, where time is in constant flux and the inhabitants seek to escape but can’t. Bryce Dessner's striking score was written as a musical evocation of home and flight and is performed by the Kronos Quartet. Benjamin Cisterne’s glorious atmospheric lighting adds to this mood. Much is made of the use of shadows and silhouettes. The work opens with the dancers like sculptural figures in an Antony Gormley landscape. Bonachela’s choreography is also extremely demanding, acrobatic yet ballet based. Bonachela is masterly in his use of masses of group movement for the ensemble, yet simultaneously everyone appears to be doing their own thing. Floorwork, rolls and a deep Graham plie are also included in this work. Cass Mortimer Eipper brings the work to a gripping conclusion, arm across his eyes, exhausted . Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Frame of Mind Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Theatre 6 - 21 March

Songs not to dance to

A fascinating show at Parramatta http://www.danceinforma.com/magazine/2015/03/songs-dance/ Are there songs one should definitely never dance to – in public or in private? Songs Not To Dance To is an electric, striking and very moving collaboration between Sydney-based Martin del Amo and Lismore-based Phil Blackman, who attempt to answer this question in an engrossing performance that explores “notions of compatibility/incompatibility, connection/disconnection and congruity/incongruity.” As we enter, the two are getting changed and ready for the show in what feels like a very old-fashioned theatrical dressing room atmosphere with the drinks trolley, etc. Both men are shortly immaculate and very impressive in their tres chic haute couture dark suits. At various times, the jacket, shirt and tie are removed depending on the requirements of the next dance. Using ballet technique as its base, the performance is choreographed in del Amo’s distinctive style, using repetition, fluid sculptural movements, a long curved line, etc. There are allusions to his Little Black Dress suite, as well as the work of Merce Cunningham and Twlya Tharp. At certain points, the work is very tightly choreographed in unison, at others it is far freer. The first dance section begins with the men side by side, facing the audience, observing us. To an orchestrated version of The Way Old Friends Do by ABBA, they repeat small movements, incorporating simple quarter turns. Facing each other, facing away from each other, facing each other to the back, to the front—we see all the various possible combinations. The ‘dance’ is quite minimalist; so little actually occurs that it becomes rather mesmerizing. ‘Songs Not To Dance To.’ Photo by Heidrun Lohr. To songs by Whitney Houston or Christina Aguilera or stark clavichord pieces from Keith Jarrett’s Book of Ways, one or both men dance with an endearing, seemingly deliberate awkwardness. Wrists droop, toes are pointed inwards and in Del Amo style, hips are strangely placed and arms move in convulsive waves at times. Their movements are often slow and controlled — which has an impact when the music is Eminem’s Not Afraid. In Working Class Man, there are explosive powerful leaps for Del Amo, and his I Will Always Love You (yes, to Whitney) is an abstract reworking of the troubled Romantic Prince searching – extremely moving. Stillness and silence are very important and used as a basis for reflection. Also, movement, whether balletic and refined or straining, awkward and unbeautiful, is used to celebrate the human body’s vibrancy. The two different types of dance alternate, but the men’s faces are strictly deadpan. Are they mocking and joking? At around the halfway point, orange segments are distributed to the audience. Karen Norris’ atmospheric lighting design for the evening is terrific, creating misty moods, swirling dapples on the floor or humorous effects. The evening concludes with an impromptu dance by audience volunteers to an unknown tune that had been voted a song not to dance to by previous audience members. When the music began, they threw themselves into dancing a huge mix of styles, mostly street dance. Most had at least some contemporary dance training. Some stayed solo the whole time, others integrated with their fellow volunteers. They looked as if they were having a whale of a time and it was fun to watch.

Australian Ballet in Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake

Here's what I said for Dance Informa http://www.danceinforma.com/magazine/2015/02/graeme-murphys-swan-lake-australian-ballet/ This stunning revival of Graeme Murphy’s masterpiece, now regarded by many as a modern classic, as performed by The Australian Ballet is musically superb and divinely danced. Murphy cleverly transposes the old story onto the world’s most famous modern fairytale of Princess Diana trapped between Prince Charles and Camilla, and eventually betrayed and abandoned. But this is not overplayed, rather Principal Artist Madeleine Eastoe’s performance in the main role of Odette brought the ballet to new heights, in which, yes, the trappings of royalty were important, but proved peripheral to the main heart of the work, a timeless story of love, betrayal and revenge. Musically, the score has been somewhat cut, adapted and re-arranged and is in some ways closer to the original nowadays. Under the dynamic baton of Nicolette Fraillon, Orchestra Victoria gave a splendid, finely detailed performance with ominous drums and woodwind and splendid, delicate violin solos. The plot and structure of the work has been updated and changed from the traditional Petipa/Ivanov work we are familiar with, although Murphy quotes from them throughout (eg. the Cygnet pas de quatre, Odette’s solos) and there are tiny snippets of choreographic phrases from his Poppy After Venice and The Protecting Veil for example. Classical ballet steps are blended by Murphy with his own magical idiosyncratic style of contemporary dance that includes contractions, open hands, bodies held in fetal positions, a man holding a woman and swinging her in his arms, the ‘Murphy walk’, and arms tightly wrapped around the chest to signify anguish. Floor rolls are melded with liquid, floating pas de chats and sissonnes accompany somersaults. On opening night here in Sydney at the Capitol, we were privileged to see an outstanding cast give tremendous performances. Madeleine Eastoe, Kevin Jackson and Ako Kondo gave outstanding performances as Odette, Prince Siegfried and Baroness von Rothbart (the destructive mistress in their doomed love triangle) in Murphy’s Swan Lake. Kristian Frederickson’s glorious, lush, lavish sets and costumes are glamorous, dazzling and opulent. This Swan Lake is set in a sunny Edwardian world of elegant creams and greys, with an idyllic Royal Wedding and is sprinkled with dashing Hungarian Cossacks and other colourful European touches. Are we meant to pick up hints of Murphy’s Poppy in the design for the nuns headdresses? Frederickson admired fabric, embellishment, ease of movement for the dancers, and glamour, all of which shine through. ‘Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake’ by The Australian Ballet. Photo by Lisa Tomasetti. Eastoe’s performance as the doomed Odette was fluid and ravishing, heartbreaking and believable. Making the most of Murphy’s challenging choreography, she brought raw emotional intensity to the passages of despairing mental instability. Her Odette is at times insane, sometimes yearning and innocent, at other times coolly calculating and manipulative; not just empty technique or sweet princess.The swans here are part of her delusions, with Seigfried swept uneasily into their world. The ball here becomes a garden party, leading to a powerful conclusion of death and role reversals. Jackson’s stalwart partnering in the very demanding duos was admirable, his performance of the anguished solos most eloquent. The role of Siegfried calls for massive stamina in order to sustain the many difficult lifts, and it also requires subtle acting skills, as in this version Seigfried must show the many layered character of a man who cheats on his bride at his own wedding and is forced to acknowledge his tragic mistake in the final act. He reveals his remorse in the manner of many conflicted anti-heroes of ballet who express grief, anguish and sorrow as the curtain falls, as we see in Giselle, La Sylphide, traditional versions of Swan Lake and MacMillan’s Manon for example. Jackson was most empathetic and believable even while dancing the introverted, demanding and sometimes uptight solos in which he agonises over his choices. From the opening column-like fluttering hands that begin the show, Kondo was fascinating as the Baroness, so elegant, witty and sophisticated that the Prince’s being besotted with her is completely understandable. The evening was rich in cameo roles, terrifically performed by guest artists Matthew Donnelly, Colin Peasley, Andris Toppe, Shane Carroll and Frank Leo, who reprise their various character roles with their usual panache. Plus, the angular, intriguing interpretation by Murphy of the pas de quatre for the Cygnets looked much fun. Operatic and epic in tone, telling a story of betrayal, revenge, despair and dying of a broken heart, this work shows emotions that many are familiar with, but with a deep intensity that few are able to experience. Both the emotion and the choreography dazzle the audience. The rapturous standing ovation was richly deserved.

ACO Reflections on Gallipoli

A most moving fascinating concert http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/australian-chamber-orchestra-reflections-on-gallipoli-at-the-city-recital-hall/#more-19312 With Neil Armfield’s wonderful direction, a great troupe of actors, a magnificent opera singer, and very effective use of multimedia, this concert was a powerful tribute to the fallen on both sides. Each work shared in common an artist’s response and outpouring to the horrific trench experiences Passionately spoken, plainly articulated first hand accounts of those who fought, lived and somehow endured the horrors of those Turkish battlefields were recited by Nathaniel Dean, Yalin Ozucelik and Taryn Fiebig, The concert began with an arrangement of Bartok’s String Quartet No. 2, with brooding , pulsating violins contrasted with somewhat bouncy lines from the other strings and the use of pizzicatto. There was almost mechanical use of repetition. Grainy footage of troops leaving the shores of Australia on giant ships accompanied this, hinting of the story to come. Frederick Kelly’s slow, stately ‘Elegy’ followed, with its expansive unison passages accompanied by enchanting textual shifts and changes of rhythm. Several Turkish works were also included, many of which successfully featured the vocal talents of Taryn Fiebig. One of these pieces: – ‘Mehves Hanim’s Kacsam Birakip Senden Uzak Yollara Gitsem’ – was especially captivating. Nathaniel Dean and Yalin Ozucelik gave eloquent readings about life in the trenches from both sides of the conflict. There was deeply moving, extremely effective use of projections throughout. Strident Turkish marches were included as well as achingly beautiful Turkish laments. Carl Vine’s ‘Soliloquy’, which was written in reaction to the “personal horror, disbelief, anguish and anger evoked by such stark depictions of pointless human suffering’, is a short and striking work which was accompanied by grisly images of swarms of flies. Fiebig, well known for her performances with Opera Australia, was sombrely dressed in black .She acted as reader and singer at times but her featured part was the extraordinary and very poignant world premiere of the Carl Vine work ‘Our Sons’ in the second half, inspired by the inscription on the Turkish memorial, directly addressing the grieving mothers whose sons fell during the battle. Vine transforms this conciliatory inscription, imbuing it with furious anguish and devastated despair . The concert ended with the shimmering, exquisite ‘The Lark Ascending ‘ by Vaughn Williams.This was piercingly, heartbreakingly beautiful. Tognettis’s solo transported us to another world. You could have heard a pin drop at the end before the tumultuous applause. Running time- two hours including one interval The ACO’s Reflections on Gallipoli ran various dates and venues until Friday 27th March at City Recital Hall Angel Place .

ACO with Joseph Tawadros

An amazing concert ! http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/tag/australian-chamber-orchestra/ The ACO is celebrating its 40th birthday with a series of terrific concerts, in which they are performing with some of their best friends. This concert featured an ACO in dazzling form and while violinist Richard Tognetti and Egyptian-Australian Joseph Tawadros, internationally renowned as a virtuoso of the oud, were keen to find hidden links between the Venetian baroque and the East, their main success was not to discover them but to create them. The innovative programming combined both old and new. You could hear the Egyptian and also some Flamenco influences. Tognetti’s brilliant arrangements of Tawadros playing, ranging across a profusion of rhythmic time signatures, enchanted. The concert began with Giovanni Gabrieli’s Sonata No. 21 for three violins, featuring ravishing, delicate, exquisite playing, tapping into a common longing for spiritual transcendence. Renaissance style counterpoint was gradually embellished in the Baroque manner which led to quiet but intense loftiness . In the first of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons concertos, Spring, Tognetti consciously shaped and controlled the phrases of the first movement, avoiding obvious accents and using contrast and nuanced understatement to bring some sections forward, whilst keeping others distant. The crazy, bass-slapping Sleight of Hand followed which, whilst with a melancholic feel, was fast and spiky, making a breathless slide into Summer, Tawadros’s contemporary energy appropriately echoing the roller coaster like Baroque passions of Vivaldi’s most organic movement. The inclusion of oud, generally doubling the violin line , allowed for an insect like feel, at times. In Summer, Tawadros and his brother, James, playing the riq, a tambourine-like instrument extremely sophisticated in its range, combined to augment the continuo section of the orchestra with exotic pulses. The playing from Tognetti and the orchestra was astonishing in its emphatic energy and magnificent virtuosity. Of the pieces by Tawadros, orchestrated by Tognetti, Kindred Spirits and Constantinople were striking for their unpredictable rhythmic complexity and flurries of whirling energy, whilst Point of Departure explored quieter intimacy. The concerts’ second half began with the beautiful Grave featuring an extraordinary solo by Tognetti. Vivaldi’s Autumn then dashed in, offering boisterous counter-juxtaposition. Tognetti’s portrayal of the drunkard was marvellously off-kilter. The ‘hunt’ finale called for some dangerous pizzicati gunfire leading to the witty cadenza mourning the death of the poor victim. A charming, delicate Marcello Andante, featuring Neal Peres da Costa on sprightly chamber organ, and Tawadros’ haunting, moving tribute piece Point of Departure led us into Vivaldi’s brisk Winter. There were shades of Ligeti in this interpretation , so bitter was the ACO’s representation of Vivaldi’s shivering frost. Pizzicati was used to indicate recovering by a warm fire before a flurried final movement brought the Vivaldi to a splendid conclusion. After this it was left to Tawadros’s exotic rock-infused Constantinople to keep things flourishing , leading to a blistering, thrilling finish. There was a well deserved, ecstatic, cheering standing ovation at the end Running time – just over two hours including one interval. The ACO and the Tawadros brothers are touring The Four Seasons nationally, playing various venues, until February 23 , various dates and venues.