SHerlock : The Abominable Bride

A wonderful BBC release .Here's my thoughts for Sydney Arts Guide http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/sherlock-the-abominable-bride/ SHERLOCK : THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE January 5, 2016 Lynne Lancaster Leave a comment John Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch play the master duo. The BBC has given us a fabulous holiday treat with this magnificent one-off screening taking place in cinemas around the world. Sherlockians will rejoice not just at the return of Cumberbatch as Holmes– cold , aloof, detached and enigmatic- but will enjoy picking up the references to various Holmes stories ( ie The Five Orange Pips , A Study in Scarlet…). This particular episode includes time travel to 1895, the period in which the original Holmes stories took place. It also includes references to the Paget illustrations. The Victorian period is lovingly, lavishly recreated in exquisite detail. It is also much fun comparing and contrasting the contemporary and Victorian 221B’s (and yes there is the Persian slipper, the VR bullet holes – and even a moose head with an ear trumpet! ). This is a ghoulish, gothic horror tale of murders, switched corpses, enigmatic, mysterious cults, and exhumations, where precise timing is critical. Straight at the beginning of the show, we see Victorian Holmes and Watson in their momentous first meeting ( ‘’You have been in Afghanistan I perceive’) and the duo are soon off solving mysteries. The game is afoot from the start… The narrative hinges on the following : a blood-spattered bride who has blown her brains out returns as a gun-wielding vampire like ghoul and kills her husband – after which several other husbands die in a chilling fashion. Defying logic, Emilia Ricoletti has apparently overcome death and, Houdini-like, mastered the secret of bilocation (her corpse was in the mortuary at the time of her husband’s killing). Holmes refuses to believe in a supernatural explanation … It is a case that had been unsolved for over a century and which contemporary Sherlock had tried to solve by journeying deep into his “mind palace” which we learn after an imaginary confrontation with his devilish foe Moriarty (chillingly , creepily played by a sinister Andrew Scott), who had shot himself through the mouth and yet lived. The tense confrontation scenes are marvelously played out. Plunging back to reality, Holmes finds himself on the plane into which he’d been unceremoniously bundled at the end of Sherlock series three. He now has a real mystery to solve – the apparent return of Moriarty – but is unable to give up his obsession with the Ricoletti deaths. Spoiler alert ! – Another twist is provided by Holmes as he disrupts and distracts a gathering of the female cultists (vengeful Suffragettes ) behind the Ricoletti killings. The “corpse bride”, he informs us, was created via lookalikes, effective make-up, and drawing room reflection magic. We are provided with another twist as Sherlock unfortunately digs almost too far into his ‘mind palace’ (drug induced ?) and finds himself caught in tense stand-off with Moriarty, at the fateful, iconic Reichenbach Falls. “When it comes to unarmed combat at the edge of a precipice you’re going into the water,” insists Sherlock. However it is mind-palace Watson who intervenes whilst Holmes drags himself out of his mind- palace (dream ?) by following Moriarty hurtling over the edge. Now almost traditional elements of the contemporary Sherlock were included such as Watson’s failed attempts, as they sat waiting for the ghostly bride to appear, to get Sherlock to talk about his feelings. Highlights include the beautiful simplicity of Sherlock’s searching for clues and summing up of his deductions (“Poetry or truth?” “Many people would say they’re the same thing.” “Yes. Idiots.”)…The in-jokes regarding the difficulties of writing people in and out of stories…The deerstalker becoming an expected, acknowledged prop. The script is excellent, the banter between Holmes and Watson terrific, with comic misunderstandings and wry exchanges, at times very barbed and sarcastic and at others quite revealing . “There is a woman in my sitting room – is this intentional?”, “Suicide street theatre, murder by corpse – Lestrade you’re spoiling us”, “It is NEVER twins Watson!” Martin Freeman as Watson is splendid, supportive and energetic. Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes is superb in a definitive performance. It is interesting to note the two different period Mycrofts (Holmes’ brother, who ‘ IS the British government”) as played by Mark Gatiss. In the Victorian era segments he is , as stipulated by Conan Doyle , enormously toad like and fat , in the contemporary segments far slimmer and more refined. I liked the way in the Victorian segments that Mary Watson (delightfully played by Amanda Abbington)was also working for him. And the interactions between the two brothers was great fun. Una Stubbs revels playing Mrs Hudson. I also liked the ‘comic relief’ of Watson’s use of incorrect BSL at the Diogenes club. A new series of Sherlock is scheduled for release in 18 months or so. Holmes had a vision of the challenges to come . “Of course Moriarty is dead,” he said. “And I know exactly what he’s going to do next.” The credits began and we can’t wait for 2017 …. Running time just under two hours as there is a brief introduction and guided tour of the Victorian 221B by Steven Moffatt before the feature and interviews with the cast and ‘the making of ‘ afterwards. SHERLOCK : THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE screened at selected cinemas world wide cinemas last Sunday.

Ming Cho Lee - A Life in Design

This is a superb book .Here's what I said for Sydney Arts Guide http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/ming-cho-lee-a-life-in-design/ MING CHO LEE : A LIFE IN DESIGN December 30, 2015 Lynne Lancaster Leave a comment Inset Pic- The book cover. Featured pic- Ming Cho Lee receiving his Tony Lifetime Achievement Award. This is a lavish, fascinating, glorious ‘coffee table ‘’ book that celebrates the life and artistry of one of the most important American designers of the 20th century, Ming Cho Lee.The book has won the The 2014 TLA Book Awards’ George Freedley Memorial Award and deservedly so. Sometimes nicknamed the ‘Dean of American stage design ‘, Lee developed his reputation via 300 productions of theatre, opera and dance at venues across the country, and is credited for reshaping the aesthetics of American scenic design. Since 1969, Lee has taught at the Yale School of Drama, where he is currently co-chair of the Design Department. Now in his eighties, Lee was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1998, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2002. The over 500 images for the book, which is based on hundreds of hours of interviews, were chosen personally by Lee from thousands of photos, drawing, sketches, renderings and models, all carefully catalogued by Betsy, Lee’s wife and lifelong archivist. Lee’s awards include a Tony Award for best scenic design of a play, an Outer Critics Circle Award, three Drama Desk Awards, a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement and the National Medal of the Arts . Lee, whose father was a Yale University graduate, moved to the United States in 1949 and attended Occidental College. However, it was his mother that encouraged his love of the arts. He first worked on Broadway as a second assistant set designer to Jo Mielziner on The Most Happy Fella in 1956. Lee’s first Broadway play credited as scenic designer was The Moon Besieged in 1962; he went on to design the sets for over 20 Broadway shows, including For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, The Glass Menagerie, King Lear, Mother Courage and The Shadow Box. He has won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, a Helen Hayes Award, and in 1983 he received a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for the icy play K2. Lee has also designed sets for the Opera, (including the Met and the Royal Opera at Covent Garden), Ballet, (including the Martha Graham Company, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Elliott Field in the US and the Cloudgate Dance Theatre in Taiwan) and regional theatres such as Arena Stage, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Guthrie Theatre. Of particular note are his designs for the 1973 production of Boris Godunov for the Metropolitan Opera, and Electra, a 1964 Public Theater production at the Delacorte Theatre. Australian opera devotees might be interested to learn that Lee designed some productions starring Dame Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti as well as others featuring Placido Domingo. Lee designed over 30 productions for Joseph Papp at The Public Theatre, including the original Off-Broadway production of the musical Hair. From 1962 to 1973, Lee was the principal designer for what is today the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park program at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater. One of his final designs before officially retiring in 2005 was for a national tour of the musical Annie. Lee is perhaps the only person in Broadway history to have a Tony nomination for a show that opened and closed the same night. It was for Billy, a 1969 musical based on Billy Budd, and the set was as remarkable as the show unfortunately wasn’t. Lee might have set a record of another sort: three of his seven musicals closed on opening night, the other two being Here’s Where I Belong and La Strada. All three within just under two years. As a designer, Lee drew upon his training in Chinese watercolour, the aesthetics of his two major mentors, Jo Mielziner and Boris Aronson, and the post-war developments in German design (especially Brecht) to develop a new approach to stage design that radically changed American stage design. Breaking new ground, Lee blended existing motifs in startling new ways and continued to explore new ideas throughout his entire career. Aronson examines how Lee changed style over his career – Lee first introduced a sculptural style with a sparse, soaring verticality that until then had been largely unknown in American theatre. The painterly image was replaced with a decidedly modern and industrial scenic vocabulary that emphasized stage-as-stage and particularly, at first, a scaffolding look that became almost a trademark effect. The book is divided into sixteen chapters, with a preface by Aronson, is arranged chronologically, and looks at most of the important productions Lee designed in a particular year. It is an analysis of and conversation with Lee. Stunning photos of his designs are beautifully positioned to show how the designs sometimes changed and what the end product was compared to the original doodled idea. Candid commentary by Lee on many of his designs is also included providing fascinating insight into various difficulties with some of the productions, and his thoughts on various productions and collaborations. Aronson attempts to show where Ming Cho Lee is positioned in the history of American theatre design in relation to his predecessors and mentors and also future generations – his many students. Mention is also made of the famous Ming’s Clambake an annual event that grew and grew for two decades until it became overwhelming and was sadly discontinued in 2009. The final chapter is a selection of some of Lee’s stunning watercolour paintings from 1950 to 2007.There is also an excellent time line with a list of each production Lee designed for that year and a comprehensive index . Aronson also talks about the importance of Lee’s work in the cultural landscape. “And his influence goes beyond set design,” Dr. Aronson said. “Costume and lighting designers, playwrights, directors, architects, artists have taken his classes. His aesthetic and ideology have seeped into the very fabric of American theatre.” A visual and intellectual feast, this fascinating book will interest anyone involved in the performing arts and should be in the libraries of our leading arts institutions. Product Identifiers ISBN-10 1559364610 ISBN-13 9781559364614 Key Details Author Arnold Aronson Number Of Pages 336 pages Format Hardcover Publication Date 2014-12-09 Language English Publisher Theatre Communications Group, Incorporated Additional Details Copyright Date 2014 Illustrated Yes

Happy New Year

Hi everyone Best wishes for a great 2016 Lynne

The Lost Aviator

http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/the-lost-aviator/
an amazing film his fascinating Australian documentary about Bill Lancaster was put together by the Lost Aviator’s  great nephew, filmmaker Andrew Lancaster (Accidents Happen).

Captain ‘Bill’ Lancaster, (no relation to the author of this review), was a pioneer flyer of the twenties and thirties who disappeared on a flight over the Sahara in 1933. It took twenty-nine years before his mummified body was found beside the wrecked plane. His log-book, was tied to the wing, and his diary contained the calm yet moving record of his horrific wait for death eight days with virtually no water and his poignant devotion to Chubbie. Bill Lancaster’s horrific end was in keeping with his racy, colourful life, love of planes and constant search for adventure.

His service career established his reputation as a man without fear, and when he left the RAF in 1926 he turned to trailblazing including entering long haul flight competitions. An attempt to be the first man to fly a light plane from England to Australia saw him unexpectedly become involved with ‘Chubbie’ Miller who Lancaster trained during the flight to become a top female pilot. Together they both neglected their families, and they flew together for four years until the Great Depression forced them to cease and try and find work.

Miller was born in Australia and Lancaster  in the UK. The celebrated aviator flew to Australia in an Avro Avian with Miller in 1927, (the Red Rose – symbol of the House of Lancaster) making her the first woman to manage the grueling England-Australia passage. We learn how Bill Lancaster made a desperate effort to retrieve his fortunes,and how Chubbie fell in love with an American writer, Haden Clarke, while he was away working.  Clarke was shot dead on Lancaster’s return, leading up to a full account of what became one of the most sensational murder trials of the century. Was it a suicide? Did Lancaster murder Clarke? Was he covering up for Miller or she for him? As to what actually happened we will never definitively know.

The documentary featured interviews with Andrew Lancaster’s parents and his aged great aunt. THE LOST AVIATOR cleverly includes black and white footage of the time and newsreels as well as current family interviews and voice overs of letters and diaries. As well the doco featured footage from The Lancaster-Miller Affair screened on Channel 9 during the 1980’s. (The most recent cinematic interpretation was the 2009 French film, The Last Flight, with Guillame Canet and Marion Cotillard). There is even an interview with the actor who played Bill Lancaster, as well as American forensic specialists and legal experts.

Whilst Lancaster was cleared of all charges, it remains a very controversial murder trial, which whilst  now 80 years ago,still raises many questions today. It is worth noting that if the trial would have been conducted today it would have been carried out in a very different way.

We see visits to various sites in the US, the UK and Australia – including the house in Miami where the murder took place and the courtroom – and also the Sahara Desert site where Lancaster’s plane crashed . The wreck of his plane, the Southern Cross Minor, was recovered by an intrepid , very dangerous expedition in 1975 and brought to Australia and is now held as an exhibit in the Queensland Museum. Mention is also made of celebrated British writer Ralph Barker’s book about Lancaster entitled, Verdict On A Lost Flyer.

The author has sifted through the material surrounding  the media frenzy and the speculation that has followed over the last 80 years. He holds firm to his conviction that his great uncle was in fact guilty and admits that he wishes that he could be proved wrong. Many within his family have made peace with their uncertainty…The author’s own parents have accused him of ‘dragging up old coals’.

Composer Matteo Zingales‘ score adds a lot to the film, balancing sadness and reflection with exuberance.

A tale as exciting as the jazz age in which it is set, its sad conclusion still leaves the reader free to decide their own verdict on Bill Lancaster, adventurer and pioneer aviator.

THE LOST AVIATOR screened as part of the Sydney Film Festival held in June and also had screenings at the recent  British Film Festival held at Palace cinemas.

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The Greats at the Art Gallery of NSW

http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/the-greats-masterpieces-from-the-national-galleries-of-scotland-art-gallery-of-new-south-wales/

Allow plenty of time to see this stunning, superb mega-blockbuster exhibition that will have you enthralled for hours. THE GREATS– MASTERPIECES FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND is part of the Sydney International Art series.

This exhibition represents one of the most significant collections of Old Master paintings ever seen in Australia and features over seventy paintings and drawings from a time span of over four hundred years.

Aside from two works, this is the first time these paintings have been seen in Australia. The exhibition features the works of major artists including Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, El Greco, Gauguin, Boucher, Cezanne, Velasquez, Monet and Vermeer.

This is a huge, sprawling exhibition, elegantly laid out and displayed. Make  sure to examine the numerous drawings included and beautifully displayed throughout the exhibition.

The first room includes the oldest work in the exhibition, – the luminous, delicate and fragile The Virgin Adoring The Sleeping Christ Child by Botticelli (c.1485) that is full of beautiful,  textured detail. The room also includes Titian’s Venus Rising From the Sea (1520-1525 ) with its feathery brushstrokes, and Veronese’s (1580’s) swirling, turbulent Venus, Cupid and Mars.

The second room is dominated by Van Dyck’s Saint Sebastian Bound for Martyrdom (c.1620-1621), an absolutely huge painting, with its dynamic composition and billowing red cloak of the soldier. The eerieAn Allegory (Fabula) (c.1585-1595) by El Greco is sensational and this room also contains the Velasquez An Old Woman Cooking Eggs ( 1618). Elsheimer’s  The Stoning of Saint Stephen,  whilst a small work, is full of busy detail and the swirling use of curved and diagonal composition.

Moving into the third room, our attention is caught by the deceptively clear, simple composition of Vermeer’s Christ in the house of Martha and Mary (c.1654-1655). Vibrant and alive, it resembles a twenty-first century watercolour. This room also holds the luscious, startled A Woman in Bed by Rembrandt (1647) and the glorious, quietly luminous Young Man in Yellow by Jan Lievens (c1630-1631). Alert viewers will note links between the Raphael work and the Rembrandt painting.

The fourth room enables us to sample the delights of the large Boucher triptych- three pastoral scenes that take up close to an entire wall with its delicate exoticism. This room also includes the close to allegorical Watteau work Venetian Pleasures  (1718-1719) and the superb, glittering The Plaza San Marco, Venice by Guardi (c1770 -1775).

Sir Joseph Reynolds The Ladies Waldegrave (1780-81) demands our attention  in Room five along with works by Gainsborough and Constable. Sargent’s Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (1892) is dynamically elegant,  and this room also features the iconic Raeburn painting of  Rev Robert Walker skating (c1795).

Room six is furnished like The Octagonal Room in The National Gallery in Edinburgh and contains distinctively Scottish works including paintings by Landseer, Wilkie, and Raeburn.

Room seven moves us much closer to contemporary times, featuring several of the major Impressionists including works by Degas, Gauguin, Corot, a shimmering, exquisite Monet, and a dark,ominous Pissarro. This room also includes a sharp, spiky, angular work by Cezanne and a vibrant painting by Seurat.

In an alcove, by itself, is the huge Niagra Falls, From the American Side(1867) by Frederick Church. One can  just feel the mist and the water….

An exceptional, riveting exhibition of works that, unless you actually fly to Edinburgh, we would only get to enjoy as reproduced prints in art history books. Required viewing for anyone interested in art and art history. Go see!

THE GREATS– MASTERPIECES FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND is on exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW until 14th February 2016.

Grey Gardens

An amazing show - brilliant .Here's my artshub review

f you haven’t already, book now for this extraordinary, shattering performance, the latest musical by wonderful Squabbalogic. This is the Sydney premiere production, with stellar performances from an exceptional cast .

Based on the 1975 documentary by David and Albert Mayseles, Grey Gardens tells the story of Jackie Kennedy's eccentric and reclusive aunt and cousin. The play explores the searing and twisted relationship between Edith Boiuvier Beale and her daughter.

Outstandingly directed by Jay James-Moody, with songs by Michael Korie and the score by Scott Franke, there is an aura of American Musical of the 1940's throughout. The musical Grey Gardens Act 1 is mostly set in 1941, when it was regarded as one of the poshest houses in the filthy-rich East Hamptons.

Act 2 transports us forward 30 years to show the Bouvier Beales as the 1975 documentary film presented them: living in a ruined house surrounded by a large number of cats, with querulous, demanding Edith drawing to the end of her life and trapped Edie wearing a rather strange line of home-made clothing.

It is at times a very tense emotional roller coaster ride. We see Edie’s happiness deliberately destroyed on the eve of her engagement and other bleak, almost sinister examinations of the parent/child relationship particularly the mother/daughter one.

Caitlin Berry marvellously plays the younger Edie in the first act, with Beth Daly playing her mother in an extraordinary performance. In Act 2, Daly becomes the older Little Edie, and Maggie Blinco plays her mother, Big Edie.

The young Edie as gloriously played by Berry is in the prime of her life with the world before her. She is about to become engaged to Joe Kennedy and has a Broadway career lined up. She never married however and moved back to Grey Gardens, officially to care for her mother. They remained in seclusion there, the house crumbling into disrepair.

Daly's performance in particular is enormously impressive, shocking us in a mesmerizing and compelling portrayal. Berry and Blinco are also extremely accomplished theatre veterans who give detailed, finely nuanced performances.

The script is biting and witty; at certain points the dialogue is extremely emotionally revealing and harrowing, at others it explodes into joyous musical. The delightful score is in part a homage to great musicals of the 1930s and 40s and Shondelle Pratt's exuberant, precise choreography complements this. Benjamin Brockman‘s lighting is magnificent.The band under Hayden Barltrop was terrific.

The delightful George is suavely played by Blake Erickson with definite echoes of ever so elegant Noel Coward ( including a red plush smoking jacket). Simon McLachlan is in splendid form as Joe Kennedy and then Jerry. Russell Newman is gruffly delightful as the Major and Norman Vincent Peale .

Simon Greer's set design is amazing. When we enter at the start of the show there is an extremely dingy, dilapidated feel with tattered dirty curtains and rubbish everywhere mixed in with dying plants. Quite a Miss Havisham aura. The transformation in Act 1 back to its beautiful glory days is enchanting. Then ​time shifts again, as the home begins to become run down at the start of Act 2. Most effective use is made in Act 2 particularly of the upstairs level – the attic and Edie's bedroom.

A powerful show that makes us think about the position of women in society, families and independence.

Rating: 4½ stars out of 5

Grey Gardens 
Director: Jay James-Moody
Musical Director: Hayden Barltrop
Choreographer: Shondelle Pratt
Set Designer: Simon Greer
Lighting Designer: Benjamin Brockman
Sound Designer: Jessica James-Moody
Costume Designer: Brendan Hay
Stage Manager: Nicole Eyles​Director: Jay James-Moody
Musical Director: Hayden Barltrop
Choreographer: Shondelle Pratt
Set Designer: Simon Greer
Lighting Designer: Benjamin Brockman
Sound Designer: Jessica James-Moody
Costume Designer: Brendan Hay
Stage Manager: Nicole Eyles​
Cast: Sienna Arnold, Caitlin Berry, Maggie Blinco, Kelly Callaghan, Beth Daly, Blake Erickson, Sian Fuller, Jenna Keenan, Simon McLachlan, Russell Newman, Timothy Springs

The Reginald, Seymour Centre

Running from 18 November – 12 December, 2015​http://performing.artshub.com.au/news-article/reviews/performing-arts/lynne-lancaster/grey-gardens-249951

Dinkum Assorted at the New Theatre

Wonderful! http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/dinkum-assorted-new-theatre-newtown/  There are not that many plays with tremendous parts for fifteen women and a goat!

Linda Aronson’s wonderful play, full of music and with plenty of tap dancing, in a terrific production that has just opened at the New Theatre is splendid. Under Sahn Millington’s precise, deft direction the large ensemble performs exuberantly. The script is witty at times, much fun, at others dark, pessimistic and extremely tense.

Set in the fictional north Queensland country town of Warrabadanga, Aronson’s play follows the lives of a group of women working in a biscuit factory during World War 11. Their factory is one of the major businesses in town  but is going through hard times. Will the factory survive, threatened with closure, survive? 

Through the course of the play we see  how the dynamic, resourceful workers fight to save the factory, organise what could be called a ‘Mum’s Army’ Civil Defence Unit, ( with hilarious scenes of air raid wardens and first aid training ),  how a huge show for the War Effort is produced – and how they manage to deal with the fact that two thousand US airmen have just been stationed outside town at an army base.

We also see how they deal with numerous other issues- the air raids, the major workplace tensions explode at times, how hidden secrets are revealed and how the characters cope with betrayal, death and romance. And most importantly how they can ‘kidnap ‘ Rita, the regimental goat!

The show is also about  the women seeking freedom and self expression – young Vi, played by Amanda Laing, is desperate to escape the crushing atmosphere of the small town.  Both Vi and her friend Rosie, played by Hannah Raven Smith,  are wannabe showgirls hoping to escape to the big lights and excitement of a city and become theatrical stars .

There are tense, dramatic scenes too – will Millie, played by Bodelle de Ronde, commit suicide or not? Does Joan , the new girl and outsider, played by Sonya Kerr, manage to fit in?  What secrets is she hiding?  Why does Connie, played by  Debra Ryan, in a icily magnificent performance, become friends and confide in Joan?

Marshall- Martin’s set is fluid and simple featuring a few archways, a raised platform   and a piano. Various parts of the set are slide in/ out (for example, the lockers for the change room ) for the many scene changes.

Aronson’s play was written in the late 1980’s, yet the script is of the 1940’s in a way , acknowledging the style and language of the time that has been placed in.

There are wonderful production numbers including Women of Australia , Sorry Uncle Orrie,  There’s a War On which turn out to be rehearsals for the grand finale, We Are the Dinkum Assorted Girls. 

This show is a vibrant, inspirational celebration of women and community.

Running time – 2 hours 40 (approx) including one interval.

DINKUM ASSORTED is playing at the New Theatre until the 19th December 2015.