Thursday, 20 July 2017

Fifty : Australian Dance Theatre


Yay ! A fabulous dance book

http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/fifty-by-maggy-tonkin-charts-the-history-of-the-australian-dance-theatre/


This beautifully presented book will be treasured by contemporary dance lovers. Wakefield Press yet again have brought us a stunning medium to large sized coffee table book, in this case the history of Australian Dance Theatre, informatively, eloquently written and with superb photos.
The publication features forwards by both the current Chairman Kim Boehm and Robyn Archer, an excellent index at the back is included, and there is also a handy listing of the various dancers who performed under each of the artistic directors.  The writer, Maggy Tonkin, is a leading writer on dance who resides in Adelaide .
Considered radical, daring and new, Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) is Australia’s oldest continuously running contemporary dance company. Celebrating half a century of innovation in dance performance, FIFTY blends archival research, interviews and magnificent photos to take us from its founding by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman through to the exciting performances that are taking place nowunder the current Artistic Director Garry Stewart.
ADT’s tumultuous history is divided into seven chapters (each of the artistic directors reigns) with a striking portrait of each. The book fascinatingly follows the sometimes quite different paths ADT has taken under the successive artistic direction of Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, Jonathan Taylor, Lenny Westerdijk and Anthony Steel,Leigh Warren, Meryl Tankard, Bill Pengelly and Garry Stewart.
Each of the directors has pushed the boundaries of dance performance and explored new modes of movement, theatrical expression and artistic collaboration, creating a repertoire of groundbreaking works that have challenged and delighted audiences both in Australia and internationally. Throughout the book the educational and touring side of the company (national and international) is also refered to.
Cameron Dalman (who wrote the first chapter herself)  established ADT in Adelaide on June 10, 1965, and in 1967 ADT became Australia’s first modern, professional dance company. This was the golden Dunstan era when interest and  government support for the arts soared in a period of social and political reform . But more funding, however, meant greater responsibility and accountability and in 1974 the Australia Council insisted on a new company structure including a board, which diminished Dalman’s role as ADT’s leading light. It set in motion a problem that has persistently plagued the company ,as successive boards found reason to acrimoniously dismiss their artistic directors.
Cameron Dalman was first, dismissed unexpectedly in 1975  and Jonathan Taylor (1976-85), Leigh Warren (1987-92), and Meryl Tankard (1993-99) all were forced to leave ADT in this manner. Anthony Steel and Lenny Westerdijk were interim directors in 1986 in the period after Taylor left and a new director was sought; similarly Bill Pengelly in 1999 following the Meryl Tankard crisis. Stewart, now celebrating his 18th year with the company, has hopefully ended this pattern as he is the first Artistic Director to have a seat on the board.
What is interesting is to trace the Rambert,  Australian Ballet School and Sydney Dance Company alumni influences and the cross-pollination by the various dance and theatre luminaries who have worked with the company over its fifty years. ADT’s second artistic director, Jonathan Taylor, arrived in Australia from Britain in 1974. He was a product of the famous Ballet Rambert, (now Rambert Dance) his style drawing on legendary choreographers such as Glen Tetley, Merce Cunningham and Christopher Bruce.
He moved to Adelaide specifically for the job with his wife, Ariette, with two Rambert dancers employed as his assistants. At the time, the company was well-funded, and consisted of 18 dancers. Taylor staged works by both Australian and international choreographers, including Wildstars (a multimedia spectacular) and also the works Ghost Dances , High Fliers, Flibbertigibbet and Quicksilver. There was also development of links to Victorian bases at the time.
Leigh Warren, was a SA born, Australian Ballet School graduate who had also danced with Ballet Rambert, and Nureyev and Friends, and Nederlands Dans Theatre. Warren brought an intense musicality to his works and often a sense of fun for example in Let’s Do It, Verandah, Never Mind The Bindies, Transient Pleasures and Tu Tu Wah.
Warren encouraged Australian choreographers, and commissioned works from composers and involved live musicians. During Warren’s tenure the company was also involved with VAST for the Bicentennial celebrations. Abruptly dismissed a year before his contract was due to expire, he then went on to form his own company, Leigh Warren and Dancers, and has kept working.
Meryl Tankard, another Australian Ballet school graduate,who had danced with the legendary Pina Bausch’s company in Germany, and then returned to Australia to establish her own company in Canberra, became the next artistic director. During her tenure the company was called Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre and some of her Canberra artists were included in the company.
Highlights from the Tankard era include Furioso: a landmark work that featured dancers flying at great speed above the audience suspended from ropes.Aurora was another featured work from this era. (There’s also Songs With Mara , Inuk and Kikimora for example and the involvement with Opera Australia for Orphee et Euridyce ).
ADT has evolved yet again with the advent of Garry Stewart. He has created a company for our contemporary era, focusing on technology and collaborations with experts in fields such as taxidermy, robotics , architecture and photography and architecture … in some ways he is similar to Melbourne’s Chunky Move. His dancers, trained in martial arts , breakdancing, ymnastics and tumbling , but with a ballet base as well, are renowned for their athleticism.
Under Stewarts’s direction we have seen the development of milestone works such as Birdbrain, The Age of Unbeauty, Held, Devolution, Be Yourself, Proximity and Multiverse. Under his leadership, ADT has continued its international touring, and became the first Australian dance company to perform at New York’s Joyce Theater and Paris’s Theatre de la Ville as well as conducting its own national tours .
At the very end of the book Tonkin asks – what now for the future? Who knows – hopefully it will be very exciting one.
CategoryArts, Architecture and Design
FormatJacketed hardback
Size260 x 215 mm
ISBN9781743054581
Extent184 pages

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Lonnie's Lament




http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/lonnies-lament-a-new-book-of-poetry-by-ken-bolton/





LONNIE’S LAMENT : A NEW BOOK OF POETRY BY KEN BOLTON

 
LONNIE’S LAMENT,  the latest collection of poems by Ken Bolton, was recently published by Wakefield Press. Bolton has been a major figure in the Australian poetry and experimental writing scene for decades.  Whilst he says that he writes ‘to keep awake, and amused’, this latest collection is yet another reminder of how wonderful a writer he is.  
This rather small and slim book is in four sections. Most are new poems, some have been published in other collections before. They are incisively written often as stream of consciousness poems.
The pieces are lyrical, thoughtful,  dreamily associative and easily distracting. Bolton reflects on life in ‘difficult times’ and tries to capture how recognize the feeling of changing from one era to another, describing it as being like, ‘a history of the vanishing present’. The poems explore how we define ourselves and how we think we are perceived by others.
There is a great use of the senses in his . Some of the poems are short – only a few lines – others are several pages in length. There are many references to other poets, art, artists, films and books. Bolton’s poems question the meaning and purpose of life and death.
Bolton’s poems with their loose rhythms and sudden shifts jump fluidly between Europe and Australia – mainly Sydney and Adelaide- and there is repeated mention of a favourite Greek restaurant Bolton used to frequent.
The book’s first section consists of three poems.  The opening extended poem 2/12/08– A Poem for Philip Whalen meditates not just on Whalen and his work but on Bolton’s father’s World War 2 service. There are references to many artists including Grace Cossington-Smith, the Bauhaus, Rembrandt, Kirchner, and Apollinaire.
 Life is a series of short couplets over several pages reflecting on the brevity of life, the passing of time and the passing of important loves in Bolton’s life.
The Funnies uses comics as a springboard for social comment and analysis.
The book’s second section is entitled September Poems and comprises thirteen poems. Poems range from The Palm , where the exploding burst of fronds and the Ent- like ‘ tree-ness’ of the palm is captured to The Blues which is a meditation on inspiration and travel. Geography is visually and aurally sharp and evocative.
Rooftop Apartment is written with a painter’s eyes and love of detail. West Hampstead captures the feelings brought up when Australians catch up far from home.
The third section consists of five poems. New Way of Worrying is a stream of consciousness poem – should he be worrying about Life? Old friends he hasn’t seen for ages? He observes other people and speculates about what they are worrying about.
It also captures other people he is observing and their possible worries.
Train Tripping has plenty of Australian references and is about eavesdropping on people’s conversations.
September Song is about the writing of a poem with dreams of giving a lecture on poetry.
What’s Best distills images of a flower and the moon. or is a streetlight?, interspersed with reflections on his partner Cath’s writing.
The final section – All New Tunes – opens with Spirits – which jumps between Sydney and Surfers Paradise and Bolton’s favourite Greek restaurant. Drink and the muse are invoked as are the spirits of old friends.
Maybe For You twists standard expectations of gender and identity and looks at ways of reading and comprehending a poem. There are also many musical references too.
30:11;12 concerns stylistic decisions in Adelaide and Fewer Pages is another exuberant yet thoughtful riff on reading, art and dogs.
You would be able to read this book in one sitting but my recommendation is to read/savour only a few poems at  a time, and then have the pleasure of returning to the book at a later time and having another very enjoyable session.
Publisher – Wakefield Press
Category –  Literature – Poetry
Format Paperback
Size 210 x 148 mm
ISBN 9781743054727
Extent 112 pages
Released March 2017
RRP- $22.95.
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NT Live Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead




A most wonderful production of this wordy , philosophical play 


http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/nt-live-rosencrantz-guildenstern-dead/


NT LIVE : ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD

 
Fifty years after its debut Tom Stoppard’s ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, directed by David Leveaux’s, returned to the Old Vic in this marvellous production direcuj. We here in Australia are privileged to see it as part of this year’s  NT Live Series.
Stoppard’s play is an existential philosophical comedy, examining the very meaning of existence, memory and our fear of death.
Against the backdrop of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, two unfortunate minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s friends, are now thrust centre stage. As the young double act stumble their way in and out of Shakespeare’s iconic drama, they become increasingly bewildered and out of their depth as their version of the Hamlet story unfolds.
Much attention needs to be paid to Stoppard’s wordy at times convoluted text. In some ways the play has a Becket like Waiting For Godot like feel.  
The set is fluid and changing and includes drapes with a fabulous dreamy Magritte- like cloud print for the opening scenes and sails and kegs of wine for the ship scenes.
A curtain is often at least partly dragged across the stage, there are some chairs, and it is as if we are in some ways in an anteroom at Elsinore, waiting … While onboard the ship in Act 2 Hamlet mostly hides behind a large red beach umbrella.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are wonderfully presented as a witty,  delightful, cross-talking double act.
Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) is slim, bearded, amiable, anxious to please, and suffers from sudden introspective panic attacks.
Joshua McGuire, best known for The Hour, is Guildenstern, the brainier of the two, is clean shaven, and mostly a sunny character with a huge, toothy grin.
David Haig (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Witness for the Prosecution) as the Player is extraordinary and has much fun hogging the limelight. He suggests both a knowing, rather squalid down on his luck impresario and a typical Victorian era Actor/Manager with the attitude of an Old Tragedian. He is rough and pragmatic, and there is a hint that he is Interested in Alfred (Matthew Durkan),
Does the Player King know more about what is happening than anyone and is he in fact controlling events? His troupe of players (including some musicians) are rather bedraggled Pierrots lugging their tatty glamour around with them.  
The actual scenes from Hamlet are wonderfully played. Hamlet is gloriously played by Luke Mullins.Tall, pale, refined and handsome he looks a lot like Sir John Geilgud in the role (balletomanes – think of Erik Bruhn). We gather he is only ‘acting‘ his ‘madness’ .
As for the others at Elsinore : Claudius is terrifically played by Wil Johnson with great authority and wears an insect like crown, whilst Gertrude is strongly played by Marianne Oldham mostly garbed in a red costume, like Elizabeth 1, with a huge ruff.
Polonius is played by a bearded William Chubb as tall, pompous,bombastic,  wordy and rather sinister.
Beautiful, dutiful Ophelia is elegantly played by Helena Wilson, garbed in a blue dress, and looks like a fairytale princess.
The production is fleet of foot, thanks to great work by movement director Lizzi Gee.
Certain moments blend poignant beauty and fragile goofiness. It bubbles with life yet talks of the finality of death. Fifty years on it Stoppard’s play still dazzles and delights. The play’s the thing…
Running time – allow roughly three hours including one interval
The NT Live screening of Tom Stoppard’s  ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD is screening at selected arthouse cinemas from 24th June.

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NT Live Twelfth Night


A fascinating but odd perhaps a trifle disappointing production. here's what I said for Sydney Arts Guide

http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/nt-live-twelfth-night/



This is a very interesting but perhaps somewhat disappointing version. Shakespeare’s dark comedy has been updated to now, and in a major twist we have Tamsin Grieg as Malvolia, compelling us to view everything through fresh eyes. But that is not the only twist in this unusual version – sexual orientations and gender identities are fluid in the confusions of Twelfth Night – not everyone is what or who they appear to be.
Countess Olivia and Duke Orsino are both captivated by the shipwrecked Viola when she’s in disguise as the page ‘Cesario’, while Viola’s twin brother Sebastian, in his search for her, is lovingly watched over by Antonio the sailor who rescued him.
This new modern dress production by Simon Godwin increases complications by boldly transforming Malvolio, the Puritanical steward, into Malvolia, a woman who has a lesbian passion for her employer, the Countess Olivia .
Does it work? To a degree, yes, but it is a bit uneven and rushed under Simon Godwin’s direction. For the screenings there are lots of dizzying shots of the use of the revolve and the unfolding of the pyramid like set (which at times unfolds like a 3D pop up storybook to fluidly become a ship’s prow, a chapel , a cell , a highly manicured courtyard full of box trees, a nightclub). The opening shipwreck scene is masterly. There are long dangerous staircases and a swimming pool or two … not forgetting the fountain in the famous letter scene … water is a major theme.
At first Tamsin Greig as Malvolia is shown as rigid, extremely controlled, repressive and obsessive, with almost robotic like movements. She is dressed in business like black and her helmet of hair is beautifully kept and polished. However, still in the garden after the letter scene there is a joyous segment where she jumps and delightfully splashes in the fountain.
in Act 2 Grieg is superb not just in the over the top  Cyd Charisse like segment where she is in her yellow swimsuit enticing Olivia but also pierces our hearts in the distressing finale. Right at the end we see and feel her loneliness; she is drenched in the rain , without wig or uniform .
Dark, petite Phoebe Fox is magnificent as the fiery, feline, rather aloof yet quite engaging Olivia.
Tall, blonde and handsome Oliver Chris as Duke Orsino is reduced to a minor character because of the way the production is skewed but still makes a terrific impression.
As oily, sleazy Sir Toby Belch Tim McMullan is excellent and Daniel Rigby is neat and presentable but sly and conniving, (wearing a man-bun and a pink chested outfit), as his sidekick, whom he repeatedly swindles, Sir Andrew Aguecheek.
As Viola in love with the Duke, Tamara Lawrance is glorious, yet always self conscious of her femininity even while playing Caeasario a ‘boy’, (especially when Olivia is chasing her/him). She is caught in an awkward situation, enduring the pains of unrequited love and also being lusted after. Lawrance is charming, giving a sweet and finely nuanced performance.
Viola’s brother Sebastian is excellently played by Daniel Ezra .Yes, they do look alike to a degree and as they both dress alike in black and white no wonder there is some confusion.
Strong, stalwart Antonio is gruffly played by Adam Best.  Are there hidden undertones in their relationship?!
The female Feste  is excellently played by Don Mackichan as world weary in tatty shorts and tights in her rather garish outfit.
Her songs are performed with panache and she delivers the difficult tongue twisting would-be-witty rejoinders terrifically.
The fight and attack scenes are tight and dangerous, if somewhat messy, and there is a great scene at the nightclub of The Elephantwith a wonderful sultry drag queen in fabulous costume and makeup with killer high heels crooning To Be Or Not To Be.
This production is boisterous, yet we lose most of the feeling of loss, of tenderness, love and longing. A challenging ,somewhat radical , quite intriguing version.
Running time allow just over 3 and ½ hours including one interval.
The NT Live’s production of TWELFTH NIGHT is screening at selected cinemas from 3 June 2017.



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Traffic Jam Galleries Anakita Escalante and Danielle McManus



http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/traffic-jam-galleries-anakita-escalante-and-danielle-mcmanus-in-exhibition/


TRAFFIC JAM GALLERIES : ANAKITA ESCALANTE AND DANIELLE MCMANUS IN EXHIBITION

 
The latest exhibition at Traffic Jam Galleries features two artists from its stable – Anakita Escalante with Sydney Surroundings and Danielle McManus with Wild.
Anakita Escalante’s work is an exploration of the relationship between the man-made and the natural, examining how we live and interact from the fringes of Sydney to the tumultuous bustling of the CBD. Her invigorating paintings feature a glorious use of texture and strong, dynamic composition.
Her subjects range from the iconic Coca Cola sign at Kings Cross, the Harbour Bridge and the Archibald Fountain to striking rock faces and crashing waves (Sea Breeze).
In Fun on the Waves we are almost on board the bobbing boats. There are some striking portraits of Hornsby Lighthouse at different times of day while Rainy Day – The Rocks is grey and mysterious.
She captures some magnificent cloud formations as well as some striking lightning bolts  stunning lighting in Morning Glow – Hornsby Lighthouse Sydney, as well as some large cold, harsh and forbidding cliff faces – Crashing Waves Beach Head. 
As Eskalante says, “Our natural surroundings fascinate me, especially the beauty, form, and colours of the Australian Landscape. I particularly find that my ideal, favourite place would be near the ocean alongside cliff faces. Seeing the power and strength of the waves crashing is so beautiful to watch. Through my paintings, I look to celebrate the nature within its surroundings and the emotional connection of all things to the earth.”
Danielle McManus’ adorable paintings are enchanting and eye-catching. Her exhibition blends two of her passions – her concern for Australian native flora and fauna within its natural habitat and endangered species, and people celebrating being themselves in a less materialistic way and seeking personal freedom and truth.
The humans in the paintings have McManus’ trademark huge sorrowful eyes, distinctive to her work. In the depiction of the flora and fauna the works are very finely detailed.
There is a marvellous closeup portrait of a black cockatoo with its stunning feathers. In Nurture Your Wild a fox is being hugged, whilst in Bad Hair Day two birds are nesting in a young person’s hair.
Doe Eyed depicts a charming young girl wearing antlers. Embrace Your Wild is finely detailed with a girl wearing fox ears holding a numbat, wattle and waratahs whilst a butterfly flits nearby.
A featured work is Wild Party with a young person in fox ears at a tea table with a Rosella parrot, a numbat and birds. Two other featured are Imaginary Friend – one dark, one light, the two halves of a person? – mirroring each other? perhaps like Rosalind and Celia in the Forest of Arden? only here it is a forest of gum trees and waratahs.
This is linked in as well to Wild Rhapsody where it is summer and a cellist and piccolo player are delighting a fox, a numbat and various birds in the forest.
As McManus says “So many of our native species are under threat due to land clearing and the introduction of feral animals. I hope by painting these species that people may realise what a travesty it would be for these gorgeous creatures to disappear. I would love for everyone to embrace our wild!”
Anakita Escalante’s Sydney Surroundings and Danielle McManus’ Wild are on view at Traffic Jam Galleries until 22nd June.
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Thoroughbass Overture and Concerti


A lovely concert here's what I said for Sydney Arts Guide

http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/thoroughbass-overture-and-concerto-at-mosman-art-gallery/




THOROUGHBASS OVERTURE AND CONCERTO @ MOSMAN ART GALLERY

 
Featured photo – Guest artist Michael Tsalka on harpsichord.
This was a very charming and delightful concert performed with delicacy and vigour. There was fine ensemble work by all and some dazzling harpsichord playing. Under the direction of Diana Westonwe were privileged to welcome the return of Michael Tsalka on harpsichord.The program featured six short works. First we heard the elegant, quite operatic Johann Freidrich Fasch’s Overturearranged by Stephen Yates. This piece was stately yet lyrical and at times very fast paced.
Next was Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto RV 319 arranged for two harpsichords in three movements again arranged by Stephen Yates. The first movement began with a fast and insistent feel, one harpsichord acting like the violin soloist, the other the orchestra in a delightful dialogue between the two.
The second movement was more heartfelt and sorrowful, melancholic and reflective– however this changed to cascading, shimmering, faster, rippling notes on the keyboard taking us through to the third movement. This was an animated discussion between the two harpsichords full of crystalline delicacy and circling rhythms that led to a bright, powerful conclusion.
Scarlatti’s Concerto 111 for Harpsichord and Strings arranged by Ottavio Dantone was next. This had a rich, luscious and pulsating opening with a warm tone. Weston on the harpsichord floated through the strings. The second half was brighter and more energetic in atmosphere, with the harpsichord as soloist and the strings answering and commenting.
A highlight of the concert was the ravishing Benda Concerto 1 for Cembalo which was exquisite. The strings played with zest and we were off to an emphatic, energetic beginning. Tsalka was the featured soloist on harpsichord (discreetly accompanied by Weston) and featured a breathless, rippling, showy section full of refinement, precision and filigree elegance.
The second movement featured sorrowful strings and flowing keyboard, and was quite operatic in style (think Gluck/ Handel). Tsalka on keyboard had a soaring lyrical featured solo which was followed by the strings undulating in and out underneath the harpsichord music.The third movement had a boisterous joyous opening which was followed by a showy solo for Tsalka and concluded with some animated dancing between the strings and harpsichord.
Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto RV 229 arranged for 2 harpsichords by Stephen Yates was next in a breathless yet stately performance that rippled and cascaded in an animated discussion between the two harpsichords in the first movement. The second movement was slower and more reflective, the third emphatic and scurrying featuring showy flourishes by Tsalka and then coming to a bright conclusion.
The final piece was Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto IV BWV 1065 with 2 Violins, Viola und Continuo. The first movement featured a lush, vibrant opening and warm, pulsating strings. The second movement was an aching melancholy lament  with Tsalka’s playing soaring in and around the strings. The third movement was bright and bouncy and took us to the end of a very enjoyable concert.
The Thoroughbass Ensemble comprised Diana Weston(Director/harpsichord), Shaun Ng (violin), Tara Hashambuoy (violin), Daniel Cortes (viola), Lucy Cormack (cello) and Angus Ryan (cello) with special guest artist Michael Tsalka on harpsichord.
Running Time 90 mins without interval
The concert took place at the Mosman Art Gallery,  Way & Myahgah Road, Mosman on the 17th June, 2017.

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Sport For Jove Cyrano de Bergerac


A fabulous production - here's my thoughts for Artshub

http://performing.artshub.com.au/news-article/reviews/performing-arts/lynne-lancaster/cyrano-de-bergerac-253926


A sweeping epic with a huge heart.
Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac, image via Sport for Jove.
Sport For Jove’s wonderful production of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 French masterpiece Cyrano de Bergerac is thrilling, captivating and romantic.One of the great French classics, it is a sweeping epic full of passion and poetry, humour and love. Famous Cyranos include Jose Ferrer, Christopher Plummer, Derek Jacobi, Frank Langella and Kevin Kline. Some regard the Gerard Depardieu film version as definitive, Steve Martin updated Cyrano to a small town fire chief in the rom-com adaptation Roxanne. Landmark performances in Sydney include John Bell in the early 1980’s while Richard Roxburgh played the role in a Sydney Theatre Company version of the play in 2014. Sport For Jove originally produced this particular version as part of their outdoor 2013 season at Bella Vista.  
Rostand’s play tells of the soldier-poet Cyrano de Bergerac, a brave and resolute man, full of passion and wit, who is both accomplished with words and a sword, but afraid of rejection by the woman he loves. Cyrano is in love with the beautiful intellectual Roxanne but will not woo her because of his enormous nose. However he helps Christian – who is handsome but not majorly intellectual – to woo Roxanne with passionate letters.Only on Cyrano’s deathbed does Roxanne discover that he has been the love of her life.This is a sparkling vibrant adaptation and translation, combining both prose and verse, which while faithful to Rostand’s original updates the action from 1640s Paris to the Belle Epoque and the start of World War I.
Under Ryan’s tremendous direction it is epic, flamboyant and action packed. There are some sections almost slapstick in style, others lyrical and poignant or chilling and tense. The set design by Anna Gardiner/Barry French combining the 2013 and 2017 productions is terrific.There are sliding panels and so on for various fluid scene changes, multiple uses of ladders and the famous wooing scene is enchantingly done (with allusions to Romeo and Juliet) – Roxanne’s house is covered in flowers and vines and it is lyrically lit. Everything revolves to become the cold shed for the war scenes and the last scene is bleak with a sparse tree and poignant falling leaves (and a giggling bevy of nuns).
There is much strong highly polished ensemble work (the ‘We are the Gascons’ military chant in Act 2 brings the house down for example) performed with gusto and great precision. Particular mention must be made of John Turnbull as Ragueneau, Cyrano’s pastry chef friend and James Lugton as de Guiche. The cast of 18 play roughly 50 characters.
Director Damien Ryan, who also created this translation, as Cyrano is tremendous. A powerful individual spirit he is part brash and swash-buckling, his wordiness hiding his aching heart. He is loyal, courageous and principled. A romantic, yet full of self loathing. The famous set piece where he pretends to have fallen from the moon (while Roxanne and Christian are exchanging their marriage vows) is tremendously done as is the recounting of his other various exploits.
As Roxanne, Lizzie Schebesta is exquisite, fiery and enchanting. Intellectually she is a match for Cyrano too. For the first half of the play the younger Roxanne is kittenish and joyous, teasing Cyrano at times, headstrong in her love for Christian. In the balcony scene she is ravishing in a blushing soft pink outfit. In the last section she is more restrained in sombre black but hiding her hidden fires.
Tall dark and handsome Christian (Scott Sheridan) is a brave soldier but tongue tied when faced with the woman he adores. Roxanne falls for his outer appearance and thinks she is also in love with his passionate inner-self (as provided by Cyrano’s letters and coaching).The scene where Christiane snaps, wanting Roxanne to love him for himself rather than the words that Cyrano puts into his mouth is quite moving.
This inspired production deftly balances the comedy the and the romance to capture our hearts.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Cyrano de Bergerac 
By Sport for Jove
Adaptation & Direction : Damien Ryan
Designers : Anna Gardiner and Barry French
Stage Manager  : Jem Page
Assistant Stage Manager : Katherine Holmes, Lauren Holmes
Lighting Designer : Daniel Barber
Sound Designer : David Stalley
Where: York Theatre, Seymour Centre. Playhouse Theatre, Canberra Theatre Centre. IMB Theatre, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.
Dates: June 15th – September 16th 
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