THE KITE STRING TANGLE
Photo: Anna Chase
REVIEW WE’RE BASTARDS
Set in present day Anniston, Alabama, Oleg Pupovac’s We’re Bastards is a stripped-bare, dark and Southern gothic tale of a family trying to play the near-impossible hand life has dealt them. The dialogue-driven performance combined with the intimate atmosphere of the Old 505 Theatre makes for a deeply personal theatrical experience, where the audience are sucked right into the story. Joe (Pupovac) and Darling Mae (Tara Clark) capture the essence of siblings charting their lives through an intergenerational cycle of tragedy
THEATRE &
PERFORMANCE SWEET CHARITY is a musical centred on the character of Charity Hope Valentine, who is an eternal optimist and dancer. Charity, played by musical theatre star Verity Hunt-Ballard, makes her money dancing with man after man to pay the rent, hoping one will whisk her off her feet. Themes include the pursuit of security via romance
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that they can’t seem to escape. Their lives are filled with drunken outbursts, hangovers, neglect and abuse, that all come to a head when Darling Mae wakes to find her baby has vanished. The underlying concern of the play is a vicious cycle of domestic breakdown that feeds into itself, and while the script could be considered dramatic in itself, it’s the performances (and almostconvincing Southern accents) that pull it along. (AE) Until Feb 23, The Old 505 Theatre, 342 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, $18-28, venue505.com/theatre
– an interesting notion and somewhat old-fashioned. On Broadway, Sweet Charity was a huge success and has built its own identity in musical theatre. The show is very sexy and physical, capturing Charity’s experience of life and how she tries to desperately transform it. (LK) Until Mar 9, Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point, $49, hayestheatre.com.au TRAVELLING NORTH An ageing couple flee Melbourne’s
Watching one of his own farces from side of stage, playwright Michael Frayn is said to have thought it funnier from behind than in front. Inspired by this he wrote Noises Off, about an incompetent cast of failed actors who each try to overcome their flaws in order to stage a British sex farce called Nothing On. Director Jonathan Biggins and STC tackle Frayn’s comedic masterpiece in February and Sydney audiences are sure to be gasping for air as this raucous storm unfolds from behind the scenes and with hilarious consequences. Josh McConville plays Garry, the fairly well-known, stuttering male lead, whose romantic attachment to fellow actress Dotty (Genevieve Lemon) may
cold for the warmer far North Queensland and a change of lifestyle, but Frank is soon beset by heart-problems and Frances has to deal with possessive, needy daughters. Written in 1979, it’s sometimes assumed to be about writer David Williamson’s move to Sydney; in fact it’s about the experiences of his mother-inlaw, a gentle and perceptive woman who’d remarried to an older man – an opinionated,
just be his undoing. McConville’s a genuine lover of a good farce and Frayn’s British humour, “It’s my favourite play, I love comedy, I love Michael Frayn... the characters are flawed but they put forward a brave face,” he says. Although the characters are essentially lousy actors McConville remarks, “You can’t think of these guys as bad, you’ve got to try to create two characters that are multi-layered.” He also adds, “Juxtaposing the two characters, switching from one to the other; that is very funny, it’s where the comedy lies.” (ATS) Feb 17-Apr 5, Sydney Theatre Company, The Wharf, Pier 4 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $50109, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au
NOISES OFF
Photo: Ingvar Kenne
Support for the shows has been outstanding with the first batch of shows announced selling out. Another show was announced for Sydney, Brisbane and a further three for Melbourne. “I’m really looking forward to this tour, it’s twelve consecutive dates, which is going to be intense but very exciting. I’m also debuting a new lighting show synced to the music for these shows, which has been in production for the last month and looks like something out of a Nikola Tesla movie,” says Harley with excitement clearly in his voice. (JA) Feb 12 & 14, Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, $20, moshtix.com.au
Photo: Brett Boardman
Hot off the number nineteen spot in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2014 The Kite String Tangle (aka Danny Harley) is set to embark on a national tour. With his distinctive sound personally described as “down-tempo, ambient songs with an electronic feel”, Harley has been taking the music world by storm. His song Given The Chance hit 440,000 and 870,00 plays on Youtube and Soundcloud respectively as well as making the Hottest 100, which Harley says was “a definite life goal ticked off”. The response to both the track and ticket sales for the tour has been “really bizarre, surreal and humbling,” says Harley.
JUMP FOR JORDAN
Griffin Theatre’s new play Jump for Jordan goes some of the way to explain what it is like to be part of the mosaic of cultures that make up Australia. It centres on Sophie (played by Alice Ansara), an independent Arab-Australian woman who must lie about her life, career and Aussie boyfriend for fear of shaming her traditional Jordanian family. Director Iain Sinclair was attracted to the relatability of the script (written by Donna Arebla). Much of the cast are of Arab descent and he says, “There are lots of immigrant stories bubbling up, it’s quite extraordinary how much is reflected in the script.” Sinclair adds, “Anything new that’s brought up will appear two days later.”
intelligent, ex-Communist. The concept of the ‘grey nomad’ is now an established one but “. . .living in paradise isn’t quite enough without having a social context of friends, families and meaningful activities to fill in the time,” says Williamson. (MM) Until Mar 22, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4/5, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $50-85, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au EMPIRE There may be quirky costume routines,
It is not so much a work in progress but rather a live reflection on the experiences of second-generation women. Women who not only cope with the typical work-lifefamily-balance, but whom also negotiate clashing cultures. “I can’t think of the last time I saw Arabic women on stage just being themselves,” says Sinclair. The director is excited as it is the premiere of Jump for Jordan, “The risks are higher but the payoffs are greater and there’s nothing more rewarding then bringing new work to the stage.” (ATS) Feb 14-Mar 29, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $49, 9361 3817, griffintheatre.com.au
balancing acts and an MC, but is Speigelworld’s returning show just another trip to the circus? “No way,” says Memet Bilgin aka 3D Graffiti Guy. “We’re part of a new wave of circus groups. It’s unique and intimate, with far more interaction between the audience and the performers.” With a rising and rotating stage that often places the performers mere inches away,
audiences can watch routines that move from roller-skating to balancing upon a spinning top in a tent made of 3000 individual pieces. This adult-only fusion of vaudeville, burlesque, cabaret and circus promises to be a night out with a difference. (RG) Until Mar 2, Showring, Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, $59-149, empireaustralia.com