and provocative, even if the live per formance lacked definition and weight. The group’s commitment to finding an accessible fusion of areas in contemporary culture which have become fragmented and self-referring is unassailable and 1 look forward to seeing more of their work and hope that in their future projects they will begin to tackle the real politik with the same creative vigour that they explore artistic practise. After seeing the Routinos new latenight, music cabaret piece, Videoville 1 felt as though I was doomed to endless repeats of some of the few good moments from the APG Ensemble’s first show, Rezistor Routines. 1 first saw the material then and
treatment of a significant topic — sanity and psychiatry. It was no doubt sincere but I felt very trendy and flip. Coles Funny Picture Person by Steve Vizard. Krumpacher Pty Ltd, The Universal Theatre, Melbourne. Vic. Opened June 10 1981. Director. Paul Hampton; Set Designer. Paul Kathner; Stage Manager. Ruth Constantine; Lighting De signers, Mark Hughes, Paul Hampton; Doll made by Angela Ireland. Cast: Cole. Norman Kaye. ( Professional) Letters Home by Rose Leiman Goldemberg. The Playbox Theatre Company. Downstairs, Melbourne. Vic. Opened June 10 1981. Director, Murray Copland; Designer. Axel Bartz; Lighting Design. John Beckett; Stage Manager, Robert Gebert. Cast: Sylvia Plath, Nancy Black; Aurelia Plath, Gerda Nicolson.
seem to raise, is that of why these people, the whites anyway, are here. With few exceptions, all of them seem to be the victims of circumstances which have cast them into this tropical paradise cum nightmare and marooned them there. Tommy, the local retard, brilliantly played by Mark Shirrep, certainly couldn’t move on, but Valerie, the waspish, frustrated and socially ambitious post mistress, Joan, the dear old eccentric who is losing the pigment of her skin, Allan, the aggressive Yank with a major in psycho logy from UCLA and Bridget herself all find their problems compounded by their living conditions and some curious para lysis of the will.
Television Works made and performed by Tsk Tsk: comprising. Philip Brophy, Maria Kozic, Leigh Parkhill, Jane Stevenson, Ralph Traviato. CoDirector, Ralph Kerle. Presented by Kerle Enterprise Pty Ltd, The Met, Melbourne. Opened June 2 1981. Videoville devised by The Routinos. APG, The Back Theatre, The Pram Factory, Melbourne. Opened June 25 1981. Lights Denis Moore, Ruth Constantine; Sound, John Bishop; Set Design, John Dickson; Assistance from Bob Thorneycroft and Zandy Acton. Cast: The Routinos — Richard Healy, Val Levkowicz, Danny Nash; My Three Sons — Alan Fowler, Noel Beare, Dave Osborne. Unemployment Sketch written by Barry Dickins.
Rinske Ginsberg and Joe Spano in Fineline.
later saw it reworked into a piece at the Last Laugh. Third time round, it certainly begins to pale. This version comprising original songs interspersed with sketches has a loose, even lazy thematic thread and a casual structure. It could possibly have worked in a pub or in the Piano Bar (again) but certainly felt flat and uninspiring in the Back Theatre. All that saved it were a number of clever, boppy songs and a brilliant sketch on unemployment written by Barry Dickins. The show felt des perately in need of an idea, and possibly a director or writer outside the performers could have helped. After seeing Fineline I felt that I was condemned to reliving the dramatic issues and the modern dance language I’d gone through in the late sixties. Fineline was executed with an artistic earnestness rarely seen today. It was polished and thorough but I found it devoid of genuine experiment and without any desire to communicate with an audience. At time the acting of Rinske Ginsberg and Joe Spano lived, breathed and moved, despite the busyness and tricksiness of the directorial effects. By the end I felt that everyone was all dressed up and had nowhere to go. I think what frustrated me most was seeing yet another superficial 30
THE AT RE AUSTRALI A AUGUST 1981
Fineline adapted from the works of Sam Shepard. Jay Broad, Shirley Jackson, Leonard Malfi, Edward Albee. Anne Sexton, Barrie Keeffe and Jack Larsen. Australian Nouveau Theatre, Anthill, South Melbourn, Vic. Opened June II 1981. Devised and Directed by Greg Carter; Choreography, Michael Hennessy; Stage Manager, Marina Milankovic; Lighting Design, Keith Tucker; Set Design, Greg Carter. Cast: Actors, Rinske Ginsberg, Joe Spano; Dancers, Chris Sheperd, Peter Mathews, Michael Hennessy.
Grim portrayal of survival THE APPOINTMENT by Cathy Peake Kathy Mueller’s The Appointment takes much of its strength from the sensitive way in which it handles subject matter which ranges from the plight of the aboriginals in the Northern Territory to the identity and survival of a young female schoolteacher called Bridget. Set mostly in Bridget’s caravan — an arena that is constantly being invaded by tropical wildlife and the local populace — it is also a relatively grim portrayal of survival and the struggle for personal integrity against bureaucratic blunders of racism and oppression. One of the questions it never asks, but which the whole diverse cast constantly
La Mama's The Appointment.
In the small space at La Mama, Allan — played with a cutting edge of menace by David Swann — is almost too large a character. He is, however, well-matched by Vicki Eagger’s Bridget and an intelligent supporting cast, none of whom degenerate into caricature — which feat, given their colour and eccentricity, would "have been relatively easy. The Appointment has been directed by its author whose interest seems to have mainly been centred on the naturalistic level at which most of the social problems have an intensely personal basis. It is probably the best way to handle it, although I am not sure whether all the issues that the play raises are really able to be brought back and somehow tied up by Bridget’s final outburst and rejection of Allan. In terms of a rather more dense and satisfactory resolution, that might have been more successful if the play had received a less naturalistic interpretation-. The A ppointm ent by Kathy Mueller. La Mama, Melbourne Vic. Opened June 5, 1981. Director. Kathy Mueller; Production Stage Mana gers. Rosemary Goddle, Vicki Maries. Cast: Bridget, Vicki Eagger; Tommy. Mark Shirrefs; Joan. Margaret Ricketts; Valerie. Brenda Kendall; Allan, David Swann; Pauline. Debbie Sonenberg; Mr Heywood, Robert Campbell.