SINCE 1969. 50TH YEAR OF PUBLICATION
Melbourne
Observer
Ph 1800 231 311 Fx 1800 231 312
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2019
$2.95
VICTORIA’S FAVOURITE FAMILY PAPER FOR 50 YEARS
VALE CAROL SMITH
■ Melbourne showbiz identity Carol Smith has died. Carol was one of the original barrel girls on Graham Kennedy’s Melbourne Tonight on Channel 9.
Believers
■ Bathed in eerie green light, multiple images flash constantly on multiple screens. A young man sits, back to the audience, engrossed in the video game, Call of Duty. n the audience, meanwhile, a constant flare of phone screens reveal copious posts through a collective WhatsApp group. Inane and banal to begin with, as the performance progresses, the posts get decidedly darker. omehow we’ve joined an altright group chat. Misogynist, violent threats are posted asking us to post images that look like Jews raping women. Next, an ISIS recruiter tells us that we need to make a choice between Islam and the infidels. A binary choice equal to George Bush’s exhortation: “Either you are with us, or with the terrorists”. Created and performed by Javaad Alipoor, The Believers Are But Brothers illustrates in graphic detail that the darkest corners of the web are only one or two clicks away. Alipoor recreates stories of disaffected youth, the army of the bitter. A generation of young men – and it is mainly young men – are experiencing a crisis of masculinity, escaping from their meaningless existence in real life to a fantastic, utopian ideal online. Throw in instant access to sophisticated digital manipulators such as ISIS and the alt-right, and that utopia ‘can only be reached by climbing a mountain of corpses’. An echo chamber of hate against women, the Other and mundane lives. Reality is distorted as visions of death, redemption and apocalypse play out in computer games and in far-flung corners of the world. Compelling, thought-provoking and downright scary. The Believers Are But Brothers was presented at Arts House, North Melbourne. - Review by Kathryn Keeble
Carol Smith was also prominent in the Australian show business scene, with her husband Denis Smith acting as a promoter of many big name acts. She was a friendly face at the launch of many Melbourne shows, and well respected by those in the industry. TV-radio man John Blackman said: “Darling, beautiful Carol died in her sleep in the early hours of Monday/Tuesday morning after a long battle with illness. Thanks for all the great memories and laughs over the years.” Her passing is especially mourned by husband Denns, son Brad, daughter-in-law Corinna and Carol's grandchildren Ben and Millie.
Pinocchio ■ Saturday night to Pinocchioat the Carlton Courthouse; a Make AScene andLa Mama production. This Pinocchio is no Disneyfication of Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel ; published originally in serial form as La Storia di un burattino (The Story of a Puppet) in the Giornale per i bambini, one of the earliest Italian weekly magazines for children, then in novel form as La Avventure di Pinocchio. Jasper Foley, one of the co-creators of the production with Christian Bagin and Rosa Campagnaro is the sole performer and storyteller for the 80 minutes, not one of which dragged. I was totally absorbed. He played and spoke directly to us, rapt audience, and attentive listeners . We might have been a 19th Century Italian audience in the piazza opposite the Cathedral. I have a little night school Italian and throughout Pinocchio, Jasper dropped in the odd phrase in Italian . Afterwards I asked him "Sei Italiano? " He wasn't but accent and gestures had me convinced. He worked theatrical magic; hand puppets, commedia dell' arte masks of Pinocchio, Gepetto, the Fox and the Cat all from his authentic booth. Collodi's original story is dark ; ending with Fox and Cat hanging Pinocchio. “A tempestuous northerly wind began to blow and roar angrily and it beat the poor puppet from side to side , making him swing violently, like the clatter of a bell ringing for a wedding. and the swinging gave him atrocious spasms ... His breath failed him and he could say no more. He shut his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched his legs , gave a long shudder, and hung stiff and insensible." Fox from Jasper is a very smooth but unpleasant animal, and Cat, selected from amongst us and appropriately masked, equally so (there is a performer hidden in most of us) Jasper also found a Blue Fairy and, not masked, but suitably wigged in blue, she was unstoppable. - Review by Peter Green
including GST
Sellers of fine antiques, vintage and collectables at affordable prices. Free shipping around Australia. Contact us for details.
■ Carol Smith with David Mann. Photo: Ash Long
www.marpleantiques.com.au Call Us: 0408 270 289 Email Us: admin@ marpleantiques.com.au
VICTORIA’S INDEPENDENT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER