Hello again. Long time no see.

I'm back. I think. I may even try to establish a new website as this looks terribly old.

In the meantime, here's a little foray I took into the world of ABC's The Drum.


More to cultural capitals than a new musical theatre

If you had a sense of deja vu reading the comments last weekend by musical theatre producers John Frost and Rodney Rigby calling on the New South Wales Government to build a Broadway-style venue in Sydney, you're not alone.

More HERE.

Review: Wicked

As published in yesterday's Sun Herald.

Wicked
Capitol Theatre
Until 22 November
Tickets $95.90-129.90
Bookings 1300 723 038
Critic’s Rating 8/10


Believe or not, there was life in the Land of Oz before Dorothy and Toto crash-landed, uninvited, and squashed the poor Wicked Witch of the East, stealing her lovely red shoes and running off down the yellow brick road.

In Wicked, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, we return to the college days of room-mates Elphaba (Amanda Harrison) and Glinda (Lucy Durack).

Elphaba, born with a green colour disfigurement, has been shunned her whole life by her cruel father, the Governor of Munchkinland, in favour of her wheel-chair bound sister Nessarose (Penny McNamee).

Glinda, on the other hand, in her perky little way, can’t seem to put a foot wrong and trots around the campus gaining a reputation for being just "so good".

In the spirit of Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead - the play that turned Shakespeare’s Hamlet on its head by spinning around the perspective of the main characters - Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, makes Dorothy and Toto a mere side story.

The real drama is how Glinda and Elphaba turned into the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West in a world that’s part Harry Potter part Witches of Eastwick.

It’s a beautifully tragic take on the old story with finely realised female leads that could explain Wicked’s mass appeal to young women around the world. Indeed, it is a musical strongest for the storyline and the stunning story-book imagery created by the fantastic set design, rather than the music, which only rarely gets beyond the appeal of a television score.

Durack is delightfully hilarious as she flutters around the stage, delivering one-liners like spells from a wand. But Harrison, like a lot of the ensemble, seemed to be keeping something in reserve, holding back on the big numbers for what could be an extensive Sydney season.

Durack and Harrison are supported by a solid ensemble of principles including the excellent James Smith, the wonderfully smoky Maggie Kirkpatrick and Bert Newtown as the Wizard who is only a cigar short of being the image of Winston Churchill. Highly recommended.


*The Sun-Herald reviewed a preview performance of this Sydney season.

Review: Jerry Springer: The Opera

Jerry Springer: The Opera
Sydney Opera House
Until 26 April
Tickets $98-$128
Bookings (02) 9250 7777
Critic’s Rating 7/10


Don’t go singing any of the songs after you come out of Jerry Springer: The Opera because you’ll not only turn heads but you might attract some unwanted attention.

An opera based on a television talk show that documents the bizarre, lewd and explicit confessions of the US’s trashiest individuals is always going to generate a lot of publicity.

Add into the mix pre-op transsexuals, a man who likes wearing nappies and a black Jesus who is a "little bit gay" and you have a show which will get a lot of humourless Fred Nile frowns.

Tagged as sacrilegious and outrageous from some more serious and conservative elements of society, this British opera by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas attracted public outcries and protests when it was first produced by the National Theatre in London.

It’s been a lot less controversial in Australia and as soon as the lights went down in the Opera House the audience was in raptures, raising their arms and punching the air with the chorus ‘Jer-ry, Jer-ry, Jer-ry!’.

A host of trashbags is then wheeled out to tell their secrets to Springer (David Wenham). There’s Dwight (Warren Fisher) with the love of his life. But then there’s her best friend, with whom he’s sleeping. Oh – he’s also sleeping with a pre-op transsexual.

Then there’s the nappy wearing, dummy sucking Montel (Lawrence Clayton), who wants his "partner of two years" to start treating him like a baby.

On either side of the action is a whooping chorus being hyped up by a warm-up guy and Steve the security guy (Marcus Graham) is standing ready to separate any hair-pulling or "bitch-slaps".

The delivery of the confessions and the "talk to the hand" catchcries in the operatic style of Bellini or Rossini make Jerry Springer: The Opera such a bizarre cultural experience.

When members of the Ku Klux Klan appear in a brilliant tap-dancing musical number at the end of the first half, the show goes from the absurd to the surreal and Montel grabs a gun and shoots Jerry by accident. The talkshow then descends into Hell and Jerry is forced to host an episode between the Devil, God, Jesus of Nazareth and Adam and Eve.

The least-interesting character throughout is Jerry Springer, who is portrayed only adequately by Wenham. It’s the Devil (David Bedella) and pole dancing aspirant Shawntel (Alison Jiear) who are the show-stoppers.

But the shock of the swearing and the adult themes have faded with time. There are plenty of hilarious moments but it’s a formulaic production directed off a spreadsheet, exposing its short shelf life. Even after just six years filling packed houses around the world, Jerry Springer: The Opera needs to pull a bigger bitch-slap.

Review: Breast Wishes

Breast Wishes
Seymour Centre
Until 2 May
Tickets $35-$70
Bookings (02) 9351 7940
Critic’s Rating 6/10


Whether you call them boobs, coconuts or "love pillows", breasts attract a lot of attention. Like a mammogram, this new Australian musical gives those glands that give nutrition to newborns and adorn men’s magazines a thorough check up.

Written by Merridy Eastman, Jonathan Gavin, Richard Glover, Wendy Harmer, Sheridan Jobbins, James Millar and Debra Oswald and with lyrics by Bruce Brown, this musical has a clear message – go and get your breasts checked.

Ably performed by Valerie Bader, David Harris, Anne Looby, Chelsea Plumley and the wonderful new talent Gretel Scarlett, Breast Wishes takes us through the stages of having breasts, from bra-fitting to feeding, culminating in a story about a young woman who contracts cancer.

But the important message (a quarter of Australian women with changes in their breasts don't consult a doctor) is lost within a kitchen of far too many cooks. The piece is so didactic and over-written there is little time to feel for the characters.

Certainly there are enough catchy tunes but, put simply, nothing really beats a heart-to-heart with your daughter about looking after those vital and beautiful parts of the female anatomy.

Mr Pickford's Review of Guys and Dolls

I wouldn't normally publish a review from somebody else on here, but I'll make an exception this week.

First up, and as published in yesterday's Sun-Herald.


Guys and Dolls
Capitol Theatre
Until 31 May
Tickets $70-$130
Bookings 1300 723 038
Critic’s Rating 7/10


Guys and Dolls is such a big and brash Broadway musical it’s really hard to go wrong. It is New York in the 1950s with stories of gangsters, illegal crap games, a Salvation Army band and nightlife in the city that never sleeps.

So famous is the story of Nathan Detroit, Sky Masterson, Sara Brown and Miss Adelaide that some people in the opening night audience were dressed to the nines with fedoras, pinstripes and two tone shoes.

As a musical, Guys and Dolls has all the right ingredients; love, conflict, comedy and songs that soar. It’s the classic boy-meets-girl story, but there are two love stories linked. There’s the gambler and his pursuit of the Salvation Army doll and there’s the hapless crap game organiser and his loved up dancer fiancee.

This version, first produced in 2005 by the British-based Donmar Warehouse, is sharp and quick, elevating the dialogue and characters and removing the traditional reliance on big ensemble numbers.

Every piece of interaction between the characters is magnified so that when the big numbers do happen, they knock your socks off.

The set and staging are kept minimal, with a few relatively simple backdrops that recall the intimate and rustic Donmar Warehouse space in London, never drawing attention away from the action which is happening on stage.

This Australian production injects a bit too much star power to its line-up. Although Lisa McCune, Marina Prior, Ian Stenlake, Garry McDonald, Shane Jacobson and Magda Szubanski all strut their stuff expertly, many of them are miscast.

McDonald seemed too old for the role of Detroit, while Prior was competant but lacked the youthful effervescence of a showgirl.

Szubanski, despite her considerable skill, just didn't have the presence as a big-gun gangster from Chicago.

McCune, however, was clearly multi-talented with a beautiful voice. Stenlake and McCune have a great range and both gave a fabulous performance.

It helps that with songs like Luck Be A Lady, Take Back Your Mink and Bushel and a Peck you can’t but help but be captured by this pure Broadway musical.

The chorus line is remarkably small for such a big musical and the real stars of this production are the minor characters and the ensemble of dancers who drench the stage in energy and skill.

The direction by Michael Grandage and choreography by Rob Ashford seamlessly travels from big powerful numbers such as Havana to the more touching and subtle moments of dialogue.

The most elegant scene is between Salvation Army doll Sarah (Lisa McCune) and her uncle Arvide Abernathy (Russell Newman) during More I Cannot Wish You and the show-stopper is the brilliantly executed Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat.



Post script: The Donmar did not stage Guys and Dolls in the warehouse space, it was in the Piccadilly Theatre.

All About Theatre

When was it? How long? It seems a lifetime ago. Lloyd always said that in the Theatre a lifetime was a season, and a season a lifetime.


And so the new year begins. As the final embers of the Sydney Festival slowly burn from our memory our theatres begin their programmes in earnest.

The coming few months has some treats worth looking at. From the alternative to the mainstages - from the underground to the spectacular - there's a little of something for everyone.

One such event which is quickly becoming a highlight in my calendar is the wonderful Imperial Panda Festival. It made such an impression last year that the City of Sydney has honoured its potential and thrown it a few grand. It was also the recipient of two nominations at the inaugural Sydney Music Art and Culture (SMAC) Awards.

It's a festival which is starting to capture an underground urban grit by profiling diverse, erratic and fearless performers. Using alternative spaces and galleries around the inner city, it attracts a young and hip crowd quite happy to plonk themselves on a milk crate with a plastic cup of cheap wine in their hand.

This year they open the festival with the premiere season of Kittenbone Bridge, a new play by Nick Coyle, which was first developed as part of the Wharf2Loud PUSH programme in 07.

There's a host of other new shows from groups including the Brown Council and Suitcase Royale. And of course the ever popular Erotic Fan Fiction evening returns - for those who last year experienced the perverse writing of Brendan Cowell and his account of the Australian Cricket team knocking it about in the sub-tropical heat of India will know what I mean. You can check out the Panda website HERE.

Griffin Theatre launched their 09 season a month ago and it contains some real gems. The highlight would have to be the show which opens this evening - Holiday from Ranters Theatre. I caught the premiere of it in Melbourne last year (thanks to the ever kind Alison Croggon who took me along) and I can't recommend it enough.

Holiday is a theatre experience which creeps up on you with a writing style which rarely graces the stages of Sydney. It is poignant, clever, funny and brutally relevant. And - it isn't verbatim theatre - hooray!

Speaking of which, surely 2009 must mark the end of verbatim theatre. Haven't we had enough already? I already have SBS at home, I don't need it my theatre as well do I?

I loved Damien Miller's The Modern International Dead which opened at the Griffin last year. In fact I loved it so much I think it represents the high note of locally produced verbatim theatre and now there is absolutely no reason to do it anymore. 

The rest of Griffin's programme for the year appears to be a well placed collection of local stories from around the country which I am really looking forward to. Their programme can be found HERE.

Even though Performance Space go into 09 with a new director and a new vision, the first few months of programming are part of the gradual handover from previous Director Fiona Winning. 

P Space kick off the year with a dance solo from the indefatigable Ros Warby and her show Monumental. Just have a quick look at the creative titles of her collaborators (Lighting Projection & Set Design, Music, Cinematography, Film Editor, Costume Designer, Costume Design Consultant, Black Hat, White Cap, Sound Design)  and you start to get a sense of where this show might be going.

Following on from the dance solo is the always brilliant Quick and Dirty extravaganza as part of the Mardi Gras Festival. It hasn't suffered from the move from Cleveland Street to Carriageworks (apart from the ever-restrictive, ever-suffocating, ever-ridiculous enforcement of the outside drinking policy - for the love of God, when are we going to get that sorted???).

Performance, puppetry and installation creators My Patricia Darling, dance force Splintergroup and young performers Team MESS also make a big appearance over the Summer/Autumn.

The mainstages also have a diverse array of productions premiering over the coming few months. Of particular interest is Baghdad Wedding which opens next week at Company B coming after a relatively modest opening at the wonderful SOHO Theatre in London, the new Marion Potts production of Venus and Adonis from Bell Shakespeare and STC, Travesties also at the STC and the new co-production between Griffin and the STC of Concussion. 

The independent sector is also getting into the swing of things. The Old Fitz kicks off its year with Cherry Smoke, a show from the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe and which is coincidentally also premiering in New York at the same time.  

Downstairs at Belvoir Street Theatre is their anti-Putin Russian play Ladybird which I profiled in depth last week. B Sharp will be launching the rest of their season in a few weeks. The New Theatre (who have finally, finally, finally got a new website) have also begun their year with a heavy Mardi Gras theme as usual. Last night they opened with the Tony Award winning play Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg. This is then followed by a production of the Herbal Bed and then the infamously funny Cosi by Louis Nowra. 

Amazingly, the TAP Gallery is still pumping away as one of the quieter and more alternative spaces. They have a pretty outrageous Mardi Gras show on at the moment called Vixen Noir in Sweet Deliverance: the perverted sunshine tour which follows the life of a sex goddess. There's even a warning to go with it - 18+, Sexual Content, Coarse Language and Nudity (thank god Mardi Gras is only once a year).

This is then followed up by another Mardi Gras show with a title of such originality, it'll take your breath away... Hard On. I don't need to explain it any further - but if you want to know more, go to the website. 

The Seymour Centre has a programme a little less ... a little less ... well, a little less something as they premiere Gutenberg! The Musical, another musical with an exclamation mark. I believe it is some type of a spoof, but I rarely understand in-house musical theatre community jokes.

But after Gutenberg! is a return season of The Beauty Queen of Leenane from the master director Maeliosa Stafford. 

So there's your next couple of months sorted. 

Anything else of interest, let me know.

 

Sydney Theatre Award winners announced

At a rather stuffy hall somewhere in Paddington, the winners of the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced. They are below. Details of the judging panel can be found HERE.


BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION: The Women of Troy (Sydney Theatre Company)

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION: My Name is Rachel Corrie (Bareboards Productions and B Sharp) Producer Ben Jobberns collected the award.

BEST DIRECTION: Barrie Kosky (The Women of Troy)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE: Robyn Nevin (The Women of Troy)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE: Trevor Jamieson (Ngapartji Ngapartji)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Yael Stone (The Kid)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Christopher Stollery (Killer Joe)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK: Damien Millar (The Modern International Dead)

BEST NEWCOMER: Yael Stone (The Kid + Frankenstein)

BEST SET DESIGN: Alexandra Sommer and Bradley Clark (All the Blood and All the Water)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Tess Schofield (The Great)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN: Nick Schlieper (The Serpent's Teeth)

BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN: David Gilfillan (The Women of Troy)

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL: Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical (Back Row Productions, Specific Films, Alan Scott, John Frost and Chugg Entertainment)

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Michelle Doake (The Hatpin)

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical)

BEST CABARET PRODUCTION: The Kransky Sisters (Sydney Opera House Studio)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN: Just Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Nancye Hayes and Toni Lamond

Sydney Critics Announce Nominations

The Diana Simmonds and Ian Phipps Club of Theatre Critics has put together their yearly list of nominations for the very best in Sydney's Performing Arts.

I went along to the awards ceremony last year for the first time and it was a very good night filled with a lot of good-will, humility and celebration. Indeed, the Sydney Theatre Critics' Awards are probably the most representative of any of the awards for the performing arts in Sydney.

And as Jason Blake says in the media release;
“The Sydney Theatre Awards is a chance to celebrate a year’s-worth of work, compare notes and come together as a community. That’s part of the reason we’re delighted to be back at the Paddington RSL – it’s a place where people can be a crowd rather than an audience. The drinks are way cheap, too.”

Indeed.

But don't be fooled into thinking the judges see all of the shows.

As Simmonds said about the Helpmann Awards earlier this year, "the likelihood of the nominating "judges" having seen all or even nearly all nominees in a category is virtually nil". The same of course goes for these awards so don't be dismayed if you aren't nominated

The panel of judges consists of Stagenoise blogger Simmonds along with Stephen Dunne, Bryce Hallett and John Shand from the Sydney Morning Herald, Jason Blake from the Sun Herald, Jo Litson from the Sunday Telegraph, John McCallum from The Australian, blogger and SMH reviewer James Waites and finally ABC Radio's Ian Phipps.

The list for this year's awards is a pretty narrow in scope and a little underwhelming. It's all confined within the circl between Kings Cross, Redfern and Walsh Bay with not a single production from Carriageworks nominated or even a physical theatre piece recognised.

Below is the list, with what's missing and my picks.


NOMINATIONS FOR 2008 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
The Great (STC)
Ngapartji Ngapartji (Company B)
The Pillowman (Company B)
The Women of Troy (STC)

What's missing?
Scorched (Company B)

SAJ Pick - Scorched (Company B)
Close Second - The Pillowman (Company B)



BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Killer Joe (Adam Booth and B Sharp)
My Name is Rachel Corrie (Bareboards Productions and B Sharp)
Ruben Guthrie (murri fulla films & B Sharp)
Spring Awakening (The Hayloft Project and B Sharp)

What's missing?
Miss Julie (B Sharp)
Fearless N (Theatre Kantanka)
Twelfth Night (Siren Theatre Company)
The Packer (Old Fitzroy)
Salome (The Rabble)
Stoning Mary (Stablemates)

Pool (no water) (Darlinghurst Theatre Company)

SAJ Pick - Salome (The Rabble)
Close second - Miss Julie (B Sharp)



BEST DIRECTION
Craig Ilott (The Pillowman)
Barrie Kosky (The Women of Troy)
Shannon Murphy (My Name is Rachel Corrie)
Scott Rankin (Ngapartji Ngapartji)

SAJ Pick - Miss Julie (Vladislavs Nastavshevs)
Close second - Craig Ilott (The Pillowman)



BEST ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE
Belinda Bromilow (My Name is Rachel Corrie)
Melita Jurisic (The Women of Troy)
Robyn Nevin (The Women of Troy)
Greta Scacchi (Mary Stuart)

SAJ Pick - Yael Stone (Stoning Mary)
Close second - Melita Jurisic (Women of Troy)



BEST ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Damon Herriman (The Pillowman)
Trevor Jamieson (Ngapartji Ngapartji)
Toby Schmitz (Ruben Guthrie)
Sean Taylor (Death of a Salesman)

SAJ Pick - Damon Herriman (The Pillowman)
Close second - Jay Ryan (The Packer)



BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Judi Farr (The Pig Iron People)
Genevieve Mooy (Queen C)
Genevieve Picot (Rock n Roll)
Yael Stone (The Kid)

SAJ Pick - Maggie Blinco (The Beauty Queen of Leenane)
Close second - Yael Stone (The Kid)



BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Marton Csokas (The Pillowman)
Steve Rodgers (The Pillowman)
Toby Schmitz (The Great)
Christopher Stollery (Killer Joe)

SAJ Pick - Christopher Stollery (Killer Joe)
Close second - Marton Csokas (The Pillowman)



BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
Brendan Cowell (Ruben Guthrie)
Tony McNamara (The Great)
Damien Millar (The Modern International Dead)
Peter Rutherford and James Millar (The Hatpin)

SAJ Pick - Salome (The Rabble)
Close Second - Noelle Janaczewska (Fearless N)



BEST NEWCOMER
Akos Armont (The Kid)
Ivan Donato (The Age of Consent)
Ian Meadows (The Modern International Dead)
Yael Stone (The Kid + Frankenstein)

SAJ Pick - Yael Stone (The Kid, Frankenstein)
Close second - Ivan Donato (The Age of Consent)



BEST SET DESIGN
Alice Babidge and Barrie Kosky (The Women of Troy)
Fiona Crombie (The Great)
Nicholas Dare (The Pillowman)
Alexandra Sommers and Bradley Clark (All the Blood and All the Water)

SAJ Pick - Kate Davis and The Rabble (Salome)
Close Second - Kate Gaul (Twelfth Night)



BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alexandra Sommers and Bradley Clark (Gallipoli)
Roger Kirk (My Fair Lady)
Tess Schofield (The Great)
Kate Shanahan (Queen C)

SAJ Pick - Kate Davis and The Rabble (Salome)
Close Second - Ailsa Paterson (Twelfth Night)



BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Damien Cooper (The Great)
Paul Jackson (Moving Targets)
Nick Schlieper (The Serpent’s Teeth)
Matt Scott (Rock n Roll)

SAJ Pick - Nick Schlieper (The Serpent's Teeth)
Close second - Emma Valente (Salome)




BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN
Brett Collery (Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome)
David Gilfillan (The Women of Troy)
Steve Francis and Alan John (The Great)
Max Lyandvert, Mark Blackwell and Tony Melov (The Age I’m In)

SAJ Pick - Daryl Walis (Twelfth Night)
Close second - Max Lyandvert and Eva Mueller (Salome)




BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Little Women (Kookaburra Musical Theatre Company)
My Fair Lady (Opera Australia)
The Phantom of the Opera (The Really Useful Company and the Gordon/Frost Organisation)
Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical (Back Row Productions, Specific Films, Alan Scott, John Frost and Chugg Entertainment)

SAJ Pick - My Fair Lady (Opera Australia)



JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Gemma Ashley-Kaplan (The Hatpin)
Michelle Doake (The Hatpin)
Taryn Fiebig (My Fair Lady)
Kate Maree Hoolihan (Little Women)

SAJ Pick - Taryn Fiebig (My Fair Lady)



JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Richard E Grant (My Fair Lady)
Todd McKenney (Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical)
Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical)
Anthony Warlow (The Phantom of the Opera)

SAJ Pick - Richard E Grant (My Fair Lady)



BEST CABARET PRODUCTION
The Fabulous Frances Faye (Nick Christo)
The Kransky Sisters (Sydney Opera House Studio)
LoveBites (White Box)
Vamp (Meow Meow at Sydney Opera House studio)

SAJ didn't see any cabaret this year.



BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN
The Arrival (Spare Parts Puppet Theatre)
Just Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare)
Special Delivery (Patch Theatre)
The Wiggles (The Wiggles)

SAJ didn't see any kids theatre this year.



LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
To be announced at the ceremony

The river runs dry

As the Murray River - the natural border between New South Wales and Victoria - dries up, it seems that state borders are also breaking down. Well, in arts policy anyway.

Today in Crikey an interesting anonymous tip arrived;
Arts Victoria funding announcement is scheduled to be released this Friday. Several arts organisations that do really good work, highly respected, genuinely tick all the boxes for Australian content, developing young artists, building partnerships, have got the knife. This follows on from some severe bloodletting in the Australia Council funding announcements earlier this year. Some organisations that are rumoured to be defunded this year include Chambermade Opera, Astra, Ballet Lab, Elision (not able to be verified till after Arts Vic announcement).

Lots of disquiet and anger amongst the arts community which is waiting for the government injunction on Friday to lift following the announcement so that they start raising hell. Regarding the Australia Council, a strange Sydney focus and a big conservative lean. In Arts Vic, a sudden-death change in tune to organisations who were given assurances six months ago that all was well and now have had the plug pulled with no wind-down plan or valid explanation of why evaluations have changed. Several orgs are likely to fold, and others have dramatic staff, admin and programming cuts to face up to. A real kick in the guts to Australian culture and a worryingly cavalier attitude to sustainable art-making from the arts bodies.


There's three points to this argument that get lost amongst the general howling that goes on whenever there is some major funding changes.

Firstly, when is the arts industry going to learn to lobby governments as a united front? This constant justification for funding cloaked in terms of educational/community/social benefits instead of pushing the old fashioned we are here and we need to be funded line is extraordinarily divisive. This is not to mention the amount of back-stabbing that goes on behind closed doors whenever an organisation gets the ear of a Minister - 'they get lots of money, why don't we get some of that' type of tactic.

We must be the only industry in the country that lobbies the government like this and other industries representing anything from mining to banking to education wouldn't be caught dead playing those types of tactics.

Secondly, eventually there needs to be some clearing away of the deadwood so that emerging artists, practitioners and organisations get a turn at the funding pie (not that all the above companies are deadwood). But there needs to be a reality check from many organisations that maybe their time is up. Often a group will get funding for say ten years and what they were proposing back in 1998 hasn't really changed a decade later. And it's a funding pie that everyone seems to take for granted. I have seen on industry bulletin boards straight up whinging and moaning when a company does get funding that it is a) not enough b) too little too late or c) not the right type of funding.

And finally, surely it must be time to examine the rift that exists between the major performing arts companies (AMPAG) and the rest of the industry. This shouldn't just be couched in financial terms but also within the creative. Partnerships need to be established far more often that what they are and they must be across all platforms.

It really shouldn't be a surprise when the Australia Council, Arts NSW or Arts Victoria shake things up a bit. Shouldn't we be innovative enough to keep a bit ahead of the game?

Every now and again

The Sydney Morning Herald doesn't upload reviews published in the Sun-Herald anymore. They used to, particularly when the Herald didn't have the time/resources/inclination to send a reviewer to a show themselves.

In one way it's a shame, because if you happened to miss last weekend's Sunday paper, you would have missed a review that only comes along every now and again - a review that went straight for the jugular.

Reviewers in the Fairfax stable don't often go to town on a production, often giving the benefit of the doubt to most of the shows they see - particularly the professional ones. Messrs Hallett and Hopkins are consistently far too kind and the closest the paper has to an attack dog reviewer is Stephen Dunne who gets let lose on those poor souls in the independent sector.

Even Mr Dunne has been rather mild of late. In fact the only bit of critical rage I have seen come out of his corner is to use the word 'ersatz' in describing a recent production.

Which makes Jason Blake's tirade on Sunday just beautiful. And so it begins;

The expression 'train wreck' is barely adequate when it comes to describing Las Vegas (Confidential). After all, there's always something grimly fascinating or educational to see in a train wreck.

Not since Stephen Dunne's review of the infamous The Nothing Men has such an opening to a review been such a corker. So, of course, I kept reading.

No, this is a fiasco, an embarrassment to all involved in its making and an insult to its audience.

Tell us what you really think Jason.

And so he does.

Based on 'previously untold true events', the plot revolves around Alexander 'The Great' Dean (Tamlyn Henderson), a stage illusionist and headline act at a Vegas Casino managed by mob figure Tony 'The Tool' Spitori (Tony Nikolakopoulos), to whom Dean owes a million bucks or more.

With encouragement from his personal Goddess of Fortune (a ludicrous role written for producer-writer James Karp's wife, Simone), a love affair blossoms between the feckless Dean and the undertandably wary Francesca, a singer. In order for it to survive, however, Dean must work out an exit strategy from the dangerous situation he finds himself in.

Responsibility for this mind-bendingly inept jukebox musical lies with Karp - a stage illusionist himself - and it bears all the hallmarks of a vanity project gone mad.

Without exception, the scenes are sketchy, the dialogue dull-witted and the characters hopelessly cliched. Humour only arises because Karp is unable to distinguish the funny from the laughable. Some episodes exist only as framing devices for magic tricks, all of which look silly in this context.

Design-wise, there's nothing to arrest the eye other than the migraine-inducing glare of the stadium-style jumbotron screen dominating the stage. Karp's choice of songs - ranging from Que Sera, Sera to an excruciating version of Robbie Williams's Me and My Monkey - is as strange as it is unappetising.

Director Christopher Hurrell struggles to make the basics - entrances, exits, scene changes - work and James Taylor's choreography is a mess of showgirl shapethrowing, Eurovision twizz and tawdry bump 'n' grind, much of inexpertly realised.

Rhythm and sass are what's needed and both are utterly absent. Henderson shows some determination in the lead role yet not for an instant do we care about dean or anything he does. Leading lady Katrina Retallick was indisposed on opening night and would do well to stay that way.

Our sympathies go to understudy Diana Holt, who gamely played the thankless role of Francesca. Tiffani Wood, of the late and unlamented pop act Bardot, is rather too obviously there as an audience drawcard but her role - a hooker-singer named Tiffany - is restricted to a couple of Shania Twain-style workouts in the second act. Garry Scale certainly earns his fee playing an elderly Mexican barman in what appears to be a tribute to Tattoo from Fantasy Island.

And if that wasn't enough, we have the closing to make sure you really understand what Blake is trying to say;

Tosh from top to tail, Las Vegas (Confidential) is rubbish and a rip-off.

That's enough to make me really want to go and see it now. Anyone up for it?

But what were the two points out of ten for Jason? The afterparty?

 

Thank god for that!

"COMPLETE with thundering, synthesised organ riffs, an army of smoke machines and a one-tonne, free-falling chandelier, The Phantom Of The Opera is back in Sydney after an 11-year absence."

Aren't you relieved???

Review: Fearless N

Fearless N
Review
Theatre Kantanka

First published in The Daily Telegraph

Part of the experience of seeing a performance at the Newington Armoury in Homebush Bay is the journey. Set on the shores of the Parramatta River, this most unlikely arts precinct is a mix of the historic and the natural and now plays host to performance, visual arts and rehearsals.

In the middle of it all the group from Theatre Kantanka have taken over a large warehouse and transformed it into a 1930’s Bollywood film set. Actors are rushing past, the sounds of lions, monkeys and elephants surround you, sets are wheeled past and a director starts barking at you as though you are an extra on this film set.

The production revolves around the true and astonishing story of Perth born Mary Evans (Chris Murphy) who moves to India with her parents in her early years. After performing with traveling theatre groups she is picked up by local film makers who transform her into an unlikely hero of Bollywood cinema – Fearless Nadia – a Tarzan like hero who always saves the day.

Director Carlos Gomes and writer Noelle Janaczewska have created a modern day musical spectacular that delves into the glitz and glam of her Bollywood stardom. From big musical numbers with a brilliant score to filming scenes with real-time footage projected to the back of the stage to more intimate stories of her love.

This is an astonishing work that is a model for the creation of a musical theatre genre that doesn’t conform to the traditional and tired. But the spectacle, audience involvement and height of theatricality could soar even more such is the amazing story behind this unlikely heroine. Fearless N should be just the beginning of an amazing theatrical journey.

Until March 23
Newington Armory, Sydney Olmpic Park
www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au
02 9714 7888
$18-25

Image: An original Fearless Nadia film poster from Circus Queen

Review: Cabaret Décadanse

Cabaret Décadanse
The Studio, Sydney Opera House


The puppets in Cabaret Décadanse have attitude, they have a lot of rouge and they have a wardrobe that would make Liza Minnelli blush.

Their masters (or servants) Enock Turcotte and Serge Deslauriers bring the puppet divas out one by one to perform jazz, blues and samba classics in a drag like performance that is hilarious.

Puppets, in a similar way to clowns, is an element of theatre that carries you back to your childhood. It’s the suspension of disbelief - you can see the hands and strings attached, but the magic of their world, their faces and their characteristics is too fantastic to ignore.

Turcotte and Deslauriers, the Canadian puppeteers behind the elegantly gregarious puppets capture the essence of smoky French lounges and sultry burlesque performances. For those that saw snippets of their skill and humour during the Sydney Festival La Clique season at the Spiegeltent will not be disappointed by the expanded version of their show.

The adult-only characters of Conrad the French transvestite, Lorraine the old madame, Kiko the lusty Latino and the seductress Chica are just some of the characters that come on to woo their audience. The skill and expertise of the SOMA show is not only the characters but also the skill and sleight of hand that Turcotte and Deslauriers use in delivering the performances.

It is a puppetry performance that is unafraid to show the strings and the mechanics of puppets. With that element plainly in sight it is enough to let the puppets capture your imagination and take you off to the slightly seedy world of decadence.


12 - 23 February $27 – 35
www.sydneyoperahouse.com 02 9250 7777

Variety gets pulled into the Kookaburra bad luck story

It appears that everything that Kookaburra, Peter Cousens’ new National Musical Theatre Company, touches (or indeed, everything that touches them) turns into a flap of feathers and ends in a nest falling dramatically and violently.

Michaela Boland, an arts writer for Variety, as well as the Australian Financial Review appears to have found herself in the cross fire around the musical theatre company due to the slightest indiscretion.

On Friday she published the article ‘Kookaburra musical lands leading lady’ which states that “Caroline O'Connor will topline new Aussie musical period drama ‘The Hatpin’, the latest production from Peter Cousens' controversial Kookaburra Theater Co.”

The problem is that The Hatpin has nothing to do with Kookaburra.

On seeing the article, some furious members of the crew believed that Kookaburra had misled the journalist. Boland suddenly found herself in the very dark territory that is now known as Kookaburra.

The issue of apparent contention appears to be a misunderstanding about who is producing The Hatpin. A quick enquiry by Sydney Arts Journo found that the producers are Neil Gooding Productions, White Box and the Seymour Theatre Centre.

Boland made the mistake of translating the press release phrase ‘in association with Kookaburra’ to be a producing role for the musical. A spokesperson for the producers of The Hatpin confirmed that “Kookaburra's involvement is to provide marketing, sponsorship and resource support”.

The producers swiftly prepared a statement and immediately requested that Boland write a retraction for her ‘web exclusive’. Suddenly the name 'Kookaburra' is proving to be a hindrance rather than a help for an industry that desperately needs some leadership.

Despite the noble intentions of Peter Cousens and the many investors involved, Kookaburra is increasingly becoming the Wile E Coyote of the theatre industry as it is plagued with problem after problem after problem.

Established by Cousens to “affirm musical theatre’s central role in the cultural and social life of Australia”, Kookaburra has found itself bearing the brunt of bad news stories published by all the mainstream news outlets in Sydney.

Their first production Pippin, was slammed by critics with Bryce Hallet from the Sydney Morning Herald calling it ‘empty and vacant’. It then drew the wrath of audiences when the company removed scenes from their next show, Stephen Sondheim’s Company when they didn’t have understudies to fill the role of an ill cast member.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Cousens then called a senior Herald journalist ‘a dickhead’ in a text message for running the front page news articles.

Kookaburra then cancelled their next show, Floyd Collins and got into trouble with the Herald once more when it was discovered that the people signed up to the show were “fighting for their money following the cancellation”.

Kookaburra then cancelled their first show of 2008, Sideshow Alley, and in the meantime parted ways with their publicist and engaged the services of Wilkinson Media, an agency established by ex-TV journalist Peter Wilkinson, which has “an extensive track record in issues and crisis management".

Crisis management indeed.

Just one step too far...

Published today, the Sydney Morning Herald have gone just that bit too far in an article about musical theatre company Kookaburra.

Valerie Lawson, a journalist who has a reputation for taking no prisoners, published a follow up story to one which initially addressed the messy financial clean-up occurring after the cancellation of Floyd Collins.

It was a good article that put the company on notice and ensured that the public was aware of the company's good intentions as well as the positive work being administered by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (read Union Bosses).

"The production company, Peter Cousens's Kookaburra: the National Musical Theatre Company," the 16 November article said, "is in negotiations with the creative team, with the actors and with the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance over fees still owing under the terms of various contracts."

Lawson, however, has now taken MEAA comments out of context in an article published on page 5 today entitled "Legal Action Warning on Actors' Pay".

In it she says, "the Actors Equity director of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance will take legal action on behalf of 10 performers if the national theatre company, Kookaburra, does not pay $30,000 of outstanding debt".

But this afternoon, Simon Whipp from the MEAA has sought to clarify its comments, saying that “today’s newspaper report was both premature and unhelpful in that we are presently engaged in amicable discussions with Kookaburra and are confident of reaching an arrangement to suit all parties.”

Whipp also stated that any legal action would only be "the logical last resort in the unlikely event of an agreement with the show’s producer, Kookaburra, not being reached by the end of the month."

Why did Lawson decide to take that extra step beyond a normal news article? What motives are behind her decision to rub Kookaburra's beak in it that little bit more?

Another feather falls from the sky

The Daily Telegraph has reported today that yet another Kookaburra musical has been cancelled. This follows hot on the heels of the cancellation of Floyd Collins only a few weeks ago.

"Stagedoor hears that Kookaburra, our embattled national musical theatre company has cancelled its first show for next year, Sideshow Alley,"writes Arts Editor Simon Ferguson, "which was to kick off the 2008 season and fulfill the promise made by Kookaburra boss Peter Cousens to stage Australian works, has been canned."

Kookaburra must be going through a period of soul-searching as they have given their publicist, Michelle Guthrie, the flick and instead opted to use Wilkinson Media "a Sydney based corporate communications company with specialist skills in media and issues management".

The Wilkinson Media website states that they "have an extensive track record in issues and crisis management".

Crisis indeed. With Floyd Collins cancelled and the under-study crisis that shrouded the success of Company as reported in the Herald, Kookaburra really needs to settle the nest.

As Ferguson also wrote today, the head of Kookaburra, Peter Cousens "reportedly called a senior journalist 'dickhead' in a text message during the fall-out from the Company catastrophe".

Sydney Arts Journo understands that Cousens sent the delightful message to a senior Fairfax journo... which, if as alleged, is like waving a red flag at a bull. You can be pretty much guarantee front page coverage from that point on and not in the best possible light.

Maybe the crisis is from within, and less about the press releases you are sending out.

In flight cancellation

Kookaburra's next new musical Floyd Collins was cancelled yesterday after the deadline for achieving half their projected pre-sale tickets for the show went by unsuccessfully.

This must be a huge disappointment not only for Artistic Director Peter Cousens and Artistic Producer Peter Ross, but also the creative team lead by director Kate Gaul.

Thank goodness Ross & Cousens have the business acumen to pull a show when they think it isn't going to make a profit. That's the sign of some pretty damn good producers. But it is a huge shame and I was looking forward to seeing the work of Gaul and choreographer Dean Walsh.

I don't know about anyone else, but I couldn't help but feel that the marketing of the show was a little underwhelming. The posters and advertisements were bland in colour and just didn't jump off the page. It was also unclear that on first sight it was advertising a musical and with the black and white photo image, looked more like The Sullivans than an exciting new night out at the theatre.

It is all very well to put on alternative musical theatre pieces, but from what very little I know, it's probably best to advertise musicals as the glitz and glam that draws in a crowd, and then you can hit them with the deeper meaning once they've coughed up the cash.

But that's just me.

What?! Another forum...

Yes ladies and gentlemen - when one isn't sure how to do something, having a forum on it seems to be de rigeur in Sydney at the moment.

And I hereby announce another forum - yes another one - but this time with the Shadow Arts Minister, Mr Peter Garrett.

Here is the article I wrote in Arts Hub today:

Shadow Arts Minister Peter Garrett's nationwide artist forums will make their way to Sydney after a successful session in Melbourne last Sunday, where over 200 practitioners and stakeholders gathered.

"There was an excellent turn out of local artists and the discussion was lively and passionate, just as you would expect," said Mr Garrett.

"A number of key points were made by artists and we'll certainly be looking to incorporate that feedback into our policy deliberations over the coming months."

In what has been deemed by many as the first serious engagement by a Federal minister with artists from the ground-level, the forums hope to give artists and arts advocates the opportunity to voice their concerns and hopes for the future of Australia’s cultural life.

The forum in Sydney follows a successful City Talk hosted by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore that looked at the creative future vision for the city. That event attracted over 1000 people.

Garrett said the forums were an important component of the Australian Labor Party’s programme of connecting with artists and involving practitioners in determining arts policy.

After previous ALP policies, particularly Creative Nation which received criticism from both within and outside the artistic communities, it will be vital that these forums inform the Shadow Arts Minister of the changes required to further advance the artistic industries.

"As the Shadow Arts Minister it's vital to hear what artists working in our community have to say on the issues that affect them," explained Garrett. "'Your Shout' is a chance for those artists to have their opinions heard and considered."


** This forum has been postponed until further notice**

Nicole Alexander: recalibrating Australian opera

As published in ArtsHub Australia.


Most things you read about Nicole Alexander are centred on how young she is. It's almost an obsession for writers. However, it's not really Alexander's youth that stands out but rather the passion and confidence she has for her work along with the belief she has for her productions that is most impressive.

It is so acute that it rubs off on you. If she decided not to pursue her career as a producer she could certainly make a big living as a motivational speaker standing in front of a hundred thousand people getting them all to rise to their feet.

Right now, however, she is motivated to get the Australian public to rise to their feet in the name of opera. Viewed by many as an antiquated art form, Alexander is determined to make it not only accessible to audiences, but also accessible to the young talent emerging from the recital halls of the Conservatorium of Music.

"I am critical of the fact that it's very hard for a younger performer to break into the industry even if they are as good as the older performers," she says. "I am trying not only to provide opportunities but also attract the attention of a wider audience from the established opera audiences.

"I really believe in developing younger performers and I don't think there is nearly enough opportunities for up and coming artists and that's been my whole thing. We have one national opera company and they are a great company, but there really isn't anyone in Sydney giving the opportunity. We have the most incredible talent here. It's quite disturbing."

Her newest venture is the opera Dead Man Walking, a multi-million dollar production that she has been trying to get off the ground for almost two years. Originally a book written by Sister Helen Prejean and then made famous by the 1995 film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, the opera is the debut of American composer Jake Heggie.

The pride with which she talks about this production shows that this is something very close to her heart, not only for its subject matter, but also its creative possibility. "I watched the film and then I read the book and when I heard that there was an opera I went and got archival copies of the DVD from the Adelaide and overseas productions. I just fell in love with the music. It's very romantic. It may be a modern opera but its not a-tonal, it's lyrical, it's got heart.

"The movie is one thing but to heighten the drama of it through music is just another thing. Dead Man Walking is a great conglomeration of different genres. There's pop, there's rock, there's opera, there's negro spiritual.

Putting this production together has been one of the hardest tests that Alexander has been through. "There were people when I started campaigning for this that said 'you will never get this up'. Two years ago we had a sponsorship launch and I said I am not going to stop till I succeed in this. I went and got a tattoo of Dead Man Walking on my hip and I said I am not going to stop till I get this up. It's about the piece, it's a work that's really important."

Talk about dogged determination. At first, the conservatorium trained singing graduate attempted to raise the funds to tour an American production to Australian capitals. She aggressively fundraised for a number of years till she exhausted the local philanthropy market. When that reached a dead-end, she changed tact. The result is an all-Australian cast in an all-new Australian production that hopes to tour overseas.

"When I couldn’t raise the funds," Alexander explains, "I went back to the drawing board. If we put together a brand new Australian production there must be an Australian producer out there that would get behind it. But I thought, cost-wise, it would be more effective to bring in a production but it's not the case at all.

"So I took this to Andrew McManus who I had done some work with in the past and he was very interested in taking this on. For rock-n-roll producers their philosophy is that you don’t have to treat classical music the way you are 'meant to'. You must think outside the square. Just because Opera Australia will produce events a certain way - we don't have to".

This attitude is central to what sets Alexander apart from the opera establishment. It is a risk-taking conviction to produce work that not only incorporates the talent of new and emerging artists but to also bring together the skills of people who wouldn't normally be involved in an opera production.

Nigel Jamieson, whose latest success was Honour Bound, a physical theatre show that explored David Hicks' five-year incarceration in Guantanamo Bay is the director. New Zealand opera pin-up Teddy Tahu Rhodes who adorns the hero-image of the marketing collateral takes the lead role of Joseph de Rocher. Hayden Tee, a familiar face on the Sydney cabaret circuit also makes an appearance, as well as Australian Idol celebrity Anthony Callea. Put radio personality Alan Jones into the mix as the para-legal character and the show is a marketing managers dream.

Alexander talks of Jones with a great deal of affection. "Alan has been a fantastic patron who has helped raise money for our trust over the last couple of years. He has been an amazing supporter of the project from day one and he feels so strongly against the death penalty the he wanted to be involved to make people aware of this".

It's clear that Alexander wants to open up her preferred art form to a wider and more appreciative audience, particularly when it comes to serious social issues. "We need to continue to develop our audiences for the future otherwise we aren't going to have an industry. We also need to be putting on works that open up discussions about things that we are facing as a society. Capital punishment is relevant to what's happening in Australia right now. The Bali nine, the hanging of Van Nguyen. We're having to deal with this issue at the moment even though we don't impose the death penalty. It's something that we have to face. We should discuss it."

Her point of difference is also ensuring that the seasoned professionals are teamed up with the young talent of the country whom Alexander is totally dedicated to. "Not only do we have the cream of the cream in terms of the best performers in the country, we also have a cast of 15 children between the ages of 7 and 10. We have a very talented 16 year old who played Escamillo in my production of Carmen as well as a mix of older and younger singers straight of the conservatorium."

Alexander has found a rare niche in the performing arts. With that space now filled by her ambition and drive, the only thing left is to continue ensuring the longevity of her love of opera and to keep audiences coming back. And no one will be able to tell her otherwise.

"There are so many people that are put down in industry and give up. But it's so important to not to listen and to just keep going. Particularly in opera, otherwise it just won't evolve."


Images: Top - Nicole Alexander, Bottom - Teddy Tahu Rhodes

A Letter from the Past (Part 4)

Yesterday, I was reprimanded by someone for being so slow in getting the next installment of A Letter from the Past. "It's Thursday!" they said.

My apologies to everyone for promising a next installment on Monday and not delivering. It has been a frantic week of interviews, writing, Anzac Day and going to shows.

So, back to my series of extracts from Entertainment Arts in Australia - 1968. The critic.

The status and role of critics is changing and their position within our small community is altering dramatically.

This year's Sydney Writers Festival is having a forum on blogs as well as the changing face of theatre criticism. SAMAG at the Australia Council is having a forum in a week or two about critics as well (but no critics will be speaking??). It's a bit of a hot topic.

Alsion Croggon's Theatre Notes recently had a great discussion about some mainstream theatre criticism that she was brooding over. She took some of them to task for reproducing press release copy in some of their reviews.

But that is now. Let's have a gander at 1968...


The Critics
People agree that a nation gets the theatre it deserves, but there is some quarrel as to whether the theatre gets the critics it deserves, or the critics get the theatre they deserve. Here are some of their opinions, and some opinions on them.


Some people in the theatre comment on criticism:

The history of Australian theatre, unlike the history of European theatre, is simply a history of first nights. Unfortunately, critics think that once they have seen a play, they have done their bit with the play. I think often they should go back and have a second look.
John Tasker, Director

There is a core of them who manage to put things in the right box, and judge them in that box instead of in the context of one whole overall field.
Desmond Digby, Opera Company Director

I think it is pretty outrageous. I think they are far too sure of how they want a play to be done. I also think that there is a general atmosphere of knocking, or if they do praise they take it away with the other hand later on.
Alexander Archdale, Director, Community Theatre

What critics!
Robin Lovejoy, Director, Old Tote Theatre


The critics have their say about the main weaknesses in Australian theatre:

1. We still have a psychological tendency to look overseas for the theatre which is fashionable and famous there
2. There is a lack of playwrights and creative artists
3. We do not have enough actors experienced in the style needed to present the classics, or enough directors with intelligence and imagination to impose their views on the classics as they affect modern society.
Harold Kippax, Sydney Morning Herald

I don't know that we have any basic weaknesses. There is not a very large pool of qualified people to draw on like, say, the National Theatre in England - we're scratching a bit. But I think there has been a great improvement in production in Australia in the last ten or fifteen years.
Geoffrey Hutton, The Age

There are very few interpreters of plays in the country - there are a lot of people who do a workmanlike job on a production. The scripts are often held in much more awe than is necessary. There is [also] a lack of good administration, and the misuse of people.
Catherine Brisbane, The Australian

Well, I think the musicals might die away a bit, and the music perhaps be integrated more generally into productions. Nobody knows what the public wants. If they did, all theatre people would be millionaires.
Howard Palmer, The Sun

I do not see any significant changes or developments in local theatre in the past twelve months or so... Drama as drama is being left almost entirely now to the fringe theatres, the commercial theatre seems to have given drama away almost entirely for light farce.
Norman Kessell, Daily Telegraph


Tomorrow, I will give you a couple of extracts from sections of the book entitled Towards a New Theatre. It looks at the training of actors from the point of view of directors and teachers of theatre.


All extracts above are from:
Entertainment Arts in Australia
Copyright Paul Hamlyn Pty Ktd 1968