Director Francois Ozon’s IN THE HOUSE is a fine and thoughtful film about relationships, the love of literature, and gentle and persuasive manipulation. As in his earlier film THE SWIMMING POOL, he has used the structure of the writing process to raise ideas and create wonderful dramatic tension.
If THE LONE RANGER is an attempt to rebirth the Western, I’m afraid it’s still born. With its unwieldy length, imposition of an old Tonto retelling the story, a dreadful deadpan Depp bordering on dull, this poisons the well of Western box office as devastatingly as an asbestos inhaler. The best thing that can be said of THE LONE RANGER is that its set pieces are worthy of Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, but are so mismatched in the feeble narrative as to be puzzling rather than palpable.
They don’t make them shows like this anymore. Musical theatre fans will adore this. It’s hard to believe that this is HOT SHOE SHUFFLE’s 21st anniversary revival! It’s one of those ‘old fashioned’ feel –good ‘let’s put on a show’ musicals that showcase the jaw-dropping talents of a superb cast.
The characters succumb in many ways to pride and prejudice. Fourteen actors vividly create the experience of living in 19th century England, detailing the pride which would keep lovers apart, simply because of all the prejudices of the upper classes. The director of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE successfully found wonderful Sydney-based actors, able to bring each of Jane Austen’s characters alive with charm, charisma, and wit.
This production takes place on a very small stage, but the staging choices made by director, Les Solomon, are very effective. Both actors move easily through the audience, thus breaking the fourth wall, which immediately forges a closer connection between the audience and the characters. Clay’s anguish in the hospital scene is powerful, and his unrestrained joy at Mardi Gras is infectious.
Daniel Hunter and Sylvia Keays play two young, attractive single people, Neil and Veronica, who meet at a party and have a hot night of sex together at Veronica’s apartment (impressive set design by Rachel Scane). The play starts with them waking up the morning after, feeling great and still wanting more action. Maybe this could be the start of something beautiful, the relationship that both have been looking for?!
This terrifying explicit and raw account, shows all the consequences of the unrestrained violence of the Unwin brothers. Interest is constantly sustained, by the unpredictable responses of each of the characters, and their predatory co-dependency. The script also achieves laughs from this disturbing story, where the wives are more prey than partners, as it reveals the origins of violence in a family that has a serial killer in its ranks.
The production featured some striking visual effects – from the marvellous front curtain with the Inca like portraits, the huge giant statue of the Madonna, and the glorious chorus and huge amounts of candles for Leonora’s Act1 I aria ‘Sono giunta! … Madre, pietosa Vergine’ in the church. Special mention must be made of the wonderful singing of Giacomo Prestia as Padre Guardiano, Warwick Fyfe as Fra Melitone, AMD Kanen Breen as Mastro Trebuco.
Bernadette Robinson’s voice is amazing. It is clear, powerful, warm and has a great range. She can, and does, turn it to singing opera, jazz, blues and popular music at will and with consummate ease. She can, and does, effortlessly change herself from a diva to a torch singer and back to a diva. And In doing this, her acting skills match her vocal ability.
Danielle Maas and Joe Kernahan displayed an impressive array of performance skills in presenting an enlightening, witty commentary on modern casual, and not so casual, relationships. With its wonderful multi-media set, spontaneous audience involvement and on the button currency, this show delighted the crowd with a laugh every second line. The writing could be shortened a little perhaps toward the end.
