#dunedinperformancejournal

Another year and another Fortune Theatre Season begins. Going to the season launch towards the end of last year I’ve been excited to see what each of these new shows will hold. With a wide array of content scheduled for 2016, we begin the year with a comedy by Dave Armstrong, Kings of the Gym. Dave Armstrong’s plays are no stranger to the Fortune stage, with The Motor Camp being staged at the theatre a couple of years back, and it seems the theatre has  a flair for staging these contemporary and relevant comedic gems. Kings of the Gym is set in the gym of a low-decile school in the North Island. Focussing on the school’s P.E. teacher Laurie (Phil Vaughan), and his assistant Patrick (Jared Kirkwood), Kings of the Gym explores how the old school interacts with the new school, principal Viv Cleaver (Lisa Warrington) and student teacher Annie Tupua (Rhema Sutherland). Stuck in their ways, and fairly happy about it, Laurie and Patrick spend their days chatting, gambling and drinking in the school office with the occasional odd bit of “teaching” thrown in. When the school’s ambitious new principal sets herself on a mission to clean up the school, she assigns the new student teacher, Annie Tupua, to work with the boys in the P.E. department. Naturally, drama ensues with the clashing of opinions, educational and otherwise, and everyone finds themselves forced to change and adapt to each other. Vaughan’s portrayal of Laurie created a clear image of a sub-par P.E. teacher far more adapt at being liked rather than teaching anything. Vaughan presents the character well, often saying much more with a knowing expression or quick hand gesture than actual dialogue. The relationship he has with his fellow actor Jared Kirkwood is established instantly through a couple of moments of this silent communication. Jared brings an iteration of Patrick to the table that is endearing while also infuriating in his complacency. It has been great to see Jared in a number of Fortune shows over the past year, the first being Punk Rock followed by Flagons and Foxtrots, and with each show his characterisation becomes clearer and more focussed. Next is Lisa Warrington playing the impressive force of Viv Cleaver. I found Lisa’s portrayal of Viv the most entertaining, a credit to Lisa’s impeccable comedic timing. I was glad that Viv’s character was given voice and power through the script but I did feel that the demonization of her character at the end was unnecessary, this being a comment on the script rather than any fault of the actors. And finally Rhema Sutherland brought an enthusiastic and confident Annie Tupua to life, strong but with the freedom and willingness to show her vulnerability when need be. Tupua’s performance was probably the least secure in my eyes. It felt like she began the show with an overabundance of energy that meant she didn’t settle into a character until about 10 or 20 minutes into the show. All in all, Fortune’s first show of the year and first show under the guiding hand of the new Artistic Director Jonathan Hendry is a big success and it bodes well for the rest of the year. If you get a chance, and you’ve like Armstrong’s work in the past, get along to see The Kings of the Gym and you won’t be disappointed.

Counterpoint's latest offering (presented in conjunction with Dunedin Pride Week), Janus, opened to a small, but appreciative audience. A piece of queer theatre, Janus was approachable to those in the audience who may not have seen this type of work before, or are not part of the queer community. The running narrative of the show is loosely based upon Dante’s inferno; Janus takes us on a journey through the underworld, however, instead of the familiar story, Sappho is queer and Dante is replaced by Meckledore (a thinly veiled parody of a hip-hop artist, popular in 2013). While this was the central story, it was interjected by various, sometimes unrelated vignettes that provide insight to, and comment on, the queer experience. Centred around an ensemble cast, Janus showcases and plays to the strengths of many of the talent involved (dancing, singing, comedy) - with many playing various roles. However, due to some of the casting and the order of the scenes, I found myself slightly confused as to whether a few of the stand alone scenes were a part of the main sketch. Clearer direction to differentiate between what was drawn from the ‘Inferno’ storyline would have benefited the play in multiple places. Janus also seemed confused as to whether it was a play, interjected with vignettes or a sketch show. I couldn’t help but feel that rehearsal time ran short and a few extra days would have benefited the show over all. The transitions were often slow, weighing down the beginning of the next scene. Scene transitions are a difficult beast to master, but even some music over the top, rather than having the audience sit in silence would have lifted the spirit of the show. On the same note, occasionally some of the scenes pushed the humour too far, or went on for a minute too long, losing some of the humour - but nothing that faster pace and higher energy from the actors and a bit of script tightening wouldn’t fix. Sinton did a good job for a first time director, Janus is not an easy show to manage with its large, diverse cast of multi-talented performers, and she should be commended on her efforts. Among other things, the show would have really benefited from a bit of tightening, just to take it to that next level. The charm in the show lay in its humorous look at the way straight people look at the queer community, without feeling like it was preaching at the straight members at its audience, which would have been a very easy trap to fall into. Without giving away any spoilers, the end scene felt very superfluous, and to me, seemed to undermine the message the rest of the show was attempting to give. It was also very, very long and drawn out in the middle, leaving it feeling flat, losing my (and my companion’s) interest, as we were left wondering when the show was going to end. I would rather the show had ended on the happier, lighter note of the previous scene (even though the deer was utterly charming). That being said, Janus was overall an enjoyable and informative evening.

I feel I can only reiterate my initial point, that this is one of the most mysterious Voyagers I have seen thus far. Even after attending the performance I’m not totally sure what this has all been about. The gallery format was interesting, but I don’t think we saw enough of this class’ creativity, which I’m sure they have in spades. On a whole however this is a multi-sensory feast that embraces the audience member and totally surrounds them. Each audience member may not totally understand what is going on at all times, but once you let go and simply take in all that is around you, it’s pretty stunning.

All in all, Time Stands Still stands as possibly my favourite Fortune show this year, which is saying a lot considering what a strong line-up the theatre has had so far. I can only recommend that everyone gets a ticket and goes along to see the New Zealand preview run of an extremely engaging and provoking piece of naturalistic theatre. You will definitely be thinking hard about this one, long after you leave the theatre.

So with a new week, we draw ever so closer to exam time here at the university, and with this new week we are brought a brand new helping from Allen Hall’s Lunchtime Theatre season. This week’s Lunchtime Theatre is a piece put together by the soon to be 2015 Performing Arts graduates, Khan Francis Smith, Clement Cizadlo, and Megan Wilson. The graduating students of this course combine the disciplines of Music, Theatre, and Dance, to produce a devised performance, in this case, Happy in Theory. As I understand, the title of the show was chosen first and then the students were required to devise their performance around the title, which has led to an interesting piece. Where to begin? First of all, it must be said, I really loved the format. Using a musical theatre setting to deal with important issues can be extremely effective. Starting off with what seemed to be an introspective monologue examining the definition of the word “happy,” Wilson sets the scene for what is for the most part an effective and engaging show. This is followed by the entrance of Cizadlo, whose first song starts off perhaps too timdly, before being rectified as he gets more comfortable on the stage. After this opening song, we are introduced to Cizadlo’s character, the bitter, heartbroken drag queen, who only wants to have a mature conversation with his ex-boyfriend, and snidely comment on his receding hairline. Following Cizadlo’s monologue is Francis Smith’s story, one of a pair of lovers in the 1920’s, who after meeting and falling for each other begin an alcohol-fuelled party binge, or so I could tell from the 20’s slang. Francis Smith takes the character of the man, heart-broken and full of regret, sitting alone at the bar, sipping on a whiskey, perhaps not the wisest choice, and telling his story to the audience. At the end of Francis Smith’s monologue, the audience are treated to a bit of Britney Spears, in the form of “Toxic,” in three part harmony. As I said earlier, Wilson provided a very strong start to the show with her opening “Happy” monologue. It was well developed and it gave the piece a very clear base-point to work from. Wilson’s other appearances came in the form of an infomercial salesperson, attempting to sell her “Happiness Elixir” (Smirnoff vodka), which for the most part she pulled off well and came across as quite funny. The main jarring moment I found with Wilson was during her song “Little Bird (Happy Girl),” in which she seemed to lose her pacing and momentum. It wasn’t terrible by any measure, but it did pull me out of the action. The other moment that Wilson’s character was given her spotlight was prior to the finale song when her character begins hearing noises again (she heard them during the beginning “happy” monologue as well, I forgot to mention).  I assumed that Wilson’s character was a woman suffering from mental illness, possibly schizophrenia, and using alcohol to cope with it. I also assumed that she was a 1950’s housewife, secretly dissatisfied with her marriage and unfulfilling life. If this was the case, I think Wilson did well to portray her character, and the sound elements were used scarcely enough to have impact when they needed to. It would have been nice to see a bit more about Wilson’s life, and possibly a bit more about her actual character, behind the salesman mask, but I guess lack of character exploration kind of goes with the housewife image. Next up was Cizadlo. As I said before, Cizadlo’s performance began a bit timidly, which was only noticeable because he was playing a drag queen, possibly the least timid character you could play. Also, keeping in mind this was their opening show, it was understandable that it took him a little bit to warm into character. However, as he pushed through his first song, “After Taste”, his confidence built and his performance began to feel a bit more like a proper cabaret. Cizadlo’s character revolved around the bitterness he felt towards his ex-boyfriend, and this was what he played on for more or less the whole show, how people deal with loss and the stages that we go through. It was also implied (heavily) that Cizadlo’s character’s mother was an alcoholic, a fact that links Cizadlo and Wilson’s characters. For the most vocal of all the characters, it was interesting that his character had the least to say, and only began to open up at the end of the play during the final song, “I Swear I’m Happy.” I took this to be a reflection on the fact that he had built himself into an emotional shell to be strong because his mother was an alcoholic and couldn’t protect him like a mother normally would. On the whole, Cizadlo effectively portrayed his character and his moment of connection with Megan near the end was a nice moment of catharsis for the audience. Oh, and the rap battle? That was so cool. Clement, I think entire audience would’ve had your back in a fight after that. And last, but in no way, shape, or form least, Khan Francis Smith. I’ve said all I need to say about Khan really, the smooth talking, cool cat from the 1920’s who fell in love with a fine dame. The most striking thing about Francis Smith’s performance I found was the fact that she sat on the bar stool for the first 10 minutes of the show and hardly moved, which really built anticipation for the time when she finally did move. When her time finally came to move, she brought to life her character through slang, gesture, and a surprisingly good period accent (surprising because accents are hard, not because she was shit). Francis Smith’s clear three-part story was a great anchor for the rest of the show as it kept everything moving though its clear dramatic arc. My favourite song of Francis Smith’s was “Man in Love,” a dub/reggae-influenced piece that added a nice variety to the show music. Also, her voice was en pointe with that song, and it was clear that she has an aptitude for that kind of singing. It would have been nice to see a bit more variation in gesture from Francis Smith, as some of the motions she used in excess became a bit too comical for my liking. Also, some of the pauses in her speech let the energy of the action drop, which became a bit jarring, so it would have been good to see a bit more work done on carrying through those pauses, but aside from these issues, it was a rather great performance from Francis Smith. The final person I should probably mention is Jeremy Mayall, the University of Otago Mozart fellow for 2014. His minimalist instrumentation and tracks accompanied the singers, and although not really my taste, worked well with the songs that, Cizadlo, Wilson, and Francis Smith had written. All in all, there were some fantastic moments in this week’s Lunchtime Theatre, Happy in Theory, and I stand by what I say, musical theatre can be an awesome medium with which to tackle serious subjects, in this case alcoholism. Perhaps Dunedin could do with a bit more of this sort of thing, or maybe a fusion would be nice, “musical verbatim theatre.” I’d pay to see that.

Ultimately A Good Idea at the Time was a great way to spend a Friday afternoon a director, Jordan Dickson simply, yet effectively put together a solid show that was thoroughly entertaining.

The Thursday night lunchtime theatre shows are my favourite. Heading along to Allen Hall without the fear of inadvertently missing a class or meeting, and the cast obviously more relaxed without the looming threat of the lecture in Allen Hall at 2pm on Thursdays. I’m especially glad that I was privileged enough to see I think you’ll like this, Jason Henderson’s (not really a) one-man show in this context, as it turned out to be a true night out to the cabaret. Jason begins his show with the Ugly Bug Ball from the Disney film Summer Magic and to a great reception from an alight audience (yes, that’s us). Getting into the swing of things, he follows the song with a bit of back story and of course with some anecdotes from his life. Suffice to say, Jason’s singing life has been colourful. The cloak of cabaret, he explains, has only been adorned on him this year and prior to that his singing consisted of musical theatre, oratorio, gospel, you name it, Jason has probably given it a go. Suffice to say, the singing throughout the show is diverse and absolutely fantastic. As far as his story telling goes, Jason captures the audience’s imagination with a wide range of witty, charming and self-reflective anecdotes throughout the show, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say there were a few moments when we were thinking, “You can do it, Jason!” As far as development as a performer goes, I would love to see Jason perform again as I think anything that could be improved on would be mainly rooted in confidence and getting used to the form of cabaret. As his stagecraft in storytelling and singing improves, he’s definitely going to be a face to look out for. Highlights for me were Paul Anka’s “My Way” popularised by Frank Sinatra, “Something’s Coming” from Westside Story and a stunning arrangement of Ride on King Jesus that showcased some of Jason’s upper belt and head voice. Jason was accompanied throughout the show by musical director and accompanist Fiona McCabe. Just looking at her career in the programme is intimidating. Pianist, accompanist, repititeur, organist, soprano and choral musician, it is clear that Fiona’s immense musical knowledge has been a great support structure and sounding board for Jason to bounce ideas off of. She accompanies Jason with fluidity and ease throughout the show and adds an extra element of professionalism that can only be attained by someone of her skill. The way she knits the first medley together of Top Hat, White Tie and Tails; Putting on the Ritz and Steppin’ Out with my Baby in such deceptively easy manner highlights a playful element in Jason’s performance and in the show as a whole that is so true to cabaret. As Jason says, this has definitely not been a one man show. With Tutors, advisors, directors and tech crew, each doing their part to put this event together, they have all done fantastic work. The lights follow the journey of Jason’s story, exuding atmosphere and intent. The highly intelligent decision was made to give Jason a microphone, a decision that’s not always clear in a space such as Allen hall. And then spherical lightshades used as set were inspired. For me this was a Thursday evening very well spent. If you get the chance, make sure you get to see Jason perform. With his signature combination of wit and charm, he will leave you bemused and sentimental; beaming and contemplative. And to answer Jason’s final question, “Will I make it?” I think I can speak for the rest of the audience when I say, we certainly hope so.

The Merchant of Venice is a worthy watch, if you do not mind sitting for a long time. It contains themes that are still relevant today and doesn’t require you to over analyse to be affected by them, something that even non-regular theatre-goers can appreciate.