Midsumma - A week's worth
Gentlemen Prefer Blokes
Theatreworks, January 22
Courtney Act was in the top 24 for the first season of Australian Idol, but had, for some time before that, been a regular on Sydney's drag scene. After teaming with Sydney cabaret legend Trevor Ashley, Courtney and Trevor conceived of the show, Gentlemen Prefer Blokes, which pays homage to the great female double acts through the ages, from Britney/Madonna to Marilyn/ and from Bette/Barbara to Bette/Joan. If you can insert the appropriate surnames into those combos, this is probably a show that you would enjoy.
The format of the show is musical number/scene, followed by video insert while the girls get changed for the next number or scene. This works remarkably well, unlike some other shows which include a large number of costume changes *cough*Cher*cough*.
The book, such as it was for this show, was very strong, playing as it did with the politics of sex and the notion of gender within society. This was particularly pointed up by Courtney’s rendition of Beyonce’s If I Were a Boy, in which she was in particularly fine voice. Less impressive, though, was the inclusion of Joe Jackson’s Real Men, which felt oddly laboured by the end.
Teleny
BrightSpace Gallery, January 23
When Oscar Wilde's wallpaper proved intractable, he left behind the manuscript for a pornographic novel, Teleny; or, The Reverse of the Medal, a raunchy, salacious affair set in fin-de-siècle Paris, which has, rightly or wrongly, been ascribed to him. It tells the story of Camille Des Grieux and his passionate affair with the Hungarian pianist, Rene Teleny. Bear in mind that this was a good century before Johan Paulik and his ilk - and if you don't know who I'm talking about, don't Google him; suffice to say, some things never change.
As part of some commitment that Midsumma purportedly has to historical and historically suppressed depictions of gay life, Barry Lowe was commissioned to write an adaptation of the novel, a preliminary reading of which would form part of the current Midsumma festival. The play, as it currently stands, is reasonably unstageable, between the explicit sexual acts referred to in the script and the borderline cinematic use of flashbacks and the elaborate, rapid-change sets.
As a play, there are really only the two main characters, with maybe a half a dozen appearances each from Camille's mother and an old friend who still carries a torch for him. Apart from a doctor who makes a couple of appearances in the aforementioned flashbacks and a page-turner who appears in scenes that book-end the play, no other character appears more than once, another significant impediment to the play's success as a stage presentation.
Christopher Marlowe: To Keep Men in Awe
45downstairs, January 24
Christopher Marlowe has, regrettably, faded into the mists of literary and theatrical history as a rather unfortunate footnote to the career of his somewhat more well-known contemporary, Shakespeare. Sadly, this frantic and, all too often, silly one-hander will do little to correct this oversight.
Pink Shorts
45downstairs, January 26
While I applaud the inclusion of this evening of short works by, presumably, emerging writers, frankly, there does need to be some form of quality control. The evening (which consisted of 5 plays in an hour), veered wildly from painfully "comic" to deadly earnest, with a number of shades of bad in between.
Taking the plays individually:
Wilde Kingdom - Playwright: Peter Bloem
This was the second best play of the bunch, although that’s kind of like talking about one’s second favourite communicable disease. Even so, it was a reasonable conceit, if a little facile.
Knowing Me, Knowing You - Playwright: Michelle Saint-Yves
I made a note about this play on my program, but then I seem to instantly have wiped the whole sordid affair from my memory, except for a dreadfully awkward and poorly-motivated piece of stage violence. The note, by the way, was “Trying far too hard”; I’m not entirely sure what it means.
Rugger Bugger - Playwright: David McAmis
This wasn’t too bad, but it could really have done without the lame attempts at comic relief provided by the Coach character. At this length, McAmis needs to decide whether he’s writing a comedy or a drama and commit to that decision.
Hide & Seek - Perpetrators: Ella Harvey & Greta Larkins
This was just terrible. It was like a particularly bad high school revue sketch. That was written in 1999. I mean, surely we’re well past “Tom Cruise is a fag LOL”, aren’t we? Unless you have something specific to say about the rumours, bringing them up just makes your work horribly dated.
For Queer Boys - Playwright: Mark Brown
And speaking of dated, racial politics aren’t, but you wouldn’t know from watching this play. This was by far the best of the evening (again, like nominating ones favourite cancer), because at least it had something to say, even if it was saying it from a perspective of maybe 5 years ago. Sadly, though, this is a conversation we still need to have, and a conversation many (myself included) keep avoiding.
The D&G Experience
Red Bennies, January 28
Finally, a show that is actually good, and one in which one feels one is in safe hands. Luke Gallagher and Dolly Diamond have enough experience behind them to make up more than my lifetime and it really shows.
From the opening number, which was equal parts messy and entertaining, the night was off to a cracking start. And this was a night of a thousand (guest) stars. Apart from their three-piece band, Luke and Dolly were ably assisted by Melbourne-based vocal quartet The Nymphs, who helped lend a sense of class to proceedings. Which is not to say that either Dolly or Luke are without class, but more to give an indication of how much the presence of The Nymphs added to the show.
Each evening, Luke and Dolly had special guest performers and on the night we went (opening night), their guests were male choir, Low Rez. For reasons best known to those other than me, Low Rez decided that they would be best served by performing their, frankly deeply lack-lustre, rendition of Mika’s Grace Kelly, but more about that later.
Dolly and Luke are quite obviously well practiced in working with an audience, with Dolly’s audience interaction providing some of the most enjoyable moments of the evening.
It is a testament to the professionalism of all involved that even the messiest numbers (yes, Black Eyed Peas number, I’m looking at you) were immensely entertaining. I should probably mention the sponsor announcements at this point. Think Graham Kennedy and you’ve got a pretty good idea of how these went.
I would unreservedly recommend any show with which Dolly, Luke or The Nymphs are involved.
Theatreworks, January 22
Courtney Act was in the top 24 for the first season of Australian Idol, but had, for some time before that, been a regular on Sydney's drag scene. After teaming with Sydney cabaret legend Trevor Ashley, Courtney and Trevor conceived of the show, Gentlemen Prefer Blokes, which pays homage to the great female double acts through the ages, from Britney/Madonna to Marilyn/ and from Bette/Barbara to Bette/Joan. If you can insert the appropriate surnames into those combos, this is probably a show that you would enjoy.
The format of the show is musical number/scene, followed by video insert while the girls get changed for the next number or scene. This works remarkably well, unlike some other shows which include a large number of costume changes *cough*Cher*cough*.
The book, such as it was for this show, was very strong, playing as it did with the politics of sex and the notion of gender within society. This was particularly pointed up by Courtney’s rendition of Beyonce’s If I Were a Boy, in which she was in particularly fine voice. Less impressive, though, was the inclusion of Joe Jackson’s Real Men, which felt oddly laboured by the end.
Teleny
BrightSpace Gallery, January 23
When Oscar Wilde's wallpaper proved intractable, he left behind the manuscript for a pornographic novel, Teleny; or, The Reverse of the Medal, a raunchy, salacious affair set in fin-de-siècle Paris, which has, rightly or wrongly, been ascribed to him. It tells the story of Camille Des Grieux and his passionate affair with the Hungarian pianist, Rene Teleny. Bear in mind that this was a good century before Johan Paulik and his ilk - and if you don't know who I'm talking about, don't Google him; suffice to say, some things never change.
As part of some commitment that Midsumma purportedly has to historical and historically suppressed depictions of gay life, Barry Lowe was commissioned to write an adaptation of the novel, a preliminary reading of which would form part of the current Midsumma festival. The play, as it currently stands, is reasonably unstageable, between the explicit sexual acts referred to in the script and the borderline cinematic use of flashbacks and the elaborate, rapid-change sets.
As a play, there are really only the two main characters, with maybe a half a dozen appearances each from Camille's mother and an old friend who still carries a torch for him. Apart from a doctor who makes a couple of appearances in the aforementioned flashbacks and a page-turner who appears in scenes that book-end the play, no other character appears more than once, another significant impediment to the play's success as a stage presentation.
Christopher Marlowe: To Keep Men in Awe
45downstairs, January 24
Christopher Marlowe has, regrettably, faded into the mists of literary and theatrical history as a rather unfortunate footnote to the career of his somewhat more well-known contemporary, Shakespeare. Sadly, this frantic and, all too often, silly one-hander will do little to correct this oversight.
Pink Shorts
45downstairs, January 26
While I applaud the inclusion of this evening of short works by, presumably, emerging writers, frankly, there does need to be some form of quality control. The evening (which consisted of 5 plays in an hour), veered wildly from painfully "comic" to deadly earnest, with a number of shades of bad in between.
Taking the plays individually:
Wilde Kingdom - Playwright: Peter Bloem
This was the second best play of the bunch, although that’s kind of like talking about one’s second favourite communicable disease. Even so, it was a reasonable conceit, if a little facile.
Knowing Me, Knowing You - Playwright: Michelle Saint-Yves
I made a note about this play on my program, but then I seem to instantly have wiped the whole sordid affair from my memory, except for a dreadfully awkward and poorly-motivated piece of stage violence. The note, by the way, was “Trying far too hard”; I’m not entirely sure what it means.
Rugger Bugger - Playwright: David McAmis
This wasn’t too bad, but it could really have done without the lame attempts at comic relief provided by the Coach character. At this length, McAmis needs to decide whether he’s writing a comedy or a drama and commit to that decision.
Hide & Seek - Perpetrators: Ella Harvey & Greta Larkins
This was just terrible. It was like a particularly bad high school revue sketch. That was written in 1999. I mean, surely we’re well past “Tom Cruise is a fag LOL”, aren’t we? Unless you have something specific to say about the rumours, bringing them up just makes your work horribly dated.
For Queer Boys - Playwright: Mark Brown
And speaking of dated, racial politics aren’t, but you wouldn’t know from watching this play. This was by far the best of the evening (again, like nominating ones favourite cancer), because at least it had something to say, even if it was saying it from a perspective of maybe 5 years ago. Sadly, though, this is a conversation we still need to have, and a conversation many (myself included) keep avoiding.
The D&G Experience
Red Bennies, January 28
Finally, a show that is actually good, and one in which one feels one is in safe hands. Luke Gallagher and Dolly Diamond have enough experience behind them to make up more than my lifetime and it really shows.
From the opening number, which was equal parts messy and entertaining, the night was off to a cracking start. And this was a night of a thousand (guest) stars. Apart from their three-piece band, Luke and Dolly were ably assisted by Melbourne-based vocal quartet The Nymphs, who helped lend a sense of class to proceedings. Which is not to say that either Dolly or Luke are without class, but more to give an indication of how much the presence of The Nymphs added to the show.
Each evening, Luke and Dolly had special guest performers and on the night we went (opening night), their guests were male choir, Low Rez. For reasons best known to those other than me, Low Rez decided that they would be best served by performing their, frankly deeply lack-lustre, rendition of Mika’s Grace Kelly, but more about that later.
Dolly and Luke are quite obviously well practiced in working with an audience, with Dolly’s audience interaction providing some of the most enjoyable moments of the evening.
It is a testament to the professionalism of all involved that even the messiest numbers (yes, Black Eyed Peas number, I’m looking at you) were immensely entertaining. I should probably mention the sponsor announcements at this point. Think Graham Kennedy and you’ve got a pretty good idea of how these went.
I would unreservedly recommend any show with which Dolly, Luke or The Nymphs are involved.