15 Minutes of Fame
Sun, 9 Mar 2003, 12:52 pmWalter Plinge8 posts in thread
15 Minutes of Fame
Sun, 9 Mar 2003, 12:52 pmI've never done one of these before and I'm not really sure what to write, but this show has inspired me.
I went to see 15 Minutes of Fame at the Blue Room Last Night and i must say it was worth every minute. There were 8 monologues by eight different writers performed by eight different professional actors. (and a segway piece between each monologue)
Sounds like a long night right? Wrong. Even though each monologue is around fifteen minutes long you hardly even notice the time fly by and the subjects are hilarious, thought provoking and reminicent of actual events in the paper.
The acting alone was exceptional and the blue room has been transformed into a caberet setting which is a perfect surrounding for the subject matters.
Saying that there is always a few things that I thought could have been done differently but the transistions between monologues is fabulous and your not sure what you're going to get next.
Please go and check out 15 Minutes of Fame. Local Writers and actors at their best. and at just $18/$12 it's worth going to see how the other half live
Jo xxx
I went to see 15 Minutes of Fame at the Blue Room Last Night and i must say it was worth every minute. There were 8 monologues by eight different writers performed by eight different professional actors. (and a segway piece between each monologue)
Sounds like a long night right? Wrong. Even though each monologue is around fifteen minutes long you hardly even notice the time fly by and the subjects are hilarious, thought provoking and reminicent of actual events in the paper.
The acting alone was exceptional and the blue room has been transformed into a caberet setting which is a perfect surrounding for the subject matters.
Saying that there is always a few things that I thought could have been done differently but the transistions between monologues is fabulous and your not sure what you're going to get next.
Please go and check out 15 Minutes of Fame. Local Writers and actors at their best. and at just $18/$12 it's worth going to see how the other half live
Jo xxx
Re: 7 1/2 Minutes of Fame
Sat, 22 Mar 2003, 09:03 pmI'm afraid I only watched half of this production, but it wasn't because I walked out halfway - it's because I walked in!
I didn't have any other nights available, and I had just come out from seeing "Skin Tight" at PICA (see other review) when I realised it was interval at the Blueroom...they were kind enough to let me see the second half of monologues for half price.
So my apologies to the cast of the first half...I heard great things.
I really enjoyed the cabaret/floor setting, and the atmosphere of strange characters sitting around me. I believe free entry was allowed to anyone who dressed as someone famous...this gave the effect that I had no idea whether or not these characters were about to step up and perform, or were actually in the audience.
Tina Musumeci's monologue was handled quite well, but it was the least favourite of the ones I saw. Partly because I have no prior knowledge of the character she was portraying (Myra Hindley), and there is nothing intrinsic in the script to let me know that it is based on the true story of a character who's evidence was called into suspicion, I feel there were layers to the story that weren't fully realised. I only discovered this later in the bar when I was told who it was based on. Tina believably took us through the events, but I felt it only skimmed the surface, and didn't really reveal why she had to justify herself. Perhaps also her physical presence looked too composed and glamourous to believe she was an outback backpacker. A difficult one, and partly because of the script, I wasn't really taken on a journey.
I really liked the casual way Crispian Chan (who's Ethan Russ, Jarrod?) made himself at ease with the audience, with the philosophical comedy of being a forgotten God. A great idea, well scripted, and Crispian embodied the character with an all-knowing, self-effacing charm that really highlighted the wry irony of a powerless immortal.
The best characterization of the night for me was Renee Newman-Storen's portrayal of the aussie battler housewife who was trying to manage the fame from being the mother of pentuplets. Renee's character was quite far from her own, and while bordering on a cliche never crossed into caricature. She played the outward, neighbourly, cheerfully harassed new mother with a wonderful hidden subtext of sorrow and doubt for her relationship and the future. A natural and well embodied performance.
And Mike Frencham. Mike, Mike, Mike.. Very funny, very well observed and portrayed characters. I wish I'd seen the development of his character in the first half, what I saw was terrific. His monologues were more like hearing one half of a dialogue, by a character in the middle of a bizarre situation, and his timing and natural delivery transported you right into the moment. From what I've seen of Frencham's performances, the guy's got no fear, and he has a terrific grasp of comedy and how to relate to an audience.
Thanks, and once again, sorry I couldn't see the rest.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
I didn't have any other nights available, and I had just come out from seeing "Skin Tight" at PICA (see other review) when I realised it was interval at the Blueroom...they were kind enough to let me see the second half of monologues for half price.
So my apologies to the cast of the first half...I heard great things.
I really enjoyed the cabaret/floor setting, and the atmosphere of strange characters sitting around me. I believe free entry was allowed to anyone who dressed as someone famous...this gave the effect that I had no idea whether or not these characters were about to step up and perform, or were actually in the audience.
Tina Musumeci's monologue was handled quite well, but it was the least favourite of the ones I saw. Partly because I have no prior knowledge of the character she was portraying (Myra Hindley), and there is nothing intrinsic in the script to let me know that it is based on the true story of a character who's evidence was called into suspicion, I feel there were layers to the story that weren't fully realised. I only discovered this later in the bar when I was told who it was based on. Tina believably took us through the events, but I felt it only skimmed the surface, and didn't really reveal why she had to justify herself. Perhaps also her physical presence looked too composed and glamourous to believe she was an outback backpacker. A difficult one, and partly because of the script, I wasn't really taken on a journey.
I really liked the casual way Crispian Chan (who's Ethan Russ, Jarrod?) made himself at ease with the audience, with the philosophical comedy of being a forgotten God. A great idea, well scripted, and Crispian embodied the character with an all-knowing, self-effacing charm that really highlighted the wry irony of a powerless immortal.
The best characterization of the night for me was Renee Newman-Storen's portrayal of the aussie battler housewife who was trying to manage the fame from being the mother of pentuplets. Renee's character was quite far from her own, and while bordering on a cliche never crossed into caricature. She played the outward, neighbourly, cheerfully harassed new mother with a wonderful hidden subtext of sorrow and doubt for her relationship and the future. A natural and well embodied performance.
And Mike Frencham. Mike, Mike, Mike.. Very funny, very well observed and portrayed characters. I wish I'd seen the development of his character in the first half, what I saw was terrific. His monologues were more like hearing one half of a dialogue, by a character in the middle of a bizarre situation, and his timing and natural delivery transported you right into the moment. From what I've seen of Frencham's performances, the guy's got no fear, and he has a terrific grasp of comedy and how to relate to an audience.
Thanks, and once again, sorry I couldn't see the rest.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
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