Shadow Of The Eagle - only a one week season!
Sat, 24 May 2003, 07:09 pmcrgwllms9 posts in thread
Shadow Of The Eagle - only a one week season!
Sat, 24 May 2003, 07:09 pmWhere: Playhouse, Perth
Who: Perth Theatre Company
Dir Alan Becher
Design Michelle Dado
Cast Geoff Kelso & Michael Loney
Only one week to see this production, so don't leave it to the deathknock.
I think this production will surprise a lot of people who may be expecting a dry, historical treatise. Yes, it's about the meeting of Prime Minister John Curtin with General Douglas MacArthur, in the middle of WW2, and it is being as accurate and factual as possible; but I also found it very entertaining and watchable.
As a two hander of this type, there was a danger of it becoming too wordy and long...I didn't find this happened at all. The play only goes for about an hour and 20 min; and the transitions between various sections of monologue or dialogue are very neatly broken up with engaging business...some of the characters created offstage (via telephone conversation) are as real as the ones we see.
The set is beautifully realised, and the use of audio/visual projection is done extremely well. Occasional photographs and footage from the period help support the text, and never became distracting. The use of the map also helped us to visualise the world situation at the time, and to make sense of MacArthur's strategic suggestion. Attention to details like the opening soundtrack kookaburra from the old newsreels added to the authenticity of the experience.
Michael Loney has obviously studied everything about MacArthur to understand how the man ticked. Talking with him after the show he was keen to reveal even more information than was given in the play, and the fact that he unearthed some facts that were then written into the show. All this helped his characterisation, and it was quite a fascinating interpretation of a character whose public history is quite well known.
Geoff Kelso's characterisation is marvellous. Physically and vocally he really became the ailing Prime Minister. The first scenes are just Geoff onstage, and he controls our attention brilliantly. He and Michael parry each other with skill and deftness.
You don't really need to have any knowledge of the historical context, although you may surprise yourself at how much you already know. If you are a bit of an historian, you'll really enjoy seeing these figures brought to life.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
Who: Perth Theatre Company
Dir Alan Becher
Design Michelle Dado
Cast Geoff Kelso & Michael Loney
Only one week to see this production, so don't leave it to the deathknock.
I think this production will surprise a lot of people who may be expecting a dry, historical treatise. Yes, it's about the meeting of Prime Minister John Curtin with General Douglas MacArthur, in the middle of WW2, and it is being as accurate and factual as possible; but I also found it very entertaining and watchable.
As a two hander of this type, there was a danger of it becoming too wordy and long...I didn't find this happened at all. The play only goes for about an hour and 20 min; and the transitions between various sections of monologue or dialogue are very neatly broken up with engaging business...some of the characters created offstage (via telephone conversation) are as real as the ones we see.
The set is beautifully realised, and the use of audio/visual projection is done extremely well. Occasional photographs and footage from the period help support the text, and never became distracting. The use of the map also helped us to visualise the world situation at the time, and to make sense of MacArthur's strategic suggestion. Attention to details like the opening soundtrack kookaburra from the old newsreels added to the authenticity of the experience.
Michael Loney has obviously studied everything about MacArthur to understand how the man ticked. Talking with him after the show he was keen to reveal even more information than was given in the play, and the fact that he unearthed some facts that were then written into the show. All this helped his characterisation, and it was quite a fascinating interpretation of a character whose public history is quite well known.
Geoff Kelso's characterisation is marvellous. Physically and vocally he really became the ailing Prime Minister. The first scenes are just Geoff onstage, and he controls our attention brilliantly. He and Michael parry each other with skill and deftness.
You don't really need to have any knowledge of the historical context, although you may surprise yourself at how much you already know. If you are a bit of an historian, you'll really enjoy seeing these figures brought to life.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
The Tempest - WAYTCo
Sun, 25 May 2003, 01:31 pmWhat: The Tempest
Who: WA Youth Theatre Company directed by Jenny Davis (cast too numerous to list all of them)
When: Saturday, 24 May 2003, 7:30pm
Where: The Rechabites Hall, Northbridge, Perth, WA.
...and when you've seen Shadow of the Eagle, check out the WAYTCo (PTC's kid-sibling) production of 'The Tempest'.
WAYTCo audiences generally consist of parents (thanks to large casts) who are usually enough to give the company respectable audiences. As a result of that, publicity is not always huge (which is nice and cheap) but then not a lot of general public tend to see the shows (which is a pity).
The Tempest is a tricky play because of its rich visual images contained largely in the language, and it struck me as perhaps a little advanced for the young cast (who's ages range from 15-24...I think). It's one of those plays, IMHO, that requires a fairly sound grasp of the language before even attempting it, and as a result, much of the cast just weren't able to fully enjoy themselves with the images they were creating, as they were still getting over the language hurdle. The Rechabites' infamous acoustics (or lack thereof) also presented an odious challenge to the young voices, which didn't always quite make it past the edge of the impressive Bryan Woltjen set.
Having said that however, there were notable performers in Michael Lamont as Caliban (who found some lovely 'moments'), Nick Maricic as Ferdinand (cold shower in the third row - this kid's GORGEOUS!), Todd Moran as Trinculo (always a fabulously energetic and committed performer) and Garreth Bradshaw as Stephano. This production boasted not one, but three Ariels, conducting themselves as one, and these were delightful performances by experienced WAYTCo-ers, Anna Kim, Alex Desebrock and Nel Minchin (yes, Tim's sister). Joanne Williams was lovely as ever in her small part as Ceres and Rohan Power is always interesting to watch, playing the dastardly Antonio in this production. The costumes by Claire Hooper (who also acted as assistant director on this production) were extremely effective, particularly the goddesses gowns and capes.
The star of the show for me, however, was the stunning live music by Craig Skelton. Did I say the cast didn't always seem to enjoy the language? They sure as hell did when paired with Craig's joyous, creepy, atmospheric and downright addictive music. 'Where the bee sucks...' was one of the highlights of the show for me. The cast so obviously loved performing it, and it was wonderful to see Shakespeare being celebrated in this way. The rhythms used in this piece are purely that of the language, with no musical accompaniment, and it was heaven to watch. 'Cere's Blessing' and 'Five fathoms deep...' were goose-bump material.
So, I suggest you check it out. It's not one you see done too often in Perth, and this production has some lovely moments. Final four shows Wednesday-Saturday at The Rechabites Hall, Northbridge. For ticket prices/bookings email Melanie at waytco@hotmail.com.
NB: Show starts at 7:30 NOT 8pm! (Which means you get out of there by 10:30 - very respectable.)
[%sig%]
Who: WA Youth Theatre Company directed by Jenny Davis (cast too numerous to list all of them)
When: Saturday, 24 May 2003, 7:30pm
Where: The Rechabites Hall, Northbridge, Perth, WA.
...and when you've seen Shadow of the Eagle, check out the WAYTCo (PTC's kid-sibling) production of 'The Tempest'.
WAYTCo audiences generally consist of parents (thanks to large casts) who are usually enough to give the company respectable audiences. As a result of that, publicity is not always huge (which is nice and cheap) but then not a lot of general public tend to see the shows (which is a pity).
The Tempest is a tricky play because of its rich visual images contained largely in the language, and it struck me as perhaps a little advanced for the young cast (who's ages range from 15-24...I think). It's one of those plays, IMHO, that requires a fairly sound grasp of the language before even attempting it, and as a result, much of the cast just weren't able to fully enjoy themselves with the images they were creating, as they were still getting over the language hurdle. The Rechabites' infamous acoustics (or lack thereof) also presented an odious challenge to the young voices, which didn't always quite make it past the edge of the impressive Bryan Woltjen set.
Having said that however, there were notable performers in Michael Lamont as Caliban (who found some lovely 'moments'), Nick Maricic as Ferdinand (cold shower in the third row - this kid's GORGEOUS!), Todd Moran as Trinculo (always a fabulously energetic and committed performer) and Garreth Bradshaw as Stephano. This production boasted not one, but three Ariels, conducting themselves as one, and these were delightful performances by experienced WAYTCo-ers, Anna Kim, Alex Desebrock and Nel Minchin (yes, Tim's sister). Joanne Williams was lovely as ever in her small part as Ceres and Rohan Power is always interesting to watch, playing the dastardly Antonio in this production. The costumes by Claire Hooper (who also acted as assistant director on this production) were extremely effective, particularly the goddesses gowns and capes.
The star of the show for me, however, was the stunning live music by Craig Skelton. Did I say the cast didn't always seem to enjoy the language? They sure as hell did when paired with Craig's joyous, creepy, atmospheric and downright addictive music. 'Where the bee sucks...' was one of the highlights of the show for me. The cast so obviously loved performing it, and it was wonderful to see Shakespeare being celebrated in this way. The rhythms used in this piece are purely that of the language, with no musical accompaniment, and it was heaven to watch. 'Cere's Blessing' and 'Five fathoms deep...' were goose-bump material.
So, I suggest you check it out. It's not one you see done too often in Perth, and this production has some lovely moments. Final four shows Wednesday-Saturday at The Rechabites Hall, Northbridge. For ticket prices/bookings email Melanie at waytco@hotmail.com.
NB: Show starts at 7:30 NOT 8pm! (Which means you get out of there by 10:30 - very respectable.)
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