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%]
Re: The Tempest - WAYTCo
Sun, 1 June 2003, 11:13 pmWalter Plinge
Can i take then from your (presumably) sarcastic tone that you were not altogether impressed by young Mr Smith's performance?
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