Psycho Beach Party

Once upon a time....in a far away land....(other wise known as Kalamunda) .....King Nick.... got together the perfect cast to tell a summer time tale... in the middle of winter. Go Figure!!!
Somehow he managed to bribe, blackmail or coherce mulitple talented people to brave the journey, bare their bodies and souls to produce....
an amazingingly funny, cross of Hitchock meets Gidget in the true Blak Yak tradition of original, interesting off the wall theatre.
My friend and I laughed and laughed and couldn't believe the twists and turns. First there were the guys, talented hunks, enough to melt the winter frost away. The women were amazing, one of the most frightening Mothers -- a cross from Father Knows Best and the best of the horror shows, I hope Jenny McCann isn't too scarred from the experience. I felt I met true greatness when I watched Julia Dalby dazzle us all. Melissa Merchant showed a depth of range and character that was amazing, I would say she stole the show, but that would be untrue because each person on that stage owned their characters and were flawless in their parts.
Tim Edwards was unrecognizable as the Great Kanaka, a total change, very spooky. I could go on and on. But you have to get there, go and have the very best laugh, enjoy yourself. The MUSIC IS GREAT. (CD available in the lobby). Leave the kids behind (or cover their ears in a few parts). Take a trip back to the surf/beach days, I recommend this to everyone, be there or be square. Laugh yourself silly and chuckle at bits all the way home.
PS Watch out for Kim Wallace, she melts men with a glance, Adam & Troy will leave you gasping for air, Alex steals your heart, Michael and Francie groove along and Melanie is the best friend you always wished for.
PSII Costumes are lots of fun

PS III Kalamunda isn't really that far, you don't need a passport, well worth the journey, bring a friend, bring a group, just don't miss it.

I saw Psycho Beach Party last night, and I felt that an alternative review to the one already posted needed to be given. At the outset, I think it is important to note that most perfmances were of a particularly high standard - impressive characterisation and stage skills gave the production a strong base.

Key performances to note are Melissa Merchant as "Chicklet" whose honest portrayal of multiple personality disorder is to be commended. Her flawless personality transitions held my attention to the end. Also impressive was Melanie Gault as "Berdine", Kim Wallace as "Marvel Ann", Julia Dalby as "Bettina Barnes" and Jenny McCann as "Mrs Forrest". In particualr, Gault's portrayal of the 'nerdy best friend' character was compelling, humourous and energised.

What distressed me however was the poor calibre exhibited by the male cast of the show. Alex Jones was wooden and unloveable as "Starcat", Tim Edwards diminished the role of "The Great Kanaka" and Troy Hall and Adam Shuttleworth as "Yo Yo" and "Provoloney" respectively were insulting in their immature portrayal of a parodied gay couple coming of age.

The pace of the show also leaves much to be desired. The overlong first half crawls by to an audience that was in desparate need of entertainment. The few engaging moments in the first half created a palpable hunger in the audience for more - a hunger that was, in the end, never satisfied. Act II, thankfully, saves the show. Mercifully shorter, the second half employs far more compelling action and dialogue.

Overall, I feel the show didn't achieve its full potential. The actors invovled in the show (those slated earlier included) are all of a high quality, and director Nick Donald's previous work is also to be commended. Perhaps it was a poor script that dragged this show down, rather than poor work, but script selection is the MOST important part of a directors role. This play removes an actor's ability to reach out and engage the audience - an essential facet of theatre, in particular comedy!

I look forward to seeing more of Blak Yak's work in the future as I feel there is a wealth of talent here to be seen - I just didn't see it in "Psycho Beach Party". My final note would be to remeber that an accent is only effective if maintained as first voiced for the entire production - a feat only Gault, Dalby, McCann and Wallace achieved.

Darren Bilston BA Honours
(currently studying towards a PhD in direction - I KNOW what I'm talking about)

Thanks for your review, Darren.

As a director I fully appreciate all feedback (positive and negative) in relation to the shows I direct. And I know they are not perfect (in some cases, far from) but I do feel that "Psycho Beach Party" is as close to it as possible. You obviously recognised how talented this cast is and I'm glad you got some enjoyment out of the performance you attended.

However, (you knew there'd be a 'however' attached to this) I feel that you actually missed something crucial to fully appreciate this show ie: An understanding of the genres this play is parodying. I'll address your points one by one, remembering that "Psycho Beach Party" is above all else a comedy.

Firstly: yes, the women in the cast are all fantastic (as are the roles as written in the script) but you seemed unduly harsh on the male cast members, who have perfectly captured the acting style of the 1960s beach movies this play parodies.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly: You say "...Troy Hall and Adam Shuttleworth as "Yo Yo" and "Provoloney" respectively were insulting in their immature portrayal of a parodied gay couple..." I'm sorry you were insulted by this, but Adam and Troy are not parodying a gay couple, the parody is directed towards the type of characters they are based on in the 1960s beach movies. Characters who honestly seem to be one step away from coming out (just as Gidget seems one step away from going completely insane) when viewing these movies in the context of 2003. There's an alarming verisimilitude in their performances when related to the original source material. And, I feel, a great sense of maturity to their handling of the romance between Yo Yo and Provoloney.

You may or may not know, but Charles Busch (who wrote Pscho Beach) is a very successful, gay American playwrite. What he has done, in this case, is looked at the original sources and then (as stated above) taken the characters that one step further, a step thay all seemed about to take anyway.

Thirdly: the pacing may not be to your liking, but act one runs barely over 50 minutes and act two is done and over in about 35. Much shorter than most of my previous shows (many will vouch for that with a winge or two) and I personally feel that there's no lag whatsoever after the essential set up in scene one. Infact the show doesn't out stay it's welcome and we're all at the pub well before last drinks.

Like I said, I really do appreciate your feedback, but I very much disagree with you in this instance. Therefore: I have a proposition for you: Go and hire out the original "Gidget" movie starring Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson (Planet have it) and watch it. Perhaps even check out some other shockers of the era such as "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" and maybe even the movie of "Psycho Beach Party' adapted for the screen by the author (who also appears in the film).

After doing that, we invite you to come back and see the show FOR FREE to see if the source material lends you an appreciation for our production that you missed out on first time around (especially in regards to Adam and Troy's performances). I'd also be more than happy to chat with you about the show at that time.

In all cases if the critisism is justified I'll gladly take it on board and anyone who knows me will tell you that as far as I'm concerned, offending people is NOT a problem. Just as long as you're offended (or insulted) for the right reasons.

Look forward to seeing you at the show again. I hope we can change your mind.

Be Good
Nick Donald

Director of "Psycho Beach Party"
I KNOW what I'M talking about too, having done a bucket load of research for this play...

Nick,

Thankyou for your reply to my review, I, like you, am always eager for feedback. At the outset, I would like to stae that I DO NOT put my professional name to any document that I have not first fully researched. My review was written only after having read your script and having viewed movies from both the genres the script parodies. (I used to work in a Video store, so I have seen my fair share of both the 1960's beach films AND the Hitchcock films.) Therefore, it is important to note, that my review was written from an informed position.

In response:
Firstly, you fail to note that my BIGGEST criticism was NOT of your production but of the script you chose to produce. As any good director knows, a good, workable script is EVERYTHING! (See Frerer, "Directing For the Stage" (1996) for a full exegisis of this topic. Counsell's "Play Direction: A Practical Viewpoint" (1973) also offers some strong points here.) You claim that I "missed something crucial to fully appreciate this show ie: An understanding of the genres this play is parodying." My point here is that your script fails to do what it promises. The script does NOT parody the two genres in question. However, that is a criticism of script (and by extension, script choice), not of production validity, so I will not continue my argument here. If you would like to continue this, please e-mail me.

Secondly, you question my review regarding Hall's and Shuttleworth's performances. You say, and I quote, "Adam and Troy are not parodying a gay couple, the parody is directed towards the type of characters they are based on in the 1960s beach movies. Characters who honestly seem to be one step away from coming out ... when viewing these movies in the context of 2003. There's an alarming verisimilitude in their performances when related to the original source material. And, I feel, a great sense of maturity to their handling of the romance between Yo Yo and Provoloney." If you have truly researched this play as deeply as you claim to, you are no doubt aware of the extensive amount of queer theory pertaining to just this type of parody. (The basics of these theories can be found in most books on Popular Culture - I would suggest Strinati's "An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture" (1995) as a good place to start for those interested) Were you truly aware of these theories, you would not try and pass off what is scripted here as a parody of suggested queer relatioships in late modernist film. Furthermore, this is not simply a scripting issue. A director has the power and responsibilty to re-work any part of a script to ensure its validity to the genre it is supposedly portraying. In addition, an actor ALSO has the responsibilty to ensure he/she researches any part played to the best of his/her abilities. Had Hall and Shuttleworth taken their roles seriously enough to do this, they would have created a compelling yet hilarious juxtaposition between suggested homosexual relations and the genre that was supposedly being parodied within socially righteous parameters. BUT, I make these criticisms from a professional perspective and yours IS an amateur production, so perhaps I have been too harsh. (As an adjunct here, I would like to point out that the said queer theory was employed in the development of the TV show "Will & Grace." A large part of the show's success has been attributed to this fact!)

Thirdly, you also comment on my remarks in regard to pace. I would like to point out once again, that this was a result of poor choice of script. I am surprised to discover that the first act runs for less than an hour - it felt like MUCH longer!

In regards to your offer of a free ticket to view your production again, I must regretfully decline (and this IS a regret as I would much like to see Merchant's and Gault's performances again) as I have other engagements next week. (I am hosting Western Australia's Wakakirri heats at the Regal theatre.) Also, as I DID see the show from an informed position originally, I do not think that a second viewing will "change my mind" as you so succinctly put it.

In closing, I would encourage ALL theatre goers to see Psycho Beach Party while it is still playing - and let me know your thoughts. The show is playing at the Kalamunda Performing Arts Centre on Canning Rd in Kalamunda this weekend. Please e-mail me with any thoughts on the show, I am VERY interested.

Darren Bilston BA Hons

After reading your review, I felt that a response was necessary. Not in regards to your opinion of Psycho Beach Party but in relation to the final lines of your response:

"Darren Bilston BA Honours
(currently studying towards a PhD in direction - I KNOW what I'm talking about)"

I question the arrogance behind, and the necessity for, this statement. Do you feel that because you have a piece of paper behind your name that this somehow makes your opnion more valid, or adds a greater degree of credibility to what you say? Because if this is the case, then you are implying that the opinions of those who do not have a degree in theatre are somehow diminished? (As you may have felt yours would have been had you not announced your credentials).

I know a number of people who review the shows they attend who do not have degrees in theatre but whose opinions are both credible and valued by those among the community theatre scene. If your opnion is honest and and reasonably justified, then there is no reason that it wouldn't be taken seriously and its validity appreciated. I myself have a BA in Film and Television, yet I would never review a film and have the arrogance to assume that because I have this degree it somehow makes my opnion more valid or more credible than someone who did not have a film degree.

You have an Arts degree. No offence, but this doesn't raise your opinions above and beyond fellow theatre-goers ... Throw a stone in a room full of theatre attendees and 9 out of 10 times you'll hit someone with one. Your opinion was honestly held, and backed up with reasoning, that's all you need to be taken seriously when making a review on the ITA website. You're credentials are irrelevant. And although you may not have intended it, by annoucning that you "KNOW" what you're talking about simply because you have a degree, you implied that the opinion of someone without such credentials is less valid or diminished in some way.

And this I find to be insulting.

Kim Wallace

Please cross reference these reviews with the threads about "Criticism or Critique", to underline the difference between what a published reviewer can talk about, and the detail that a personal critique like this can give...and then realise that they both have their faults.

Any opinion's worth expressing, though....



Cheers,
Craig
CitWA
PADI OWI
Equity 6672051
est. 1988
BA (Eng) (incomplete)
HR-X R

I don't always KNOW what I'm talking about, I just ACT like I do.

[%sig%]

Kim,

I take your point on board and duly offer my sincere apologies for my arrogance. The reason I signed my review using my professional name was so that the cast members did not feel my comments were unfounded - I realise now that this was un-necessary, especially the addendum located within the parenthesis. I will be more considerate in future - you are correct in stating that my credentials DO NOT add weight to my comments - I am simply a newly formed scholar who has developed the egocentric habit of flashing his 'letters' around. Once again, my apologies.

Darren

I too attended Saturday's performance of Psycho Beach Party, and was thoroughly delighted by the evening's performance. And unlike Mr Bilston, I feel that the play fully acheived its potential ... and then some.

I agree with Mr Bilston, in so far as, Ms Merchant's amazing performance as the protagonist "Chicklet". I was thoroughly impressed by both her depth and range of acting, and her ability to seamlessly slip from one character to the next. I loved the fact that the character transformations were not only vocal but also physical as well. Her performance was both humorous and touching, and the delivery in her final monologue was truly moving.

However, I do not agree with Mr Bilston that Ms Gault's performance as Berdine was "compelling", "humorous" or "energised". If anything, I felt that Ms Gault gave the only weak performance in what was otherwise an extremely strong cast. Her delivery was flat. Her monologues were tedious. And she appeared to have a rather limited sense of comic timing. I could see the humour that she was trying to acheive but unfortunately she just didn't seem to be able to reach it. This wasn't as noticeable when she was on stage with the rest of the cast, but it was very apparant during her monologues. And unlike Mr Bilston, I did not find the pace of the play to be overly long. If anything, the only time the play's dynamic pace did drop off, was during one of Ms Gault's monologues.

In regards to the rest of the female cast, Ms McCann was side-splittingly funny as the unbalanced mother of young Chicklet. Her comic timing was impeccable and her facial expressions were hilarious. I will never look at a jock strap the same way again. Ms Dalby as the actress was also a riot. I loved the tantrum with the "trailer park" accent. Ms Wallace as Marvel Ann, the bitchy blond bombshell, is not only gorgeous (with the best mid-Winter tan I've ever seen), but also gave a fantastic performance (in delightfully skimpy attire). Her catty comments to Berdine and Chicklet were delivered with the perfect degree of venom, and her break-up scene with Starcat had me in stitches ... I'm astounded Mr Jones managed to keep a straight face.

In relation to the male cast of Psycho Beach, I wholeheartedly disagree with Mr Bilston's views. I didn't feel that Mr Edwards performance as the "Great Kanaka" was diminished at all. He has a solid grasp of comic timing, and managed to strike a perfect balance between the cool King of the Surfers, and Ann Bowman's lap-dog. His unusual accent took a little while to atune to but in the end I felt it provided his character with a quirky eccentricity.

Mr Jones as Starcat was in no way wooden or unloveable ... he perfectly parodied the style of the acting that was prevalent in the 1960s beach movies. I was impressed by his sense of when to play up a joke and when to play it straight ... he even looked like "MoonDoggy" from the Gidget films. I found his character to be very likeable ... even identifiable - especially during the Marvel Ann break-up scene (who hasn't experienced a similar, though probably less extreme, confrontation from a woman).

As for Mr Hall and Mr Shuttleworth, their portrayal of the gay surfer boys was light-hearted, tongue in cheek and humorous. I think that it was cleverly set up and while the 60s acting style was parodied, their romantic scenes together weren't hammed up or made to be appear anything but romantic. It was actually very sweet - and kudos to Mr Hall and Mr Shuttleworth for keeping straight faces during that swelling concerto.

I absolutely loved Psycho Beach Party. I've attended a number of play's this year, and so far I have to say that this has been a real highlight - one of my favourites. Excellent work. It's a fun, witty and light-hearted play ... I encourage everyone to go and check it out.

John Mitchell

I really really enjoyed the show as well. It was hilarious. I laughed so hard. It was great fun.
I agree that Chicklet was fantastic. Melissa Merchant is extremely talented. I'm so jealous :) I didn't think that Berdine was as bad as John Mitchell said, though. I agree that she could have done a lot more with the role, and she was a little flat at some points (mainly her final speech) but overall I thought she did a pretty good job. Her accent was very consistent. Her costumes were really effective.
I loved Mrs Forrest, she was amazing ... very very funny ... I liked the peter belt scene, too. And I really liked Bettina Barnes and Marvel Ann as well. Although I had to pick my boyfriend's jaw up off the flaw when Marvel Ann first came out in the blue bikini (is that tan real?)
Starcat was absolutely gorgeous and the Great Kanaka and his spanking paddle made me laugh A LOT! But my favourites were Yo-Yo and Provoloney ... they were the best. They were so cute! I think their kiss scene is the best stage kiss I've seen all year :)
Loved it, loved it, loved it.

I couldn't agree more...I haven't been to many productions in Perth and quite frankly the ones I have been to I haven't enjoyed and even walked out half way through one of them!

This one however, was fantastic...I couldn't stop my mouth from falling to the floor when a few of the scenes went further past the boundry then some shows might go (which is a good thing) and I didn't want the show to be over when it was nearing the end.

Chiklet has to be my favorite characther. Mels performance was flawless, everything just rolled off her tounge, her characther was clear to understand even when personalities changed. Great stuff!

Well done to all who participated in the production and I can't say enough how I think each night should the theatre should have been full! Let's get the word out!

I was also at Saturday's performance. I went for two reasons, I've worked with two of the cast in previous shows and wanted to see and support them in other guises, and the "pre-review" on this page saying how side splittingly funny the play was.

After a fantastic meal at Somewhere Else Cafe in Kalamunda (the preview did say to make the most of the trip up the hill), my first impression was what a great venue the Kalamunda Performing Arts Centre is. I hope Black Yak can continue to use it. It was good to see the number of people there a well.

However, I was disappointed in the play itself. I fully support previous comments about the acting and production standards, and the music was great and fitted the play perfectly. However, as a parody, it didn't work for me. I found myself smiling occasionally and the odd guffaw passed my lips. I was also suprised by how little audience reaction was happening around me. I don't think it really ripped into the Gidget genre enough. I think it could have been a whole lot "worse". I left feeling a little let down, not by the performers, but by what they had to work with.

My last thought as I drove down the hill in the mist was that it was a pity Black Yak's production of MoJo couldn't have been performed in Kalamunda rather than at the Brass Monkey, competing with a band and clinking beer glasses.

Bruce Angus

I drove up to Kalamunda last night for what I hoped would be a bit of a wheeze.

To be honest, with a name like "Psycho Beach Party" I wasn't expecting terribly much. I was most pleasantly delighted though.

Melissa was almost faultless in her portrayal of someone with multiple personality disorder. I can see a big future for this girl. The great Kanakuh was truly dimwitted. The film "actress" had me in stitches. The mother was also an absolute hoot in no small part attributed to her obviously studied body language parody of some of those old 60s beach flicks.

Some great staging effects as well. The ultra cheesey surfing scene was a personal favourite.

There were some occassional pauses as the audience patiently waited for the next set up, but a small blemish on an otherwise fine production.

The script was fantastic in terms of producing a lot of cheap laughs (and who doesn't love a cheap laugh?), but I agree to a point that some of the parody was perhaps not quite on target. Although I thought that the gay plot was. There was a lot more that could have been explored (I felt the great Kanakuh could have had his laid back mystiquie delved into a little more and there were probably a few stereotypes missed).

I reccomend any who haven't seen it to go and have a look. Kalamunda mightn't been the closest place to most of us, but its worth the journey out there.

Ben Szymkow
Punter

Made the trek up to Kalamunda myself the other night...I believe that's the first time I've ever sat in the audience there, although I have been on that stage once or twice.

(I was a bit wary of Kim Wallace throwing stones at me in the audience, but braved it because I figured she'd probably miss me by a few Degrees... )

So in my unqualified but generally opinionated opinion, I quite enjoyed the night, although I tend to agree the script itself isn't as crash hot as I'd have hoped.


The whole American beach party film genre is not so difficult to parody these days...because it was virtually a parody when it originally existed. If we tried to stage one today in total seriousness, it would be seen as a parody.
So the expectations for a comedy ripping off the genre are pretty high. The show works best to meet these expectations when it's taken to full extreme, or exposes the genre for comic effect. So the surfboard riding image works so well, because it's NOT actually sending it up so much as exposing it for how it really was done in those films. The show wouldn't have been complete without such a scene. Same when we went into 'musical' genre, a great scene played for all the right gags.

I wasn't so taken by the "psycho" plot; there was just something a bit unsatisfying about how it was set up and resolved...it was really just a vehicle to pin the characters on and give them things to do. (But then I guess, what was "Beach Blanket Bingo" about, anyway?). It was a little disappointing that the script opens up these opportunities but never really pays off at the end...the two closing scenes are tricky to pull off, because they don't add much. (I was almost scared that Berdine's final speech was the end of the play...you could see what the script was trying to do in the horror genre, but it would have been a very limp ending). Much better that the final goodbye scene (a bit of a standard in the surf genre) occured, although still a bit down because by then everything's been said.

Having said that - I agree that I thought Melissa Merchant was great and I loved the way she took on the different personalities of Chicklet, with very clear physical contrasts. The only thing I felt could be changed was the opening address to the audience...in the style of Sally Field's Gidget talking to camera: in the theatre it seemed odd to be addressing us but looking straight ahead as if to camera. I think it would have worked better to make eye contact and connect with more audience, or to have blocked the scene further upstage to give the impression of being on set in front of a camera.

There was quite a bit of "on camera" acting, which served the soap-opera elements of the parody well, especially for Julia Dalby and 'the Psycho Carol Brady' Jenny McCann. Their 'strike a pose' gestures, as other characters were speaking to them, were classic and well-observed parody. Jenny's scene in act one was very short, but right from her entrance she hit every comic moment and left the audience wanting more. Her personality changes were horrifically funny because they felt really real, and were exactly the side of those 60's TV mothers we really wanted to see.

Adam Shuttleworth and Troy Hall played the 'dopey sidekicks' function of the genre really well, but the parody of having them fully come out was one of the highlights of the script, and they tackled it bravely and for maximum effect.

Tim Edwards and Alex Jones looked like they were relishing their characters and played their parts well. I certainly didn't find anyone 'wooden' (unless it was that guy with the tailfin who just lent against the set all night)...but I don't think the STATUS of the characters was played to the hilt, particularly at the start to distinguish Starcat & Kanaka from YoYo & Provoloney. The hunk needs to play "super hunk" and the cool cat "super cool" to improve upon and parody the original genre. I'd suggest this is probably more to do with body language and moments of physical stillness than anything else.

Kim Wallace and Melanie Gault also portrayed their 'vixen' and 'nerd' stereotypes well. Their subplots weren't developed to the extent I would have hoped either, and this might account for the previous comment about pacing...the play kind of hinted at some actions for these characters that were never followed through, so it kind of came to a halt for them (less so for Melanie). The characters involved in the 'let's make a film' plot had more substance to work with.
As far as delivery, there was a tendency for longer passages of text to be a bit repetitive in style...difficult because the actors were obviously trying to maintain a cliche`d character mode of speech...I just note that this may have also accounted for people thinking Melanie's monologues seemed flat, and the overall feeling that the pacing (which is to do with individual moments, not the overall length of the show) could have been tighter.

Original music was great; the lyrics in the song were a little indistinct but I got the feeling that didn't really matter. And whoever designed the programme obviously had fun too!



Cheers,
Craig

(I go to the beach, and to parties, and I'm a bit psycho, and I was born in the 60's, so ...uh...what was I talking about?)

[%sig%]

i like darran he has a nice bottom