Human Traffic
Thu, 11 Dec 2003, 05:11 pmtomasford1 post in thread
Human Traffic
Thu, 11 Dec 2003, 05:11 pmHUMAN TRAFFIC
Black Yak Theatre Co
Centre Western The Bakery Power Artrage
November 30 2003
I'm a bit tired and rambling rubbish at the computer, but I thought I'd post about this show anyway. I caught this show a couple of saturdays back and was pleasantly suprised. I say this because my opinion of film to stage adaptations is usually fairly low, in that I often have trouble figuring out what I can get from a stage version of a show that I couldn't find in the film if I've already seen it, apart from the immediacy of actors in my face and the feeling of communal experience etc etc etc. But anyway, I came out of this show with a big fat smile on my face that wouldn't go away.
A big part of that would be that when I stepped into the Bakery, expecting a little community theatre sorta production, I was hit by a room full of bangin' breakbeats and discofied lighting more like a club than a theatre. Having come to this rather underground (not literally) venue in the far reaches of Northbridge, it lent the feeling of being in a little underground warehouse club party thingo.
The staging of the production was well designed, with a multifunctional DJ booth table-y thingo used very effectively to hide much of the cast until they made their first appearance talking with the central dude whose name I can not for the life of me rememberMuch to my joy, the irritating "cult movie" style accessories of the film version were omitted from these expositionary conversations (such as the superimposed names and annoying camerawork), which had initially alienated me from the film by forcing constant Trainspotting comparisons from the film critic in my head, leaving only the witty dialogue and characters to charm me.
Human Traffic, as a text, is amazing. It is the sort of piece that makes you feel at least as off your nut as it's characters and then just as hungover. The images, use of language and rhythm are so perfect that it could stand alone by itself.
The performances were some of the slicker ones I have seen in community theatre. There was an overall great sense of comic timing and the relationships between the six main characters were solid and interesting. Not to mention the sheer quantity of energy on stage. It was very engaging because everybody in the cast was appropriately up for it and the feeling I got was that they wanted to take me on a journey, just like the younger brother first time pillpopper. The only problem I had was that although the text was making frequent references to it's setting in Wales, I didn't catch any welsh accents, but a bit of a mish-mash of english and australian ones. Seriously though, that was my biggest beef and that's pretty good considering my high level of cynicism. :)
As the show is set in late nineties english nightclubs, it was good to see how much care had been taken to get the music feeling right. The film is a bit trancey sorta house from memory but the breakbeat and hip hop angle the sound dude took lent the feeling that although the characters were letting go for their weekends, they at least retained good taste. It also provided a great contrast for the flashback to the club's earlier incarnation as "Tom Tom's", which was hilarious.
I've gotta disagree strongly with the directors note though. It says that Human Traffic is basically just a barrel of laughs and a document of a good night out (I'm paraphrasing). I think that through these laughs it also provides a very convincing explanation for recrational extacy use, showing what reasons each character has for needing to play as hard as they work, discussing it's pros and debates cons and through the narrative completely demystifyies what people on extacy actually do. Though we're not completely crazy in Australia (and hopefully never will be), there's all sorts of wierd things going on like the RAVE act in America and the UK where promoters are persecuted if anyone in their club is found taking extacy, which is effectively killing off club culture in those countries. It's supercrazy and well worth standing up to on a global level, 'cos it's ultimately a relatively harmless way to get yourself off the streets that doesn't really harm anyone apart from yourself (unless you get all addicty and stuff). Human Traffic is a defence of the lifestyle it's characters inhabit, without condoning it, showing them as normal people unworthy of persecution.
----
Tomás Ford
Performer/Wordsmith/Nutbag muso
Catch his next theatre thingo "Trip Down The Gutter" in Perth in early Feb and in Adelaide Fringe
Catch his band Descend Here at the Carlton Hotel on Friday Dec 12
Catch his next poetry reading @ Tropicanas at 7pm Tuesday Dec 30
[%sig%]
Black Yak Theatre Co
Centre Western The Bakery Power Artrage
November 30 2003
I'm a bit tired and rambling rubbish at the computer, but I thought I'd post about this show anyway. I caught this show a couple of saturdays back and was pleasantly suprised. I say this because my opinion of film to stage adaptations is usually fairly low, in that I often have trouble figuring out what I can get from a stage version of a show that I couldn't find in the film if I've already seen it, apart from the immediacy of actors in my face and the feeling of communal experience etc etc etc. But anyway, I came out of this show with a big fat smile on my face that wouldn't go away.
A big part of that would be that when I stepped into the Bakery, expecting a little community theatre sorta production, I was hit by a room full of bangin' breakbeats and discofied lighting more like a club than a theatre. Having come to this rather underground (not literally) venue in the far reaches of Northbridge, it lent the feeling of being in a little underground warehouse club party thingo.
The staging of the production was well designed, with a multifunctional DJ booth table-y thingo used very effectively to hide much of the cast until they made their first appearance talking with the central dude whose name I can not for the life of me rememberMuch to my joy, the irritating "cult movie" style accessories of the film version were omitted from these expositionary conversations (such as the superimposed names and annoying camerawork), which had initially alienated me from the film by forcing constant Trainspotting comparisons from the film critic in my head, leaving only the witty dialogue and characters to charm me.
Human Traffic, as a text, is amazing. It is the sort of piece that makes you feel at least as off your nut as it's characters and then just as hungover. The images, use of language and rhythm are so perfect that it could stand alone by itself.
The performances were some of the slicker ones I have seen in community theatre. There was an overall great sense of comic timing and the relationships between the six main characters were solid and interesting. Not to mention the sheer quantity of energy on stage. It was very engaging because everybody in the cast was appropriately up for it and the feeling I got was that they wanted to take me on a journey, just like the younger brother first time pillpopper. The only problem I had was that although the text was making frequent references to it's setting in Wales, I didn't catch any welsh accents, but a bit of a mish-mash of english and australian ones. Seriously though, that was my biggest beef and that's pretty good considering my high level of cynicism. :)
As the show is set in late nineties english nightclubs, it was good to see how much care had been taken to get the music feeling right. The film is a bit trancey sorta house from memory but the breakbeat and hip hop angle the sound dude took lent the feeling that although the characters were letting go for their weekends, they at least retained good taste. It also provided a great contrast for the flashback to the club's earlier incarnation as "Tom Tom's", which was hilarious.
I've gotta disagree strongly with the directors note though. It says that Human Traffic is basically just a barrel of laughs and a document of a good night out (I'm paraphrasing). I think that through these laughs it also provides a very convincing explanation for recrational extacy use, showing what reasons each character has for needing to play as hard as they work, discussing it's pros and debates cons and through the narrative completely demystifyies what people on extacy actually do. Though we're not completely crazy in Australia (and hopefully never will be), there's all sorts of wierd things going on like the RAVE act in America and the UK where promoters are persecuted if anyone in their club is found taking extacy, which is effectively killing off club culture in those countries. It's supercrazy and well worth standing up to on a global level, 'cos it's ultimately a relatively harmless way to get yourself off the streets that doesn't really harm anyone apart from yourself (unless you get all addicty and stuff). Human Traffic is a defence of the lifestyle it's characters inhabit, without condoning it, showing them as normal people unworthy of persecution.
----
Tomás Ford
Performer/Wordsmith/Nutbag muso
Catch his next theatre thingo "Trip Down The Gutter" in Perth in early Feb and in Adelaide Fringe
Catch his band Descend Here at the Carlton Hotel on Friday Dec 12
Catch his next poetry reading @ Tropicanas at 7pm Tuesday Dec 30
[%sig%]
tomasfordThu, 11 Dec 2003, 05:11 pm
HUMAN TRAFFIC
Black Yak Theatre Co
Centre Western The Bakery Power Artrage
November 30 2003
I'm a bit tired and rambling rubbish at the computer, but I thought I'd post about this show anyway. I caught this show a couple of saturdays back and was pleasantly suprised. I say this because my opinion of film to stage adaptations is usually fairly low, in that I often have trouble figuring out what I can get from a stage version of a show that I couldn't find in the film if I've already seen it, apart from the immediacy of actors in my face and the feeling of communal experience etc etc etc. But anyway, I came out of this show with a big fat smile on my face that wouldn't go away.
A big part of that would be that when I stepped into the Bakery, expecting a little community theatre sorta production, I was hit by a room full of bangin' breakbeats and discofied lighting more like a club than a theatre. Having come to this rather underground (not literally) venue in the far reaches of Northbridge, it lent the feeling of being in a little underground warehouse club party thingo.
The staging of the production was well designed, with a multifunctional DJ booth table-y thingo used very effectively to hide much of the cast until they made their first appearance talking with the central dude whose name I can not for the life of me rememberMuch to my joy, the irritating "cult movie" style accessories of the film version were omitted from these expositionary conversations (such as the superimposed names and annoying camerawork), which had initially alienated me from the film by forcing constant Trainspotting comparisons from the film critic in my head, leaving only the witty dialogue and characters to charm me.
Human Traffic, as a text, is amazing. It is the sort of piece that makes you feel at least as off your nut as it's characters and then just as hungover. The images, use of language and rhythm are so perfect that it could stand alone by itself.
The performances were some of the slicker ones I have seen in community theatre. There was an overall great sense of comic timing and the relationships between the six main characters were solid and interesting. Not to mention the sheer quantity of energy on stage. It was very engaging because everybody in the cast was appropriately up for it and the feeling I got was that they wanted to take me on a journey, just like the younger brother first time pillpopper. The only problem I had was that although the text was making frequent references to it's setting in Wales, I didn't catch any welsh accents, but a bit of a mish-mash of english and australian ones. Seriously though, that was my biggest beef and that's pretty good considering my high level of cynicism. :)
As the show is set in late nineties english nightclubs, it was good to see how much care had been taken to get the music feeling right. The film is a bit trancey sorta house from memory but the breakbeat and hip hop angle the sound dude took lent the feeling that although the characters were letting go for their weekends, they at least retained good taste. It also provided a great contrast for the flashback to the club's earlier incarnation as "Tom Tom's", which was hilarious.
I've gotta disagree strongly with the directors note though. It says that Human Traffic is basically just a barrel of laughs and a document of a good night out (I'm paraphrasing). I think that through these laughs it also provides a very convincing explanation for recrational extacy use, showing what reasons each character has for needing to play as hard as they work, discussing it's pros and debates cons and through the narrative completely demystifyies what people on extacy actually do. Though we're not completely crazy in Australia (and hopefully never will be), there's all sorts of wierd things going on like the RAVE act in America and the UK where promoters are persecuted if anyone in their club is found taking extacy, which is effectively killing off club culture in those countries. It's supercrazy and well worth standing up to on a global level, 'cos it's ultimately a relatively harmless way to get yourself off the streets that doesn't really harm anyone apart from yourself (unless you get all addicty and stuff). Human Traffic is a defence of the lifestyle it's characters inhabit, without condoning it, showing them as normal people unworthy of persecution.
----
Tomás Ford
Performer/Wordsmith/Nutbag muso
Catch his next theatre thingo "Trip Down The Gutter" in Perth in early Feb and in Adelaide Fringe
Catch his band Descend Here at the Carlton Hotel on Friday Dec 12
Catch his next poetry reading @ Tropicanas at 7pm Tuesday Dec 30
[%sig%]
Black Yak Theatre Co
Centre Western The Bakery Power Artrage
November 30 2003
I'm a bit tired and rambling rubbish at the computer, but I thought I'd post about this show anyway. I caught this show a couple of saturdays back and was pleasantly suprised. I say this because my opinion of film to stage adaptations is usually fairly low, in that I often have trouble figuring out what I can get from a stage version of a show that I couldn't find in the film if I've already seen it, apart from the immediacy of actors in my face and the feeling of communal experience etc etc etc. But anyway, I came out of this show with a big fat smile on my face that wouldn't go away.
A big part of that would be that when I stepped into the Bakery, expecting a little community theatre sorta production, I was hit by a room full of bangin' breakbeats and discofied lighting more like a club than a theatre. Having come to this rather underground (not literally) venue in the far reaches of Northbridge, it lent the feeling of being in a little underground warehouse club party thingo.
The staging of the production was well designed, with a multifunctional DJ booth table-y thingo used very effectively to hide much of the cast until they made their first appearance talking with the central dude whose name I can not for the life of me rememberMuch to my joy, the irritating "cult movie" style accessories of the film version were omitted from these expositionary conversations (such as the superimposed names and annoying camerawork), which had initially alienated me from the film by forcing constant Trainspotting comparisons from the film critic in my head, leaving only the witty dialogue and characters to charm me.
Human Traffic, as a text, is amazing. It is the sort of piece that makes you feel at least as off your nut as it's characters and then just as hungover. The images, use of language and rhythm are so perfect that it could stand alone by itself.
The performances were some of the slicker ones I have seen in community theatre. There was an overall great sense of comic timing and the relationships between the six main characters were solid and interesting. Not to mention the sheer quantity of energy on stage. It was very engaging because everybody in the cast was appropriately up for it and the feeling I got was that they wanted to take me on a journey, just like the younger brother first time pillpopper. The only problem I had was that although the text was making frequent references to it's setting in Wales, I didn't catch any welsh accents, but a bit of a mish-mash of english and australian ones. Seriously though, that was my biggest beef and that's pretty good considering my high level of cynicism. :)
As the show is set in late nineties english nightclubs, it was good to see how much care had been taken to get the music feeling right. The film is a bit trancey sorta house from memory but the breakbeat and hip hop angle the sound dude took lent the feeling that although the characters were letting go for their weekends, they at least retained good taste. It also provided a great contrast for the flashback to the club's earlier incarnation as "Tom Tom's", which was hilarious.
I've gotta disagree strongly with the directors note though. It says that Human Traffic is basically just a barrel of laughs and a document of a good night out (I'm paraphrasing). I think that through these laughs it also provides a very convincing explanation for recrational extacy use, showing what reasons each character has for needing to play as hard as they work, discussing it's pros and debates cons and through the narrative completely demystifyies what people on extacy actually do. Though we're not completely crazy in Australia (and hopefully never will be), there's all sorts of wierd things going on like the RAVE act in America and the UK where promoters are persecuted if anyone in their club is found taking extacy, which is effectively killing off club culture in those countries. It's supercrazy and well worth standing up to on a global level, 'cos it's ultimately a relatively harmless way to get yourself off the streets that doesn't really harm anyone apart from yourself (unless you get all addicty and stuff). Human Traffic is a defence of the lifestyle it's characters inhabit, without condoning it, showing them as normal people unworthy of persecution.
----
Tomás Ford
Performer/Wordsmith/Nutbag muso
Catch his next theatre thingo "Trip Down The Gutter" in Perth in early Feb and in Adelaide Fringe
Catch his band Descend Here at the Carlton Hotel on Friday Dec 12
Catch his next poetry reading @ Tropicanas at 7pm Tuesday Dec 30
[%sig%]