The Australian backdrop, twisted characters, and a gothic tone. The Hanging, written by Angela Betzien and directed by Aimée Cavanagh is one that all thriller-lovers would hate to miss.
Discover the secrets that surround teenage Iris, her boarding school English teacher, and the detective in charge of finding Iris’ two missing friends. Watch as the characters evolve before your eyes, listen to the dynamic changes in cadence, and experience the horror of the devolving mystery.
With unique stage design, simple lighting cues, and basic sound changes, the actors use little aside from their voices and realistic characterisation to immerse you in their world, leaving you no choice but to focus on the very parts of the play that you may not wish to see.
If forced, I would be hard pressed to choose a star of the show, with all actors giving their very best to the roles given to them, and working together to surprise the audience as they examine the human condition and all that is ugly to witness, yet captivating to see.
With an homage to the classic Australian text ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, The Hanging is a play that, while short, is one I can see becoming one for the ages, and the cast and crew at Maitland Repertory Theatre Company did a spectacular job bringing it to life.
Warnings: contains references to drug use, child abuse, suicide, pregnancy, termination, descriptions of gore, and coarse language.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ is a Bearfoot Theatre original production and with the first three performances completely SOLD OUT, it is clearly evident that people are intrigued and hotly discussing this new original and thought provoking play. Bearfoot Theatre specialises in original productions and is the leading queer theatre company in the Hunter Region. They are a not for profit company with a mission for producing relevant theatre productions that challenge their audiences.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ was written, produced, directed, and choreographed by the extremely multi-talented Zippie Tiffenright. It is Zippie’s first full-length play and certainly a successful beginning to a long and rewarding career. I greatly anticipate Zippie’s future productions.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ was performed in an immersive art space – The Owens Collective. Upon entering, I was captivated by the incredible and plentiful artworks, displayed on every wall in the quaint, cosy space. This perfectly sets the mood and scene for what the audience is about to behold and experience. I greatly appreciated the immense talent and effort that contributed to these fabulous artworks, including portraits of the four main characters: Lisa, Vinnie, Angelo and Isla.
It was commendable acting for all four of the young actors who were thrown into multi-faceted challenging roles. Lisa, played by Piper Graham, acted superbly and I appreciated their clear, easy to listen to, resonating tone. Vinnie (Mackenzie Thomson) played a complex and evasive character and delivered a solid emotive performance. Alex Giles delivered a powerful performance as the character Angelo and showed the skilful ability to portray numerous perspectives of their complicated character. Isla’s character (Allira Carter) provided a delightful contrast of light and hope in a world of melancholy and anguish and Allira Carter executed this splendidly.
The show utilised a pre-recorded soundtrack which was very professional sounding and poignant. It encompassed some distorted renaissance music and also some original music. The impressive music compositions were by Mackenzie Thomson and Zippie Tiffenright. Daniel Smith accompanied the soundtrack performing live percussion which felt deeply impactful and elevated one’s senses.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ centres around a post-apocalyptic renaissance set in Florence, Italy. New faiths and new ways of life have arisen from a broken world which has been forced to reconstruct itself. It is a homage to the great artists of the renaissance and to the importance of bestilling art appreciation into future generations.
The props were minimal yet meaningful. There was an effective use of cloth fabrics throughout the show cleverly symbolising power, control and submission. The face painting of the main characters was another medium for incorporating art into the show.
Art was the core and essence of the play and at the Q&A Zippie and the cast discussed the importance of art touching multiple mediums of the performance. Interpretive dance, cloth fabrics, communication, visual arts and music were all effectively utilised to create a holistic artistic performance. The venue itself, an art gallery, was a perfect residence to exhibit this truly artistic production.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ is purposefully ambiguous and interpretive, allowing the individual to relate to the work in an individual and personal way. It is a true reflection of art. I was rendered perplexed, wondering and knee-deep in thoughtful discussions about individual interpretations. Is that not the true essence of art?
The ‘Orpheus’ show was mesmerising, and I was utterly captivated by Shakti’s creative brilliance. ‘Orpheus’ is part of the Newcastle Fringe Festival performances, and last night’s show was held at the REX Royal Exchange Newcastle Salon Theatre. I had not previously attended the quaint theatre before, but I will endeavour to return there again soon. The staff were welcoming and friendly and did their best to make everyone feel relaxed and ready to enjoy the performance.
‘Orpheus’ is a solo dance show performed by Shakti, a seasoned professional dancer who has graced stages all over the world, including New York, Moscow, Paris, London, Kyiv, India, Israel and Germany. Her self-choreographed performance is rooted in inspiration from the Greek mythical character Orpheus and his tragic story.
The Greek mythology tale of Orpheus can be traced back to the 5th Century BCE and has captivated and inspired people worldwide for thousands of years. To quickly refresh your memory of the tragic tale, the mythological character Orpheus, gifted with seemingly superhuman musical abilities, is madly in love with his newlywed wife, Eurydice. Shortly after their wedding, Eurydice tragically succumbs to a snake bite, leaving Orpheus in a state of horrific grief. He travels to the underworld to beg Hades and Persephone to allow him to take his beloved wife back to the surface world.
Orpheus’ enchanting musical abilities successfully persuade Hades and Persephone to allow him to return home with his beloved wife on one condition: he must not look back at Eurydice until they reach the surface. Unfortunately, Orpheus doesn’t heed the warning and turns back to check that his beloved is trailing behind. As he does so, Eurydice instantly vanishes, and Orpheus is once again overcome with grief. Orpheus later meets a brutal death, being torn to pieces by frenzied maenads who were scorned by Orpheus’s rejection of their advances.
Through her dancing, Shakti explores the philosophy of life, death and the underworld. At the end of her performance she briefly discussed the concept of the underworld and how we won’t know what happens next until we get there. Will it be life’s greatest adventure? She philosophized how cultures all around the world, throughout time, have been intrigued by death and the various versions of beliefs regarding the age-old question- what is the afterlife?
Shakti’s choreography appeared to be a blend of contemporary dance styles beautifully enriched with Asian influence. Incredible emotion oozed into Shakti’s captivating performance. Her portrayal of torturous grief and loss was powerfully performed through every essence of her being. The use of flickering lights and darkness contributed splendidly in complementing and reinforcing the deeply emotive scenes. Likewise, her utilisation of exquisite materials as coverings and props was both visually impressive and emotive.
Shakti displayed true artistry at its finest in her performance. Her show was unique and extremely creative. I have utmost appreciation and admiration for this inspiringly talented woman. If you missed her at this year’s Fringe Festival, she promised to return next year to captivate audiences once again with her one-of-a-kind dance performance.
I had the pleasure of reviewing EJ Mann’s comedy show MAGPIE at Bernie’s Bar Newcastle. In her own words, “It’s a musical comedy show about being brave and living like one of Australia’s most fearless birds- the Magpie.”
EJ Mann is a Brisbane based comedian on tour for the Fringe Festival. She has been gaining great momentum in the comedy circuit and receiving wonderful acclaim and reviews from her shows. In a relatively short period, of only a few years, she has certainly made her mark in the comedic world as a RAW State Finalist, Funny Coast Laughable Finalist, and Brat Pack People’s Choice Winner.
EJ Mann’s references to Uber drivers, Elon Musk, and keyboard warriors on neighbourhood Facebook pages made the show incredibly relatable and hilarious. There is a meld of Facebook posts and comments from her neighbourhood page, which EJ brilliantly and most creatively creates into a humorous song. I recommend she join my local page, as there is great content there if she is after new material for her next show. Facebook community pages definitely seem to bring the most brazen characters out of the woodwork.
It was most endearing to hear EJ intertwining various quotes and stories from her beloved late grandmother into her performance and songs. She made various mentions regarding her family and personal relationships which created an intimate, personal atmosphere and allowed the audience to feel acquainted, at ease and more receptive to her material.
EJ talked about her self discovery and sexuality in a heartfelt entertaining presentation. What I loved most was how she seamlessly incorporated her original comedic songs, accompanied by her guitar, throughout the show. A very stylish guitar, too, I should mention. EJ sings with an authentic Australian accent and a reminiscent sweetness of Missy Higgins. I could draw comparisons to the comedian Garfunkel (Kate Micucci), whose work I also absolutely adore.
There was a steadfast theme of the brave and fearless Magpie bird which is cleverly intertwined throughout her material. I particularly loved the reference to a ‘Parliament of Magpies’ and their superior efficiency. There were also references to shallow peacocks and rainbow lorikeets which reinforced her ideas beautifully.
EJ Mann is undeniably bold and brave as the Magpie and reveals an authentic, raw, self-exposing performance with skilful comedic light. A solid and professional performance by an up and coming star in her field. It is hard to believe she has only been at this game for just a few years. EJ certainly portrayed the grace and confidence of a seasoned professional. I was truly impressed by her creative witty performance and wish her all the best with her remaining Fringe Festival performances.
