Sydney Theatre - Whats The Show

Tempo Tumbles into The Riverside!

17 April 202417 April 2024 Linda Lokhee

Tempo Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

Tempo opens with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus ensemble spilling out of the body of a grand piano and executing a precise and impressive flurry of floor acrobatic athleticism. Each tumble, jump, air, somersault and roll (to name a few) were set to music, and, thanks to Musical Director Ania Reynolds and Director Jake Silvestro, it was an impressive beginning to the show.

This story begins with a conductor ready to start a performance but quickly realising that the orchestra hasn’t turned up, so acrobats arrive to fill their place. The white grand piano is central to the show, and it encompasses not only the entertainers inside its belly but also acts as a stage where performers lift off from the closed lid to do acts such as aerial silk, aerial hoop, and hanging strap acrobatics.

These young Australians, aged twelve to eighteen, attend Australia’s National Youth Circus in Albury, NSW. Tempo showcased their skills in multiple areas – each person played instruments as well as performing in their act.

The ensemble sustained their energy and smiles onstage throughout. As well as acrobatics, the Flying Fruit Fly Circus rounded out their show with a touch of traditional stage magic of the most famous audience tricks, such as the shrinking and growing magic wand and the three overturned cups with disappearing balls. The children in the audience would have loved these magical illusions.

Other acts called for strength and balance, such as the upside-down handstand on pedestals and the tower of three people standing on each other’s shoulders. Juggling was one highlight for me, with as many as four from the ensemble tossing their juggling pins between them as they moved – a well-choreographed act.

In another scene, the performers used everyday home objects to create sound percussion, such as metal spoons clanking, an upside-down cooking pot as a drum, a filing tub lid and even a broom to hit the floor with. This type of percussion was a nod to the good ole days when toddlers used whatever they could to create sound. It was a clever trip down memory lane for me.

The performers always smoothly transitioned into the next act. They conveyed humour to the audience not verbally but through body language, such as raising eyebrows and miming at the right time. They were all multiskilled and cheeky performers with great showmanship.

As there was a lot of floor acrobatics, everyone’s movement around the stage was very well coordinated as they worked together to create a ‘chaotic’ dance with physical feats such as helping their performers launch off their hands to do several air somersaults, bouncing off the seesaw platform to fly through the air and other flowing movements.

True to its name, Tempo, this show was all about combining music and movement together, so they complemented each other. Whether it be using shaker eggs in time to an electric guitar or showcasing diabolo skills in time to the music or unicycling, the acrobatic athleticism of these kids showed why they study under the masterful tutelage of lead trainers Bec Neill and Ben Lewis.

Tempo is currently touring Australia. Performance time: 60 minutes. Tickets: $38- $44.50

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Wild Dogs Under My Skirt

12 April 2024 Paige Jenkins

Tusiata Avia’s Wild Dogs Under My Skirt has made its way across the ditch from New Zealand to the Illawarra. Adapted from Avia’s poetry collection of the same name, it invites the audience to take a peek into the life of Samoan women.

The five characters, played by the outstanding ensemble of Anapela Polata’ivao, Ilaisaane Green, Stacey Leilua, Joanna Mika-Toloa and Petmal Petelo, were raw and beautiful, exuding class and intensity.

As a poet myself, I was floored by the storytelling and the mix between the character’s native tongues and English. Seeing poetry come to life in such a creative and immersive way is incredibly special. These women have allowed the audience a glimpse into their culture, sharing their beautiful voices in both spoken word and song. Their harmonies were heavenly and incredibly moving, much like an Opera Aria that an audience understands purely by the crescendo of the orchestra and the emotion on the performer’s face. It was unnecessary to be fluent in their dialects, as their portrayal of emotions and accompanying moves were vivid and told a story in themselves.

Leki Jackson-Burke should be acknowledged and commended for his beautiful contribution to the performance. Watching someone make an impact with very few scene opportunities is always a treat. He may not have been a character or part of the story, but his musical contributions added an insurmountable degree of feeling. The drum beats and use of beautiful instruments maintained or raised the intensity of a scene, drawing the audience in and forcing them to listen.

Whilst Wild Dogs Under My Skirt can be classified as a comedy, much darker themes lie between the poetry. Split-second changes between young girls giggling and laughing about the story of the Virgin Mary to discussing horrific acts of sexual violence were staggering. The flow of the stories and the chosen sequence proved very powerful and took the audience on an emotional journey. The portrayal of the rollercoaster, which is life for Samoan and Pasifika women, was both lovely and uncomfortable. Years of dark colonial history, the sexualisation of Pasifika women, and the dastardly patriarchy in all its glory are all laid out on the stage.

This show was absolutely remarkable, and it’s not difficult to see why it has won its awards. It is such a privilege to have a production that has been performed in New York and provides a window into different countries and cultures right here in our backyard.

Wild Dogs Under My Skirt is performing at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong, from 10-13 April and Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, from 18-20 April.

Make sure to grab a ticket for yourself; you don’t want to miss this!!

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

RBG: Of Many, One

6 April 2024 Paige Jenkins

‘RBG; Of Many, One’, a play by Suzie Miller, has made its way to Wollongong. Originally a Sydney Theatre Company production, ‘RBG’ saw a sold-out opening night at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre. This incredible one-woman show stars the phenomenal Heather Mitchell, who has reprised her role and is a brilliant display of talent.

Ms Mitchell embodied the United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg through the decades, leading a decades-long tale of life, love, loss and societal change. Mitchell not only became Justice Ginsberg but constantly shifted between young and old, as well as each president and critical character that propelled Ruth to greatness. With her exactness of accent, speech patterns, and a variety of accents from across the States, Heather Mitchell captivated the audience from the moment the lights came on stage.

It’s easy to be sceptical when coming into a one-person show, particularly one with no intermission to break up the performance; however, Heather Mitchell’s immersive experience made it difficult to look away from it. She was funny and charming, making the storytelling completely disarming and inviting. It felt as though you were sitting in a room with Justice Ginsberg as if she were an old friend or a friend of your grandparents, recounting her glory days and telling us to continue the fight she dedicated her life to. Jokes and pointed comments about future hypotheses had the audience laughing with the beauty of hindsight.

The simplicity of the set and costuming forced the acting to maintain the show’s focal point. A single armchair repurposed over and over, a side table or a satchel bag are very simple props that, when paired with certain lighting or sound effects, transport the audience to each high and low of RBG’s life.

A seamless use of production elements invited the audience into Ruth’s recount of her most influential and moulding moments. Beautiful arias from her favourite operas, sound effects of the all-important telephone call, and real-life audio taken from critical events like Presidential debates and basketball games all assisted in the impressive immersive experience.

A screen above the stage helped keep track of the year or case being discussed. Small asides and lapses into memories weaved their way through the primary time or story being discussed. It felt like a stream-of-consciousness style of discussion rather than an hour and 40-minute monologue being spoken at you.

The play began in 1993 and ended with Ruth’s death in 2020, but recounted moments from her childhood and teenage years, as well as her time at Cornell University, Harvard Law, and Columbia Law School.

Playwright Suzie Miller, director Priscilla Jackman, and the entire creative team are to be commended for their dedication to history and ability to produce a version of the so-called “Notorious RBG” that felt simultaneously undiscovered and new while being the real recount of one of the most highly regarded influential legal figures of our time.

‘RBG; Of Many, One’ runs until the 6th of April with Merrigong Theatre Company at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre. Tickets can be purchased via the Merrigong Theatre Company website.

The show is recommended for ages 15+ as it does contain some adult themes, herbal cigarettes and a complete theatrical blackout.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Atlantis

25 March 2024 Steve Willems

In the opening scene of Lally Katz’s semi-autobiographical play Atlantis, Lally confides in her boyfriend at the time, Dave, about an important dream she had involving a panther, friendship, and growing up in Miami. Dave reluctantly listens, and when Lally confronts him about not being interested in her story, Dave casually remarks that he isn’t. I confess I found it difficult to engage with her story, too.

The biggest problem lay at the core of the stage play, with a heavy emphasis on narrating events occurring on stage, making it difficult to settle down and immerse myself in a scene. After half an hour of ongoing narration, I had no idea where the story was meant to be going or why I should be caring. Lally was doing stuff while telling us about doing that stuff and relying too heavily on ‘this is a true story’, but maybe I’m being unfair.

I could see where the dialogue and narration could have used a more delicate touch. Often, the story may have worked better at a different pace or delivered more reflectively and thoughtfully. Georgia Britt, to her credit, played Lally with energy and enthusiasm. But Lally (not Britt) comes across as a hyperactive, overbearing, self-indulgent narcissist obsessed with marriage, babies, and curses. Lally is quirky, optimistic, and energetic almost all the time, which, to my mind, distracts us from the deeper character arc of her story.

Many scenes suffered pacing issues, sometimes seeming to be a race to get through a scene as fast as possible, with offbeat timing, pace, and/or control.

The most interesting character was Electra, played superbly by Tamara Foglia Castañeda, but felt her efforts were diluted because there was no humorous contrast between her rapid-fire New York Latino delivery and that of rapid-fire, overly enthusiastic about everything Lally. Many of the characters came across as manic. Some scenes would have been far more emotional, interesting, and impactful if the play had slowed down and become more intimate.

The set itself and the technical delivery were impressive. Two single panels and a few props were used to create a range of environments, from apartments to streets, nightclubs, and churches. Each panel also had chalkboard windows that would open up to serve as bars, windows, reception desks and even a DJ booth. I was, however, confused as to why place names were written on the chalkboards, like subtitles in a movie, when we switched locations. There was so much potential there to use the chalkboards for more than place names.

The cast did a great job switching between their multiple characters, which came across more as caricatures to me. The cast did what they could, but unfortunately, much of their time, effort, and energy fell flat on occasion.

The story is that of the playwright, and the characters are based on real people. My favourite moments revolved around Electra’s dog. The second was an in-joke about a caricature the same performer had played earlier. And the third was the sex scene. I was genuinely impressed and amused by the creativity of the sex scene between Lally and Diego.

Alyona Popova genuinely entertained me in the background of a scene between Lally and an Uber driver. With each driving scene, a spare actor in the background runs a toy car around the inside of a window frame. During Lally’s final journey to Miami, given the length of the journey represented, Popova used the entire backdrop and moved with a slow, purposeful grace. It was a slow-motion dance, really, and genuinely entertaining.

An interaction with a New York Cabbie helped introduce us to the theme of Atlantis. References included global warming, finding oneself, holding on to the past, yearning, loneliness, the challenges of womanhood, growing up, and finding love.

These are themes I normally connect with. I appreciate being drawn into the characters’ feelings and emotions, but the play goes so fast that I found investing in Lally and her struggles challenging. And that’s a shame. To be fair, many in the audience were noisy and laughing out loud—a lot. So it just might be that Lally and I just didn’t connect with each other on this occasion.

Atlantis is playing at the New Theatre in Newtown until the 13th of April, 2024.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Connect Online