The timing of the Spanish Film Festival could not be better, as Sydney plunges into winter, the warmth of the stories, the sun drenched cinematography, and the hot stories from Spain, are truly what the soul needs.
One of the stand outs of the program is the critically acclaimed, multi award winning film about a humble bus driver in charge of route 47 in Barcelona. Little did I expect to be so emotionally moved by a story about a bus driver! But what Manolo stands for is much more than his job, his bus route or career. He comes from a suburb on the outskirts of Barcelona, where each house was built by hand, brick by brick, by Spanish refugees escaping the impoverished and corrupt Andalusian and Extremaduran communities.
Even though the locals bought the land in the Torre Baro district with their own money, they have lived for years as second class citizens of Barcelona, with barely any access to running water, paved roads or political representation.
When Manolo, driving for the city Transport Services, sees the neighbourhood losing its young people, with his own home beginning to crumble away and his wife begging to move away, he decides on one last act of rebellion. After all other politically correct avenues fail – he decides to hijack his bus and take it up to the suburb which politicians labelled unreachable.
The beautiful subtlety of the main actor tugs on the heart strings as you witness what one man’s act of rebellion can achieve. Too often we are told one ‘man’ cannot achieve anything against the ‘greater machine’ but in this true story, that one man’s act of rebellion changes everything!
I stand with Manolo! I want to hijack my own proverbial bus and make a change for the better.
The promo read: For the first time ever, two of Australia’s finest Elvis tribute artists share the stage for an unforgettable night of music! Charlie Gaylard, the 16-year-old sensation from Colac who’s putting the Elvis world on notice, joins Jack Gatto, the Geelong powerhouse with arguably the best Elvis voice in the world. Backed by the world-renowned Tributes In Concert Band—soon to perform for Elvis Presley Enterprises in Memphis—this two-hour spectacular promises electrifying performances, classic hits, and the ultimate tribute to The King.
Jack Gatto, 29, is a born entertainer; a vocalist, guitarist and drummer, with exceptional versatility; he understudied for The Wiggles. So, yes, even without perfecting his tribute in performing the vocals, charisma and audience interaction of ‘Elvis’, he’s a very accomplished and engaging performer. Unexpectedly, I learn that he’s also a wildlife and zoo reptile keeper, but tonight he dons a blue studded jumpsuit and leaves the crocodile shows behind for something else mesmerizing on stage….ELVIS!
Charlie Gaylard has already got his ETA (Elvis Tribute Artist) career kicking goals (after being inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 movie – he wasn’t even a fan before seeing it) and he has only been doing this for a year and a half.
At the huge annual Parkes Elvis Festival in January, which I attended, a lady behind me said (as Charlie rolled by in a pink suit in the vintage car street parade), ‘Hubba Hubba Who’s That?’; someone replied ‘It’s Charlie! How can you not know him?’, another said ‘Yeah, he’s the boy Go Charlie!’ LOL – Charlie smiled his perfected Elvis lip and waved back (bonus that he does look alike). These fans were in their 70s, and definitely not the usual fanbase for a 16 year old singer, but next time, given Charlie’s rapidly growing popularity, they may be bringing their grandchildren.
There were apparently (according to my chats with locals) more young people at the NSW Parkes festival this year than any prior and probably same with the growing Geelong Elvis Festival (according to the owner of the motel I stayed at this weekend), and, whilst my daughter (19) was no doubt one of the youngest audience members at this show in Geelong, she is a huge Elvis fan and was singing the words just as well as the grey haired gentleman with a walker aide on the aisle; both of them having a great time.
For two non-stop hours we enjoyed toe tapping tunes, hard-belt lyrics and soft sweetness up there on that stage with banging traditional lighting as good as any nightclub, an extraordinary band and in-theme back-up singers. Along with a bit of comedy from both Jack and Charlie, the crowd loved every second from everyone contributing to the spectacle and the two hours flew by.
My Mum played ‘Elvis’ a lot (she was one of those actual teen fans of his heyday, just like most watching this sold out concert at The Sphinx). I knew pretty much all his music by the time I was 12, thanks Mum! In recreating the love, there were quite a lot of ladies like my Mum eagerly going up for a scarf given out by Jack, just as the real Elvis did for his lucky fans.
My favourite song is and always has been HOUND DOG and tonight was no exception with LOVE ME TENDER a close follow up. I could list a heap of others also that were mind blowingly good; Suspicious Minds, Blue Suede Shoes, Burning Love, etc. etc. each and every one totally authentic; our jaws dropped in disbelief on multiples, “just like watching the real thing” my daughter agreed.
My daughter didn’t once look like she’d had enough, the atmosphere of seeing live music she has discovered is far better than ‘clubbing’. Her faves were LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION by Charlie and the duet rendition of JAILHOUSE ROCK where Charlie and Jack were on stage together for the end of the show.
Throughout the night, every single person of any age around us was smiling and cheering in astonishment at the likeness of Elvis as a young performer by Charlie and as a more mature man with Jack on the mic. They were both incredible at showing us his different eras. Jack was generous in giving the scarves out to the ladies too, it was all such fun!
Elvis was one of the most incredible entertainers of all time and what a privilege for these two to keep his stage presence alive, Vegas style! Love love loved!!
Follow @domarpaproductions for updates and give them a huge round of applause for everything they are doing to bring Elvis back for the ‘oldies’ and hopefully introduce more of his undying music to the ‘youngies’.
If you didn’t fly to America in your youth to see Elvis live in concert (or you weren’t born then); you CAN be transported back in time – just go see Jack Gatto and Charlie Gaylard. The two speak highly of each other; they know they are not the real Elvis and the crowd knows it of course; everyone goes along because they loved everything about Elvis from his famous voice to perhaps his even more famous dance style which shocked the world – it’s all part of the fun and the memories and these two tribute artists do Elvis proud! Both Jack and Charlie are down-to-earth and humble of their ability to light up the lives of those watching them as ‘Elvis’ for a night. “Thank-you very much!”
You might likely catch Jack and Charlie together again in November – book quick because they sell out quick, they just have added this new show by popular demand.
See: https://geelongelvisfestival.com.au/ in Geelong or keep posted on all shows ‘Elvis’ via promoters DOM ARPA PRODUCTIONS https://domarpaproductions.com.au/
Venue & Parking: can’t miss the huge “Sphinx” so easy to find and venue has plenty of parking, but it was fairly full for this event so go early, we did however queue outside for a while.
Accommodation: Geelong is an easy commute from Melbourne. We stayed at Rippleside Park Motor Inn a 5min drive from the venue and can highly recommend as a great basic affordable motel centrally located for seeing any show in Geelong – it’s always nice to go away for a night as well to see a show out of town and Geelong has a lot to offer.
Mothers are supposed to feel an instant, unbreakable bond with their newborn child; or at least, that’s what we’re led to believe. Austrian director, Johanna Moder’s new film, Mother’s Baby, bleakly reminds us that this isn’t always the case.
Forty year old music conductor Julia (Marie Leuenberger) and her loving husband, Georg (Hans Löw), desperately want a baby. When nature doesn’t deliver, they seek the help of Dr Vilfort (Claes Bang), a renowned fertility specialist. In Vilfort’s pristine private clinic, Moder introduces early on an axolotl, a strange looking amphibian that catches Julia’s interest but comes to haunt her (and viewers) later in the film.
With Dr Vilfort’s treatment proving successful, Julia and Georg wait expectantly for the birth of their longed for child. Yet the birth is a difficult one. The baby is whisked away by a medical team as soon as it is born. Moder captures Julia and Georg’s muted shock as they are kept in limbo waiting to meet their baby. When Julia finally gets to hold her baby, she seems underwhelmed, even detached from the child. Julia’s struggle to breastfeed only heightens her disappointment. An overly zealous midwife played by Julia Franz Richter doesn’t help as she pushes Julia to bottle feed instead.
Once home, Julia, long used to being in control in her professional life, continues to struggle to bond with her baby. Usually surrounded by music, the weirdly silent baby she has birthed, starts to unnerve her. Is there something wrong with the child or is Julia paranoid? Hans’ instant bond with their son, who Julia persists in referring to as ‘it’, adds to Julia’s distress.
In one particularly tense moment, Hans returns home from work to be greeted by the sight of Julia engrossed in her music, oblivious to her unfed baby. Julia’s sudden identity shift from world class conductor to stay at home mother has hit her hard. Hans fails to understand, reminding Julia as they argue that ‘It’s what we agreed!’. Is Julia’s lack of maternal connection with her baby a tell-tale sign of postpartum depression or is there something more sinister at play?
Increasingly frustrated by Julia’s unexpected reaction to new motherhood even the normally placid Georg starts to doubt his wife’s mental stability. Returning to Dr Vilfort, Julia insists there is something wrong with her baby, demanding answers from the preternaturally cool physician. In what smacks of medical misogyny, Vilfort condescendingly suggests Julia is the problem. We cringe as Georg joins cravenly with the doctor in agreeing that Julia needs help.
Moder’s psychologically chilling story of new motherhood achieves its aim of unnerving its viewers so that they feel vicariously the altered reality of the postpartum phase. Billed as a dark comedy, the film is inconsistent in creating humour; nonetheless, Moder is successful in capturing the absurdity of motherhood in a world which continues to unfairly insist on idealising maternity.
G’day everyone! Today, we’re thrilled to have a yarn with the lead actor from the imaginative Romeo & Juliet/Macbeth Double Bill. These unique 90-minute musical adaptations shed a fresh light on the Bard’s timeless tales. Hang tight as we dive into this creative fusion and hear all about the joys and challenges of bringing such an intriguing performance to life.
About Romeo & Juliet/Macbeth Double Bill
What is this Production about?
This production is a double bill of 90-minute musical versions of Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth, with Australasian Indie-Folk and Bluegrass/Americana music, respectively. Music, Mischief, and Magic—It’s Shakespeare like you’ve never seen it.
What character are you playing, and what can you share with us about them?
The cast for both shows is the same, so all actors play roles across both shows. In this iteration of these shows, I play Romeo and Lady Macbeth. It’s been a lot of fun revisiting Romeo after a year away from the show, rediscovering all the little intricacies that made that character feel so special to me. Playing a gender-swapped Lady Macbeth was a daunting challenge, but one that has been so rewarding.
What’s challenging about bringing this script to life?
Bringing Shakespeare into a more modern context without losing what makes it such a timeless and special sort of show is always a challenge, especially when you throw musical elements into the mix, but I think we handle the material with just the right amount of revelry and rebellion all at once.
What sort of person is going to love this show?
We like to think that our shows are for everyone, whether you like the bard’s work or not, but it is always a particularly special moment when someone who before coming along would have said they categorically hated Shakespeare tells us after the show that they finally feel like they get why people love his works so much. So I would say, in particular, people who don’t like Shakespeare will love our Shakespeare.
Call someone out by name: who must come see this production?
I want to see any of the Australian musicians whose songs we use come along to the show. It’s been so special to get to connect with some of the Kiwi artists we’ve used music from, and I’d love to get that connection across the ditch as well! So that means I want to see: the band Dragon, the band Jet, The Dreggs, Divinyls, and Kyle Lionheart at the show!
Where can patrons purchase tickets to this production?
Thank you so much for sharing your insights and excitement for the Romeo & Juliet/Macbeth Double Bill. Wishing you all the best for the upcoming performances – may they be filled with all the music, mischief, and magic that makes Shakespeare unforgettable! Break a leg!
