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Carlotta: The Party’s Over

2 March 20242 March 2024 Linda Lokhee

Part of the lure of seeing an entertainer, the self-proclaimed and well-earned title of the ‘Aussie living legend’ Carlotta AM, is the hope that the show will be fabulous. And that plenty of sequins, feathers and bright costumes will adorn her – and Carlotta did not disappoint.

She burst onto the stage to thunderous applause and cheering from the audience, wearing a black outfit covered in dazzling diamantes and dark feathers for her show, The Party’s Over.

It seemed this title implied Carlotta would retire, yet in her own words, she would perform until the day she can’t, as retirement would be too boring. Carlotta has had a long and varied career, and it seems she isn’t going to quietly exit showbusiness to drink cups of camomile tea and knit!

The musical director, Helpman Award winner Michael Griffiths, accompanied Carlotta on the piano, singing some songs alongside her. Michael brought a polished charm to the stage. Also on the set were two talented musicians playing the bass guitar and drums.

The Hayes Theatre is a small venue that allowed Carlotta an evening that seemed an intimate performance, and at times, she exuded warmth and felt like she was friends with everyone in the audience. Indeed, she did have some friends in the audience, and she kindly gave a shout-out to her one-hundred-year-old friend and another friend in the biz with whom she had previously worked.

Carlotta has a quick sense of humour and injected a lot of levity into her show. No one was safe from her witty remarks, especially not the front row, who traditionally were targets for a comedy show! No topics and no people were off limits, even the ex-PMs, a certain broadcasting studio whose security was exceptionally high, “millenniums”, and even her own self, making light of her age and that it was a “hideous age” she was currently at.

She made everyone laugh when alluding to keeping up with the demands of performing standing up for long periods when she was in her eighties and feeling too hot in her costumes. (She had three costume changes, each as captivating and fabulously outrageous as the last, complete with tall, sparkly headpieces and gigantic feather fans).

Carlotta’s singing voice was strong and robust, and she sang classics such as I Write the Songs, My Way, and I Still Call Australia Home. She had the audience singing along, clapping, and swaying in their seats.

Scattered throughout her show, Carlotta reminisced about different parts of her life. She had performed in Les Girls in Kings Cross for almost 30 years, followed by a career in television. She gave a condensed version of the history of Kings Cross and how lovely it used to be, with a good reputation where people from overseas wanted to come to dine at the Bourbon and Beefsteak pub and see shows at the Les Girls nightclub.

Carlotta is a seasoned performer comfortable in her own skin. She is an advocate for the LGBTIQ+ community, leaving the audience with a message to always be yourself and not be silenced on your thoughts because – “darlings, life is too short.”

Running Time: 75 minutes, no interval
Performances: 28 Feb -3 March 2024
Hayes Theatre 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point

This review also appears on It’s On The House, and check out more reviews at Dark Stories Theatre to see what else is on in your town.

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The Hello Girls Answer The Call

15 January 2024 Natalie Capra

The Hello Girls have arrived at Hayes Theatre, and Sydneysiders are in for a treat. Friday night’s audience were enthralled, right from the raucous opening exhortation to “Answer The Call” to the very last reminder that we are all “Making History”. With phenomenal performances from all the actors, this is a show that is definitely going to be a hit.

The Hello Girls tells the little-known story of the first American women recruited into the US Army as switchboard operators during World War I. They may not have carried guns or fought on the front lines, but their service was indispensable to ensuring that communications across the sphere of war remained open and that orders and troop movements could be relayed between officers.

It is essentially a workplace musical (if such a genre exists!) about a group of women trying to do their jobs well in extraordinary circumstances. There’s no suggestion that these switchboard operators single-handledly saved the day or played a crucial role in one defining event. The Hello Girls didn’t win the war – they were one of many people who did their jobs and contributed to the overall success of the armed forces. The overarching theme is one of connection rather than heroism.

The set reflects this theme with a simple but effective design. Telephone wires strung between poles create netting and transparent walls, which add a lovely texture to the multi-level stage. Wheeled tables with perspex lids act as switchboards, desks and even a piano. Hayes Theatre is a small space, so performances always feel intimate, but there was still a roominess to the set that made it feel larger than it actually is, even with all 10 cast members on stage.

And what a cast! As Chief Operator Grace Banker, Rhianna McCourt brought a wonderful strength to the role, with powerful vocals paired with a nuanced performance. Kira Leiva plays Suzanne Prevot with sass and charm, Kaori Maeda-Judge is a quietly determined Bertha, and Kaitlin Nihill is a fiery Louise Lebreton. Special mention must go to Nikola Gucciardo, whose backwater character Helen Hill almost steals the show with her wide-eyed naivety and guilelessness. All five performers were terrific and clearly masters of their craft.

Lest you think it was an all-female show – fear not! The five male performers were also excellent, playing soldiers, officers, musicians, dancers and a prisoner of war. The main social commentary came through their choreography choices, with the men stepping in as background singers and dancers to the women’s story.

Interestingly, the script doesn’t dig deep into social commentary. It could be called a ‘feminist’ story, but The Hello Girls is not bogged down with ‘issues’. While we do see these women in harsh conditions and facing the reality of war – particularly in the excellent number “Quinze Minutes”, where the women literally have 15 minutes between bombs to make it to their workplace – there is a light touch that emphasises the just-get-on-with-it attitude that is essential to teamwork and success in adversity.

Some might be disappointed at the lack of high stakes and/or romance. There is no powerful transformation of one character and no real perilous struggle to achieve their goal. I liked that the focus was more on camaraderie than personal relationships, and there weren’t any intimate duets. Interestingly, the one bit of (straight) romance that does quietly blossom involves a character who gave off seriously queer vibes, but perhaps that was just the trousers 🙂

The costuming is restrained because everyone is in uniform for much of the play, but they all managed a bit of individuality nonetheless. The director has chosen to bookend the play with the cast in contemporary outfits, an excellent way to gently ease us in and out of a story set more than 100 years ago. Hard to believe! Especially considering how the struggle for recognition remains real for so many women.

All in all, this was an extraordinary night out for audiences of all types. While centred on women, it’s not really a feminist story but a story of people just wanting to step up and prove themselves. As producer Ylaria Rogers says in her notes, it is “a call to arms to anyone who has ever felt left behind, forgotten, and unacknowledged for the part they play in this world.”

Everyone left the theatre with a little more knowledge of these people and their part of history – and a little more joy. And that’s precisely what theatre like this should provide.

This review also appears on It’s On The House.

Alice in Wonderland – A Timeless Classic

7 January 20247 January 2024 Sara Barlow

Penny Farrows’s production of Alice in Wonderland is a colourful and creative retelling of Lewis Caroll’s classic tale and the marvellous adventures his Alice gets up to.

This production also weaves in a few other references from Caroll’s works that broaden the performance beyond the original text. The performance runs for 60 minutes and focuses on the key moments in Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

The stage design, props, and puppets are all grand for this production, with a lot of thought clearly put into perspective. An excellent example of this is how Alice’s character really does seem to shrink as she drinks out of a jar that gets bigger and bigger with each sip.

The costumes in this performance are grand and majestical, making the audience feel like they are down some weird and wonderful rabbit hole. Be it Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum’s humorously disproportionate garments or the overly large ears of the March Hare, the audience is genuinely transported into Alice’s new world with these new and zany characters.

It was lovely to see the cast working as an ensemble from start to finish on opening night as the play opened and closed in a joint narration. Physical theatre was employed as the cast shared the storytelling, and it was a joy seeing the actors weave in and out of their costumes throughout the performance as they embodied such whacky and whimsical characters.

Although I found myself laughing out loud many times during this performance, I found the pacing lagged occasionally with some noticeable gaps. It became particularly problematic in the water scene, where the audience first meets some odd characters of Wonderland. There needed to be a stronger pulse to keep the chaos in order.

That said, I really enjoyed this Alice in Wonderland performance, as did my children who came with me. This show is for all ages and would be a shame to miss!

This review also appears on It’s On The House, and more reviews can be found on Dark Stories Theatre Reviews – it’s an excellent way to see what else is on in your town.

A Victorian Domestic Noir – Gaslight

6 November 20235 November 2023 Linda Lokhee

Patrick Hamilton’s play Gaslight is a classic domestic noir, performed with careful consideration by the Pymble Players. The English novelist and playwright wrote Gaslight in 1938. After its popularity with the resulting plays and the 1944 Hollywood film, ‘To Gaslight’ became synonymous with the meaning of someone psychologically manipulating another for their advantage, to make them doubt their memory, perception of reality and their own sanity.

Gaslight, directed by Joy Sweeney, is set in Victorian England. It revolves around the Manninghams – Jack and Bella. From the first introduction to these characters, we see an upper-class, seemingly happy couple. They are in the drawing room, where we subtly recognise wealth in the Manningham’s furniture and locked fold-up wooden writing cabinet. This is where tea is served in dainty teacups by the servants, a place where they can engage in relaxing conversation.

However, things do not remain relaxing for long. We soon see Jack, portrayed by Nick Roberts, turn from being a supportive and loving husband into an aggressive and accusatory bully. This flip-of-a-switch was acted with such credibility that it took the audience by surprise, which is how director Joy Sweeney wanted to present this psychological abuse “to create a feeling of severity”.

Amelia Conway’s fragile portrayal of Bella is outstanding, and as she goes from being joyfully excited by the invitation from her husband to attend the theatre to having him rescind it, we witness the disintegration of her mind. When she is victimised and scorned by Jack, we flinch. When Jack abruptly leaves the room, we feel his weighty presence in Bella’s nervous disposition.

There are clear delineations of class and power in this household.

The servants have different personalities, and both play a significant supporting role with strong performances. Georgia Drewe’s Nancy is bold, teetering on defiance towards her mistress. Kate Kelly’s Elizabeth is a strong, motherly and caring woman, reminiscent of perhaps a governess in another period drama.

As the play progresses, a stranger enters and begins to unravel a twenty-year mystery involving the house and the characters within. Retired Detective Rough, portrayed with finesse by David Kirkham, brings a sense of much-needed comedic levity to balance out the sharp points in a play involving domestic abuse. When explaining his visit to Bella, David’s Detective Rough, particularly during the first act, was a guiding narrator of the unfolding past. Therefore, his script was noticeably long, and David handled this task beautifully.

Gaslight is more of a slow burn than a thriller, where the audience is exposed to the intricacies of a mystery as it is revealed. It slots into the era of Agatha Christie, where we examine each character and try to figure out motives.

The cast’s wardrobe, by director Joy Sweeney, packaged up the Victorian era and captured the upper class wholly, down to the dress ruffles, long heavy capes and expensive hats.

Sound design by Geoff Jones kept the audience’s attention and ratcheted up the uneasy atmosphere throughout the play.

Gaslight highlights the domestic abuse darkness that lives behind closed doors, and though set in London in the 1880s, it remains as relevant and prevalent in modern society today.

Running Time: Two hours and 25 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission.

Season: 1st -26th November 2023
Pymble Players – 55A Mona Vale Road, entrance via Bromley Ave

Photographer: Daniel Ferris

This review also appears on It’s On The House, or check out more reviews at Dark Stories Theatre Reviews.

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