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A Workout Disguised The Disco Loco Way

27 May 2024 Linda Lokhee

Disco Loco Rating

★★★★★

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I found my musical inner dancing child on this Vivid Sydney Silent Disco Night Tour! A Silent Disco isn’t a new concept. It’s been popular since the 1990’s at outdoor parties and festivals, where partygoers wear headphones and continue to dance into the wee hours of the night without disturbing people in the neighbouring areas (and the wildlife!) Silent Discoers would have three channels on their headphones, each with different music playing so they could choose what they want to groove to.

Disco Loco have adapted this concept. Beginning outside the Chinese Garden of Friendship at Darling Harbour, we were given comfortable headphones and told how to adjust the volume on them. After a brief explanation of how the night was going to run, our host John started the music, our headphones glowed blue, and a burst of Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk began our evening tour. Everyone had the same channel on, so the group of around thirty people immediately started moving in sync with each other. John was at the head of our tour, and we moved through the crowds of people like dancing pied piper followers. At some points it was tricky amongst the crowds of people to see John, but he always waited and made sure we all caught up and Sophie was at the back, so we didn’t feel like we would get lost. Perhaps John could carry a tall stick with a flashing disco ball on the top so we can spot him in a crowd!

This was the first time I had experienced a concurrent walk / dance and the pace was fairly brisk, but I soon found my own way, which was the point. Looking around, everyone appeared to have their individual dance moves going and more importantly, a smile on their faces.

John and the other Disco Loco host Sophie stopped us at certain points during the walk, pointing out some Sydney landmarks and tourist destinations around Darling Harbour. This would have been useful information for tourists. There were a couple of Vivid Sydney installations that we passed, a highlight being the Australian floral holographic light and laser display over Cockle Bay, by Hika Rakuyo. I expected to see more Vivid installations, but the overall vibrancy of Darling Harbour and the bustle of the King Street Wharf was enjoyable. There were fiery installations in Tumberlong Park near the beginning of the tour, and the Vivid Fire Kitchen along The Goods Line for those who wish to explore more of Vivid Sydney.

We played some fun trivia games throughout the night. John was an enthusiastic host, talking to us through our headphones and encouraging us to dance and sing aloud. (“Don’t stop me now!”) His outgoing manner put the group at ease, and I imagine that not too many people have seen a group of thirty in a public space sporadically belting out N Sync’s “Bye bye bye” into the night without hearing the song’s musical accompaniment or performing frenetic air guitar into the silence.

Being in a large group lessened the self-conscious aspect and allowed people to be free to let their inhibitions down. We even had another passer-by man join in and dance at the back of the group to “Greased Lightnin’” with us, flash mob style! This tour group was having fun, and I could see how a Silent Disco walking tour by Disco Loco would be an effective team bonding experience for a work social, or Christmas activity, a celebration such as a Hen’s Night or simply a unique date night.

The playlist was varied, from upbeat songs to classic slower songs such as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and catered for people of all ages. With the addition of one more song, Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer”, this playlist would have been perfect! In our group, I saw a few kids singing along with their parents. The 90-minute walk flew by and included one stop along the way for anyone who needed to use the amenities or buy a drink.

The Vivid Sydney Night Tour was an unexpected workout—a sneaky workout—for people of average plus fitness. There were ramps on the tour, so people in wheelchairs could join this entertaining evening. Disco Loco also runs a Michael Jackson Theme Tour and The Craziest Silent Disco Tour. The Sydney Vivid Night Tour is on multiple nights until June 15th, 2024. Tickets are $37 or $32 for a group of four +

This is the place to be, where you will dance like no one’s watching…even though they are.

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.

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The Spook

3 June 202416 May 2024 Faith Jessel

The Spook Rating

★★★★★

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Travel back to the heart of 1960s working class Australia with ‘The Spook,’ by Melissa Reeves, where the spectre of betrayal looms large and true friendships are put to the test.

Set within the sleepy country town of Bendigo, we are drawn into an examination of the impact of external threats on community dynamics, and the frenzy of Cold War paranoia. These themes are personal, local and global. What makes them resonate is that this biting satire is based on real life events.

Director Casey Moon-Watton presents a thought provoking and at times confronting plot packed with political discourse and fiery debates. Audiences will listen carefully, perhaps even access Google afterwards when words like ‘Trotskyist’ and ‘neo-Marxism’ are casually dropped into the conversation. Loyalty, camaraderie and treachery interweave, yet despite the seriousness of these themes, it’s also unexpectedly funny and at times wryly witty.

In the tense Menzies era, where neighbours could be seen as enemies, the characters are vividly real in their flaws. Moon-Wattons’ open, minimalist and deliberately incomplete set design places each character’s emotional journey front and centre while serving as an ironic metaphor of the story’s exploration of hidden truths and obscured realities.

We experience this story through the eyes of young and naive Martin (Cameron Drake), who is teetering on the brink of adulthood, yet lacks direction and ambition. Struggling to find his identity, he is trapped within the confines of a stifling and banally homogenous community. As with most young adults, Martin just wants to be liked, seen and belong. This makes him perfect fodder for recruitment as a spy against the local Communist Party. Drake presents an agonising mix of adolescent awkwardness and bravado. As Martin slowly comes of age, he is forced to find his moral compass through the gradual realisation that life isn’t a game of heroes and villains.

Trixie, his watchful and disapproving mother, (Courtney Farrow) is everything you’d expect to be in a middle aged woman living in a small post war country town; stoic, repressed and afraid of change. Farrow did well to widen the generational gap despite being quite young for this role. She juggles quick costume and character changes with aplomb to also play Phyllis, the bright but unwitting member and partner of world weary party leader Frank (Rawdon Waller). Frank is the strong but abrasive voice of reason and Waller displayed an accurate understanding of an angry man battling within a system that is rapidly heading towards self-destruction.

Brett Joachim is Martin’s amusingly aloof Controller – in every sense of the word. He is oily and snarky as he manipulates and corrupts his charge’s innocence. He knows Martin is missing a father figure and confidante, which makes his actions and nonchalant lack of empathy quite ghastly.

Tida Dhanommitrapap has the daunting task of playing triple roles. Jean, a perpetually late party member and a stiff-upper lipped policewoman in Act 2. Her main role is Annette, Martin’s girlfriend, who delights in having something apart from Pick-a-Box to distract herself from her utter boredom of small town, small minded constraints and complete indifference to her pending marriage. Both an accomplice and hindrance, she enjoys the perceived glamour of her second-hand status without any of the moral repercussions.

(Nathan Heinrich and Kate Kelly) deliver solid and authentic performances, while producing credible accents as the mysterious Greek couple George and Eli Tassak. Their sad plight and immigration journey is compelling and raises the stakes in forcing Martin to see the real people and motivation behind the “right little nest of dirty Reds”.

Geoff Jones cleverly weaves a subtly chilling soundscape, complemented by an array of pop music and protest songs during scene changes. This enhanced the atmosphere of the era, adding tension and mood, while Anthea Brown’s costumes captured the ultimately conservative modesty of a country town lagging behind the trends and heady days of the swinging 60’s.

We have the indulgence to observe this distinctly Australian zeitgeist through the unique lens of historical context. In light of current politics around China, Palestine and Russia, it is more relevant today than ever. Will it never not be relevant?

‘The Spook’ serves as a timely reminder, highlighting the cyclical nature of history while injecting fresh perspectives into ongoing debates, with a distinctly nostalgic flavour. See this show to reignite your political fervour, embrace your apathy, or simply laugh at the consequences of both.

‘The Spook’ by The Pymble Players plays from 15th May – 8th June 2024. See https://pymbleplayers.com.au/the-spook for details.

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.

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Dear Diary

9 May 2024 Paige Jenkins

Dear Diary Rating

★★★★★

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‘Dear Diary’, written by Kay Proudlove and directed by Leland Kean, opened last night at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre. The one-woman show, starring Proudlove, is a balanced mix of nostalgia, self-deprecation, and musical comedy.

The show’s premise arose from a fateful day in Kay’s life when she was summoned to her parent’s house to clean out her childhood bedroom. The layout of the stage represented said bedroom, which felt both homey and oddly clinical, as she slowly removed the sense of comfort that comes from a safe space like a bedroom as the story progressed. Certain moments were punctuated with clothes being removed from the racks and piled up downstage, symbolising moving on and growing up.

The casual tone and delivery of the interwoven collection of stories made the performance feel like old friends catching up over coffee or a bottle of Moscato. The fourth wall was delicately danced around, with Proudlove referring to her writing process for the show and providing sidenotes and commentary on her memories and diary entries.

Kay’s generational humour and songs crafted from extracts of her teenage self’s diary had the audience in stitches. The stories of her high school crushes on both celebrities and boys she went to school with were hilarious and authentically awkward.

The selective use of a screen to show images and blow-up pages from her diary assisted in comedic timing and context and authenticating the words being read from the diary. It was wonderful to see her growth as a musician and a songwriter, as she has moved past her one verse and one chorus songs with a catalogue of beautiful, powerful, and reflective songs, as well as the majority of songs in ‘Dear Diary’ that are upbeat and lyrically diarised.

Growing up as a theatre kid and having big dreams like fame and going on a world tour are formative in the way young artists identify and shape their perspective on themselves and their environment. Her moment of realisation of her replaceability within her musical space struck a chord with me, who also put together performances and had big dreams of fame as a pre-teen. A sad part of growing up is looking back at all the plans your younger self had made, often with absolutely no understanding of the world and the inner workings of adulthood. Kay captured this beautifully with such raw emotion and simplicity.

If you grew up in the Illawarra and are looking for a healthy dose of nostalgia, this is the show for you. Grab yourself a ticket on the Merrigong Theatre Company website. ‘Dear Diary’ runs until Saturday, 11 May, at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre before continuing her national tour in Tasmania.

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.

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Let’s Kill Agatha Christie – Plotting and Suspects in a Grey Room

19 May 20247 May 2024 Linda Lokhee

Let’s Kill Agatha Christie Rating

★★★★★

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I didn’t know what to expect with a title such as this one, ‘Let’s Kill Agatha Christie’. Murder? Mystery? Plot twists, a curious and confident detective, and the Big Reveal at the end? Ms Agatha Christie serves as the contemporary writing adversary to the main character, Prudence Sykes (flamboyantly played by Caitlyn Clancy).

Although Agatha Christie does not appear in this play, her presence is felt – she is in the room, the aptly named Grey Room. Thanks to the director and set designer Gregory George, everything in this room, including the flowers and the fireplace, is grey. We are told that other rooms in the house are all painted different colours. Perhaps the reason the sitting room in this grand English mansion is grey could be because it reflects how Prudence feels inside, her insecurities, or maybe because it provides the backdrop and accentuates the characters’ colourful personalities.

Prudence, a prolific author of many novels (27, not 28 as one was rejected by her publisher) craves success as her crime novels have not reached the popularity of Agatha Christie. She desperately wants recognition and to be respected as a writer. Prudence hatches a plan. She invites three of her known enemies to her house and plants a script for them to find, giving each of them a reason to kill her.

The genre of the murder mystery thriller is explored, and The Genesian Theatre Company kept the audience guessing as to what was going to happen next. Michael Schell, who created the lighting and sound design, made full use of creating a dark atmosphere, especially with the music that played to open both the first and second act.

As each character was announced into the sitting room by the sardonic butler Tombs (played by Peter J Donnelly) I was already wondering who going to be the murderer.

Prudence’s guests were all successful – a self-made millionaire named Sir Frederick Belting, a successful poetess named Marjorie Field and a famous actor John Hartley – Miles. Theo Hatzistergos appeared to have fun portraying a pompous and arrogant Frederick, ordering Tombs to get his luggage from his car, (a Rolls Royce,) which he drops into the conversation several times. Natalie Reid returns to The Genesian Theatre to play Marjorie, who tries multiple times to recite her poetry aloud, despite the protestations of the other guests, which made the audience laugh. Bryan Smith brings the actor John to life in the play, giving him a nervous yet quite kind disposition.

A few more characters completed the cast, with Denise Kitching (Montgomery) as Angela Teal, Prudence’s PA, Andrea Blight as the shuffling and stooped Gladys the housemaid, who drew quite a few laughs due to her character’s personality, Brendan Layton as Inspector Murray and Harry Lewis as PC Crockett. Their accents were believably British for most of the performance and the costumes for all characters by Susan Carveth were convincing of the time period.

This play had a comedic element which ran all the way through. Veiled insults thrown at each other and clever quips were woven into the dialogue. Other times the comedy was physical – the top step tripping up the characters became a running theme, and it was funny watching how different characters dealt with this tiresome step.

‘Let’s Kill Agatha Christie’ was written by Anthony Hinds after he retired from making horror movies and published in 1990. It was an entertaining homage to the mystery murder genre and to Agatha Christie.

I watched the opening night’s performance on Saturday May 4 and it ran for 2 hours with a 20 minute interval. It is playing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until the 8 June 2024.

The Genesian Theatre 420 Kent St, Sydney. Tickets from $30

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.

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