Review: A Study in Scarlet (A Study Of)

A STUDY IN SCARLET (A STUDY OF)

By Robert Lloyd and Scott Gooding. Son of Loft, Lithuanian Club until October 1.

Robert Lloyd has been obsessed with Sherlock Holmes since he was a child; here he plays out the entire story that introduced Arthur Conan Doyle's character to the world while offering commentary asides and dipping into the reasons that the superhero detective made such an impression on the skinny kid growing up in Dubbo. These latter sequences are the most appealing aspect of the show, and I wished there was more of this material than we ended up getting. The performance of the story itself is well done but probably not enough to hang 90% of the actual show on. It's still a satisfying bit of storytelling, though, and certainly worth a cursory inspection.

Review: I Love That You Forgot

I LOVE THAT YOU FORGOT

By Sarah Hillman-Stolz and Emma Fisher. At Yah Yah's. Season ended.

This is a very sweet and likeable show that left me totally stumped. I can't for the life of me work out what was common to all of the sequences it presented, which featured dance, storytelling, spoken word, projection, physical theatre and lots of other bits and pieces. Many were fine on their own terms, but there was no indication why any one thing was selected for inclusion over anything else that could have been. It was like a language without a grammar.

What I did get from the piece was that the two performers seem like very nice people who would be kind and generous friends. That's a pretty good thing to get from a show. But I'm not sure exactly what else I was supposed to take away from it (apart from a banana and a cupcake).

Review: The Lost Story of the Magdalen Asylum

THE LOST STORY OF THE MAGDALEN ASYLUM

By Peepshow Inc. Abbotsford Convent until October 2.

Peepshow Inc's previous production at the stunning Abbotsford Convent was a gorgeous spectacle of puppetry and live performance; this one doesn't meet the same high standard. The earlier work offered both a grander scale and a more affecting intimacy, whereas this one is often too literal in the way it conveys its melancholy story of the real history of the venue as a haven for girls who fell from grace (or at least respectability) in 19th century Melbourne. There are a handful of sublime images and original theatrical manoeuvres, but they don't quite add up to the moving experience that this might well be.

"I know some really stupid old people"

A few weeks ago I sat down with director Julian Meyrick and some of the cast of Do Not Go Gentle..., opening tomorrow at fortyfivedownstairs. At the table were:

Rhys McConnochie, 73

Malcolm Robertson, 77

Terry Norris, 80

And Mr. Meyrick.

THIS BLOG IS NO MORE!

Just kidding. Going overseas for a week and a bit so don't bother dropping by in the meantime. I've had plenty of reviews I haven't been able to get up here recently as well, but, you know. Of them I'd most recommend Gary Abrahams Something Natural but Very Childish on at La Mama right now - it's utterly charming. Otherwise, make your own fun for a little while. My next fortnight will probably be a bit more like this:

Intelligence Can Be Eaten

People often write about particular artists 'evolving' – I'm pretty sure I've done it myself – but a while back I read a nice comment by a science-wise person arcing up against this term usage. Species evolve. Individuals don't. An individual can 'develop' or 'grow' or whatever, but evolution is the process of change across massive populations of lifeforms.

I think that probably holds true for the arts, too. Unless you subscribe to some form of aesthetic creationism that upholds genius as the result of divine intervention. Surprising how much criticism does.

Reviews: Next Wave Festival

Dudes, I'm really sorry I didn't write about the Next Wave festival here. I was really busy, for real. Along with seeing Next Wave stuff almost every night I was cramming in Emerging Writers Fest events as well as normal, non-festival shows and keeping down a regular job. I even managed to squeeze in a film! A film! Films are a luxury I just don't get! It's like saying I found time to go to a four-hour, three-course dinner and show at a theatre restaurant! Which I also did! Twice!

And now the festival is over; but seeing as I've found myself with about three minutes to kill I'm going to post some notes on some highlights, just for posterity or some such.