one man's reminisces

(image sourced from malthouse theatre)
paul capsis' autobiographical piece of theatre, angela's kitchen played at the malthouse. i love this theatre for all it's surprises and oddities and i have seen some truly moving and awe-inspiring productions since moving to melbourne. angela's kitchen was funny, thoughtful, sad and made me long for the days when i was little and surrounded by my own eccentric family, around my nan's kitchen table talking and eating for days on end. this story travelled between malta and sydney and his grandmother's stories, to where his over-lapped. it was a real treat to be invited into capsis' memories of his family.

another night in the audience of the 'house

(Source: Malthouse Theatre photo)

i loved how blood wedding was staged. directed by marion potts and written by frederico garcia lorca, it's gathered a lot of critical success but i wasn't too enamoured. maybe it was my mood, i don't know. the story of bad blood and betrayal between two spanish families and the fall-out at a wedding. i was entertained but not enthralled.

the histrionics

i had won tickets to a preview of the histrionics at the malthouse which was awesome. i love theatre and the staging of this production was fantastic and as there was no research before arriving, i wasn't quite sure what i'd be in for. i wouldn't say i was pleasantly surprised, i was challenged - the playwright thomas bernhard's text was a dark comedy on ego and celebrity. "the world's greatest actor" dropped into a small village with all the demands and eccentricities that go along with it. an amazing performance by bille brown, who as the central character bruscon carried 95% of the dialogue - holy cow.

the malthouse continues to deliver thought provoking and excellent theatre. can't wait for the next show.

tina c is in the house

back at the malthouse for sorry seems to be the hardest word... this was a fabulous mix of comedy, country music and politics. i know, who would've thought it. and let me tell you how envious i am of her/ his incredible legs. wowee!!

i got hugged by three strangers, sang along to the australian national "anthem" of waltzing matilda and ended the evening in a mash-up line-dance. i kid you not. it was a lot of fun and also really thought-full. christopher green was the perfect host in the guise of tina c.

summer is over

early evening found me walking through an autumn drizzle to the malthouse theatre for a performance of the wild duck. written by simon stone and chris ryan (after a play by ibsen) and directed by stone, it is a tale told within a glass house. i wondered if it the themes of secrets and family disfunction were amplified by the setting, hinting at the adage of "people in glass houses..."? i expect it had crossed the set designer's mind at some stage. a moving piece with such strong performances by all cast members. the team at the malthouse continue to entrance with their selections.

theatre with friends

went along to bella union at the trades hall to watch a run through of a play that's going up for the comedy festival in a month's time. a small audience and a freebie - two actors occasionally reading from scripts but we definitely got the gist. i enjoyed mike mcleish and fiona harris's in ...plus one. a bit rough but it'll be right on the night, songs in place, scripts put down. the two create three characters apiece, a group of friends from uni days then 15 or years later. friendship and secrets. i liked it.

kitty on fire

(photo source: theatrenotes.blogspot.com)

meow meow at the malthouse with a strange twist to the little matchgirl story.  i do like meow, her amazing voice and her cabaret antics. our seats were the absolute best, though it could have been scary experience being in the front row. at one point i was holding a torch on meow when the lights went out, and jill got dragged up on stage for a bit of idolising. a fun evening.

celebrations & commiserations

happy birthday little sister.  woohoo!!!  ains turned 32 today.

the evening brought the final melbourne show of ROCK OF AGES at the comedy theatre before it headed off to brisbane. it was an awesome night of hair rock - oh the eighties, how i miss thee sometimes.

the aftermath of aftermath

(picture sourced from malthouse website)

WOW!

i'm going to recount the malthouse overview because it explains it perfectly:

"In 2008, acclaimed writer/director team Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen travelled to Jordan to interview 35 refugees, a broad cross-section of people who fled the chaos that gripped Iraq in the wake of the US-led invasion. Their words form the very fabric of Aftermath - a visceral theatre production that weaves these real interview transcripts into a shocking tapestry of war and loss.

Aftermath recounts six real-life stories of Iraqis from varied social and religious backgrounds - all are displaced civilians who lost homes, family members and history to catastrophe. Together the stories paint a picture of a delicately balanced coexistence sent swirling into dangerous chaos.

Critics across the globe have been floored by the human face the play puts on the thousands of innocent, but anonymous, victims of an ugly war. New York Theatre Workshop has captured, with impact and immediacy, the period of Saddam's regime and fall, the US-led invasion and occupation, and the rise of vengeful sectarian militias.

Stopping short of judgement and condemnation, Aftermath putsa passionate, authentic and deeply personal face on the staggering toll exacted on an innocent people".

i won these tickets through my subscription to aussie theatre, so many thanks for introducing me to this unbelievably amazing performance. i laughed, i got angry, my heart was broken and mended again.

who killed violet vario?

(photo sourced from the malthouse website)

half real, created by the border project, written by duncan graham and directed by sam haren.

a malthouse adventure. this was a great show that started as you walked into the upstairs theatre (reminded me of hayman's upstairs theatre all those years ago) and you were handed a little controller. a slab of plastic with a small flashing red light. a compact stage with few props and then when the show started the scenery was projected onto the flats. awesome.

so it was a whodunnit. and the audience, by the aid of the controllers determined where the action would go. remember the choose your own adventure books, sort of like that but majority ruled here. for example, a question is asked, do you want to find out more about the blood, the valium in the wine glass or the cracked window? it wasn't intrusive to the story telling at all. pretty fantastic. except for the fact that we/ they got it wrong. we never got to find out who killed violet vario.

seduced... check

(photos sourced from the melb arts festival website)

the manganiyar seduction at the arts centre. very spectacular... started small with just one man opening the curtains of his booth and strumming his sitar (i think it was a sitar), to the overwhelming passion of all instruments and all voices. a fabulous event.

look right through me

a KAGE production @ the malthouse theatre. a wordless exploration of humanity through dance that was inspired by michael leunig. uplifting and bewildering at the same time. i loved the staging and the music.

(and i had chocolate cake for my dinner).

theatre downstairs

cafe scheherazade at fortyfivedownstairs. a great venue for wonderful storytelling. this is a story of memory, with rambunctious characters and mood-enhancing music. the play was first staged earlier this year and was scripted by therese radic, based on the novel by arnold zable.

i went to the real cafe scheherazade on acland street in st kilda before it closed a number of year ago. i ate cake and read a book and watched lives go by.