A Single Man: Something Old, Something New

I watched the advanced screening for A Single Man, Tom Ford's directorial debut. I was partially ready to hate this film because it's Tom Ford (I'm stupid that way), but love it at the same time because of the aspects of the film that mirror my own demons.

However, there is a lot of love about this film - the cameos (Lee Pace! Ginnifer Goodwin! Jon Hamm! Lee Pace! Aline Weber! Lee Pace!), the play on colours, the stylised... well, the stylised everything!!! Tom Ford definitely knows how to make things... pretty.

But sadly, there is a lot of pretty in this movie but little plot substance. Yes, there is great technique involved in making this film to come out the way it has, but there is nothing here that is new or exciting or innovative. It is, in fact, just a new twist/way of looking at an old story, and to be honest, a movie with such a simple plot line needs a bit more substance to keep people hooked on it. Because the plot was so straightforward, there were times when I looked at my watch, wondering when the story moves on. Maybe if I had known about the plot beforehand, I would have felt differently... or maybe if it had not been raining, I would have been more patient with the film. Who knows anymore...

Having said that, there is also strong acting in this film. Colin Firth and Julianne Moore are fantastic (as always) and Matthew Goode achieves greatness here. There are also small scenes in the film (case in point: Matthew and Colin on the sofa) that really resonate so well, simply because they act so honestly - a testimony on how well the actors can strut their stuff. The latter alone is enough to convince me to watch this film.

So what is the verdict? While I would not watch this movie again, I will definitely recommend it. There is a quiet sadness in this film that I have not seen in a lot of films nowadays, and points to Tom Ford for making it feel very real. I just wish the ending was different, but hey, life happens. Three slices.

A Not-So-Nice Awakening: A Review

(I know I should update this more often)

Spring Awakening is one of those shows that has gotten such a buzz from the theatre grapevine. I first heard about it because of its musical score which was done by Duncan Sheik (of On A High fame). It's quite rare for a pop star to cross over to theatre and still get valid affirmation from peers (and yes, he got a Tony award for it).

So, being the Tony whore that I am, I was quite excited when the Sydney Theatre Company decided to stage it in Australia, and I was most likely one of the first ones in the online queue. I got a pair of seats for the second row (guess who the eager beaver is!) and rocked up with all shimmering bells on.

Well.

First of all, don't sit in front. As a rule, I usually take the fifth row of a theatre so that I can see what is happening, but still be ok enough to see the entire set. The second row... just isn't far enough. With the lights flashing and all of that... ummm. No. Just no. We moved to the next level up after the first act and definitely much, much better.

Now - the musical itself. The female cast is fantastic and vocally, they were amazing. The harmonising was strong and overall, definitely noteworthy. The concept of characters blending in with the set is nothing new really - very Greek chorus, methinks - but the execution was very modern. The set itself was quite bare, but given that it was designed so that the characters can blend into it and mold it into the scenes, it was quite understandable. The lighting was good (as long as you don't stay in the second row), and I love the concept of the uneven lights. Tres chic, I thought. In the fact, if you look at each aspect of the production, it was well done.

Sadly, I don't think the parts of the production fit together. The lights, although nice, didn't do justice to the set, which was too deep to begin with, really. The actors didn't do well working with the set and didn't know how to place themselves in it. Worse, some of them acted like they have been doing this for far too long. While one can argue that the actors have been through heaps of rehearsals and such, an audience does not deserve a show where the actors are half-hearted in their efforts. Plus, it's the second show in their season, soooooo... no.

The saddest part about the production are the male singers. Some of them did a fairly decent job acting, but singing? Definitely not their forte. Plus, they were given choreography that made them stomp and all - while that covered up the horrid singing, it also made them pant a lot (understandably!). Tip: Pit chorus is your friend.

Actually, the choreography in this musical is fairly mind-boggling. Really, sometimes, you can just skip the interpretive dance. It just made it look very Year 12 Rock Eisteddfod reject.

Overall, this show isn't the sum of its parts. The direction was overall messy and didn't gel well with the entire production. It's like the actors were told to do something they didn't like and they are just going through the motions (some goose-stomping, even!). The microphone/rebellion imagery was nice in theory, but in practice, not so - and definitely not with actors who do not have stage stillness.

So what do I think? One and a half slices.

A Different Type of Hamlet: A Review

I watched Hamlet last night and... well, before anything else, I just want to say that I was craving this particular production because Sarah Blasko is in it. True to form, she did very very well, musically. There were several songs in the play which could only be described as haunting. I know it's not a musical, but still, yay for Sarah Blasko.

I totally get why people would queue up for Brendan Cowell. He is a very intense actor on stage and once he does his thing, he is on fire. It's just that he seems to be dancing to a different beat to everyone else. I knew this was a Sydney Theatre Company production, but he seems to be in Bell Shakespeare mode. And to be honest, there are times I wonder if Hamlet is being played by Brendan Cowell or his ego.

Mind you, I'm not saying this was a bad production. Far from it, really! The set design was yummy and their use of water in this production was ingenious and astounding. I rarely get to work with water on a set because it wreaks havoc on the set. So to see a production using water as a such a powerful symbol is very refreshing. AND! the music of Sarah Blasko is enough to warrant the admission price.

But I don't think I will strongly recommend this production. After the first act, some people on our right didn't come back for the second act. I think they were idiots for leaving, but a very, very small part of me was envious. 3/5 slices.

A Strange One: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Just came from "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea", and I do have to say that it was quite strangely spectacular. It is a mix of goth acting and multimedia and... and... you know, it's really hard to describe. For one, the description of "David Lynch meets Tim Burton" is quite accurate. The acting was superb and the mini-stories are quite ... interesting.

Imagine the video clip for "Tonight, Tonight" (Smashing Pumpkins) on stage, except the script was by Gabriel Garcia Marquez on serious drugs. Yeah, that's how I would describe it.

And there is audience participation - at least, for one fellow in the audience.

In a nutshell, 4 out of 5 slices.

A Good Leap of Faith: The Altar Boyz (A Review)

Just came back from Altar Boyz, a musical comedy about a Christian boyband. It was held in the Seymore Theatre, and I do have to say I came out of that fairly impressed. It is difficult to sing and dance for 1.45 hours, but I guess boy bands do it live in concerts, so yeah.

As expected, there are a few giggles and laughs at the expense of Catholics, but given the initial premise and all, it was nothing out of the ordinary. What I found surprising was the reaction of one of audience members. At the end of a song, he walked out with his wife in tow, yelling out "Blasphemy!"

I can see how he can find it offensive, but given that this is Australia, where people can take a piss out of themselves, I felt the reaction was pretty extreme. Still, the cast members handled the situation well, and actually managed to turn it to their advantage. No one else walked out after that, and admittedly, the cast energy turned up HEAPS.

Ironically, the man's act of putting down the show actually helped it.

So do I recommend it? As a Catholic, I thought it was funny - from the poke at First Communion mass rituals, to the play on the Catholic nursery rhymes, to the subtle Biblical references and all. It was funny for me, at least. Others might not feel the same way. Still, the energy of the cast members really helped pull the show.

Advice: Get something in the middle of Row F, for a little audience participation... or something in the first two rows for a little stage action.

Rating: 3.5/5 slices

A Bunch of Poems from "The Serpent's Teeth" by Daniel Keene

I really liked the poetry in this play. I think I am writing this more for me, rather than anyone else. :-)

These are all lines from grieving characters.

---

(Sam)
My brother is swallowed in his death
His baffled cry still echoing
Footprints still hardening in his blood
The days at least are merciful
I lose what's already lost
But at night, the darkness blazes
with the music of his voice;
Our games have never ended
The rubber ball we bounced
Pounds inside my chest
Our game of hide and seek
Ends only when I wake
Still searching for his hiding place."

(Catherine)
"They'll carve his name in stone,
Why not here in my breast?
Why not here in the palm of my hand?
I'll wear his absence on my face,
why not his name?
There is a flame that burns
for dead soldiers;
What feeds the flame of remembrance?
The living are the fuel that memory burns.
We burn more slowly than the dead.
Our crematoria are the beds we sleep in,
the streets we walk,
the rooms where we wait
for the son who is not returning.
We leave a trail of ashes
That are slowly scattered by the wind."

(Helen)
We lived in our own country
And knew each other's seasons
His body was naked as air,
His hands a harbour and a sea.
Our bed was a wild garden
Where my eyes were mirrored in his.
We drank from each other's bodies
and slept in each other's silence.
How should I remember him?
Who should I tell that I loved him?

(Tom)
What's left of my son?
What's in that box, draped in a flag?
Have they managed to stitch anything together?
Does it even resemble a body?
Does it matter?
I remember holding his hand
That was in another life
But it was my life
My son in my arms is something I've felt
My son's voice is something I've heard
I've seen his shoulders broaden
His voice darken with manhood
I don't want to see my son again.
I want him in my arms,
dead or living,
the bright grave joy of his youth,
his going away and his coming home again
I want my son.

(Robert)
I hear the voice of son calling
He looks homewards to me
where I burn
in the suspended nightmare of his loss,
not yet able to scream, nor weep, nor curse.
My son calls me
and I answer him.
Come home to me now
Bring your lost life
to grief's foundry.
We'll forge a meaning from it;
the hammer of my tears
on the anvil of your blood.
It is in the labour that matters,
the shaping out of emptiness
the necessary presence of your death.

(Catherine)
Now we will learn our grief, waiting
for those not coming home
to come home nonetheless.
We'll make new lives
and learn to live with emptiness.

A Breathtaking Night: A Review of "The Serpent's Teeth"

Last Wednesday, I went with the Falster family to watch Daniel Keene's The Serpent's Teeth. Prior to this, I had not seen a production of The Sydney Theatre Company, so I was quite excited. Given that it was at the Opera House playhouse, I felt I was in for a double treat.

True to form, I was amazed. The Serpent's Teeth is actually two one-act plays. The first is called Civilians, a story of Palestinians trapped by the walls that divide their country. In another way, it can reflect as well the walls we erect around ourselves and the way in which we break them down sometimes in order to communicate with others around us. I loved the set here (just a brick wall spanning the entire length of the stage), as there were subtle parts of it which reflect a deeper despair amongst people trapped by overpowering presence of a wall represting the corrupt power of the same people who are supposed to help and protect them.

Because this is set in a country that is so different from my own, it seemed so much easier to accept what was on stage and every little small detail could be easily taken in. Despite its depressing nature, I loved it.

Sadly, I did not find the second one-act play as engaging. It was called Soldiers and revolved around the effect of the death of Aussie soldiers in Iraq. The concept was quite basic and familiar, and perhaps that is what made it less interesting.

However, what wowed me was the way in which the thoughts of the characters were written. It is basically a combination of prose and poetry, and Daniel Keene has such a gift in verbalising the grief, anger and bewilderment that loss can bring.

That second play was so well-written that I had to get a copy of the scripts. Well worth the $15, in my honest opinion.

Here are some lines for your scrutiny.

(from a grieving mother)
"They'll carve his name in stone,
Why not here in my breast?
Why not here in the palm of my hand?
I'll wear his absence on my face,
why not his name?"

(more to follow)