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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 4, 2018 2:38:06 GMT
Background
Thought some comments about the Australia theatre scene might be of interest.
As best I can tell, most of the big productions tour the country with long periods in the major cities, say three months in Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney sometimes has open-ended runs as well, although not sure what's on right now.
There are also local professional productions which don't tour, as well as amateur productions.
Nothing on the scale of London or New York, but you could see most of the major shows in any give year by visiting Sydney and Melbourne, and perhaps taking a stop in a smaller city if you have time (Perth is an option, as you can now get a direct flight without changes back to London). That's all of a quirk of how the shows rotate around the country.
One other quirk is Australia often gets major New York and London productions a few years after they were originally a hit. So there's always a chance to see a production you liked and thought you'd never see again.
In 2014, I saw The King and I with the 1996 Broadway production, with Lou Diamond Phillips reprising his role from Broadway. And in 2016, I saw the London Palladium production of the Sound of Music (originally from 2006). Both productions were excellent.
The Visit
I'm in Melbourne for work commitments for a week, no time to get to Sydney unfortunately. But I have managed to fit in five shows, which is almost everything professional playing (with the exception of Beautiful Thing, which is out in the suburbs and clashes).
Particularly looking forward to the Australian premier of Bring It On, especially as the UK tour was cancelled.
Flights were with BA and long and uneventful. I struggle to sleep on flights, despite trying, so caught up on films (nothing too good, only Call Be My Your Name stood out) and finished reading Bad Show, the book with inspired the West End play Quiz (the book only presents one side of the story, but does provide more insight than the play). Nothing much for theatre lovers on the BA In Flight Entertainment, the only musical was The Greatest Showman which I didn't watch as I saw it at the cinema. The Economy food did seem better than I remembered though.
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 4, 2018 2:58:01 GMT
Oklahoma - State Theatre
Saw the closing performance, the Sunday matinee. Perhaps a mistake being only a few hours after I arrived (rather tired), but one of those shows I'd have regretted not seeing.
This is put on by The Production Company, a professional company who run a few semi-staged shows a year. This one ran for 11 performances, semi-staged. These have a three week rehearsal cycle.
The State Theatre is part of the large Arts Centre Melbourne complex. It's a large theatre, modern, three levels, big seats, lots of legroom. Theatre in Australia tends to be expensive, so I was up in the Balcony. You can just about walk down the rows to your seat without anyone having to get up. The view and angle to the stage is good, but very distant.
No security checks, which is unusual from a UK perspective.
You also get given a high quality colour programme (Playbill style but with higher production values), which is appreciated.
Going in, I saw a mother reminding her two daughters to unwrap their sweets before the show and to keep quiet. The family ended up sat in front of me, where the mother spent a lot of the show leaning over to her partner, with them whispering comments to each other. It didn't annoy me as it would have done in other theatres as they were quiet and the view was still good. The daughters were perfectly behaved.
It is mostly an older audience and better behaved than most UK audiences.
The show was billed as semi-staged, but I think concert performance would be a fairer description. The orchestra took up most of the stage, with the cast performing in the front third. Minimal props and scenery, Ali Hakim, the peddler, carrying his wares in a suitcase will give you an idea.
If it was a UK show, there would certainly be comments about a lack of racial diversity. I don't think that's a thing in Australia. Even Ali Hakin was white.
The two leads would be no strangers to West End audiences, including Simon Gleeson as Curly and Anna O'Byrne as Laurey. Simon Gleeson was excellent vocally, although rather old for the role. Anna O'Byrne excellent too. No one else I recognised but lots of credentials in Australia. The lady who played Aunt Eller was a weaker link vocally and messed up some lines, although that always seems to be a part which causes problems. They also rather played Jud as a comedy villain, which I wasn't too keen on.
The whole show sounded fantastic thanks to an excellent orchestra.
A few places where you could see the lack of rehearsal time. A dropped gun, gardening implement falling over, that kind of thing. But all performed with enthusiasm.
No speeches or anything as the closing show.
The Production Company is celebrating 20 years. It's one of those companies where I presume most people book a season subscription, so the shows almost all sell out. They have A Boy From Oz and A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder coming up. I won't be around, but I'm sure they'll be very good. Definitely worth checking what they have on if you make a trip to Melbourne.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2018 8:16:34 GMT
I believe that King and I production actually started in Australia before going to Broadway. I believe it was produced 10 years from the original Australian Date. I believe it was in Adelaide Fringe Festival but not quote me?
It won Tom Kirk a tony
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Post by ali973 on Jun 4, 2018 10:49:29 GMT
Why are people still producing Oklahoma? Just the thought of it makes me cringe.
"I'm Just A Girl Who Can't Say No"? REALLY? In 2018?
Complete erasure of Native Americans.
Ali Hakim is every Middle Eastern stereotype under the sun.
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Post by sf on Jun 4, 2018 11:41:18 GMT
Why are people still producing Oklahoma? Just the thought of it makes me cringe. "I'm Just A Girl Who Can't Say No"? REALLY? In 2018? Complete erasure of Native Americans. Ali Hakim is every Middle Eastern stereotype under the sun.
It's not my favourite show either, for all kinds of reasons (including the ones you list). I would, though, be very curious to see this: St. Ann's Warehouse - Oklahoma! |
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 4, 2018 11:48:26 GMT
Ali Hakim is every Middle Eastern stereotype under the sun. Not in this version. He was definitely white! |
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 4, 2018 12:18:41 GMT
Wild - Southbank TheatreMonday evening trip, with an unusually early 6:30pm start. No interval, running 1 hour and 50 minutes.
This is a modern theatre by the Arts Centre, one level of raked seating. Nice wide seats with lots of legroom (or unlimited in the front row, where I was).
This is the home venue of the Melbourne Theatre Company, which produces around 12 plays per year, running for a month each. Lots of season ticket discounts too.
Wild is a Mike Bartlett play. It has been produced in the UK, but I didn't get to see it. It's a three hander and looks at the issue of what happens to an American citizen once they leak state secrets to the media. How do they get helped going into hiding, when their life is at stake in the US?
Very much a play about IT, identity, social media, privacy and other hot topics, so incredibly topical.
Unfortunately, rather lost on the audience, who I guess had an average age of about 70. Laughing at inappropriate moments when they seemed funny. I heard several conversations on the way out with people to explain what they thought was going on, including someone asking "who did they mean when they were talking about him?", with the reply "they meant God". I hope it's not a spoiler to say that wasn't the obvious interpretation.
A lot of British references as well, which I don't know if they were followed by the majority of the audience or not.
I found it well-played and thought provoking. Four scenes, mostly set in an hotel room, with a well-done change of scene at the end. A little slower than it needed to be, perhaps, but this may have helped the audience. Personally, I found it very easy to follow, but I am of the right generation. I also thought the two main twists were rather obvious and telegraphed.
I saw echos of TV show The Prisoner and also 1984 in the plot and staging.
Particularly liked the lead, Nicolas Denton, who was on stage all the time, even if his American accent was a bit dodgy.
The theatre was pretty full (good for a Monday night), so this theatre obviously has a following, or a lot of season tickets sold. Prices aren't cheap either. A few empty seats near me on the front row and towards the back, not sure why, as the front row easily had the best views (a low stage) and the sound was easy to follow (no amplification being a play).
I'm surprised this play hasn't been seen more in the UK, as it is still incredibly topical. It might just be that the effect at the end is difficult on a budget.
Very watchable, anyway, and a theatre I'd go back to. Wish there were more of this style of theatre, designed for comfort, in the UK.
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Post by ali973 on Jun 4, 2018 12:22:09 GMT
I get what you are saying. The difference is that with recent productions of Carousel, as well as the rather limited Shakespeare I've seen, the pieces are re-examined and these problematic issues that are addressed. Maybe to mixed results as far as the current Broadway version of Carousel goes, but there is an awareness and a skillful way to treat these great works to make them palatable and relatable to a new audience while offering a new perspective. It seems that this production is just another honky dory version of the good ol' outback.
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 4, 2018 12:25:53 GMT
I believe that King and I production actually started in Australia before going to Broadway. I believe it was produced 10 years from the original Australian Date. I believe it was in Adelaide Fringe Festival but not quote me? It won Tom Kirk a tony Very interesting, I had no idea. Wikipedia confirms that yes, it was Australia in 1991, then Broadway in 1996 (and the London Palladium in 2000). Also toured the US and UK. But Melbourne was the first and only time I saw it.
I think my favourite staging, even better than the Lincoln Center version which is opening at the Palladium shortly.
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Post by Jon on Jun 5, 2018 0:54:17 GMT
Melbourne is a great theatre town, I saw Priscilla at the Regent Theatre a decade ago and it's a nice theatre.
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 5, 2018 11:52:30 GMT
No shows today (Tuesday) for anyone wondering. They do have 1pm matinees (when I was working), but little in the evening.
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Post by 49thand8th on Jun 5, 2018 14:12:47 GMT
I love Melbourne and how the Princess is so easy to get to and it's so easy to find food before a show. I saw Born Yesterday at MTC last year and it was a wonderful experience as well!
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 6, 2018 7:54:52 GMT
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard Of Oz - Regent Theatre
This is the London Palladium production, which is now touring Australia (Oz in Aus).
I did see this with the original London cast after in first opened. I don't remember enjoying it much, but a lot of that was because of a badly behaved audience.
Having witnessed this again at the Regent Theatre, I think bad behaviour must just come with this musical. But I tried to ignore it and enjoy the show.
The Regent Theatre is a large old style theatre, comfortable. Two levels, Stalls and Circle. I was in the cheap seats towards the back of the Circle, so a lot further back than I'd like, but I did have a good view of all the projections this show is based around.
It's also, if I recall correctly, the first Australian theatre I ever attended back in 2004, although this was to see Brian Wilson perform live (and he was excellent that night).
This is the reworked version of the film musical, with dropped and added songs and lines, a tighter script and lots of special effects and projections. Having seen another production of The Wizard Of Oz in the last few months, you can really tell the difference. It is probably a better show for the changes, although there are always limits from the original source material.
Anthony Warlow starred at The Wizard, supported by Lucy Durack as Glinda and Jemma Rix as the Wicked Witch of the West, both notable I believe as they original played the same characters in Wicked. Samantha Dodewaide was also an excellent Dorothy.
I went to the 1pm Wednesday matinee, so there were several school parties in and quite a few unsold seats towards the back. This did have the usual bad behaviour, plenty of phone checking, sweets, movement and the like. There was a particularly unruly family in front of me, which I'll write about in the appropriate thread later.
Enjoyable enough and nice to see again as I doubt the production will tour in the UK anytime soon.
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 7, 2018 22:29:16 GMT
Bring It On: The Musical - Athenaeum Theatre
This was the show I was most excited to see, as I've not seen it before.
It also turned out to be opening night, so red carpet and various cameras filming audience reactions.
Bring It On is only on for a few weeks in its Australian professional premiere. The theatre is an old medium sized theatre, with three levels. I got a seat at the end of the second row of the Stalls, which is recommended as there's extra legroom. It's also a slightly better view than the front row, due a high stage.
This was all pretty much a teenage/student audience, as that must be who the show is being promoted towards. It was the whooping and clapping at random times type of crowd. Sold out, I was lucky to find a decent single seat, and busy throughout the run.
It was also quite a relaxed audience, so some chatting and commenting, not in a really annoying way, but enough to be distracting. They also sell Pringles at the venue, but thankfully the girl next to me ate them quickly.
As far as the show goes, I can see this being a cult favourite. A fun story in the best teenage film tradition, excellent aerobatics and some really great songs. You could easily see hallmarks of the different composers. Lots of energy as well.
It did have one of those strange Australian quirks, where they are limited with certain cast types, so mostly Indigenous Australians playing roles that I presume were originally played by black actors, for example. But it all worked.
This had a lot of modern musical hallmarks. Audience warm up before the start and dancing from some of the cast of the break.
Certainly keen to see this again in the UK, so I'll catch the Southwark Playhouse production in a few weeks time.
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 9, 2018 2:14:34 GMT
Beautiful - Her Majesty's TheatreOne of the other big shows touring Australia, this one has a four month set down in Melbourne. Also my final show of the visit.
A nice old theatre. I sat at the end of the third row of the stalls, which was a decent enough view, although you missed some angles. Looked pretty full, but there are some discount offers about. Mostly an older audience, reasonable standards of behaviour for this one. They were very enthusiastic, laughing at all of the right times, although I got the impression they weren't as familiar with many of the songs as a UK audience would be.
It is (unsurprisingly) very much the same as the UK production. Similar set design and staging. Having seen the UK tour several times, the only difference in staging I noticed was Donny, Cynthia and Barry going to the upper level after Gerry's breakdown.
The other big change is in Carole's opening monologue, which has been completely rewritten. Still the same song on the piano, but a different script to go with it. No mention of Carnegie Hall, for example. I guess this might be something to do with the Australian audience. The rest of the book is the same as far as I could tell.
All the regular cast were on and they have their own takes on the characters. Donny comes across much more likeable. Gerry has a constant shake from the very start of the show, getting progressively worse as he goes through (presumably to show him battling his demons - not sure if it quite worked for me).
Unfortunately, the weak link for me was Carole. At first I thought she had a cold, but then I realised it was her attempt at a Brooklyn accent. The accent goes during the songs and then she just sounds Australian. Quite a pleasant voice, but not Carole King.
The other thing that stood out for me was the lack of diversity in the cast. There's only one black actor (female) in the piece. The others are played largely by Indigenous and Polynesian actors. So, you have the Drifters as people looking like they have more of a tan than most of the cast and wearing Afro wigs. I know it's the done thing in Australia, but it just seems strange from an international perspective. I look forward to seeing what they do when Hamilton finally makes it to Australia.
It is always a fun show and interesting to see a fresh take, but I'd much recommend the UK tour over the Australian one.
And That's It!
Airport time now, heading back to the UK! Always good to see what's going on in other countries, but nothing beats range of accessible shows we have on the UK theatre scene.
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