The Menagerie Variety Show

The Menagerie Variety Show took centre stage at The Opera House last night. Described as "the the world of the odd, intriguing and strangely compelling", I can assure you that the performances and performers were all that and more. The theatre was packed full of weird, wild and wonderful people. Even the audience dressed up and I felt decidedly bland and unadorned by not wearing any bling of my own.

The Menagerie Variety Show is an extension of the Mengarie show on at the Fringe Bar every two months. There was a huge range of entertainment on stage. Standout performances included mesmerising aerial routines by Imogen Stone and Victor Victorious, and burlesque by Bonita Danger Doll. Wellington samba group Batucada provided intermission entertainment, and then there were singers, a poette, jugglers, a contortionist, a scarily accurate Donald Trump impersonator, a French cancan troupe, a yodelling, opera singing accordionist performing feminist songs and an awful lot of olives.

Super-organiser Rachel Rouge has two more Menagerie shows this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if she is already conjuring up plans for next year's variety show.

The Improvisors - History Never Repeats

We are long time fans of The Improvisors. We have learned not to sit in the front row (although the cast are getting sneakier and even picking on audience members a few rows back) and love how latecomers are afforded the welcome they deserve. Recently, two of the troupe provided entertainment at a conference dinner I attended and the crowd were once again amazed by their quick thinking and sharp repartee.

Last night, thanks to Wotzon, we saw The Improvisors' latest show at Circa Theatre as part of the 2012 NZ Comedy Festival. History Never Repeats is a comedic jaunt through time from 2000 BC until some point in the future and was both educational and entertaining. For example, we learned that the ancient Etruscan civilisation started with E and so did most of their language. Shakespeare had set a play in South Auckland and the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup final somehow managed to coincide wth 1985's Rainbow Warrior sinking. It's certainly history as we didn't know it!

Although last night's show didn't quite fire on all cylinders like usual, there were still plenty of belly laughs to be had with Nic Gorman and Ian Harcourt in particularly fine form. The theatresports season is on its way and we hope to catch a couple of shows. Bring on the laughter!

Should We Stay Or Should We Go?

I went to my first Fringe Festival show for 2012 last night. Should We Stay Or Should We Go? is the classic story of an intercontinental relationship (played by a real life couple who are engaged to be married in April) where each half of the couple is literally from half a world away. So where should they settle down? In her home country or his? How about somewhere halfway between the two? Either way, someone is going to be missing out and some serious compromising is called for.

The show was well conceived, funny and generally work well. There were varying levels of success in the parts requiring audience participation but the couple's warmth and humour were apparent throughout. All in all, a great night out.

I saw the show with a very old friend. [Hold on - that doesn't sound too good.] I saw the show with someone I have been friends with for a very long time. (I am in no way suggesting she is very old; she wouldn't be impressed!) It seems like only a short while ago that she and I asked ourselves this very question as the couple in the show. At the end of our student days, we had similar goals: spend two years getting established in our chosen career then move to the UK for the great kiwi OE.

And then both our circumstances changed. She wanted to leave earlier than planned while I wasn't sure whether even our original timing was right. (OK, that's code for "there was a guy involved".) She left; I never made it out of the country apart from a few short trips. (The guy is long gone.) She came back to visit her parents every few years and we'd catch up briefly. "When are you coming to join me?" she would ask. It never happened.

Now, thirteen years later, I'm thrilled to have my friend back in my life after she moved back 'home' permanently a few months ago. Did it matter that I stayed while she went? Not at all! Our lives have taken on drastically different paths and she is finding her feet back in a city that has changed so much since she left but I am really enjoying us getting to know each other again at a time in my life when good friends are worth more than gold. In the meantime, there are coffees to be drunk, shows to be seen, dinners to be shared and many more years of friendship to look forward to.

Meet the Churchills

Once again, we were the guests of the wonderful folk at Circa Theatre last night. Meet the Churchills is a new play by Paul Baker. Set in the drawing room of Randolph Churchill's 18th century house at Stour, Suffolk, we meet four members the Churchill family on the occasion of Winston Churchill's 88th birthday. What would for many be a joyous occasion was instead described as a 'mending' day, and it became apparent as the drama unfolded just what was to be mended: the family dynamics. Not quite putting the 'fun' into dysfunctional, there were clearly many issues influencing the Churchill family and their relationships.

Rather than celebrating his 88th birthday, Churchill simply wanted to die, a fact he stated boldly several times during the day along with other lamentations about his family and current state of being. While his physical body was weak and wheelchair-bound, Churchill's tongue remained flexed and razor-sharp, throwing out many toxic one-liners which transparently illustrated what he was thinking. However, his wife, Clementine Churchill, kept up line for line, which was clearly no mean feat.

The play is very well performed, if a little drawn out at times. Light entertainment was provided by the somewhat troubled character of Lady Audley, Sarah Churchill, and the narrative is woven together by a fictitious historian, Dr Stephen Jenkins. Meet the Churchills is currently showing at Circa One until 16 July.

BeatCamp!

"He was a famous trumpet man from old Chicago way
He had a boogie style that no one else could play ..."

... and that's how it all started. Last night, we had the pleasure of attending BeatCamp! at Circa Theatre, thanks to Circa on Twitter. We all know I love music, a good show and winning stuff. The perfect combination!

It's been a few years since I last saw The BeatGirls in action. They make great fodder for girls' nights out. As always, their show is a polished performance, well researched, with perfectly synched harmonies and choreography and stunning costumes to match. Taking us on a musical journey through the military ranks to today's pop, it was great to hear some of the classics given a contemporary spin. We had excellent seats in the middle of the middle row - not only a perfect view, but our position ensured we couldn't be 'recruited' to become part of the cast! ;-) The second half of the show fired particularly well, starting with an Amy Winehouse/Motown-style set and ending with a fitting girl group bang.

BeatCamp! runs at Circa until 13 May - a feelgood night out for all.

Biography of My Skin

There is something entirely irresistible about delving into other people's lives. We all do it, through movies, tv and books - even newspapers offer us a brief escape from our own lives and a glimpse into someone else's. Biography of My Skin gives us the opportunity to do exactly that. This new show by Stuart McKenzie, and starring Miranda Harcourt, premiered at Downstage last night and I was fortunate enough to win tickets to the preview.

Biography of My Skin is the story of Miranda Harcourt, as told by her husband, Stuart McKenzie. It's hard to comprehend at times that every word uttered was written by McKenzie, although we are reminded on several occasions in the dialogue. He has even scripted some pretty heated arguments between them!

A mixture of live theatre and video segments, also featuring various cameo appearances from various people in Harcourt's life, Biography of My Skin is carefully articulated and well-timed. Non-chronological events from her life are explored to varying depths, and there is something for everyone to identify with. A few are touched on very briefly, others are expanded further, many with humour, and all with raw honesty. I almost expected to see Forrest Gump sitting at a bus stop telling us, "that's all I have to say about that" after the scene where Miranda faces her attacker in prison.

The show opens tonight and runs until the end of October. It's well worth going to see if you are interested in character-driven performances, especially those that allow you a little more insight into your own life.

An Italian weekend

We had an Italian weekend. Half of my heritage is Italian, so it seems only fitting to make a weekend of it; after all, life's too short to not be Italian. ;-)

On Saturday night, we went for dinner at a new Italian restaurant in Courtenay Place. Fratelli is run by two family friends who, fittingly enough, are brothers. Their mother and grandmothers are fantastic cooks; we have spent many years popping in on Christmas morning to enjoy strong coffee and Italian dolce before heading off to Christmas dinner, so it's not surprising that good food is in their blood.

The meal was great, with good sized portions and yummy bread straight from their wood-fired oven. The wine list is extensive, with a wide range of both Italian and New Zealand wines. (Even though I'm a non-drinker, I really like looking through wine lists or, even better, cocktail lists.) They have done a great job with the decor, which is modern yet cosy and would be equally comfortable for couples or mid-sized groups. I hope Fratelli does well; they are in the ultimate restaurant zone in Wellington, yet it is notorious for chewing up and spitting out newcomers.

I had won tickets to a show at Downstage Theatre. Strange Resting Places was inspired by stories and personal experiences of the Maori Batallion in Italy during World War II. It has had fantastic reviews and has been performed at a number of festivals and events around the world; they are heading off overseas again this week. Coming from worlds apart, Maori and Italians found themselves connected by three fundamental elemtents: kai, waiata and whanau (food, song, and family).

What I loved about the show is how well the two cultures blended. It was amazing to be able to identify with two opposing forces, and I was thrilled at how much Italian and Maori I could understand. Walking into the theatre, two of the cast were playing guitars and singing medlies of Italian and Maori music, interchanging the languages with ease. Meanwhile, the third (Italian) character was busy serving food and making coffee with a caffetiera at the front of the stage for the audience as they were taking their seats. The scene was set. Fittingly, at the end of the show, the audience were offered vino and bread dipped in olive oil with rosemary and garlic; Italian hospitality never stops.

On Sunday, Festa Italia was held at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. This annual event is a celebration of all things Italian: food, fashion, travel, entertainment, and more food. My parents were, once again, heavily involved with the festival's organisation. They enticed us out of bed early on a Sunday morning with the promise that my sweetie could transport a Ferrari or Lamborghini from a sponsor's car yard to the festa. Alas, while two of the cars were red (and all were Italian), there was not a Ferrari or Lamborghini in sight; we didn't think there would be, but it was fun to dream for a while.

We spent a couple of hours during the day working on the bar, pouring numerous glasses of chianti and being thankful that this isn't our day job; it's fun to work on a bar for a couple of hours a year, but it would drive me mad to do it full time. After our second shift finished, we wandered around to see some of the entertainment while waiting to return the cars at the end of the day. How great it was to see the cast from last night's show, Strange Resting Places, on stage with a short 'surprise' performance! Then it was off home to count the money and fall into bed after a long day, the result of many months' planning. What a weekend.

Qui tutto bene!

The Pragmatic

The Pragmatic is described as a wry comedy about the routines, or 'ruts', in people's lives. Initially set in a bar, we meet Paul, a smart-ass barman with an indeterminate accent, Steve, a less-than-successful briefcase salesman with a fondness for whiskey and gin, and Sarah, who ends up pulling Steve out of his rut and setting him on his path to global domination.

Cleverly scripted and well acted, The Pragmatic is about making changes, breaking rules, over-inflated egos, and the consequences of combining these things. My favourite quote was "quitting something you hate is almost as good as doing something you like". Very wise words; after all, we have to start somewhere!

Improv - The Secondary School Musical

We have just got back from another hilarious Fringe show. Improv - The Secondary School Musical was our second date with The Improvisors this month. This time, it's a take on Disney's High School Musical (2006). Our 'tour guides' from our walking tour of Jackson Street were back - back in their prime as school students, that is.

The audience were asked for four key components, around which the show would be built. We were asked for a group which exists in schools; librarians was the decision. The 'thing' became risoni, the ambition was to run the cross country, and the theme was world domination. The scene was set and the story, complete with unrequited love, mobile phone humour, and very recent current events, developed.

Accompanied by an improvising musical trio, the cast of seven gave their best impersonations of singing teenagers. A range of characters evolved, including the hapless 'Alessandro', son of an Italian diplomat (while his real students were sitting in the audience behind us). The head librarian, who harboured dreams of being a cross country runner, was ousted from his role by his doppelganger, another boy who became corrupted by his new found power and in turn schemed a sinister plot to dominate the [library] world while regaining the friendship of a certain girl. What a fantastic way to escape the world for an hour or so with laughter. We'll look forward to their next show.

Lies and Other Stories Before Bed

"Oh, Fringe, lay thee Drama on with a trowel."

I love the Fringe Festival. As I have said before, what you get on the night is a mixed bag. Tonight's show, Lies and Other Stories Before Bed, featured a talented cast of six (plus one), a complex script, as well as a few head-scratching moments. The four-piece band provided great background atmosphere; it's great to hear live music and theatre come together so well.

So, what was the play about? Good question. Here's the bio from the website:

Long ago, in a land far away, Brian and Alice had once been happy. But for many months they had not made love. When Alice became enchanted by a American seductress, Brian started talking to the children he kept locked up in his head...
An uproarious, risky and rousing threesome of theatre, film and animation.

This is a clever show, mixing live theatre with small film snippets illustrating scenes which happen away from the main sets. I couldn't quite work out whether the children Brian hallucinated were supposed to be his, either in the future or kids who never came to be. (I don't think they were, but ... ) They had an intense love-hate big brother-little sister relationship and appeared at all the worst moments, which certainly didn't help Brian and Alice's ailing marriage. (Of course, she couldn't see them.) Or Brian's job, for that matter.

At 1 hour 45 mins, the play went on a bit and a few scenes could have been trimmed here and there. The American seductress who tempted dear Alice away from poor old Brian was drama laid on with a trowel, as were some of the scenes involving the kids. The ending was nothing short of bizarre, but I suppose that's what Fringe drama is all about. An enjoyable show, with just the right degree of unconvention. (Is that a word?)

Fringe 09

The Fringe Festival is about to start in Wellington. Until the end of February, I am going to be a Fringe addict, indulging in the mixed bag of music, the arts, theatre, drama, and comedy that Fringe offers each year. Almost anything goes at Fringe. Events and shows range from those performed by newcomers, recent drama school graduates, one person dramas, whole cast ensembles, amateurs, professionals, and everyone in between. This results in extremes; I have been to some embarrassingly bad performances, but also some of the best (and funniest) shows I've ever seen during previous Fringe Festivals.

There are about six shows I like the look of, so that makes a Fringe addict card ($15) incredibly worthwhile, as it brings the costs of most events down to $10-12. Even acts by The Improvisors are heavily discounted. I am really looking forward to their show Improv - Secondary School Musical, an improvised comedic take on High School Musical (2006). We also hope to join them on their walking tour, Jackson Street - The Short and Incomplete History of a Very Long Street. I'm also hoping to catch my third Strike Percussion show, Strike Soundsystem, a one-off performance. I'll keep you posted!

The Whale Rider - Witi Ihimaera

I read The Whale Rider (1987), by Witi Ihimaera, the other week. Most people would be more familiar with the Whale Rider (2002), for which Keisha Castle-Hughes was nomiated for a best actress Oscar, but the novel is also quite charming.

I was lucky enough to win tickets for a friend and I to see the premier of the Whale Rider movie when it was first released. Witi Ihimaera introduced the story and told us a bit about how he first came to write the novel for his two young daughters, Jessica and Olivia, while they were living in New York in the 1980s and a long way from home. Then, in 2004, friends and I saw the premier of the stage show in Auckland's newly refurbished Civic Theatre.

The differences between the stage show and the movie were immediately obvious, and it's difficult to not make comparisons. In both productions, the lead character of Koro was played by the same actor, Rawiri Paratene. However, the stage show portrayed a more mystical mood and made the whales and ocean an integral part of the story. Upon reading the novel, I see these are the flashbacks to ancient times which characterised novel and forged the links between past and present. Also, the novel was narrated by Uncle Rawiri, but he was a less central character in the movie and stage productions.

Regardless of the interpretation, Whale Rider is a delightful fantasy story and I am glad I finally found a copy of the novel to read. It helped me to fill in the 'gaps' between the three different versions of the tale that I have now experienced.

Strike Elemental

STRIKE Percussion are back, and this time with a new show at Downstage Theatre in Wellington. STRIKE are New Zealand's answer to Stomp (whom I have also seen and loved), although they have a different approach to their work. Their shows involve heaps of energy, variety, comedy, and true drumming skill. Last year's show, In the Cube, was all that.

STRIKE - In the Cube

And now they have a new show. We went to see STRIKE Elemental last night. Again, high energy and wonderful rhythms, but this time with the added elements of fire and water. Highlights included an opening piece, "Territory", featuring flaming mallets (great crowd pleasers); "Tubes", drawing on Balinese interlocking techniques with the performers playing on metal tubes of varying lengths; "Water Sketches", where the name says it all; "Igniter", with some seriously cool fire guns and spray bottles of methylated spirits; and "Drumflip", where the boys proved they could flip out and move their bodies as well as their wrists.

It was great to hear some compositions by Gareth Farr, including recent works and a piece commissioned in 2003 ("Pukul"), as well as pieces written by the guys themselves. I'm eager to see what STRIKE come up with next.

Wellington Comedy Club

Another night, another Fringe show. Tonight, it was the Wellington Comedy Club at the San Francisco Bathhouse. The old Indigo bar is a really cool venue in Cuba Street. The Comedy Club is now cashing in on being the former stamping ground of the Flight of the Conchords, Wellington's "local boys done well", and rightly so.

Unfortunately, names escape me tonight. The MC was absolutely hilarious. An Iraqi-American, he apparently picked up his Arabian accent from living in Newtown for just two weeks. He could have kept us entertained for ages and it was great to laugh along to his anecdotes in between acts. A ho-hum musical comedy duo got things started, followed by a rather bland, self-deprecating guy who strung together a whole lot of one liners and random jokes. The third guy was good. (Geez, why can't I remember his name? Nathan someone??)

The evening's main act was Andre King, "a Maori from South Auckland". Definitely not a show to bring the kids to (the poor 12-year-old in the front table looked like she wanted to shrivel up and die, and her parents and older sister looked equally uncomfortable), there is nowhere Andre did not go and no subject that was taboo. The difference between him and emerging comedians is that he pulled it all together with style. A tall, imposing figure on such a small stage, he had us in fits of laughter in the most politically incorrect manner. Bloody marvellous! Stand up comedy is alive and well in Wellington.

Jane Austen is Dead

Fringe is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get. Well, something like that. I've seen some great shows so far. Tonight, Jane Austen is Dead was a real mixed bag, with some ambitious character swapping by the actor and a few witty anecdotes thrown in for good measure. While she managed to pull some of them off really well, there were some truly ambiguous moments that I'm still wondering about even now.

Sadly, my friend and I could relate to so many of the dating and relationship experiences portrayed in this play. They got lots of nervous laughs from the mostly female audience, and perhaps a few smirks from the token males. We wondered if they were there to impress particular women, or maybe to get some tips for themselves about what not to do? Either way, this was definitely a show for the ladies and while it lacked the depth it tried to convey, it was a harmless night out.

Charlie

Prisons fascinate me and freak me out in equal measure. Visiting Alcatraz Island was a haunting experience that I will never forget. I've been enthralled by Dead Man Walking, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile in ways I can't explain. Putting the actual crime aside, the loss of one's freedom is one of the most horrifying scenarios I can imagine. Don't even get me started on the death penalty.

Tonight's Fringe show at Bats was called Charlie. It is the story of a 30 year old woman awaiting execution for murder. Anna develops a relationship with the new prison guard in her final days on death row. Predictably, Anna and the guard explore their own mortality and what it means to be alive, but with an unexpected outcome.

Hmm. The fact that I have an early morning meeting, yet am still sitting here at nearly midnight blogging about this show means that Charlie is probably one that will stay in my mind well after the Fringe Festival has finished. To me, that's the mark of good theatre.

Spooked

The Improvisors are a staple in Wellington's comedy/theatre diet and have been going for as long as I can remember. I've enjoyed lots of their shows in recent years and loved Camp during last year's Fringe Festival.

Spooked last night was pretty darn good. As the crew are fond of saying, "no matter what happens, you will get the show you deserve". In other words, if you feed in cr@ppy ideas, that's how the show will turn out. The same goes for the opposite. So, we ended up with an improvised comedy/horror involving a wedding party at the Indian Gardens in Hamilton (a scary place) and some freaky events involving popcorn.

I was really impressed with the crew's ability to slip into any time setting (1974 and 1892, from memory) and morph bits of New Zealand's history into the story. Lots of very 'NZ' jokes (and I wonder how much of these were actually picked up by our overseas friends) but they were also cleverly wound into the unfolding plot. Some great accents, too. Yup, I guess things did go 'bump' in the night.

Around the World on 80 Quid

I saw my first Fringe Festival show tonight. Around the World on 80 Quid is the story of an Irish gypsy fiddler and his adventures upon leaving Galway, Ireland, and travelling to Wellington. He just couldn't prevent himself from drinking, getting into trouble, and playing in Irish pubs all around the world. Each of these temptations were as appealing and deadly as they were in the country before, with similar consequences, yet ...

Aindrias captured the spirit of Italy, Greece, Romania, United Arab Emirates, India, Thailand, Australia, and finally New Zealand in music, accents, and mannerisms. I loved the way he fashioned a tea chest bass out of a box, a broom, and a length of rope and broke into a jazzy version of Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks - obviously something he wanted to play, and managed to include the song without it seeming contrived.

I'd happily see this show, or other works by Aindrias, again if he were to return to Wellington. Slan!

Fringe Festival

8 February - 2 March 2008

The Fringe Festival begins tomorrow. It is a delightful feast of music, dance, theatre, arts, and other events by both experienced and up-and-coming performers. Wellington knows how to put on a show, and with a Fringe Addict Card you can't beat the pricing ... there are also free outdoor events.

So, I'm going through my constantly-filling-up diary and the Fringe Festival book and trying to work out:

1. when I am in town (easy)
   
2. what I want to see (slightly tricky - so many appealing options)
   
3. whether what I want to see is on when I am in town (incredibly tricky - lots of organisation required here!)
   

Bring it on!!