THEATRE: BARE BOARDS BRAVE HEART
Review By Duncan McLeod
a subtlenuance production
Review:
A subtlenuance show for this reviewer has typically been enjoyed at the Tap Gallery. To hear that their latest creative collaboration was staged somewhere else was somewhat intriguing. The Drill Hall in Rushcutters Bay is a an oversized shed, with two main rooms that were both used for this collective work. It’s cold, it is bare and Artistic Director Paul Gilchrist was brave in staging this work outside the Tap Gallery, but it certainly paid off.
The opening piece SHARKS CAN SMELL FEAR is lyrical, and fluid. It evokes some nice imagery and creates a rather sombre mood. Bridgette Sneddon is unassuming and placid in her delivery. The fluidity of Zoe Carides’ direction made good use of the space however was not overly engaging. Alison Rooke’s script, while profound, was convoluted. In an apparent attempt to woo the audience, this reviewer got lost in the dialogue and wound up feeling perplexed rather than at peace. This slow burn piece was an underwhelming choice as an opening performance.
RATING: ***
To devise and direct a monologue, that you also perform is a tough ask. The weight of Skye Loneragan’s performance seemed to heap onto her shoulders. The piece was essentially a ramble of lyrical verse and prose about literature and the difference between how children and adults draw and read/write. Loneragan made good use of the stage, as she attempted to hold the audience’s focus. The working with props was a simple and effective idea. There were flakes of humour in the performance, however this piece that was meant to be delivered to children seemed overly high brow for this eclectic audience.
RATING: ***
Then something happened. The audience was moved into the second space, where we were greeted with a human statue awkwardly wrapped around a microphone stand.What followed was a fantastic lyrical contemporary dance piece that evoked great emotion and commanded attention. Nick Atkins used his prop with great skill and an interesting conviction. The monologue that followed is an excerpt from a feature-length piece. It centred on a guy who liked to go clubbing. It did not have the impact that the dance piece had but was funny and interesting all the same. Director Michael Imielski showed great creative vision with this piece.
RATING: ****
Dating is always great fodder for comedy. The awkwardness of asking someone out on a date is ripe with humour. Mark Konik’s script is light,funny and very true to life. Konik creates a nice story arc in a short space of time. Luke Carson has a strong stage presence and seems very adept at comedy. Carson holds the audience in the palm of his hand and delivers a winning performance that lived up proceedings.
RATING: ****
But just like that the mood shifts and the audience is delivered a stunningly emotive performance from Renee Lim. Carol Dance’s script takes the audience on an emotional journey of a woman who has been dealt a crushing blow -literally. Lim connects with the audience in a sweet unassuming manner. Her unfortunate story is made more heart-wrenching as things progress. The use of her prop is well crafted by director Beverley Callow and the way in which the character breaks the conventions of reality is poignantly staged. IT’S OK TO ASK is the stand out of the entire work. Some more work could be done to make things tighter though, both in script and Lim’s delivery.
RATING: ****1/2
Justin Bieber material can be funny. The enigma that is the Biebster is rich with comedic barbs of insult or sympathy. The material in David Finnigan’s ‘SO IT’S THAT KIND OF QUEST’ was full of promise but it just didn’t deliver on that promise. Perhaps it was a combination of Corinne Marie’s half hearted delivery, but it just didn’t gel well with this reviewer. There were smart pop culture references throughout and some biting social commentary but it just didn’t have the intended effect.
RATING: ***
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