Nov 21

THEATRE – OzAsia – Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land – Playhouse – 4.5K

By Peter Maddern

Arguably the most significant work at this year’s OzAsia Festival has come at its end. Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land is regarded as one of China’s top 10 plays of the 20th century, a masterwork of contemporary Chinese theatre by the acclaimed writer and director, Stan Lai.

It tells of two theatre troupes who believe they are both booked in to rehearse their upcoming production in the same venue. As the poignancy of one collides with the farce of the other, so the two stories come to meld in a touching tale of love lost and of a China before the nationalist split of Taiwan in 1949.

All the cast are in good form with Chu Jr-ying delightful as Yun Zhi Fan in Secret Love and Tang Tsung-sheng as the excitable Lao Tao in Peach Blossom Land.

As a regular reviewer at OzAsia over the years this is perhaps the first time that one might suggest that one of its works would sit well as part of the Adelaide Festival. Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land certainly is of that class.

Kryztoff Rating                     4.5K

Nov 19

THEATRE – The Gods of Strangers – State Theatre – Playhouse – 3.5K

Images by Chris Herzfeld

By Peter Maddern

Set in Port Pirie after the WWII, The Gods of Strangers tells the tales of Greek and Italian families both new and more permanent and the visitors they encounter. The work covers not just their struggles as migrants but of the worlds they have most assuredly left behind.

Italian Assunta (Dina Panozzo) runs a boarding house and welcomes Vito (Renato Musolino) as a guest. Her friend Vasiliki (Deborah Galanos) manages a deli and is unhappily visited by Anna (Eugenia Fragos) bringing Yianni (Philippos Ziakas) into the cross hairs of their pasts.

This tri-lingual work by Elena Carapetis, resident playwright at State Theatre, challenges  even for one so accomplished a director as Geordie  Brookman. While the opening scene is a ripper where Assunta and Vasiliki bicker their way over a board game, the persistent use of sur-titles derogates from the drama as it is unleashed at the opening of the second half. At 150 minutes the work is too long and there are moments, such as the men tussling near the end that strain credulity.

Notwithstanding, Panozzo gives one of the best performances seen on the boards of the Playhouse this year as she switches often from the amorous to the offended perhaps reflecting a lack of complete comfort in her character’s new surroundings. The clash between Vasiliki and Anna gives full opportunity for Galanos and Fragos to strut their stuff which they do with aplomb, while Renato Musolino successfully glides and skips his way across the stage in his own inimitable style.

Kryztoff Rating   3.5K

Nov 17

MOJO JUJU – Native Tongue Tour

MOJO JUJU –

Live at JIVE  – Thursday 15th Nov 2018

Review by Gary Clarke                                                                                   5 Stars

As we entered Jive Nasty Mars, Mojo Juju’s support act was just winding up his set. Our eyes adjusted and we noticed the unmistakable profile of MJ herself. She was nonchalantly watching Nasty Mars while checking out the sound and ambience of the venue from the floor. My friend knows Mojo from the early days of’ her band The Snake Oil Merchants. Her son played musical saw and performed with them back in ’09.

Mojo is a rising star now it seems. After so much hard graft playing the traps all over the country for so many years, it is well deserved. But you are unlikely to find anyone more down to earth and grounded than her. We sauntered up and introduced ourselves…

Mojo tells us she is a little tired after a whirlwind start to her national tour in Victoria. Hard work and the prospect of tonight’s set, then off to WA and over to NSW on a tight schedule are probably taking their toll. And yet when Mojo and her band “T Bone” (her brother Steve) on drums and Yeo on Bass hit the stage they fire up with a vengeance from the get go. Opening with Mojo’s hot new single and the title track of her breakthrough new album “Native Tongue” Mojo doesn’t miss a beat. She hits the ground running, pouring her heart and soul and prolific voice into her performance. The 100 or so folks in Jive are transfixed. Mojo has got us under her spell.

The band moves into some heartfelt torch songs that cut through and the ambience shifts. The audience warms as folks start holding hands and moving closer, visibly displaying affection.

Mojo is not only a talented singer with a killer voice she is a clever, engaging and witty raconteur. One tale she deftly relates concerns her being seated on a flight in front of a mum and daughter who are discussing their dismay that they “can’t even say racist things anymore”. The audience laughs realising the direction this was going.. Suffice to say the misguided women received an erudite lecture on race politics to ponder over the 90 minute journey. As Mojo says “ Why should I feel uncomfortable because they are F*#king Stupid !! The audience heartily concurs.. and the band breaks into “Never Again”.

We get a solid hour or so of songs mainly from the new album including the brilliant Shut Your Mouth, 1000 years and History. Mojo is gracious and inclusive, acknowledging the contribution of everyone involved including the excellent mixing, the venue and friendly bar staff and all those that contributed to the album.. There are no encores, not because the audience wouldn’t have kept her there all night if they could but because Mojo gives her all, no frills, no BS just great music profound lyrics and a voice that takes no prisoners. This is a watershed moment for Mojo. And for the music industry. The album is nothing less than seminal. There has been a shift and Mojo is that shift. In her own words Never let anyone make you feel small, Speak up for those with no voice and don’t stand by when something is wrong. More power to your arm Mojo.

Review by

Gary Clarke 5 ***** stars !

“There has been a shift and Mojo is that shift”

.

Nov 10

DANCE – OZ ASIA – Andropolaroid 1.1 – Space Theatre – 3K

By Belle Dunning

Yui Kawaguchi’s production ‘Andropolaroid 1.1’ is an other-worldly exploration of movement, light and sound. It delves into the difference between robot and human, light and dark, rigidity and emotion.

Kawaguchi is a Berlin-based Japanese choreographer and dancer, and brings a very unique feel to this solo dance production. You can see the ballet and hip hop influences, but also just a celebration of Kawaguchi’s own unique movement, rhythm and experience.

The lighting design by Fabian Bleisch really makes the show — the configuration of suspended neon lights, which pulse in time with harsh electronic sounds and Kawaguchi’s movements, create a wonderful backdrop  for the performance as Kawaguchi weaves around them. As a solo dance piece with minimal music, without the lighting, the production could feel a little sparse. I found myself rejoicing each time some recognisable musical notes did pour through, finding myself somewhat challenged by the silence and lack of emotion or humanity at other times.

If you enjoy dance and visual art, and want to see something a little different (that isn’t too long), this is an enjoyable night out.

Kryztoff Rating 3K

Nov 08

MUSIC – DANCE – Patina – OzAsia – Space – 3.5K

By Peter Maddern

In this complex and multi-faceted piece, Adelaide based composer David Kotlowy has laboured to present a work that combines not only Australian and Asian musicians and aesthetics but also a production that combines these influences across technological eras.

Kotlowy himself sets that tone in the first of the four main pieces, or series of visual and sonic vignettes, with his journey across the Space stage playing the shakuhachi before multiplying and manipulating its tones through electronic means. The five piece Gamelan in situ then answer his call from the opposite pole of the stage, their delicate touches perhaps overwhelmed by the amplification adopted.  Between them, Juno Oka creates his wave like visuals on four coffin like boxes around which Ade Suharto and Shin Sakuma periodically mesmerise with their dance.

Thus Patina evolves almost into a hypnotic work that speaks not only of the transient beauty of nature but also those senses of imperfection, the other world of memory and our fragile position in it all.

Being in a contemplative mood will certainly elevate the effect of Patina and help summon up the appreciation of the conception and performance the work deserves.

Kryztoff Rating  3.5K

Nov 07

WAR SUM UP – OZ ASIA – PLAYHOUSE – 4.5K

War Sum Up is an hypnotic palimpsest of music, entrancing vocals and stunning visuals.

A woman in modern-day dress enters playing a music box and drifts into beautiful and melancholy singing. Located at the front of the stage she attempts to continue with her life in spite of the dramas unfolding behind her. The theme is war, and the effect of war on individuals. These individuals are a soldier suffering from PTSD who eventually dies in war, a warrior killed in battle, and a spy who is captured but manages to escape after becoming a super-being.

Based on characters from Japanese Noh theatre, the cast of twelve wear Japanese-style costumes with a futuristic slant. Projected images range from ancient prints through vintage photographs to contemporary manga-style illustrations.

The clever double-storey set has both a back screen and a translucent scrim in front, these are used throughout to great effect. At times I felt as though I was watching a very lush movie, or else immersed in an art installation. Occasionally the experience was psychedelic as the cast seemed to move up and down amidst the overlapping images, at other times the images seemed almost as real as the performers.

Phrases from Japanese poetry would appear on a screen suspended high above the front of the stage. For me this was a distraction as it kept drawing my eye up and away from the performance Aesthetically I felt it was out of place. But this was a very small annoyance in what proved to be a stunning performance.

Presented by the Danish Hotel Pro Forma in collaboration with UK art-pop ensemble The Irrepressibles and Latvian composer Santa Ratniece, War Sum Up is performed by the Latvian Radio Choir. This was their Australian debut.
War Sum Up was performed at the Festival Theatre Playhouse on Nov 5th & 6th.

4.5K

Nov 04

MUSIC – OZ ASIA – HAVELI – NEXUS – 5K

This is a show that is surely bound for larger stages and I feel very lucky to have experienced it up close in the intimate Nexus venue.

Western jazz has long been interested in Indian classical and Carnatic music but Sydney saxophonist Matt Keegan is interested in blending Indian folk music, principally from the Baul tradition of West Bengal, with contemporary Australian jazz. The result is music with a wonderful earthiness, which is joyful, at times playful, and full of surprises. The band radiate the enjoyment of their craft and their respect for one another and their different cultures and traditions.

Featuring Baul singer Raju Das with his astonishingly beautiful and powerful voice accompanied by the khamak (a drum with 2 strings plucked with a large plectrum), Deoashish Mothey from Darjeeling on dotara, esraj, guitar, percussion (and his more subtle but equally lovely singing), Gaurab Chatterjee who is a drummer in a rock band in Kolkota who also played the dhubki (a Baul hand drum), Australian jazz bass player Steve Elphick, and Matt Keegan on saxophone.

The result of chance meetings of people drawn together by their love of music, The Three Seas is a cross-cultural project which has been developing over the past ten years. Five years on from those first encounters they released their first album, recorded inside an Haveli; an Indian castle. Last year was the first time that the group appeared on an Australian stage and they made their second album here.

The venue at Nexus allowed the audience to appreciate the dexterity and skill of these musicians. The choice of Lyndon Gray and his Carnatic Jazz Project as support act was inspired. Drawing as it does on the Carnatic tradition of Southern India, a style more familiar to western jazz audiences, it prepared the audience well for the show that was to follow. The rendition of Charlie Parker’s Ornithology and the saxophone playing of Jason McMahon were particularly special.

5K

Nov 04

DANCE – OZ ASIA – Sutra – Dunstan Playhouse – 4.5K

By Belle Dunning

Energetic, fierce and playful. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s critically acclaimed ‘Sutra’ brings to life the daily rituals of 19 Shaolin monks and explores the intersect between East and West. With a stark but simple set (by Antony Gormley) and a subtle orchestral score (by Szymon Brzóska) as their backdrop, the monks’ physical prowess and disciplined movements are given the space to stand out.

Gormley’s set design was an absolute highlight. Nineteen tall wooden boxes — one for each monk — dominate and become the stage upon which the story plays out. The boxes create new possibilities for movement and interaction between the dancers as they are dragged around, and continually recreate the look and feel of the performance for the audience.

The youngest performer, a boy of around 6 years old, brings an element of play and curiosity to the performance, challenging the rigidity and conformity of the set and the monk’s kung fu sequences. 

Unfortunately, on the night of the performance, Cherkaoui was unable to play the principal role, and was substituted by Ali That. This role felt a little artificial and overdone in comparison to the monks’ performance, but that was perhaps the point — to explore the relationship between East and West, highlighting the differences and commonalities, and constantly challenging who was leading and who was following.

Sutra is a beautifully choreographed and put together production, where every detail has been carefully thought out. For a production reaching its 10-year anniversary, its energy and unique artistic voice continue to push it beyond the realm of just ‘dance’, into something much more powerful and memorable.

Kryztoff Rating 4.5K

Nov 02

THEATRE – Baling – OzAsia – Nexus – 4K

By Peter Maddern

The independence of Malaya from British rule after World War II is not a story much told or understood in this country. As difficult as the British may have been, the major complication to it all was the Chinese communist insurgency under its leader Chin Peng that had lasted eight years.

Malaysia’s Five Arts Centre brings that story to OzAsia under the title of Baling being the location where the talks by the Chief Minister of Singapore, David Marshall, and the Malayan leader, Tunku Abdul Rahman, with Peng took place under an intense national and international focus.

This two hour performance takes us through exchanges between those participants via transcripts of the day with contemporary video and personal additions from each of the three performers. To encourage seeing each party’s perspectives (and maybe also to alleviate bot rot) the audience was required to keep moving their places around the Nexus floor, taking their mats with them with the players also exchanging their roles.

From the details of the debate, the model behaviour of the participants and the demonization of the Communist leader a full picture of the dynamics, then and since was very successfully portrayed by director and creator Mark Teh and his team. Certainly, this reviewer was left pondering the merits of the ideological and personal stances taken by Peng and Malaysia’s subsequent reaction to him.

The performance was nearly marred by an unfortunate few cultural warriors who thought they knew best as they guffawed and sniggered their way through references to such things as the British, the Australian constitution and some of the rhetorical examples used in the cut and thrust of the debate. They were perhaps better suited to expressing their superiority as members of a Q & A audience. When the realities of communist insurgencies of that area after World War II were recounted (Korea, China / Taiwan and later Vietnam) one may not have agreed at the Tunku and Chief Minister’s hard line positions in 1955 (and the role of the British) but they were entirely understandable and, as time has shown, the outcomes have served the Malaysian independence journey pretty well.

As OzAsia is want to do, this production tests an Adelaide audience for its particular subject matter and its alternative form of storytelling. But for anyone interested in the history of our region (and of course those from that area) this was an excellent production, well conceived and thought through and delivered with credibility and respect for the people of the time they represented.

Kryztoff Rating  4K

Nov 01

DANCE – Salt – OzAsia – Odeon – 3.5K

By Peter Maddern

Eko Supriyanto is a pioneering choreographer of Indonesian contemporary dance. The last time Adelaide was blessed with his presence was with the acclaimed Cry Jailolo in OzAsia 2015.

This time he works alone in his piece over two parts that opens with dissonant screeches with Supriyanto almost invisible in the right rear stage behind a blinding silver shoreline just in front of the audience. By the show’s conclusion, he has swept forth and back, one side and t’other, spreading a pile salt every which way.

His movements incorporate both grace and menace as he combines folk trance and war dances in his interpretations about the forces of the ocean.

While entrancing, it probably requires a well-trained dance eye to fully appreciate the work as Salt is not as accessible as Cry Jailolo was – but as always, this speaks to the crux of the OzAsia challenge to Adelaide audiences.

Kryztoff Rating  3.5K