Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: Sans Love

Sans Love is the story of a young woman named Mercy who is surrounded by people afflicted with heartbreak. The loss of a grandmother, husband, girl-of-your-dreams, cat or the first love of your life leaves people desolated and hurting and perhaps never wanting to feel that way again. Enter Mercy. She has a special gift. She can ‘fix you’. She can take away the heartbreak; quite literally remove it from your body. The downside is that you will never love again. 

Sans Love is an utterly delightful and human piece of physical theatre. The cast of 7, including a chorus of 5, play off each other in a fast-talking, leaping, action-packed 70 minute investigation of love and loss and how we feel when love does not return.

Mercy is the protagonist but it’s the chorus that makes this story. Perfectly timed to interact with each other and the audience, they fling out lines and songs while throwing themselves all over the room. I particularly enjoyed their performance of the typical broken-hearted playlist. So accurate and sad but very funny. Each of the chorus members has been ‘healed’ by Mercy, a decision some are accepting of and others are purely angry about. They now surround her and help her in her treatments for the never-ending line of the broken-hearted.

Sans Love is playing in one room in an art gallery and the artwork on the wall, including some beautiful nude photographs, accounts for the shows’ ‘nudity’ rating. The set could be part of the exhibition proper, taking up the centre of the room, with props of the detritus of dates and relationship strung from the ceiling.

This is a clever, intricately-thought out show on a topic that everyone can relate to. You could feel the enjoyment amongst the audience, all huddled as we were on cushions on the floor, as we were made to laugh at the accuracy of the stages of heartbreak and get quietly depressed with the stories of loss that made each person choose to have their love removed.

Sans Love is being performed in Love Love Studio in the heart of Teneriffe, in a great spot if you want to have dinner / drink / dessert around the show.  Love Love Studio is one of those great random space that used to be a house and is now a bit run-down so it is now used as a gallery with a skate shop and probably a few other temporary residents as well. The current exhibition is suitably themed on love and loss.

 

Sans Love is a truly fun and clever piece of theatre. The sort of show you want friends to see and enjoy so they can understand the value of start-up theatre and initiatives such as ATF.

Review of Sans Love presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Tickets: All tickets $20
Dates: Wed 15 to Sat 18 May @ 7:30pm
Place: 27 Florence Street, Teneriffe, 4006
Duration: 70mins
Transport & Places of Interest: Love Love Studio is on the City Glider and 199 bus routes (stopping at Commercial Road) and is less than a 400-metre walk from the Teneriffe ferry terminal.

Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: Viva Verdi

In the thoroughly modern Ecosciences Precinct by the Boggo Road Gaol, Opera Oceania honoured the 200^th birthday of Maestro Giuseppe Verdi with their production Viva Verdi.

The repertoire was a selection of some of Verdi’s best-known arias from opera such as Rigoletto and La Traviata with a few surprises from Otello and Il Trovatore. Fortunately, each aria was preceded by a short explanation for those amongst the audience who were not clear on their overly-complicated opera plots.

In such a no-nonsense venue, accompanied only by a piano keyboard (played expertly by John Woods) the audience can truly appreciate the magnificence of the human voice. With no orchestra to hide faults or override the pianissimo passages there is only the voice and the words for the opera-loving audience to appreciate.

As a venue, the Ecosciences Precinct certainly had the soaring ceilings reminiscent of concert halls but the all-glass surrounds and overhanging walkways did no favours to the Soprano and Mezzo-Soprano in particular. Joshua Rowe, Baritone, put on the performance of the day with 'Per me giunto è il di supremo' from Don Carlos. His magnificent tone did not disappear into the glass walls and he imbued the aria with tragic emotion as the dying Rodrigo.

Viva Verdi was produced by Opera Oceania. You can find out more about them through their Facebook page.

Review of Viva Verdi presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: Overexposed

Overexposed is a show about dating but it may not be the best place to take a prospective date. For a start, you don’t get to sit next to the person you come with. On arrival, you are shown in and separated to encourage you to meet a new date for the evening (though they, like you, are probably taken). Also, the content may be a little too much for potential couples. You don’t want to take a date to a show about sex if you’re still unsure whether or not you want to sleep with said date.

Overexposed is a mix of stand-up, music and film with just a tad of audience interaction thrown in. My poor date was made to participate and he survived admirably and as a bonus, learned the phrase ‘as you wish’ (from The Princess Bride). The show is open, honest and genuinely funny at times.

If you think you’ll be shocked, don’t worry. Though this may be a cabaret about relationship and sexual mis-adventure, there is not much to horrify or embarrass, despite the Adults Only rating.  Unless you have very fine sensibilities, in which case go see 1066: The Bayeux Tapestry Brought to Life. No sex or foul language in that one.

This is a show with some great ideas and a lot of work has gone in to it, but it just didn’t quite hang together. It needed more time to fully develop all the devices that the creative minds behind it imagined rather than stuffing the show full of half-completed ideas. Separating attendees – sure, but why? After some uncomfortable chit chat that was it. Film of people discussing relationships in cafes – yes it went with the theme but didn’t have a place in the show. This is still an enjoyable show but I think I’d like to see the full hour and a half version more.

Overexposed is presented in the foyer of the Bell Brothers Building in Fortitude Valley.  A slightly run down location intermittently filled with arts companies and start-ups, the foyer has a quiet grandeur to it and was an ideal location for a one-person cabaret. Intimate, with stage space a sweeping staircase for the performer to descend, it was a delightful impromptu theatre venue.

If you enjoy plays, relationship dramas and / or are a little dramatic when it comes to your own forays in the mess that can be romance, you should enjoy Overexposed. It’s a fun show that deserves the time (and money) to develop it further. 

Overexposed is showing this weekend and tickets are available through the Anywhere Theatre Festival website. 

Review of Overexposed presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.  

Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: 1066: The Bayeux Brought to Life

If you’ve ever taken an interest in European history or secretly enjoyed history at school or perhaps you have children you want to get interested in that huge general topic, take yourself to Small Crown Production’s 1066: The Bayeux Tapestry Brought to Life, performed in the Collector’s Cafe at the Queensland Museum.

Some context: the Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered cloth nearly 70 metres in length that tells with beautiful detail the story of Harold Earl of Essex and Duke William of Normandy, who were both at one time designated heirs to the crown of England. When King Edward the Confessor died in 1066, Harold was proclaimed King, inciting the Norman invasion of England which culminated in the Battle of Hastings. William (known to history as William the Conqueror) triumphed and was crowned King, beginning the Norman occupation of England. 

 

1066: The Bayeux Tapestry Brought to Life opens where the tapestry begins, with events years prior to the final battle. First up we meet Harold Earl of Essex, a great warrior devoted to England, who having successfully quelled uprisings in Wales has been charged by King Edward to travel to Normandy and inform Duke William that he (William) is the chosen heir to the crown of England. Not a pleasant task for a man who thought he would be named so himself. Both men were skilled soldiers and politicians and the show sets up their differences in personality and perspective and how they came to believe that they were the rightful heir to the throne of England.

Small Crown Productions have done a tremendous job of fitting a complex story with a cast of thousands in to one hour and a cast of seven. They are helped by the ingenious shifting scenery which could be taken apart to construct keeps, ships and castles. I was not the only audience member who when watching the cast yell heave to and construct the ships for the invasion, wanted to leap up and lend a hand. Simple block-coloured costumes helped the audience identify the key players as each cast member played several roles on both sides of the feud.

The cast were clearly enjoying themselves and worked hard to deliver the story in all its’ dramatic glory. James Trigg, who portrayed Harold, has the square jaw, beard and booming voice evocative of a youthful Henry VIII and a great seriousness of purpose, which contrasted well to the more jovial but equally determined William, played by Silvan Rus. The team behind the show, lighting, sounds, animation, costuming and of course the Director Paul Adams, have also done a tremendous job on all the important minutiae the made the performance so enjoyable.

If you want to brush up on the tale before the performance, there is a scroll explaining the events and key scenes from the tapestry for you to peruse.  The scroll also pointed out key characters and pieces of scenery that would be appearing in the production.

Small Crown Production’s 1066: The Bayeux Tapestry Brought to Life is a dramatic piece of history brought to life with great enthusiasm. Educational and enjoyable, it is an excellent original production.

Review of 1066: The Bayeux Brought to Life, presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Tickets can be purchased through the Anywhere Theatre Festival website or at the door.  

See also the Small Crown Productions website or follow them on Twitter. 

Anywhere Theatre Festival Review: The Travelling Sisters Let Loose

Nestled in a quiet corner of Kelvin Grove is a stately Queensland, complete with sculpted lawn and wide verandas. In the high-ceilinged living room, two sisters who stumbled on the house late one night have made their disorderly home and have now invited an audience to come and hear their tales of love, loss and youthful confusion.

The Travelling Sisters Let Loose is an eclectic 2-person show of original songs, personal stories, fantastical tales and laugh-out-loud moments. The two actors and creators of the show, Lucy Fox and Ell Sachs, threw heart, soul and a whole lot of energy into entertaining their audience. They leapt from couch to table, flirted, chatted and sang for our entertainment as we collectively inhabited their personal space.

The most enjoyable moments for me came courtesy of Lucy and her alliterative original compositions. Her Tim Minchin like lyrics told a tale cowboys, shamans, seas voyages and pirates accompanied by delightful animation and Ell’s sound effects and well-captured characters. At one point I thought the whole audience would be called upon to help Ell construct a blanket fort, but it was only my wishful thinking.   

If you like theatre with extras, this is a wonderful show for you. Tea and coffee on arrival and delicious brownies for sale, bags of popcorn when the film began and home-made biscuits at the half-way point. There was even a friendly house cat for you to stroke, to heighten the feeling of snuggling down in a dilapidated but welcoming home. 

The Travelling Sisters Let Loose is an intimate performance, with only some 20 people allowed in to the living room to get comfy on couches, armchairs and cushions.  The show is sold out for Friday 10 May but there are four more shows. Travelling Sisters is a welcoming, personal, enjoyable show with a little something for every audience member. Particularly enjoyable on a chilly night.

Review of The Travelling Sisters Let Loose, presented as part of the 2013 Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Buy tickets online or at the door.

Anywhere Theatre Festival 2013

Brisbane’s Anywhere Theatre Festival opens today and in some exciting news, I am one of the volunteer reviewers! 

The Anywhere Theatre Festival gets theatre out of its traditional confines and into accessible, atmospheric public spaces. Shows may be held in foyers, in private garages, in the Museum or parks.

This is also a great chance for the dozens of small production companies in Brisbane and Queensland, who may not be able to afford to rent theatre space, to show off their talent and creativity.

If you’ve never heard of the Festival, check out the website here; http://anywherefest.com/ 

This festival is all about accessibility. Offering a range fun, innovative theatre shows, there is something to suit just about everyone. The tickets are affordable and the locations are the essence of accessible. Unsure about being in QPAC? How about seeing a show in the foyer of the Bell Brothers Building on Brunswick Street?

ATF starts today and runs to 18 May. Check out the program, or if you know me and feel like coming along to one of the shows I’m seeing and giving me the benefit of your opinion, these are the shows I’m excited to be seeing;

The travelling sisters set loose – Wednesday 8 May

1066; The Bayeux Brought to Life – Thursday 9 May

Overexposed – Friday 10 May

Viva Verdi – Saturday 11 May

Sans Love – Wednesday 15 May

Three Easy Steps – Thursday 16 May

Au audience with Tomas Ford – Thursday 16 May

A world without sex – Friday 17 May

A belated birthday gift from Heartbreaker Fashion

I love vintage clothing. Just about all my favourite items of clothing are vintage. I also love vintage re-creation, which is all about flattering cuts and fun fabrics that you don’t see on ‘fashionable’ clothing. Unfortunately, re-creation vintage can also come with a price tag that is out of my tight budget range.

However, a couple of years ago I found Heartbreaker Fashion, a vintage inspired clothing company founded by a Californian mother and daughter team. Their clothes are simple, comfortable and flattering. Unless you order from the ‘fancy’ ranges, the dresses are 100% good quality cotton, well made and perfect for the Queensland climate. Best of all, they are very reasonably priced. A friend and I each treated ourselves to two dresses as a ‘test run’ and are still happily wearing them a few years later.

My previous purchases; 

Super Spy Dress Anita in Black. Made of cotton knit, it is perfect for evenings out in Brisbane.   
Aimee dress, colourful and comfortable cotton. Mine is a different pattern.

 Images courtesy of Heartbreaker.

So when a good friend gave me some money for my birthday to spend on a ‘nice top’ I knew just what I wanted. I had seen this photo on the Heartbreaker website a few weeks before and been completely seduced. It was exactly how I wanted to look!

 Ella top in Turquoise Cosmic Dot. Image courtesy of Heartbreaker 

For good measure I threw in the same blouse in leopard print (because who doesn’t love leopard print) and I was very tempted to get this super-cheerful daisy top as well, but I chose to be restrained. 

 Ella top in Hip Kitty and Springfield.

They’ve only been around a couple of days but I am really happy with them. They are great for work and casual and are a great fit. Downside is I (theoretically) have to iron them, but I can cope with that in exchange for looking adorable. In fact, I can get away without it. Which I always will, if I can. Ironing sucks.

Me in my two new purchases, with appropriate shoes; leopard print on the left and turquoise frilled leather BCBG Max Azaria on the right. The latter bought at Retournez-vous second hand shop in Mooloolaba

The only negative was that it took 7 weeks for my two blouses to arrive. They ask for 7-10 working days to make the order, which is fine. But then the package was dispatched from the US and I watched in horror as the online tracker told me it had left the states, arrived in Brisbane, two attempted deliveries were made within 15 minutes on the same morning and then the package was on its’ way back to the states! WHY?!  

When it arrived back at Heartbreaker it was dispatched back immediately, first class. It still took 2 weeks to get here but nevertheless, it arrived on my desk safe and sound.

The delay in arrival was not the fault of Heartbreaker, rather the Postal Services, but that doesn’t make it any less irritating and of course the only people I could whinge to were Heartbreaker. They always responded politely to my emails and did whatever they could to fix the situation, which truth be told isn't a lot when the package is somewhere in transit over the Pacific.

Anyway, the package did arrive and I am delighted with the contents. So much so I rather want more of the same. Particularly as there is new one with a bee print on it.

Provided you don’t need anything in a rush, I would heartily recommend Heartbreaker for fun flattering summer dresses, simple vintage-inspired cocktail wear and now, cute blouse tops. 

Check out the Heartbreaker Fashion website or if you like them on Facebook, you can see latest design, what's cooking in their test kitchen and of course, sale items!

Review: Hoo Ha Bar

Hoo Ha Bar has taken a while to get from conception to opening but open they did last week, and with it being 10 minutes from my work I was very keen to check out this new arrival in the somewhat staid South Bank area.

My friend Gabi and I met there for breakfast on Friday morning. Nestled almost underneath South Bank station it’s mightily convenient for both bus and train, and you can park your bike outside no problem. Inside is open with the wooden sparse slightly-hipster decoration that is becoming the norm of Brisbane cafes. No complaints, I like it, and I think Brisbane cafes are starting to look different to any other cities’.   

The menu is interesting and a little off-beat, all about flavours rather than traditional breakfast fare. The prices are exciting, though. Fruit toast is $3, and the rest of the menu is between $7 - $11. Cheap for Brisbane, where no one seems to bat an eye at paying $12 for avocado on toast.  Reading the menu, you know everything on it is going to be tasty.

Gabi had the Cannellini bean smash, rosemary, chilli, orange, lemon and Grana Padano served with garlic croute, though in her instance she requested gluten-free bread, which was no problem ($7).

I had grilled eggplant, peperonata, Haloumi, rocket and hummus on focaccia (replaced with Turkish bread) ($9).

The food come out quickly and was very tasty. It was also of just the right size for breakfast, filling but not so much that it is an effort to get up off your chair. The coffee came out within minutes and was strong and rich.

I really enjoyed our breakfast date and would heartily recommend Hoo Ha Bar to anyone. At the moment, Hoo Ha is more café than bar but apparently the liquor licence has been applied for so there will soon be options for lunchtime beer and cider and maybe after-work tipples as well. 

Hoo Ha Bar
41 Tribune Street, South Brisbane
Open: Tuesday to Saturday 7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Breakfast review: Jam in Nundah

There is a snippet of Sandgate Road that most people don't travel on. Only locals take the turn off to go over the George Bridges Tunnel (irony, anyone) and down the three block section of road I think of as the Nundah High Street. It's nice bit of road that helps the area feel like a properly lived-in suburb with pub, cafes and shops.

On that little bit of high street is Jam, probably the most popular breakfast joint in the area. It doesn't matter what time of a weekend morning you walk part it, Jam is packed and has a few people patiently waiting for a table.

This Saturday, in the steady rain, my plus one and I spontaneously visited Jam for a rainy-day hot-breakfast treat. And it was pretty clear to us why it was packed out all weekend.

The menu was typical breakfast eggs benedict, various stacks and french toast but with just the right amount of interesting. A bit of chorizo here, salsa there. I love going out for breakfast and I appreciate thoughtful and interesting breakfast menus, but I also don't want to have to over-think my choice. It's breakfast. I probably haven't had coffee yet and I don't want to have to debate between organic sausage roulade or mushroom three cheese two-egg-white omelette.

Jam's menu is tasty but undemanding and even better, reasonably priced. I would have been happy with just about anything but I chose corn and capsicum fritters with avocado and tomato salsa and balsamic dressing.

Corn and capsicum fritters with avocado and tomato salsa and balsamic dressing, $14.

My plus one had a make-up plate of scrambled eggs on toast with extra toast and bacon and we shared a side of hash browns, for $13 then the hash browns were $3.

 

With a coffee each, one soy and one in a mug, the total bill came to $37 and we were very happy and very full afterwards. 

Other considerations; the service was cheerful and very quick, no complaints at all. It was a nice place to sit and the indoors/outdoors nature of the cafe meant a lot of noise drifted out while fresh air wafted in. Yes, you are likely to have to wait for a table but no one had to wait long. 

The special was sweet potato and pancetta patties, cheese kransky, maple roasted cherry toms and fried eggs on sourdough with various pickles for $17. The couple next to us got one of those each and neither finished it it was so large. It looked very tasty.

If you're a north-sider I would definitely recommend Jam as a hale and hearty breakfast location.

Trivia at Kettle & Tin

Kettle & Tin may be less than a year old but they are already a Paddington institution, alleviating the weekend brunch stress on Anouk and going that step further with wine tastings (such as the Rose Revolution one I attended last year) and a pretty smashing dinner menu.

In March 2013, they launched once monthly trivia nights, then it was once a fortnight and now trivia is held every Tuesday night. It's free to participate, there are prizes for every round and $10 dinner specials.

Last night I and two girlfriends tried it out. I booked us a table and we arrived promptly at 6:30 for some brain-warming wine and food. The two $10 specials were whitebait and chips and bacon and truffle macaroni cheese. We immediately ordered the macaroni cheese, which a waiter informed us was 'outstanding', accompanied by confit duck nachos (which I have been wanting to try for weeks), the house terrine and orange and walnut salad, washed down with a couple of glasses of Merlot. All of it delicious and the macaroni cheese really hit the spot on a slightly chilly night.

Bacon and truffle macaroni cheese with a side of Penny's Hill Merlot.

The house terrine; pork and pistachio with gluten-free bread.

 Orange and walnut salad

Confit duck nachos

The trivia, now, if we'd been the full six person team I'd booked for, we might have stood a chance. But between the three of us and particularly with our limited (utter rubbish) musical knowledge we were not the best team.

 If there had been more questions about food we might have scored a little higher.

Not that we cared. We were having a great time and were getting reasonable scores, considering this was proper trivia and we were all a little out of practice. We were pleased we knew 'Name the three letter word for where oysters reside' (bed); 'What gas that yeast produces causes bread to rise?' (CO2) and 'What number is Aluminium on the periodic table?' (13).

Asked to name by sight Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift albums, the name of the Professor who once featured in Cadbury ads or the science of moving liquids and we were, frankly, stumped.

Our end score sheet.  Not the best scores but not too poor either.

It was a fun night. Three rounds of Trivia ran from 7 - 9pm, food and drink were quick and tasty and the whole room seemed to be enjoying themselves. Next time we go, we'll be taking a bigger team with at least one person who really knows their music.

If you're interested in partaking of some K&T trivia I recommend booking. The restaurant was packed and I think a few people had to be turned away.

TV review: Elementary

Last night Channel 10 aired the first episode of Elementary, a CBS re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes. It was not an outstanding debut for an 'American' Holmes. The case itself was not that intriguing and I was thoroughly underwhelmed by what was merely a good – not hyper or exceptional – level of observational skills in Holmes. The patches on the wall denoting frames that have been moved or changed, surely that is blindingly obvious and part of the dull first glimpse into Sherlock's skills. The episode is overall ok. There was obviously a lot of potential, so for a pilot it was pretty good. As inducement to watch the series, I'm not sure it would fly without the strength of the Sherlock Holmes canon. 

However, I would encourage viewers to stick with it. As murder mystery crime drama, it pays off. It is easy to watch and entertaining, with the right amount of dark content and the occasional nod to classic Holmes (the title of the show, for example, being a nod to the line "Elementary, my dear Watson"). As a reconstruction of one of the best known detectives in the world, it is rather liberal. What remains of Holmes is his name, his nationality, parts of his personality and his profession. What remains of Watson is the name and profession; doctor, or former-doctor, who spends time with Holmes as his 'companion'.

I know I shouldn't compare Elementary with Sherlock, but it is impossible to avoid a comparison when there is a British and an American re-invention Sherlock Holmes on our televisions at the same time. My conclusion is that they are both enjoyable and both have excellent qualities. Personally, I would infinitely prefer to sit down to the BBC version. The relationship dynamics are better, the cases, though bastardised, bear an infinitely closer resemblance to the original stories. I know that a re-invention takes liberties and that it is a great thing, to re-invent Conan Doyle, Shakespeare, Austin and revitalise a great story. But there should always be respect for the inestimable base material.