Thursday, November 23, 2023

Star crossed lovers!? Romeo and Juliet, Darwin Theatre Company 2023 Directed by Shalom Kaa

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  Ok I really need to begin this review by stating that in my 20s I was a massive Shakespeare nerd and this was largely due to my mainstage debut being as Ferdinand in Shakespeare's The Tempest; which Darwin Theatre Company put on in the Town Hall Ruins sometime in the 90s (no I am not going to let you guess my age! I was so engrossed in the play that I was able to quote it start to finish; all characters. I was a bit OTT I admit, but this self own admitted; now to Romeo and Juliet, 2023! I also need to point out that due to various things happening in my life I am not going out to see shows as much as I usually do. I was pleased I ventured out for this one!


I'll be honest I was a bit confused by the Space references and I was unsure about the multiverse ideas and where they talk about variations of the story where the characters did not like each other etcetera. Maybe I would understand this with more viewings; but it did not matter! Soon I was immersed in a version of Romeo and Juliet that used Baz Lurhmann's film as the primary source. For me this was ok because Baz Lurhman is my spirit animal and I saw Elvis 9 times and his version of Romeo and Juliet maybe 5 times. While I also loved Zeferelli's earlier film I love that the Lurhman version brought Shakespeare back as a story that young people wanted to know about; it made it contemporary. Kaa does this and then some by bringing in light sabres. It was a gutsy move and I was not sure about it; but before long I was enthralled; in no small part due to the commitment of the performers.

I honestly thought everyone did very well and it is impressive to know that some of the performers were first timers and Eloy Mason only picked up the role of Mercutio in the last week before opening night. Eloy was delightful in the role and carried it out with a subtle charisma that was mysterious and compelling.  All my favourite lines were said and I was very pleased!

image.png Hugh Bond (Capulet) and Eloy in rehearsals.

In a play full of excellent performances, Juliet really stood out for me: Possibly it is because I am a traditional Shakespeare nerd at heart or it was the hint of an English accent (?) Or maybe it was the commitment she brought to the role. I was delighted by the innocence and wonder she manifested and how she was utterly present in the scenes. My favourite lines were said and it was wonderful to see her deliver them!

Swahnnya De Almeida stole the show as  Juliet.  image.png

Hugh Bond was at times chilling and other times charming in his performance of Capulet. Some may be triggered by his angry tirades as they are so convincing. I know I was ! Think, Forrest Whittaker in the Last King of Scotland and or a mafia boss and that is what he manifests in this role. So likeable one minute then abhorrent the next it was a fine juxtaposition of a performance.
image.png Hugh Bond (Capulet)

image.pngPrincess {Escalus Prime} (Sarah Beins); she was a fun new version of the Prince with glam styling and sparkles!

There were many fun reinterpretations of characters including the Princess, who mesmerised every time she appeared on stage. The Apothecary (Robyn Hall) had that delightful edge of someone who possibly samples too many of their wares; her short section was memorable. Out of the minor characters in Baz's version Pete Postlewaite (as the Friar) really stands out. Once I was convinced that this play used that version as their source material I wondered who would play the Friar. I was blown away by Ktima Heathcote (Friar Lawrence). Her command of the text was good and her ability to harness her nervousness into creating a depth in the character was impressive. Postlewaite was my favourite in Luhrmann's version and Heathcote is bound to be a favourite of many who see this version!
image.png Ktima Heathcote (Friar Lawrence)

Early on we are introduced to two beings who seem to be manifesting dark and light; Escalus Minor and Major (?). I was impressed by their ability to speak some lines in perfect unision between lines they spoke severally. They must have practiced a whole lot to get that happening so well. I was delighted to see performers so young being so relaxed and playful in their roles. Like all the cast; they made a character decision and fully committed to it and it leads to a most watchable performance.
image.png
Okay this is really taking a long time and I could write almost forever and I wish I could, as every performer really brought their A game for opening night. Romeo (Michael van Berkel) made the save of the night by picking up his broken shoe and actually using it as a prop for some of his lines. The audience was left wondering if this was actually part of the script! This quick thinking by van Berkel is just what Romeo would have actually done!
image.png Romeo and Juliet in rehearsals

I cannot believe I got this far without mentioning the music. This is what makes this particular version so special and it is what Shalom brought to the table as a singer and performer directing for the first time. Sally Crawford and Tom Pauling were visionary when they decided to choose him to direct this piece for the 50th year since Darwin theatre company was formed. Kaa's flair and pizazz is visible throughout and one wonders whatever will he direct next!!? Another wonderful character was Rosalind who actually sings an original song in the show. Let's hope they put together a soundtrack! In the beginning her non verbal interactions and background actions were a wonderful detail and a superb way to build a character where there were not any lines in the script to do so. Nicely done!
image.png Maili Clark (Rosalind)

Another fine voice was Rachel Alford (Lady Montague) her song at the end was one of my favourites from the Llurman film and it was lovely to see it come out in this piece . Alford executed it magically!
Rachel Alford (Lady Montague)image.png
image.png Leo Sinclair, also brought some lovely harmonies and guitar to the play. He is definitely an upcoming performer to look out for!

The lighting is well put together with some lovely gobot effects creating some marvellous moods and moons and space effects... Often the lighting is unnoticable, which is of course the sign of top theatre notch lighting! 

To think that this was a no budget production is shocking as the costumes are a marvellous addition to the vibe. And thus I have to mention Pip O'Shea (Tybalt). The jacket was utterly over the top and perfect for the peacock that is Tybalt! Pip has the same frenetic energy that John Leguiziamo brought to the role in the film. Another part that was convincing because it was performed with 100 % commitment!

Pip O'Shea (Tybalt)  image.png

One scene that is cut from many versions of this story is the scene where Romeo drags Paris' body in to lay beside Juliet; it is one of my favourites and shows a respect from Romeo for this other man who did truly seem to love Juliet too. I was thrilled that Shalom included it in this version. Samuel Jones-Gallagher (Paris) elicits pathos in a subtle and natural way that really works! 

image.png Samuel Jones-Gallagher (Paris)

With two more shows this week and some next week you have to move fast to go and see it!! See it twice if you can! The price is very reasonable for a performance that has been months in the making with heavy commitment from a big cast of wide age range. I know I missed some characters and I am sorry I loved Benvolio (Joshua Hutchinson), The Nurse (Jo Sinclair and Peter (Justin Zammit). These three are loveable characters who provide a comic break amongst the serious proceedings.  The First Watchman (Kaitlin Guy) was also a cleverly crafted character.


Romeo and Juliet: Star-Crossed Lovers shows 24 and 25 November and 29 November to 2nd December. GO SEE IT!!!

 
All photos from Darwin Theatre Company Facebook.

Monday, September 18, 2023

Closer to Fine: So ?many people don’t know this song!?


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A review of Barbie; a  2023  film by Greta Gerwig.

 

"And the best thing you ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously
It's only life after all," Closer to Fine-  The Indigo Girls., 1989. 

 

I wanted to start with this quote from a song that reoccurs throughout the film particularly in the bonding between Barbie (Margot Robbie) and America Ferrera's character, Gloria. Although we are first introduced to it when Barbie leaves Barbie land almost as if it is part of the magical process of moving between worlds. I have known and loved this song since maybe 1994 when I was introduced to the band by my first serious girlfriend in Uni. I have not actually checked but I am hoping this song blows up for the Indigo Girls, how Kate Bush's Running up that Hill did, after being re-unearthed by Stranger Things.* Later in the late 90s I would ride a massive Suzuki GS1100GK with a stereo that had Indigo Girls blasting out much to the chagrin of other bikers and car drivers alike who'd turn their heads and see a bearded dark skinned biker on a big black bike. Not at all what one would expect to see.

 

I digress, but this is one element that endears this film to me very personally and I have been saddened that of the twenty or so people I have watched the film with over the course of five viewings; not a single one knew that song!

 

As much as possible I will avoid spoilers and as such; I am appalled that Amazon Prime are using America Ferrera's monologue as their trailer for the film to encourage people to subscribe to Prime and Pay Per View the film there. Perhaps they are catering to people who want to watch the film again rather than new viewers? Still no need to spoiler it in my opinion. If you have not seen the film avoid that advertisement!

 

So back to the quote,  "And the best thing you ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously. It's only life after all,"
 I think this film is really designed to not be taken too seriously, but interestingly like any good work of Art this film polarizes and has as many different reactions as there are people who see it! I had one friend describe it as a Zombie apocalyptic snuff film and through her analysis it did indeed seem to be justified as such. I read a review by a father who was thrilled to see it with his daughter as it opened up so many possibilities for her. I describe it as a fun romp with a basic introduction to Feminist politics thrown in. I am going to attempt to explain some of the things that I think lead various parties to hate the film though: I do not agree with any of these myself but can see how they could be conclusions drawn from this film…

1.     Not for Men. Men who say: "I don't identify with Ken and don't think he should be reliant solely on Barbie for his existence".

2.   Not for Mothers. Barbie from the opening scene is disrespectful and downplays the importance of motherhood.

3.    Gender questioning… Barbie messes with gender roles and I don't like it!

4.   Queer. The film is Queer washing.

 

1.     Not for Men.? I think this is a wonderful reflection on Hollywood and particularly the roles of women in Hollywood in the early years (or perhaps even decades). Women were essentially props to men who had grittier and more interesting roles. My belief is that this is one reason why Ken was presented in this way. Also, Barbie was the real product and Ken was brought in as her companion so in some ways he literally was nothing without Barbie in his original release. It is a testament to Ryan Gosling's humour and professionalism that he pulled off such a potentially uninteresting character with so much nuance and playfulness.

 

I have often  had female and queer friends complain about the characters in films not representing them to which I say "Go out there and write and make your own films that DO represent you!" This is what Greta Gerwig has done with this film. Men can learn what it feels like to not be the main character in a film for a change. Also men need to learn to laugh at themselves there really are some true stereotypes in the Barbies' plan ¾ of the way through the film; that are portrayed hilariously.

 

Look ; I was a big fan of Gerwig's film Ladybird and as an Actor so I was always going to see this film. What really accelerated me getting to cinema however was when I learned that Ben Shapiro had spent more time burning Barbies and complaining about the film than the entire run time of the film. Indeed he may well have sent a good number of people to the Box Office by his antics!

 

Ken is not denied a narrative however, he ends up with a denouement of his own; showing how inclusive this film really is. Also, there's Alan. To make a character out of a doll that was the best friend of a doll (Ken) who was a companion to Barbie!? What a fascinating writing decision and how beautifully it played out. Alan does his own thing but also cares deeply for Ken and Barbie. He is like that friend who will always be there for you. Alan also shows us that men can support women without mansplaining them.

 

 

2.   Not for Mothers? It could certainly be taken this way but I do not think that is the intent of the film,  especially as there are really two leads in this film: Gloria and Sterotypical Barbie; with the former being a Mother. "I'm the Son of a Mother; I'm the Mother of a Son",  Mattell CEO; (Will Ferrell). The CEO is saying how much Mattell loves motherhood and mothers; but like much of what this character says it often does not make sense and his minions all laugh and agree anyway…

 

I think the Narrator (Helen Mirren) sums it up in the first few minutes when she says, "Motherhood isn't always fun. Go ask your mother". It's necessary it's important and can be fun and rewarding; but people don't need a toy encouraging them to be parents. Pair bonding will do that all on it's own in my opinion. Barbie was about possibilities with one of them being motherhood; but also Motherhood does not preclude the others either! In some ways this film celebrates all manner of works of women; including motherhood. Ariana Greenblatt's Sasha ends up celebrating her mother, "for being weird and crazy and all the things [she] pretends to not be".

 

3.    Gender role questioning… it's 2023. People can really do whatever they want including maintaining mainstream traditional gender roles; but many do not and it's time to work on a way forward rather than trying to return to the 1920s or 1950s. We can work this out together. There is more than one way for people to live.

 

4.   Queer. This film is very inclusive; truly inclusive. I saw the film with quite a few women (over 4 out of the 5 screenings I watched) who were challenged by the idea of Barbie, or were teased by girls who played with Barbies. This film takes Barbie somewhere where her creator, Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman), "always hoped you would surprise me". To be honest I wish we would move on from this issue. How people identify and wish to be named and feel happy as a she, he, they, it etcetera is of no harm to straight people. I do not even understand why there is a perceived threat. We happily celebrate Elton John, Ricky Martin, The Indigo Girls, Freddie Mercury simply for who they are. Why can we not celebrate others for who they feel they need to be.

 

 

I agree with Greta Gerwig's sentiment: "It was always about looking for the levity and the heart," have a laugh at yourself and see the Barbie movie. Make your own conclusions, have your own discussions, write your own review. Alternatively, see it in a few years when you will realise it earned the hype. You'll wonder why you didn't just go see it before as really there was no reason to be a hater. And you can speak vehemently the word "Sublime!" like I did when I *found out that an Indigo Girls documentary premiered this year, so they are bound to get some recognition for that too! :D

 

Nim Jayawardhana 18 September, 2023.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

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Friday, December 02, 2016

lost imarryyou.com.au

Well after paying for it for several years I forgot to renew my ownership of "imayyyou.com.au"

I no longer own that domain!  :(  Need to find another and set it up pronto. Still marrying people all over Australia.  I am based in Darwin...

Friday, March 07, 2014

A possible solution to the "refugee boat crisis" affecting Australia...

It seems that the divide is like this...  one side says we cannot let them in and the other side says let them in.

That is a huge oversimplification of course, presently the "we cannot let them in" camp is the dominant paradigm.

Let's examine what is happening now.  Refugees are "detained" in deplorable conditions in Australia and overseas and while a few are "processed" many are simply detained indefinitely without having ever committed any actual crime.

It cannot be argued that this treatment is humane or good for anyone, however I do grant that some refugees are happier to be in this situation rather than being shot at or killed in the countries from which they have escaped.

I propose a radical and different solution to this "problem" working on two basic beliefs that I believe to be consistently true:

  1 People who flee their countries in this way are almost guaranteed to be hard working go getters who not only work their butts off for /with the country they are accepted into.    But also the contribution they make with gratitude for taking them in will translate to a valuable participation and improvement in the country they are accepted into.

 2 What are we are doing now COSTS HEAPS.  We could actually create a WIN WIN situation where Australia can act in a humane way as well as makes money from refugees rather than lose it on detaining them.

The solution...

1 Accept every single person who attempts to arrive in Australia by boat and bring them into the country to live in "ghost towns", that is places that are in decline because nobody really wants to live there.  Or places where there are plenty of jobs, that no Australian seems to want to do.  Of course they have to be health screened for TB etctera.  Here they are processed but are able to work immediately and contribute to society.  They can be setup with a sort of Parole Officer type arrangement where their progress is tracked and they are kept closely under tabs.

2 Everyone accepted in this way is fined a one off fee of $50,000 which they have 5 years to pay off.  Obviously if after 5 years they have come close to paying that off I would not recommend sending them back to where they came from.  But if they fail to have paid this amount by that time they are deported and the debt remains.

I have arbitrarily come up with the figure of $50,000; of course a different amount could be used.  I simply believe that a clear positive cash flow towards the costs of having them here rather than the black hole of cost that we have now is a very good thing.

This a very simple solution and I believe it should be implemented quickly as the human cost of what we are doing now is destructive almost beyond measure.  To add mental distress to people by ongoing detention of people who are already facing a bleak mental health future from viewing or having escaped atrocities is a serious crime indeed.

What I propose is a skeleton, details would need to be fleshed out of course, but what we need to see right now is an end to what is happening now immediately.  What is happening right now is akin to the internment camps for Japanese in WW2 in Australia and the concentration camps of Nazi Germany.  I simply do not understand why our country is putting ourselves in this position at this time and fear what will be said of us in future history books.

I write this in good faith that a solution is needed right now and nobody else seems to have suggested one.  Australia needs to show its true colours and accept more refugees now.  While the humanitarian element is important the economic opportunity utterly wasted now is an important element to consider also.

I can be contacted via this blog or nimja at  yahoo.  com.

I put this to both sides of politics and all minor parties.  Let's make this "problem" a "situation for windfall" rather than a cesspit of wasted $s and improper/inhumane treatment of people.


  

Sunday, December 15, 2013

more photos


Fwd: Subaru 1994 for sale; WRECKING (dead radiator,fan and manifold)




Front end collision: damage underneath.  See ebay for listing week ending 22 Dec, 2013

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Eclipse: Kiritimati, 10 May 2013

Ok so it has been a million years since I have posted on here!  I am at Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean to view the annular eclipse happening this afternoon.  Captain Cook was here to see one in 1778; indeed he named the little islet in the bay here "Eclipse Island".  It was soon renamed Cook Island and is now a bird sanctuary hosting many varieties of birds.

Hopefully I will get a chance to see it and also will report here about the eclipse hopefully with some photos!

xoxo  Nim