For now, though, let me briefly recap some of the things I've been up to over the last couple of weeks.
As discussed in a post earlier this year, the closure of the Tote Hotel and the community's growing concerns about the impact of the state government's liquor licencing laws (which were supposed to address alcohol-related violence) on the live music scene culminated in a massive rally in the city a couple of weeks ago. Between 15,000 - 20,000 turned out to voice their feelings about the issue on Tuesday 23rd February, making it the largest rally I've been to since the protest against the invasion of Iraq several years ago.
There's a fantastic article about the Save Live Australia's Music (SLAM) Rally by Darren Levin over here at the excellent music web site Mess and Noise which I highly recommend you check out, if you haven't already seen it. Not only is it very readable, but there are some fantastic photos there as well.
The Liberal Party, shamelessly, used to rally to try and gain some street cred by dissing the Brumby Labour government - a more blatant piece of electionering I have never seen.
Liberal Party wankers with their 'Liberals Love Live Music' signs.Funny, I don't ever remember seeing them at The Tote or The Arthouse. (Photo by Darren Levin)
After the rally - in fact before it had even ended - I raced off to The Wheeler Centre (Melbourne's new centre for Books, Writing and Ideas) where I hosted a one-hour conversation with playwright Lally Katz about the influence of music on her writing. It was the first of a series of conversations called The Writers's Mix Tape, co-presented by 3RRR, and was great fun. The next session sees short story writer Tony Birch in conversation with RRR's own Jonnie Von Goes; get along if you can, and definitely check out The Wheeler Centre's mostly free and generally excellent program of events.
And of course, I've been out and about seeing some cinema, cabaret and theatre as well, some of which I'd like to briefly review for you now.
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The first two works I want to mention (and which I saw at their final performances in mid-February) have already ended their seasons, but were such masterful works that I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't write something about them:
Lloyd Beckman, Beekeeper (co-devised by Tim Stitz and Kelly Somes) was one of the most poignant but subtle meditations upon grief and loss that I've ever seen. Staged in the often-claustrophobic confines of La Mama in Carlton, this one man show by Tim Stitz transformed the theatre space into a bedsit, and invited the audience to share in the memories of Tim's grandfather, Lloyd Beckman.
A tactile, richly sensory work that saw us tasting Lloyd's honey and drinking his beer, this marvellous work explored love, loss and life - and its flipside, death and aging - with insight and restraint. If it has a return season at any time, I wholeheartedly urge you to see it.
Acts of Deceit (Between Strangers in a Room) was a remarkably accomplished, subtle and moving work of very traditional theatre based on the James Baldwin novel Giovanni's Room. This tale of desire, denial and guilt, set in Paris in the mid-20th century, was written and directed by Gary Abrahams, who took liberties with the book but remained very true to its themes. Ably demonstrating the strengths of Melbourne's independent theatre scene, the show did remarkable things with a very simple set and five actors. Brilliantly directed and staged, and very strongly performed, this production is already on my list for the best theatrical productions of the year, and it's only early March!
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Next up I wanted to recommend a cabaret show which originally appeared in Melbourne as part of last year's Fringe Festival, and which I caught in a brief return/preview season at South Melbourne's marvellous Butterfly Club.
When The Sex Has Gone is a one-man cabaret show written and performed by Tommy Bradson accompanied by pianist/composer Jacqueline Morton.
Perhaps best described as Sydney's answer to Hedwig and the Angry Inch, this rudely & wonderfully entertaining production sees Bradson playing an intersex character whose split personalities - one an acid-tongue showgirl, the other a cocky bare-knuckles boxer - take turns to entertain us via a series of original songs and witty remarks.
Bradson's stage presence is spectacular - he truly dazzles - and his singing is simply superb, as is his characterisation (although I found the showgirl by far the more entertaining character of the two he plays): the show was definitely deserving of the two awards it won at the 2009 Fringe Festival. About as far from PC as you can get, When The Sex Has Gone is returning to The Butterfly Club for an extended season from March 25 until April 17 - and it's a must see!
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Okay, that almost brings us up to date. I'm going to save this post, and publish it, and then go for a walk, since I've been sitting in front of the computer for a couple of hours now. When I return, I'll talk about the two most recent shows I've seen, including the latest revival of the epic stage musical, Cats...
3 comments:
Strange HTML errors meant it took me several goes to edit this post until it was right - apologies for those of you whose news feeds ended up with multiple announcements that I'd posted and re-posted it!
Richard, have you had a chance to look at the MQFF program? I'm not overly interested in so-called queer cinema, that focuses overtly on sexuality, or gay versions of Melrose Place (eg Queer as Folk type stuff). But I know the festival shows broader, quality cinema such as François Ozon's A Time to Leave (I think that was last year). Anyway, if you or anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.
I haven't had a chance to preview any of the films yet this year, Paul, but there's certainly some interesting-looking titles in the program this year, including the South Korean film Antique which is opening the festival (I'm reliably informed its the best opening night film in years); the pitch-black French comedy-drama Le Roi De L'Evasion; and from the director of the breathtaking XXY, a new Spanish film El Nino Pez...
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