The Best of Clowning

The Gremlins (Source: Anywhere Theatre Festival).

My rendezvous with Flipside Circus was unfortunately not realised when I got lost in Paddington after The Oxford Girl. I managed to get myself to Roma Street by 6:30pm, and as it turned out I had time to make it to the Gremlins' Gravity is Only the Beginning.

The premise of the show is that a family of Gremlins are about to launch their new budget no-frills airline and realise the Gremlin dream of flying. While ticket sales are going well and the maiden voyage is scheduled to take place, they've run into the hurdle that they're yet to actually build the plane.

I don't have patience for clowns and the art of clowning. The most contact I've had with them have been from Cirque du Soleil productions, and even then I've always thought that clowns, at best, are a necessary evil. Having an entire performance based around the physicality and comedic timing isn't something I particularly enjoyed or something that I'd like to experience again.

Saying that, the text, jokes, and one liners that were included in the script were very smart and witty, and the troupe is in fine form - they parade around with youthful and endearing exuberance, and the three principals Röxoff, Møfball & Botölf seem to never tire or waver in energy. With the exception of the patriarchal Röxoff, the entire ensemble perform in an impressive imaginary language. There were several segments that were excellently choreographed and orchestrated and some very nice moments. I also greatly admire the sly business strategy of getting the entire audience to walk through their sponsors shop.

I can see the appeal, and I appreciate that a lot of people were really enjoying their time. Just not something I can enjoy or can discuss at great length.

Tickets for 'The Gremlins: Gravity is Only the Beginning' are from $12 (if you want a $12, make sure you ask for one, otherwise it's a default $14 - plus a $1.95 booking fee), and is showing at Anywhere Theatre Festival until May 19th. Duration of approximately 35 minutes. Book by visiting Anywhere Theatre Festival's website.

The Oxford Girl by the Ithaca Creek [*]

Performed on the banks of the Ithaca Creek, Physical theatre and live music combine for a work-in-progress of The Oxford Girl, an adaptation of the 17th century folk tale of the Cruel Miller. Thanks to its enchanting setting and music, The Oxford Girl is a charming piece that holds a lot of potential.

The setting was enchanting - the hidden grove in Woolcock Park had a sprawling green lawn before a plateau led into the riverbank. Tiny candles were lit to add to the atmosphere, and the entire experience looked and felt ethereal.

The piece opened with Louise Hales delivering a skittish intro with a quick synopsis of the show - unfortunately I was still deeply interested in how charming the setting was, and by the time I realised that the entire synopsis had been laid down I'd missed it. Although I'm familiar with Butoh traditions and the presentational style, it's extremely difficult to engage with, and much of the story was lost in translation. It seemed pretty important to know the basics that a miller had drowned his fiancé (wife?) in the river. Well, someone had died. Regardless of missing the context of the piece, the cast (James Halloran, Hannah Farrelly, Xani Kennedy and Indigo Keane) evoke an eerie atmosphere with their meticulous choreography, and they sensitively utilise the terrain with exceptional prowess.

The show couldn't be complete or remotely accessible if there had been an absence of music. Cellist Isabella Ambrose plays before and for the duration of the performance. While a lot of the score is incidental improvised material, influences and excerpts are drawn from Bach and folk songs to create the essential soundscape. It's somewhat repetitive and not especially tuneful, but adds an entire additional dimension to the piece. There were also a few instances where James Halloran also sang to progress the story, but around half of what he was singing was lost since his lower register isn't particularly well projected.

While the piece is obviously just embarking on its creative development, the execution of the movement, engaging music and exquisite setting all combined for an enjoyable period of Saturday afternoon. More clarity to the script and accessibility to the story would be welcome but otherwise it was enjoyable and has a lot of potential.

Tickets for 'The Oxford Girl' are from $5 (plus a $1.95 booking fee), and is showing at Anywhere Theatre Festival until May 19th. Duration of approximately 35 minutes. Book by visiting Anywhere Theatre Festival's website.

Experience Kansas City

Who is 'The Monster'? (Source: Anywhere Theatre Festival)

An interactive piece, This is Kansas City is a charming and intriguing scratch work which employs the use of mobile technology and imagination to create an interactive installation. This is Kansas City is a promenade work in which participants navigate around Southbank, directed by remote messages received through the use of a mobile phone, to collect information on the enigmatic criminal referred to as 'The Monster'. At designated locations, participants are given specific instructions while details of 'The Monster' emerge, so they can ultimately pass judgement on whether they think 'The Monster' is really as evil as it's made out to be.

The concept is exclusive, intimate, and secretive. It's genuine fun to be surrounded by the buzz of the city while simultaneously being involved in a secretive rendezvous with both a vigilante and being monitored by the-powers-that-be. It's also intriguing to blindly fall down the rabbit hole - being told to comply to actions was intriguing and when you being to convince yourself that you are being watched by both parties it builds a delicate amount of pressure and tension which is quite compelling. Many details are omitted from the information given from each sides, allowing the imagination to fill the gaps and draw its own conclusions - it's fun to take sides at the end. The best time of the day to experience it is when the sun is setting - walking around South Bank at twilight was a great coincidence, since the overcast was actually charming. 

Technology foiled the flow a few times. The reception of the phone is shaky regardless, but the voice of 'The Authorities' was also pretty difficult to hear - it's a computer generated voice which speaks the lines, but they're quite jarring since the phrasing is unnatural and unpredictable. I felt pretty stupid when I received a set of instructions once, and I couldn't hear them properly so I said 'Pardon?'. Of course no one was on the line and I was stranded. Because of this, a few calls had to be made to the Kansas City Helpline, which involved a remarkably efficient woman emerging to fiddle with your phone to make sure the right messages came through. Due to me having issues, the person who started the experience after me overtook me, and subsequently the person after them caught up with me. I tried my best, but despite trying to look away at every turn I noticed them both constantly (it was actually really irritating) and the immersion from the intimacy and exclusively died instantly. I get the feeling that this could be rectified by sending people out at 5-10 minute intervals, but I guess this would murder the practicality of the whole set up. 

This piece is still a work in progress, and although I've lamented how the little things detracted from the immersion, the pros far out weigh the cons. There is a magic to the piece, and overall the experience is very enjoyable. It's a novel and memorable little experience that has so much potential, it's just at the moment it's susceptible to little kinks. While they can be a little annoying, it's worth sticking with the piece to experience the intrigue - I hope the work gets elaborated on and is able to take us to more places!

Tickets for 'This is Kansas City' are $12 (plus a $1.95 booking fee), and is showing at Anywhere Theatre Festival until May 19th. Duration of approximately 35 minutes. Book by visiting Anywhere Theatre Festival's website.

The Painted Feet Orchestra Debut [*]

No idea what this is. The only promotional photo I could find
(Source: Anywhere Theatre Festival).

A highlight of Anywhere Theatre Festival, tonight was The Painted Feet Orchestra's debut concert. A new collective of incredibly talented performers, this dynamic concert featured pieces that ranged from klezmer to Mozart accompanied with multi-disciplinary elements including dance, live painting, and lighting. The Painted Feet Orchestra is incredibly versatile in their repertoire from performers of stunning talent.

The features of the evening were plentiful. After a dubious opening of clanging on pot planters featuring Elizabeth John (Rzewski's To the Earth), the supremely talented duo Imogen Eve Gilfedder-Cooney (violin) and Nils Hobiger (cello) play Handel/Halvorsen's Passacaglia with a beautiful and intoxicating fervour. Deanna Connelly (violin II) and Sophie Mathison (viola) make up the rest of the quartet for a breath-taking, violently romantic performance of Schostakovich's No. 10 which is accompanied by an evocative live painting by Gary Akin. Maxine Sutcliffe (bass) and Luke Cuerel (saxaphone) lead a homage to Jimi Hendrix, and the ensemble is complete when they're then joined on stage by Toby Gifford (clarinet) and Alexandra Chetter (flute) for an arrangement of Bulgar from Odessa, a Slavic folk tune which was a whirlwind of improvisation which brought the house down.

While the piece was an utterly stunning musical experience, I'd be hesitant to bill it as a great example of a theatrical one. I understand the necessity of tuning, but such meticulous procedures on stage really disrupted the flow of the performance. The whole intimacy of the evening was compromised by some dreadful buzz which hissed every time someone made a noise on stage (so pretty much the whole show). While the multi-disciplinary skills in the piece are visually appealing, they aren't really unified by a specific theme or vision and their inclusion feels pretty random. That's not to say that the elements are at all bad - the shadow projection of the Passacaglia with its simple contrast of hues was beautiful, and the live painting was stunning - it just felt that as a stand alone experience it's fine but in order to create something theatrically engaging the content needed a connection. Regardless, with some adjustment to enhancing transitions and given more attention to establishing an overall theme or thematic through-line, the experience could be totally enhanced.

Any misgivings are obliterated at the closing of the night, when the highlight of the evening is played. The custom arrangement of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major. Gilfedder-Cooney's arrangement is a revelation, a delightful and sophisticated adaptation that highlights the versatility and talent of every member of the ensemble and the audience responds with rapturous fervour (people actually leapt out of their seats to give a standing ovation).

The Painted Feet Orchestra's performance was inspiring. While the theatrical elements of the production were a little lacking, the incredible standard of performance and sensitivity of the musicianship from the collective were astounding, and the entire experience was utterly engaging. Too bad it was only for one night - make an effort to see The Painted Feet Orchestra if you hear they're around, as this evening was excellent.

The Painted Feet Orchestra performed on 17th of May, 2012 in the Ian Hanger Recital Hall, Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University, as a part of Anywhere Theatre Festival. Follow The Painted Feet Orchestra on Facebook.