1984 - Shake & Stir's Live Movie

I don't think I've ever been as depressed reading a book as I was with 1984, and once I finished it I remember thinking that it was not something that I'd particularly care to experience again. With that in mind, I never expected to see an adaptation for stage - but enter Shake & Stir, whose work aims to connect younger audiences with more complex texts with contemporary stagings. Shake & Stir's re-imagining of 1984 is a brilliant adaptation, and although it's still equally depressing it's compelling and engaging through its use of multi-media, brilliant technical design and wonderful acting.

Overall the adaptation is really enjoyable and very smart. The events of the book are condensed without compromising much of the plot, and certain scenes were staged exactly how I'd imagined them when reading the book.

Proberts, Parker, Balbuziente during
the '2 Minutes of Hate' (Source: Facebook).

I love that when I saw the poster, I knew which actor was going to play which character. The three main characters are perfectly cast, and overall the cast are great as an ensemble. They're led by the always worthwhile Bryan Proberts as Winston Smith, who plays the role slightly animated but sensitively subtle as a suppressed member of the silent minority. As the only woman in the cast, the role of Julia (obviously) falls to Nelle Lee, who shows a veneer of innocence but is delightful as the passionate and promiscuous rebel, and Hugh Parker is O'Neill in a way that's authoritative and eerily charismatic. Ross Balbuziente and Nick Skubij cycle a variety of supporting characters pretty well, but Skubij also pulls out a great performance with Charington (but I couldn't tell you why . . . ).

While much of the action on stage is led by the actors, multi-media plays a big part in progressing the story. The video media, provided by Optikal Bloc, is one of the most dominating features of the production. It exists as a way to communicate Winston's inner thoughts to the audience, and is instrumental in the production since without it, it'd be impossible to communicate the first half of the book. It's a smart idea and the only thing that really distracts it is that it feels like the total length of the footage feels like it's hugely dragged out, and all the internal monologue is delivered the same way (Winton speaking his thoughts directly to the audience in a shade of blue). It felt like we were sitting in the cinema watching 1984 - The Live Movie! While it gets a bit tedious, it's easily the best quality video I've seen in a live performance. Of course it also gets a lot of attention since half of the space is taken up by impressive and imposing television screens. It's gorgeously shot and processed, but there are a lot of slow motion shots zoomed into faces, and I spent a lot of time wondering if O'Brien and Winston were about to make out (actually, I think a homo-erotic subtext would have been interesting but I suppose that's a bit too much of a creative departure).

The remaining aesthetic and technical aspects of the show were brilliant. Josh McIntosh's cold and grimy set is imposing and practical, but so clever - it's magical when, in a few seconds, a corner of smoothly transforms into the intimate little room where Winston and Julia experience their temporary love story. Jason Glenwright's lighting is appropriate and varied as usual and the nondescript score, which is full of nuances and subtle rifts, perfectly captures and enhances the hopelessness of the monotonous life and is by far the best theatrical score I've heard from Guy Webster.

Proberts and Lee in McIntosh's beautiful set (Source: Facebook).

Beyond the unintentional erotic vibes, I have only two criticisms for the show, although I consider them to be pretty major faults. When Winston betrays Julia in Room 101, the event is too de-emphasized among the soundscape and lighting. Winston crying "Do it to Julia" is basically the conclusion to the show, as it shows that he has finally succumbed to the torture and has relinquished his will to think. It's pretty much a non-event since the screaming is so loud the content is inaudible and it's smothered by sound and a sudden change in lighting cue. The other criticism is the interaction between Julia and Winston at the end - it's too animated for people who have had their personal feelings annihilated (as spoken "they make it so they ruin your love"). Proberts moving a lot and trying to hold her hand implied that he still subconsciously had feelings towards her, and O'Neill makes it pretty clear he would have obliterated that. I guess it's really up to direction and interpretation, but those points really didn't get through.

While I'd heard some lacklustre reviews and people complaining about the overuse of multi-media, I really liked and enjoyed Shake & Stir's 1984. They've enjoyed a sold-out run which is well deserved and the adaptation has been handled sensibly and effectively. All the actors are great and the technical aspects are excellent, and beyond a few criticisms there isn't much not to like. Grand. I'd say the whole 'Double plus' thing, but everyone else in the industry has said that already.

Tickets for Shake & Stir's 1984 are sold out, and is showing at QPAC's Cremorne Theatre until September 1st. Duration of approximately 90 minutes.

Thoughts on As You Like It [*]

Helen Howard and Thomas Larkin in As You Like It (Source: XS Entertainment).

I’ve volunteered for As You Like It four times now, and each time I’ve been ripping tickets I’ve gingerly slipped in the remark “I hope you . . . like it”. Chaos ensures – hollow laughter, painful groans, and monocles fall off the rich and elderly at the sheer excellence of my material. Personally I’ve really liked watching the show since it has a wonderful cast, great design elements and it’s just really entertaining. It’s also pretty tame considering it’s a La Boite Shakespeare piece.

While all the cast are cast appropriately, there are a few that have become the definitive actors for me in their respective roles. Helen Howard and Thomas Larkin head the cast as couple Rosalind and Orlando - Howard obliterates the generalization that Rosalind can only be portrayed by younger actresses, bringing this awesome, sexy cougar vibe to the show through her manipulation of Larkin’s adorably smitten younger character. Bryan Proberts rocks my world as Touchstone, cascading around the stage in a ludicrously hyperactive manner delivering hundreds of lines of dialogue without a second thought, occasionally leaving the audience in tears of laughter. Trevor Stuart as Jacques is SO GREAT! All at once he’s playful, melancholy, exasperating and delightfully endearing. 

Kate Wilson and Helen Howard in As You Like It (Source: La Boite).

What I adore about this production is its huge cast. My primary complaint with Julius Caesar was that the actors paraded around on stage and were forced to play up to three characters each. Applause must be given to Berthold for defeating this hurdle, who has brought a total of 18 actors together in this production by offering intern positions to eight actors currently studying in Queensland universities. It’s a really wonderful strategy of providing experience for emerging actors and also allowing the audience to experience Shakespeare in its full ensemble glory. I hope every company takes note of this and can use this approach to include larger casts.  

No idea why the Duke Senior was made into a woman, though. Obviously the theme of gender-bending is pretty relevant, but unlike the character of Audrey being reversed to create comedy (Hayden Spencer plays a ridiculously funny Audrey), the Duke actually gains nothing from being a man since the performance of Kate Wilson is such a ‘realistic’ portrayal. I guess there is an obscure reason behind it, but why bother?

There are heaps of great moments in this piece, such as the reveal of the Forest of Arden, Orlando throwing love letters around the space, and the sheep trotting around and grazing on audience bags. The hilariously camp finale is totally unexpected and surreal, but it's fantastical in nature so even though it's insane it's pretty fun to go along with. There’s also a lot of audience interaction, where they get to cheer, act as trees, and the actors directly bounce off and ad lib according to how the audience react to their actions. It’s a lot of fun, keeping them entertained and giving the show a personal flavor.

Berthold’s endeavor to replicate the celebratory, folkish vibe of Wooldfood Folk Festival comes across really strongly as a well thought out concept. The whole aesthetic works really well on a whole. The costumes were painfully bright, with tie-dyed patterns and psychedelic colours being donned by most of the cast. Thomas Larkin’s attire is something similar to what I wear to opening night events, except he’s way more buff than I am – I’m probably more alike to what Helen Howard walks around in. The reveal of Renee Mulder’s set is an enchanting transformation from the sterile environment to a gorgeous, irreal world. Accentuated by the gorgeous hues of David Walters, the atmosphere is electric as the audience are suspended in delight of the set and engaged for the duration of the performance. The novelty starts to wear off drawing to the end, but then even more lights pop up are then and the sparkle factor returns. I enjoyed most of the music, while most of the stuff prior to the entrance of the forest consisted of these bizarre string intervals (some of which are so low they vibrate in your stomach) to add to the tension, the folkish/rock tunes and the live songs get your toes tapping and they're pretty memorable.

It’s leaps and bounds better than Berthold’s last Shakespeare adaptation, with a more coherent and larger cast, lovely visuals, and the original script has so much wit and wonderful humour. It has a whimsical and charming allure and a joyous, infectious and celebratory cast. I took along my parents and they enjoyed it so much that they’d like to see it again. This is finally a La Boite work that I can actually go and recommend that people go out and that they will enjoy, regardless of what their tastes are like. I thoroughly liked it, and am encouraging everyone to make the effort to see it.

Tickets for La Boîte Theatre Company's 'As You Like It' range from $22-$48, and is showing until March 24th. Duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes, including inteval. Book by visiting La Boite's website or by calling (07) 3007 8600.