Romeo (BANISHED!) and Juliet by QTC

(Source: Queensland Theatre Company)

To describe Queensland Theatre Company's Romeo and Juliet in the same category of what people are saying (debacle, horrific, atrocious etc.) would be a bit of an over-statement, but it is pretty dreadful - this is the kind of production where you check your watch for the time, several times, wishing that it would just finish so you can go and live your life. It's a shallow adaptation that features a cast which don't gel together, in a design that isn't really unified or used well, under some abysmal direction.

Melanie Zanneti (Juliet) and Thomas
Larkin (Romeo) (Source: Queensland Theatre Company).

I was initially really excited to see the play since the revised artwork is gorgeous, and I love the work of almost all the actors included. Because of the end result, it was pretty disappointing to . . . see them in this work. Melanie Zanneti (who was the best part of Pygmalion last year) gives a convincing performance as a teenager. But much like the pitch of her voice, her portrayed moods are like a yo-yo. There seemed to be no calm in between her genuinely joyous outbursts and her neurotic bemoaning of the world. She has two distinct methods of delivering her lines - one being this youthful, bright and girlish tone which makes her sound like a child, the other being reserved for moments of woe, which is this low demonic incantation which is so cacophonous it could summon the dinosaurs dating from as far back as the early stages of the Paleozoic era back from extinction. It seems as though she hasn't got any direction on how to play the character one way, so each scene is pretty unpredictable. Thomas Larkin as Romeo is pretty much what you'd expect him to be: Thomas Larkin as Romeo. Considering he hasn't even styled his hair differently, the whole demeanour of his character feels identical of his work as Orlando from La Boite's As You Like It earlier this year. I know it's inappropriate to come into a theatre with pre-concieved ideas, but in this case it's very easy to draw parallels since the two shows are spaced so closely together. Between the two of them, there doesn't really seem to be any immense driving passion or spark, and it's very apparent that what you're seeing on stage is just a temporary love story.

The older members of the cast are a pleasure to watch, my favourites being the always wonderful Andrea Moor and Steven Grives who capture the audience when on stage. The star of the show is Caroline Kennison (I love her!!!), her performance is the highlight, bringing the much needed comedic relief and emotion to the stage. Seems though the young ensemble of males spent more time working on their bodies than on forging a concrete emotional connection with the audience, or working on how to enunciate 'Tybalt' properly (sounded like 'Tibbles'). Casting Veronica Neave as Mercutio is a directional decision that is wretched beyond comprehension. She throws herself into the role, animated and raunchy, but she just doesn't manage to conquer the pointlessness of the decision. She's also made out to be a sexual deviant, with every line involving some kind of pelvic thrust - I wanted Jennifer Flowers to personally go and apologise to the LGBT rights movement that was being conducted outside for adding so much embarrassing homosexual innuendo. There are moments where the entire cast work and there is this wonderful confluence between them, but it's so lopsided and rarely occurs.

The opening scene (Source: XS Entertainment).

The design of the show isn't really that impressive, despite the attempt to open with a truly opulent and lavish display. Bill Haycock's set, a disgusting poisonous yellow and green, looks like something summoned out of the ruins of Chernobyl. The front of the stage features a large crescent moon pool, which is featured in the opening with a superbly beautiful spectacle - it then remains almost entirely neglected until the climax of the piece. Although it's not visually appealing, it has potential, which is very misused with some baffling stage direction. The original soundscape, written by Phil Slade, rarely does anything remarkable, and while it has some great moments it serves as ambient music and the transitions being brief, violent rhythmic strikes on strings (which sound very similar to the Rite of Spring). The fight choreography was really flimsy too.

There are highlights of the show, which are things that I'll happily discuss. The opening of the production was enchanting, and there is an exquisite interlude when Juliet's body is laid down in the mausoleum. For that 30 seconds or so, everything on stage - lighting, sound, movement - all come together. The show actually had one of the best moments of theatre I'd ever seen - it's the moment was when Mercutio is wounded. She's dragged offstage while saying "A curse on your houses", and just when she's out of sight and you think that it's the end, she CLAWS onto the wall, shakes her fist in the air and wails "YOURRR HOUSSSESS!". All she needed was a witch's hat and a crystal ball to cradle while adding "I'll get you, my pretty!" and I would have given them a standing ovation. I SHRIEKED with laughter at the sheer ridiculousness and subsequently every time I thought of the scene I burst out laughing again, much to the dismay of the weeping teenagers in front of me. I also loved the way the actors all delivered the word 'BANISHED!', which was always conducted in an over-blown wail. It was almost like someone wanted to make the first half of the play into a comedy.

Ultimately the fatal flaw in this production was the direction. Given the timing of the season, the brevity of the script, and the chorus of actors, I'd say that QTC would have assembled this production to be a direct competition with La Boite's annual Shakespeare, and tried to emulate their success. With the amount of six pacs on display (any male under 30 ran around stage with their shirts open or off, for no apparent reason) I'd forgive you if initially thought this was a Berthold production. But unlike a Berthold Shakespeare production, Flowers' vision of Shakespeare is really, really lacking - in casting, contenet, and in the theme. Saying that the theme of the play is 'love' is a little broad, but it feels as if Flowers didn't fully understand how or care to assemble a dramatically truncated adaptation of the text to create a work that brings out the emotion or a long-lasting message or question for the audience to reflect on.

Disappointingly, QTC's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet is nothing special, since it just flails in every single element. The cast, while all very talented individuals, have no real chemistry between each other and their portrayal of characters leave much to be desired. The technical design elements, with rare exceptions, are nothing special, and the directing is just so clumsy - it just feels like QTC wanted to do something that made them appeal to more audiences but their design just came across as a knock-off, which is a shame because this could have been something incredible

Tickets for 'Romeo and Juliet range from $30-$79 (plus a $5 booking fee, God knows why because you can print your tickets at home), and is showing until May 13th. Duration of 2 hours and 10 minutes. Book by visiting Queensland Theatre Company's website.

A Hoax at La Boite [*]

Wasn't much in terms of banners from La Boite, so that's from Griffin
(Source: Griffin Theatre Company)

La Boite and Griffin Theatre Company's A Hoax, directed by Lee Lewis, is so engaging that I didn't even check my watch for the time. A great premiere for a smart script with a flawless cast, this is the first La Boite show of the year that I thoroughly enjoyed.

A Hoax is about a white social worker, Ant (Glenn Hazeldine), who has written a fictional autobiography in the perspective of a young Aboriginal girl named Currah. In order to get the book published by the prolific and much sought-after agent Ronnie (Sally McKenzie), he hires Miri (Shari Sebbens) to pretend to be Currah. With the help of Ant and Ronnie's sassy gay friend Tyrelle (Charles Allen), Miri grows to embody Currah, taking on the life that was written for her and then some. Pressure mounts when the book is an absolute hit, and readers, in addition to the publishers' contract, demand a sequel. The elaborate little white lie that brought Currah to life becomes a tedious hoax that spirals out of control very quickly and gets worse with every additional detail added to it.

The cast are exceptional, which is fortunate because they all get around the same amount of stage-time. Glenn Hazeldine is so engaging with his handling of the difficult Ant, who's a pretty wretched character. He's forced to be domineering to control his scam but is eventually disgraced by his own product. Shari Sebbens, playing the product Currah, is ravishing, acting the outspokenly occa but timid girl before becoming the calculated celebrity. Charles Allen is a delight, throwing himself into the role of the incorrigible Tyrelle with wild, reckless abandon. His snappy vulgarity in combination with the diva attitude of the character is outrageously entertaining, and he delivers the best lines in the show. Sally McKenzie as the two-faced neurotic agent is equally enjoyable - I get the feeling she tripped over her lines a number of times, but continued with such gusto it really adds an extra kick to her dotty character.

The script, which is written by Rick Viede, is very well written, being compelling despite the absence of significant action. The pacing of the piece is fairly slow but manages to be gripping since it's so intriguing to see what lies need to be concocted to ensure that the clandestine lifestyle of Currah can be maintained. Simultaneously, and what's most interesting, we see the asymmetrical development of Currah's undeserved rise to fame while watching Tyrelle's unfortunate descent into poverty, and examine how the characters develop to accommodate their luck. The only scene which seems out of place is the climax. It feels like it disrupts the flow since the huge jump is top jarring to take seriously. I pondered how realistic the scenario would be in real life too, and regardless of the passionate foreshadowing, it still struck as pretty unlikely. The quality of the prop was questionable also.

The sound design in this production is very reminiscent of Toulmin's work with Julius Caesar. It's not prominent, but emerges more in the second half and is dark and brooding. Renée Mulder's sterile white pristine set, which seems initially simplistic but striking, carries its own subtle commentary on Currah's situation living in a world that is manufactured for her.

As a new Australian dramatic work, A Hoax does really well. The script is smart and engaging to watch as the dreadful tension builds, and it's brought to life by the exceptionally talented cast. It was so enjoyable, and there's even an intermission! Lovers of realism and tension come on down!


Tickets for 'A Hoax' range from $22-$48, and is showing until May 25th. Duration of 2 hours and 25 minutes, including interval. Book by visiting La Boite's website or by calling (07) 3007 8600.

Not Famous Yet

Somewhat predictably, I'm not famous yet.

This didn't come as a surprise - I was aware of this for some time. It's not totally me fault either, since Sam Boyd is a pretty common name. What was fairly fairly entertaining were the events the lead up to me discovering just how un-famous I am on the internet.

Thomas and Sarah (Sherlock) Boyd. I'm so not famous that
they even came up before me (Source: Roots.web)

This situation became pretty apparent to me on Thursday, when I was running into people all over university. I'd turn a corner and BAM up would pop up another loveable personality I was glad to have as a friend. After I'd assembled a small entourage, we were congregating outside Beadles 'cafe' when this red haired guy came walking in the vicinity of us. I felt as if I'd run into him a thousand times passing by, since I'd seen him at my club, just below my window World Theatre Festival, FAST, Vena Cava shows, and I'd most recently seen him the week before at Room 60 at a talk.

I felt like I knew EVERYONE that day, so it was good day to make friends - I glanced at him, made eye-contact, and I then I yodelled "HEY YOU, COME OVER HERE. NOW." I wonder if that was daunting, but since we're all part of the same, incestral drama family, it was probably a perfectly legitimate way of establishing contact. He came over and I screamed some more things like "WHO ARE YOU??" and "HOW DO YOU DO?!" before I found out his name was Nathan, and he said he worked on Underground, so that was probably how I knew him. I told him that I did not manage to see Underground since it was sold out, but made an alternative, long, irritating list of everywhere I'd seen him. He laughed and shook my hand. What a nice chap. Newly acquainted, I blessed him with a "Godspeed" and then we parted ways.

"The best Sam Boyd ever" - Everyone ever on the internet
(Source: UNLV)

I realised about an hour later that I didn't know his last name (over that hour I had ran into him twice again), so I looked up 'Nathan' and 'Underground' online and the illusion was finally shattered and I found his last name and I finally put a face to the name. I thought it was pretty cool (and a bit scary) that you can find so many people on Google, so I thought it might be fun to look up my own name. I tried my Dad too, and he popped up with his QUT website as the first result, and also got mentioned in book dedications and thanks before anyone remotely tried to masquerade as him (some country singer has the same name). Unlike  Dad, I haven't really done anything in life, so I knew this already wasn't going to end well since a while back Jeff alerted me there was a 'Sam Boyd' stadium in Nevada. Nevertheless, I typed my name "Samuel Boyd" into the Google machine, and braced for the worst.

Google suggested I change the term "Samuel Boyd obituary" to garner more results.

The #1 result for Samuel Boyd isn't a cracking picture of me, but instead is a rather brief and incomplete (and strangely formatted) Wikipedia entry on Samuel Leonard Boyd, an infamous Australian (!) serial killer who bashed several children and women to death in the early 80s. While that sounds like something I'm capable of, I can't say that it's something I'd ever do or that it was someone that sounded particularly like me, seeing as I wasn't alive in the 80s. The next result is Sam Boyd of the Sam Boyd Stadium/Boyd Gaming Empire. The next few were some obituaries about some boring Sam Boyds who lived in Virgina, a real estate agent, and then it got onto the names where Sam wasn't even the first name, just included for the fun of stealing my thunder (like Augusto Sam Boyd, or Jerald Samuel Boyd).

"Angry Sam Boyd Eating Watermelon in 2002"
(Source: Sam Boyd Fans). This guy actually
look like Tom Noble . . .

The best result was a blogspot called 'Sam Boyd Fans', an extensive fan site of the figure which spans back as early as 2005. It houses many novelties, such as a bunch of fun pop quizzes, such as "What is Sam Boyd's middle name?" and "What would Sam Boyd think of this photo?", in addition to various theories of what Sam Boyd would look like in various outfits or at stages of his life, and there were several thrilling sightings:

"After more than two years, I found him. He was wandering about a little used bookstore in Hyde Park looking for a book to read. I don't think he reads enough. I talked him into letting me sleep on his living room floor and then we went to breakfast the next day where we both partook of a delicious breakfast. I'm probably not supposed to reveal this, but I will anyway. Sam is being courted by an elite producer in Hollywood. I can't say his name, but let's just say it rhymes with Dom Banks. He (or she) wants to purchase the rights to Sam Boyd's life story. 95% of the film will take place in the corner of a library and Danny Boyle is set to produce." (Source: Sam Boyd Fans)

God, I wish my life was as interesting as that. Anyone have any thoughts on who the producer might be?

I finally popped up on Page 7, with a link to my World Theatre Festival blog, except it linked to a dead page when the blogs had been pulled down for being too honest, so all that was on the page was some text that said "Blog posts . . . coming soon!". Hopefully the amount of times that I've written 'Sam Boyd' on this page will help boost me to the top, but I'm doubtful. That's how famous I am; not famous yet.

ETA:

• You can also like Sam Boyd on Facebook.
• I actually appear on the first page of Google Images, since I wrote the music to Of Little Matter. This is me:

Attending the tale of Sweeney Todd

I enjoy the irony that after dedicating almost 400 hours to Sweeney Todd, I was originally going to skip my audition. Tonight is our closing night and the last of 16 performances which have been seen by (what I guess) a few thousand people. I thought I probably should record some thoughts since this is my first musical in a community and I don't think I've ever been so emotionally invested and attached to the content and the people involved.

Me and John!

In terms of musical genius in the realms of Broadway, Sondheim's Sweeney Todd is simply unrivaled. Its lavish score is replete with superb arias littered with complex rhythmic passages and exquisite lyrical content that explores the gamut of human emotions while simultaneously captivating its audience through progression of the storyline. Amongst the luscious and generous orchestration, Sondheim utilises a cinematic approach with motifs and themes that correspond to and enhance the plot and the characters, ensuring that each song adds extra facets and dimensions to the plot and that none of the pieces are superfluous.

The sheer grandeur of the score can be identified in practically every song in the show - a few highlights include the mesmerising and hypnotic beauty of 'Johanna', the vivacious and delightful rendezvous of 'A Little Priest', and the melancholic disenfranchisement of 'Green Finch and Linnet Bird'. My two favourite pieces are the quartet arrangement of 'Kiss Me!', a fleeting and inherently romantic piece which holds Sondheim's best of harmony and counterpoint galore with beautifully sweeping instrumentation, and 'City on Fire!'. 'City on Fire' literally takes off and explodes, boasting cascading phrases of violent imagery with obscene hyperboles and metaphors to conjure an intense, visceral nightmare. After all this time I've not grown tired of the score, it's still something that enjoy and am fascinated with.

Members of Ignatians Musical Society have been rehearsing for Sweeney Todd since the 1st of December last year. Since Sweeney Todd is my favourite musical I promised myself if it was ever staged I would try my best to be involved, so I booked an audition a few weeks before at the suggestion of a friend. On the day I actually considered not going (I was reluctant since I was worried about the commitment), but at the last minute I caught the train and turned up to the audition, where I still hadn't picked my two audition songs. On the way into the room I finally decided on 'This is Not Over Yet' (from Parade) and 'Quidam' (from Quidam). We also had to learn a movement number at the audition and it was pretty scary since I'm not very coordinated and the prospect that we had to move like ballet dancers was daunting and made me want to drop out. In the end I got a callback to audition for the role of Tobias, and at the callback I was eventually (I think just because I happened to be there) offered a role in the ensemble which I accepted straight away since the main reason I auditioned was so I could sing 'City on Fire!'.

Sam and Sam!

'City on Fire!' is my favourite song to perform (I also get to sing my favourite line "The engine roared, the motor hissed"), but I'm also extremely lucky to be one of the only 5 people in the show who get to be killed on Sweeney's chair. I manage to die spectacularly each night thanks to a bunch of maple syrup dyed red and some fancy tricks which usually gets a reaction from the audience (thanks to the Makeup Wizards!). I really respect our director John Peek, because it feels he managed to get everyone some moments in the show where they shine.

The cast and crew involve some of the best quality people I've ever met in my life. They're a really fun, talented bunch and I feel cheated that I didn't know some of them sooner. What I'm really thankful for is that there are so many supremely talented people who don't need to be featured in a leading role and are happy to be featured in an ensemble. That said, we have a bunch of phenomenal leads that I'm really thrilled with the performance of. The cast execute their performance in a manner that is on par with professional productions and it was a fantastic opportunity to play which enjoying the practical experience of performing. Lots of good times happened in the theatre and out. One of my favourite memories in the whole process was when Sam was driving a few of us to the station and when we stopped at some lights we noticed Miranda was in the car next to us, so Sam signaled to Miranda to wind down the window, and we started shouting the lyrics from 'City on Fire!' at her. It was just awesome. I could probably go on for a while, but for the sake of maintaining reader interest (dubious already) so I'll just leave it there.

That seems a little over the place but the show is nearing the end now and I will be very sad to see it go - it's been a huge part of my life so far this year (and a great excuse to avoid seeing people) and I am going to miss some people so much it will probably ache. I'm going to stand offstage and watch from the wings for as much as I can tonight to see the show one last time. But I will cherish the memories, and the score of Sweeney Todd has become even more special.

Earth Hour in Sweeneyland!

An Unremarkable Adaptation of Sweeney Todd

There is nothing I recommend about this album (Source: Amazon.com).

Clearly the 2012 London adaptation of Sweeney Todd needs to be lived to appreciate the genius, because the acclaim and rave reviews it's received definitely hasn't transferred on to this cast recording. I am fairly confident that without the presence of Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton this production would have never received a recording.

While I adore Sweeney Todd (it is by far my favourite musical), I don't care for this recording at all. It's utterly bizarre since it has exactly the same material as the Original Broadway Cast recording highlights – the difference between the two being that the Original Broadway Cast has a better cast, better orchestrations and better mixing. I don't know why this version even exists.

There are no cast members that are particularly noteworthy in their roles. The majority of the principals are vocally dull, boasting a serious flaw or undesirable trait on every character - there's a demasculinised Anthony by Luke Brady, an insufferably whiny Johanna from Lucy May-Barker and innocuous portrayal of Tobias from James McConville. There's no trace of Robert Burt's Pirelli and the portrayals of the main antagonists Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford, played by John Bowe and Peter Polycarpou respectively, lack the authority and menace that the roles demand. Gillian Kirkpatrick is almost tolerable until she croaks out some egregiously guttural cries on her upper register.

In comparison to previous actors who have filled their roles, both of the leads are lacking in their portrayals. Imelda Staunton is an incredibly versatile actor and I have no doubt her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett on stage in stunning, but despite her colourful delivery of the libretto there is no escaping that this is a music recording and her voice leaves a lot to be desired. As for Michael Ball as Sweeney, it's fine, but nothing special and certainly nowhere near the best. There is a sense of distance in his portrayal since his timbre doesn't seem to be suitable in the role, and he also has this inconsistency of switching between accents mid-sentence. His vibrato is in its ridiculous full-throttle here ('Final Scene' is an utter debacle, with him throwing vibrato on every line: “Youuhhhh knewhhhh myhhhh Lucyyhhhhh livedhhhhhhhhh”). Ultimately every principal pales in comparison to every other recorded performer that preceded them in their respective roles, and I don't particularly care to hear any of them again.

This recording offers nothing in terms of being a remarkable, unique take on Sweeney apart from transforming the vivacious score into something unremarkable. The original Broadway cast recording maintains its pedestal for the best performance of Sweeney with the best cast and most complete score, the 2000 live cast was a celebration and collaboration of Broadway stars and a symphonic orchestra, the 2005 revival recording is a fascinating adaptation of a small ensemble performing both instrumentally and vocally, and the 2007 movie soundtrack acts as the necessary companion to the film with luscious orchestrations. This is just a scaled down version of the original and doesn't offer anything new. The mixing is lifeless but the orchestration is okay, with the exception of this new trend of having woodwinds simultaneously playing the melody. I just want to tear my hair out that this 2012 cast recording exists when the incredible 2011 Théâtre du Châtelet Cast, superior in every aspect (which until very recently, was free to download from the Radio France Musique website), will fade into oblivion.

This whole endeavor was pointless - the only immediate use of this recording could serve as would be a tool to listen to so that when you return to any other Sweeney Todd recording the experience is glorified in comparison. If you were planning on buying this recording, don't. Only approach if you're a fan of Micheal Ball or Imelda Staunton, and possibly if you're an avid Sondheim collector. But I wouldn't even recommend this to devoted fans of Sweeney Todd. As far as I'm concerned, any recording of Sweeney Todd that doesn't contain 'City on Fire' isn't real.