murraybramwell.com

March 01, 1994

Like Cherries for Peaches

Filed under: Archive,Festival,International,Theatre

Tomoe Shizune and Hakutobo
Union Hall

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

It is generally agreed that the first butoh performance was Forbidden Colours, based on the works of Mishima and presented by Tatsumi Hijikata at a Japanese dance festival in 1959. From there this eclectic dance drama form has been interpreted by a variety of companies and soloists. Some, such as Kazua Ohno, Sankai Juku and Byakko Sha have been visiting Australian festivals since the mid 1980s.

Hakutobo -which means the …

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February 04, 1994

Tankard Brimming with Invention

Filed under: Adelaide Companies,Archive,Theatre

Two Feet
Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre
Created, Directed and Performed by Meryl Tankard
Visual Design by Regis Lansac
Costume Design by Dianne Bridson
Lighting Design by Toby Harding
Assistant Director Peggy Watson
The Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
10 February

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

It is not putting it too strongly to say that Meryl Tankard has been exhilarating audiences in Adelaide in the past year. Since taking over as Artistic Director of the now eponymous Australian Dance Theatre, Tankard, …

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January 01, 1994

Visiting Vincent

Filed under: Archive,Interstate,Theatre

Van Gogh:
His Sources, Genius and Influence
National Gallery of Victoria

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

It is not only in Aprill with his shoures soote. Even on the twelfth day of Christmas are folk likely to climb on night buses and goon on pilgrimages. But sacred journeys have always been a bit of a punt. Will the weather hold and the travel be safe ? Will the pitch be in good order after the Madonna concert ? Will the blisful …

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Visiting Vincent

Filed under: Archive,International,Theatre

1994

Van Gogh:

His Sources, Genius and Influence

National Gallery of Victoria

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

It is not only in Aprill with his shoures soote. Even on the twelfth day of Christmas are folk likely to climb on night buses and goon on pilgrimages. But sacred journeys have always been a bit of a punt. Will the weather hold and the travel be safe ? Will the pitch be in good order after the Madonna concert ? Will the …

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December 29, 1993

New Voices for Fiji

Filed under: Archive,International,Interviews,Theatre

Murray Bramwell interviews Sudesh Mishra about his play Ferringhi performed recently in Suva.

In late December the newly revived University of South Pacific Drama Society presented Ferringhi, a play by Sudesh Mishra. Coming originally from Persian and found in the Urdu and Hindi languages as well as Malay, Ferringhi means foreigner or outsider.

“It is usually a perjorative, which is why I use it,” notes Mishra, “but my character Ferringhi is an outsider-insider. He has local experience as well as …

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December 01, 1993

A Head Full of New Ideas

Filed under: Archive,Interviews,State Theatre Company,Theatre

Chris Westwood, newly appointed Executive Producer of South Australia’s State Theatre talks with Murray Bramwell

When, at the end of September, Chris Westwood announced her program for 1994 much else was also heralded for the State Theatre Company. Now to be known simply as State Theatre, the company was, with the departure of current Artistic Director Simon Phillips, seeing the beginning of a new format. Gone is the familiar figure of the AD -names like Colin George, Jim Sharman, Keith …

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Udder Milk Leak

Filed under: Archive,State Theatre Company,Theatre

Under Milk Wood
by Dylan Thomas
State Theatre Company
Playhouse

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas’s wordtrembling, glottal throttling, Welsh blathering, earbending play for radio, is State’s choice for season’s end and Simon Phillips’ goodbye-to-all-that.

First performed a year after Thomas died of the sauce in 1953 the play tells of a night and a day in the life of a small Welsh coastal town. Dylan Thomas called it Llaregyb, a ferocious joke since a backward glance …

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Unredeemed

Filed under: Archive,International,Theatre

Fallen Angels
by Noel Coward
Hayley Mills and Juliet Mills

Festival Theatre

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

When it was suggested to him that his new play Fallen Angels was indecent Noel Coward replied- “The realisation that I am hopelessly depraved, vicious and decadent has for two days ruined my beaker of opium.” I have to say that the recent revival of this trifle from 1925 has ruined mine also.

Possibly someone browsing through the play fastened on the idea that …

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November 01, 1993

The Meet Market

Filed under: Adelaide Companies,Archive,Australian Texts,Theatre

Personals
by Roxxy Bent
Vitalstatistix
Waterside

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

Although their seasons have included a variety of writers Vitalstatistix’ work has always been characterised by founding members Ollie Black, Margaret Fischer and author of Personals, Roxxy Bent. Bent’s work is consistently self-descriptive. Even early rambles like A Stitch in Time had a daft quality – reinforced in that instance by the writer’s own performance. Waiting for Annette (collected in Around the Edge, the excellent Tantrum Press collection of South …

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Harmonics

Filed under: Adelaide Companies,Archive,Theatre

Songs with Mara
Meryl Tankard ADT
Balcony

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

Without wanting to offend demarcation protocol with the Special Dance Correspondent I feel compelled to add some paragraphs on Meryl Tankard’s latest work, Songs With Mara, because quite simply it is one of the best theatre pieces we have seen in town for some time. ADT has had an impressive season – the quizzical wit of Court of Flora, the insistent afterimages of Nuti, the energy and invention of …

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