City Hub 10 July 2014

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July 10, 2014

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NEW KID ON THE BLOCK Singer songwriter Marcus Cowra

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The story behind the Italian Forum Cultural Centre deadlock

BY Lucia Osborne-Crowley The ongoing tension surrounding the sale of the Italian Forum Cultural Centre is just the latest installment in a long history of debate over the centre’s proper use and ownership.

In the story’s latest development, the Business Management Committee (BMC), which opposes Leichhardt Council’s proposal to sell the cultural centre to Italian language and community group Co.As.It, met with Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne for the first time last week.

This meeting resulted from repeated concerns expressed by the BMC and the Actors Centre Australia (ACA), current Forum tenants, that council was not engaging with their side of the discussion and was not being transparent in its decision making.

The most significant of these concerns surrounds Mayor Byrne’s assertion that Co.As.It is the only bidder to provide a business plan for the cultural centre.

“Co.As.It is also the only organisation to have submitted a business plan for future use of the site,” Mayor Byrne told City Hub. The BMC requested to see this business plan following Tuesday’s meeting.

Sol Michael, BMC spokesperson, and Dean Carey, Creative Director of ACA, both said they do not feel this plan assuages their concerns about the viability of the sale to Co.As.It. “The building simply won’t function under this Co.As.It business plan,” Mr Carey said.

This sparked concern among members of the BMC and ACA regarding the processes that had taken place during the sale negotiations. In a series of documents provided to City Hub, some of the details of this process were revealed.

Days before bidding closed for the sale of the cultural centre, Leichhardt Council imposed added conditions on a contract already submitted by Glorious Gospel Church (GGC) which included a bid for $2.6 million, a bid exceeding Co.As.It’s offer at

that stage of the process and which has been raised by GGC since.

A source who preferred to remain nameless believes this to be evidence that council did not intend to consider purchasers other than Co.As.It for the sale.

“Leichhardt Council was never going to allow anyone to buy the property other than Co.As.It. This is simply not a transparent process and unfair to all other than Co.As.It.” Mayor Byrne told City Hub council’s determination for the centre to be sold to Co.As.It is based on its ability to fulfill a cultural covenant that was attached to a $3.5 million grant awarded for the operation of the cultural centre by the Rudd Government in November

2010. The covenant stipulates the centre must be used to provide cultural events for the community.

Mr Michael, however, believes Co.As.It cannot fulfill the conditions of the covenant.

“The covenant requires the premises be used for cultural events for the whole community, not just Italian cultural events. It also requires the forum to be available to the public, which will not happen under Co.As.It’s plan,” he said.

This debate over the interpretation of the covenant is based on conflicting ideas about Leichhardt’s current community.

Stakeholders opposed to the sale expressed concern that Leichhardt’s Italian community has moved away

The Italian Forum piazza and Cultural Centre

and the covenant now requires the centre to serve Leichhardt’s existing community.

“If you walk up Norton Street the Italian connected places have slowly dwindled and the main focus has changed,” said Stephen Hathway, director of the cultural centre’s administrators, SV Partners.

Mr Michael echoed this observation.

“I’ve had a business in the forum since 1999 and the amount of Italians living in the area has diminished dramatically,” he said.

This fundamental disagreement over how to best fulfill the federal government’s cultural covenant lies at the heart of the stagnated debate over the future of the Forum.

There have also been allegations made from both sides of the discussion regarding financial motives.

If the centre does not remain operational in line with the covenant, Leichhardt Council is liable to repay the federal grant at a rate specified in the original agreement. Currently, Leichhardt Council’s exposure to this repayment is approximately $2.2 million. Mr Michael told City Hub he feels this exposure could be influencing council’s insistence on securing a sale to Co.As.It. Mayor Byrne said the BMC is resisting the Co.As.It sale in order to avoid repaying Forum levies.

“It is unsurprising that the building management committee which owes $300,000 in levies and is hoping to see its debt dissolve, opposes the sale to Co.As.It,” said Mayor Byrne.

Leichhardt Council gave SV Partners a deadline of June 2 to confirm a sale to Co.As.It and indicated if SV Partners do not meet this deadline, council would liquidate the property and assign a new administrator.

SV Partners sought an injunction to stop council from doing so, which was granted by Supreme Court of NSW on June 2.

Last week council requested the injunction case be dismissed. This request was denied by the Supreme Court and the parties remain in a deadlock over the sale and the future of the Forum.

Newtown’s Marcus Corowa opens NAIDOC Week

ABN 48 135 222 169 Group Publisher: Lawrence Gibbons Group Manager: Chris Peken Group Editor: Lucia Osborne-Crowley City Hub Editor: Joshua Tassell Contributors: Nick Richardson, Joshua Tassell, Emily Contador-Kelsall, Jessica Yun, Lucy Rennick Arts Editor: Leigh Livingstone Live Music Editor: Chelsea Deeley Dining Editor: Jackie McMillan Advertising Managers: Toni Martelli, Robert Tuitama, George Tinnyunt & Mike Contos Design: Joanna Grace Publisher’s Assistant: Mirjana Laglija Distribution Manager: Danish Ali Cover: Joanna Grace - digital collage Email: question@alternativemediagroup.com Advertising: sales@alternativemediagroup.com Contact: PO Box 843 Broadway 2007 Ph: 9212 5677 Fax: 9212 5633 Web: altmedia.net.au

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culture and the Redfern community.

Redfern-based recording label Gadigal Music awarded Mr Corowa one of its four grants for emerging Indigenous Sydney artists in 2011, which allowed him to create his first professional recording.

Photo: Chris Peken

Published weekly and freely available Sydney-wide.

Copies are also distributed to serviced apartments, hotels, convenience stores and newsagents throughout the city.

Distribution enquiries call 9212 5677. Published by the Alternative Media Group of Australia. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy of content, City Hub takes no responsibility for inadvertent errors or omissions.

BY Lucia OsborneCrowley 31-year old singer­/ songwriter Marcus Corowa opened the City of Sydney’s NAIDOC in the City event in Hyde Park on Monday, July 7, which marked the beginning of the City’s NAIDOC week celebrations.

Marcus grew up in Bowen, North Queensland, but in 2011 decided to move to Sydney with his girlfriend to pursue his musical career.

“I always loved music growing up but I never really took it seriously,” Mr Corowa said.

“Then one day I decided it was time to think about playing music professionally, so I moved to Sydney to follow my musical dreams.”

“I knew no-one here in Sydney and I had no networks of any kind, so the transition was hard.

Life in Sydney is much more fast-paced than I’m used to.”

Mr Corowa moved to St Peters and began volunteering at community events in Redfern such as Family Day at The Block, a family event designed to celebrate Aboriginal

Marcus Corowa

Mr Corowa’s music is inspired by Aboriginal culture, but he questions the validity of being constantly categorised as a musician based on his Aboriginality.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from my cultural background, of course this is a big part of my music.”

“When I was growing up, music was a big part of our culture. Everyone in my family played an instrument and we sang together all the time. This definitely had an impact on my decision to become a musician. My dad started teaching me guitar when I was six,” Mr Corowa said.

“I am always categorised as an Indigenous musician, which is nice in a way but it can also pigeonhole my music. I am an Indigenous musician, but I am also a professional musician and sometimes it’s hard when the community categorises me based on my heritage alone. I am incredibly proud of my culture but I don’t want everyone to think they can describe my music just by describing my culture,” he said.

“It is very hard to overcome this as an Indigenous musician living in Sydney.”

Mr Corowa said he wants his next album, which he begins recording next week, to allow him to access a mainstream audience. He will be touring the album in September, with a Sydney show to be announced in coming weeks.

Now living on King Street in Newtown, Mr Corowa feels a strong sense of community and feels supported in his musical endeavours.

“There is so much support for music and the arts in Newtown, it all feels so easy here.”

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Cuts to NSW TAFE target students with disabilities

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Graeme Innes, who until last week was Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner, echoed concerns that Premier Baird’s cuts to TAFE programs will compound the impact of Prime Minister Abbott’s pension cuts and will result in serious problems for people living with disabilities.

“If the aim is to move people with disabilities off welfare and into work, TAFE

Photo: TAFE NSW Manager’s Association

BY Lucia Osborne-Crowley Premier Mike Baird’s cuts to funding for NSW TAFE combined with Prime Minister Abbott’s proposed changes to the Disability Support Pension spell tragedy for people living with disabilities in Sydney, according to Shadow Minister for Disability Services Barbara Perry.

While the federal government defends its cuts to the Disability Support Pension scheme by arguing that Australians with disabilities should be encouraged to transition from welfare into employment, the NSW Government is removing opportunities on the critical path to gaining this employment, Minister Perry told City Hub. “I want both of these governments to understand the irony here is not lost on us,” Minister Perry said.

“The real irony here is that the federal government is wielding a big stick on people with disabilities, telling them they have to get off pensions and get work, all the while the state government is removing TAFE programs that are crucial in assisting people with disabilities in finding work in Sydney.”

NSW Labor leader John Robertson said he is similarly concerned about the combined impact of the state and federal cuts to disability services.

“As Tony Abbott is seeking to cut income assistance for individuals with disabilities, TAFE is even more critical for people with disabilities. They deserve the opportunity to earn a living and support themselves, especially if the federal Liberal government is leaving them behind,” Mr Robertson said.

TAFE NSW’s Eora College

programs are the best way to make this transition. To restrict opportunities through TAFE as well as restricting pensions will just add to the disadvantage these people already experience,” Mr Innes said.

TAFE has historically been the best way for people with disabilities to gain the necessary qualifications to move into the workforce, according to Minister Perry.

TAFE institutions offer entry level

courses that provide an introduction to higher education appropriate to the needs of students with physical or intellectual disabilities.

Many of these entry level courses are scheduled to be abandoned following the Baird government cuts.

“We know that these entry level courses are the best ways for students with disabilities to gain a diploma and enhance their ability to access employment,” Minister Perry said.

“Students with disabilities are being disproportionately impacted based on the decision to direct the cuts towards lower level courses at TAFE,” Mr Innes said.

These cuts will also impact the services provided by TAFE to support students with disabilities to ensure these students successfully receive their qualification, according to Minister Perry. These support services include scribes, interpreters and assistants for students with both physical and intellectual disabilities.

“The new loading structure for support services for students with disabilities will not be enough to provide these services for an entire course, which is what these students desperately need,” Minister Perry said.

“For example, these reforms will cover $600 for a deaf student at TAFE, which will be enough to pay for an interpreter for a total of three days.”

Mr Robertson also expressed the significance of these cuts to disability support services at TAFE institutions.

“If TAFE cannot offer sufficient note takers, interpreters and other services to make an education accessible, many

disabled students will lose their chance at education, and a productive and fulfilling life,” he said.

City of Sydney Councillor Linda Scott agreed that TAFE is among the most important opportunities for students with disabilities, particularly in the City of Sydney area as institutions such as Ultimo TAFE are integral to the inner city higher education system.

“My younger sister was born with a disability and is one of the many in our society who has benefited from being able to attend TAFE and received a fantastic education there which has allowed her to develop the skills she required to gain employment,” Cr Scott said.

A spokesperson for TAFE NSW said she was confident students with disabilities would continue to receive support from TAFE institutions.

“No full time disability consultants at TAFE institutes have lost their jobs as part of recent institute changes,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education and Communities also expressed confidence in TAFE’s continued capacity to support students with disabilities.

“TAFE NSW will continue its commitment to supporting students with a disability in the future.”

The budget documents released by Premier Mike Baird and the NSW Government, however, predict a decline in enrolments from students with disabilities as a result of the Smart and Skilled reforms.

The budget forecasts a drop of over 2,000 enrolments from 2013 to 2014.

Victory For The Block

Photo: Sean O’Grady

BY Joshua Tassell Demonstrators at the Redfern Tent Embassy are describing their overnight protest on the opening day of NAIDOC Week as a victory, as developers did not begin construction on Monday as scheduled.

Blockade for The Block invited protestors to join the Tent Embassy on Sunday night to halt construction on the Aboriginal Housing Company’s (AHC) $7 million Pemulwuy development of The Block. Event organisers predicted a strong police presence and possible forced eviction early Monday morning.

Event co-organiser Kyol Blakeney thanked the participants, estimated at over 200, and highlighted the importance of postponing construction.

Sunday night’s protest at The Block

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“Today we had a small taste of what victory could feel like with no interruptions to our blockade.

It was because of the people who showed up and those who supported through media, donations and moral support that we were able to have a bulldozer free day.”

Police arrived shortly before 5am, cordoning off the main entrance to the Tent Embassy via Redfern Station. Members of the police said they would be making no comment on the situation.

Two protesters scaled the roof of the Aboriginal Housing Company building overnight, unfurling a banner reading ‘always was, always will be Aboriginal land.’ Another two had climbed the Elouera Tony Mundine gym, draping a banner across Alex Tui’s iconic Aboriginal flag mural with the text ‘sovereignty

never ceded’.

Police negotiators ascended both rooftops without success.

By approximately 7:30am, protestors had received notification that if no construction workers were present on the site by 9am, they would not be asked to move along.

No construction workers appeared throughout the day.

Wiradjuri Elder and Redfern Tent Embassy organiser Jenny Munro described the protest as “a victory”.

The Block subsumes the majority of the 10,500m2 owned by the AHC, all of which is designated for the Pemulwuy development. This will include 62 affordable homes for the local indigenous community, 42 units for student accommodation, a childcare centre, commercial and retail space, a gallery and gymnasium.

Yet many locals, including City of Sydney councillor and

Redfern public housing resident Irene Doutney, are sceptical of Pemulwuy’s benefits.

“The community feeling is that the student housing will be too expensive to benefit Aboriginal students. It seems to be a cash cow to build more parts of the Pemulwuy project – and then somehow more money will come out of nowhere to fund the construction of affordable housing,” Cr Doutney said.

A 2012 State Government Planning & Infrastructure Report on the Pemulwuy redevelopment noted that all 62 dwellings in Precinct 1 of the development were to be retained in the ownership of the AHC, which should provide these as affordable housing opportunities.

Private investors are understood to have backed the construction of student housing and commercial space, yet the AHC has failed to raise any private funding for the affordable housing.

According to Cr Doutney, numbers cited at Council meetings do not indicate the projected rents of Precinct 1 to be affordable for the local Indigenous community.

“The affordable housing that was earmarked for Aboriginal families wasn’t affordable. It wasn’t 30% of their income, or 80% of the market.

It was comparable to the market.”

“This is an incredible start to NAIDOC week. What an incredible contradiction and sadness to the Aboriginal community if they were evicted.”

The AHC did not respond to requests for comment at time of publication.

news in brief Bust The Budget On Sunday July 6, a protest was held to oppose the Abbott Government’s first federal budget. While organisations estimated an attendance of 15,000 Sydneysiders, police announced a more conservative estimate of 6,000. The protest began at Sydney Town Hall, with protestors then marching up George Street and Market Street. Social media platforms have since been flooded with complaints from protestors that the event was largely ignored by the mainstream media, with short pieces published in each of Sydney’s major corporate publications following the event. The Bust The Budget protest also took place in Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Darwin and Brisbane, with an estimated 85,000 attendees in total.

Marrickville Council fights for voice in aircraft noise debate Marrickville Council is opposing reduced government representation in the Sydney Airport Community Forum (SACF) and demanding the voice of affected communities remain active. The federal

government has proposed sweeping changes to the SACF - refocusing the forum away from its initial purpose to minimise the impacts of aircraft noise on residents and reducing local government’s presence. “SACF must retain the role for which it was set-up - as a consultative group that is genuinely representative of the surrounding community that are impacted by the airport,” said Marrickville Mayor Jo Haylen.

Protestors rally against media representation of Palestine A rally was held in Martin Place on Wednesday July 2 to protest what was seen as collective punishment carried out by the Israeli Government following the murders of 3 Israeli teenagers.

Speakers and protestors at the rally called for the Australian Government to intercede, but have also expressed discontent with media coverage of the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict. According to co-founder of Independent Australian Jewish Voices and rally speaker Peter Slezak, insufficient media coverage of the issue has failed to provide proper context and understanding of the conflict.

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logged. I think that will be a serious investigation council will need to undertake as a result of this fire,” she said.

City of Sydney Councillor Edward Mandla condemned council’s lack of action.

“The City of Sydney failed and there is absolutely no excuse. I actually think council owes the people living there an apology as they’ve let everyone down.”

“People nearly died this time,”

Cr Mandla said.

“There’s a whisper going around council that even if we knew, we wouldn’t have had the power to do anything. That is rubbish – we have perfectly adequate powers of entry and inspection and we could have stopped this from happening.”

The responsibility to inspect properties which pose a safety threat to occupants and

Photo: Fire and Rescue NSW/Facebook

BY Lucia Osborne-Crowley The City of Sydney Council failed to act on a complaint regarding the industrial site at Burrows Road in Alexandria prior to the fire that destroyed the property in the early hours of last Wednesday, June 2.

The fire exposed an illegal boarding house for international students living in the inner city, the likes of which are becoming increasingly prevalent in the area.

According to City of Sydney councillor Irene Doutney, council relies heavily upon local residents to draw attention to overcrowded properties in the inner city area.

“We rely on residents to alert us because you can’t inspect every building all the time in a city with tens of thousands of buildings,” said Cr Doutney.

Council was alerted to the danger of the Burrows Road property by a resident but still no action was taken to prevent the fire.

“Unfortunately, contrary to City procedures, the complaint was not logged in the internal records system and was therefore not found or investigated,” a City of Sydney spokesperson said.

Cr Doutney expressed concern regarding the danger of these complaints going unanswered.

“The question to ask is how many of these reports don’t get

Fire and Rescue NSW officers at the scene of the fire

surrounding residents lies also with Fire and Rescue NSW, who similarly rely on resident complaints to be made aware of these situations.

Chief Superintendent Greg Buckley of Fire and Rescue NSW confirmed the department had no knowledge of the illegality of the property prior to the fire.

“We received no complaints about the property and the first we knew of the illegal situation was when we arrived at the scene of the fire,” Chief Supt Buckley said.

Cr Doutney said council must take immediate action to ensure better oversight of student and backpacker accommodations as well as to ensure no administrative errors are being made in regards to resident complaints.

“This has been a big wake up call for council,” she said.

“My first immediate thought is we need to do an audit of all the buildings.”

“We need to find out what is out there.”

Cr Doutney said industrial sites such as the one involved in last week’s fire need renewed attention from council because they are not situated near enough to other residents for council to rely on complaints.

A City of Sydney spokesperson confirmed action would be taken following the event.

“The City has started an immediate review of all relevant procedures.

Cartoon: Peter Berner

City failed to act on Alexandria property complaint

They walked into the smoke and I never saw them again years. Many memos traversed the chain of command before we got permission.

Only a couple of firms sold mobiles and we bought ours at Strathfield Car Radios. It was the size of two house bricks, with a carrying handle that hooked over the top and a handpiece as big as those on a standard landline phone of the era. Digital mobile was still years in the future. The beast had about three hours of stand-by and a half hour of talk time. Recharging took several hours.

I was the first to use it, at a bushfire west of Woy Woy. I left my car at the Gosford office and got a lift out to the fire line. All the Tonka Toys from the bush fire brigades and the NPWS were being assembled in an old quarry where I attended a briefing and attached myself to a small national parks crew.

They were to tidy up a narrow fire line and then light a backburn off it. When we arrived, the wildfire was still about half a kilometre away in a forest valley. I positioned myself on a low escarpment overlooking the valley and awaited some dramatic development to report. The crew headed off down the trail, raking it clear as they

By Gavin Gatenby Sometime in 1992, when I was an Interpretive Officer with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, I got it into my head that our region should buy one of the new mobile phones. I was at the time understudying a colleague, legendary radio and TV naturalist John Dengate, who was, unofficially, the service spokesperson. I raised the matter with John.

“But what would we use it for?” he asked, very reasonably.

“Well, we could go to bushfires and whale strandings and we could talk direct to the media”, I replied.

“And what else?”

“Well, um, whale strandings and bushfires.”

Twenty-two years ago, mobile phones were an exotic and hugely expensive investment. They had only been in Australia for five

went.

The Channel 9 chopper flew over and landed somewhere, unseen, behind me. After a while I heard people crashing through the thick undergrowth. I turned to see a three-man TV news crew. The reporter was dressed in a nice suit and tie. He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was there, like him, to report direct from the fire line – the first time anybody in the NPWS had tried this. He was amazed and he had the crew film me faking up a call. Then he asked where the fire was.

“Down there, but I wouldn’t go there. It isn’t really safe”, I said. Smoke was already drifting towards us. He paid no attention. Crew in tow, he headed down the narrow path and I never saw them again.

I was about to start ringing radio newsrooms, when, again, somebody came crashing towards me. This time it was a small man with an amateur video camera. He had a heavy French accent and told me he was a media lecturer from Bond University.

He asked what I was doing.

“Ah, but zis is ze new media! You are ze wave of ze future!” he said, excitedly.

He filmed me faking up a call

Concern building over future of women’s homelessness support

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forever.”

“I am especially concerned that Catholic organisations will not provide women with unbiased information and advice about contraception and abortion.”

However, Minister for Family and Community Services and NSW Member for Vaucluse, Gabrielle Upton, has criticised Labor “for deliberately misleading the public by saying that an unsuccessful tender equals a closure of a refuge”.

“Many millions of taxpayer dollars have been thrown at homelessness over many years, but it has clearly not worked.

Between the last two censuses in 2006 and 2011, homelessness in

NSW increased by 27 per cent,” Ms Upton said.

“The NSW Government is funding specialist homelessness services based on evidence, not history. Rather than simply writing cheques every year to the same organisations to do the same thing, we have run a competitive tender across the state to ensure the best organisations are providing the highest quality service for the best possible price.”

“There will still be specialist services including for women and children escaping domestic and family violence in the new system.”

Dr Summers disputes Ms Upton’s claims that the tender process necessarily empowered

Photo: Save Our Women’s Services

BY Nick Richardson Community concern is continuing to build over the future of specialist women’s homelessness services under the NSW Government’s Going Home Staying Home reforms.

A group called Save Our Women’s Services, which includes women’s homelessness service providers which were unsuccessful in the tender process, is working alongside MPs Linda Burney (Labor) and Alex Greenwich (Independent), to organise a petition for parliament to debate the tenders and the outcomes thereof.

The tender process has been criticised for providing more funding for generalist homelessness facilities at the expense of specialist, women only providers.

“Women’s services run by and for women are important for a number of reasons,” said Dr Anne Summers, Editor and Publisher of Anne Summers Reports and a founder of Elsie Women’s Refuge in 1974.

“They offer traumatised women and kids a safe space where they won’t be reminded of the violence at the hands of their father or husband that they have just escaped from. The years of experience have resulted in an unparalleled set of skills that will now be dispersed and possibly lost

SOS Women’s Services is campaigning for women’s homelessness support

and then, turning the camera on himself, just like Max Headroom in ‘Twenty Minutes Into the Future’, he filmed himself asking the question I’d just answered. “Where is ze fire?” he asked.

“Down there, but I wouldn’t go down there. It isn’t safe”, I said, but he disappeared into the smoke and I never saw him again.

Finally, I put in the actual call I’d been faking up and got through to ABC radio news.

“Great! Hang, on mate, I’ll

record you”, the journo said.

I described the scene. The backburn being lit below was starting to take, the actual wildfire was also closing in and flames suddenly leapt high into the forest canopy. It made dramatic telling.

I put in a couple more calls before things got too dramatic for comfort. In case the backburn jumped the line, I hightailed it out of there, walking back up the track until I reached the rough fire trail on the ridgeline. Amazingly, a

Fairlane appeared, cautiously negotiating the track. It was driven by a lady chauffer in a snappy uniform. The offside seat was filled by a guy wearing an officer’s cap and lots of silver braid . He kindly offered me a lift back to the assembly area. I was to realise later that this was Commissioner Phil Koperburg, the head honcho of the Bush Fire Service.

Somebody else dropped me in Woy Woy. The mobile phone battery was already flat.

In my sweaty, filthy, overalls – much hung about with water bottles and lugging the huge phone – I thumbed down a car heading towards Gosford.

“You’re Gavin Gatenby, aren’t you?” the driver asked.

Wow! I thought. This reporting direct idea really works. Alas, it turned out he hadn’t heard me on the radio.

“I went to school with you”, he said. For the life of me I couldn’t remember him.

School had been, after all, over a quarter century earlier.

“So what do you do now?”

I asked.

“Oh, I import rainforest timber from South-East Asia, and we hate you greenie bastards”, he replied, after which conversation dried up.

22 years ago, mobile phones were an exotic and hugely expensive investment

the best organisations to do the best job.

“There is no argument for saying large, impersonal, religious organisations will do a better job just because they are richer,” said Dr Summers. “Why are they richer? Because the government gives them more money.”

The reforms have been embraced by Waverley Mayor, Sally Betts, who resolved to discuss the issue of B Miles House specifically with the minister two weeks ago.

“It is really disappointing that when council elected to support a motherhood motion in support of the homeless that it would be turned into a political campaign against the Minister who has been so instrumental in increasing funding, not reducing it,” said Ms Betts.

Ms Betts was concerned the issue was being used for political point-scoring.

“Using the homeless as a political football is repugnant and council would not support any such ploy,” Ms Betts said.

“It is hard to criticise the Government for funding such organisations as Wesley Mission, St Vincent’s de Paul, Caretakers Cottage, The Uniting Church, Salvation Army, Ted Noffs, Jewish House and in fact B Miles when these organisations are obviously most capable of dealing with homelessness and indeed delivering specific women’s services in our community,” said Ms Betts.

MEET THE LOCALS

Bondi Wear

BY Alexandra English Until now, the perfect white tee was an elusive entity, lurking at the back of the clothes rack like some sort of renegade garment, destined to do more than decorate the torso of the average human. Consumers have always known that the mystical tee exists and have been fruitlessly searching for centuries (or at least since white tees and blue denim jeans appeared in ‘80s music videos). Now the search is over: the perfect tee has been

found at Bondi Wear, and even better than that, they are made from 100% organic cotton and manufactured on Australian soil.

As well as having a range of organic casual tees, Bondi Wear is working on a range of shorts, caps, knits and jackets. From the cut of their tees, to their website layout, to the golden tanned skin of their models, Bondi Wear is all about catering to the Bondi lifestyle.

22 Bridge Rd, Glebe 2037, (02) 9660 4752, www.bondiwear.com

Life drawing in the winter crowd at Camelot!”

One of the regular Camelot models, known to her sketch club contemporaries simply as ‘Amber’, agrees that the music adds an extra dimension to the night.

Amber says, “In winter, the turnout for sketch clubs usually dwindles – but places like Friend in Hand and Camelot Lounge have changed that. Gypsy Art Club is warm and vibrant - the atmosphere is spontaneous and a bit cheeky.”

For the last two years, Amber has been at the helm of Sydney’s post-GFC life drawing renaissance.

The Crisis was bad news for life models. Class

attendance dropped, paid modelling work dried up and several local sketch clubs closed down.

Rather than give up on the flagging industry, Amber founded Sydney Life Drawing, a community group dedicated to reviving and promoting life drawing in Sydney. And locals seem to have taken up the invitation, returning to life drawing classes in droves.

All around Sydney, people are kicking off their week with a little life drawing. On Mondays, there are sessions at TAP Gallery in Darlinghurst or Glebe’s Friend in Hand. On Tuesdays, sketchers can Photo: John Murrell

By Carmen Cita It may be cold outside, but Marrickville is warming things up this winter with a bohemian blend of art, gypsy rhythms and nudity at popular watering hole, Camelot Lounge.

On any given Wednesday, an eclectic assembly of up to 40 artists can be found huddled in the downstairs Django Bar for Gypsy Art Club, a weekly life drawing soirée. While a nude model poses, projections of the muse fill the back wall as the live band plays evocative gypsy-flavoured music.

Gypsy Art Club recently returned to Camelot Lounge by popular demand. The night draws a multi-generational crowd, from curious students, to art-scene elders, to parents escorting their teenage kids.

According to Yaron Hallis, musician and owner of Camelot Lounge, the weekly sketch club is an inclusive haven for serious artists, first-timers and observers.

“There is no expectation at these sessions that one has to have a particular level of artistic proficiency.

No one is judging anyone, or looking over their shoulder critically – everyone is absorbed in their own personal experience,” he explains.

“It’s the most fabulous bohemian atmosphere – but not in a pretentious hipster kind of way! It’s a warm and welcoming vibe. Music plays a pivotal role. People can tune into it, tune out of it - it doesn’t matter. It’s there to complete the artistic experience.”

Hallis believes that the relaxed setting of the event helps the models feel at home. He says, “For some of the less-experienced models, it can be confronting getting undressed in front of a bar full of people.

But, with the musicians beside them, they share the attention – some artists actually draw the musician instead or as well as the model.

“On one occasion, the model happened to be an excellent jazz singer so she joined the pianist for a couple of impromptu songs – our first naked singer

Gypsy Art Club at Camelot

head to Sydney Art Class in Darlinghurst or Gallery Red in Glebe. If you can’t make it to Camelot on hump day, 107 Projects in Redfern also offers life drawing classes. And if you like your life drawing with a touch of burlesque, the Dr Sketchy experience at Arthouse promises to please.

Life drawing is well and truly back on the Sydney social calendar. The recent surge in popularity has kept Sydney-based burlesque performer and life model, Rosie Rivette busy.

Rivette says, “Nights like Dr Sketchy’s and Gypsy Art Club take life-drawing out of the art schools and into a warmer, more relaxed social setting. You don’t have to be a master artist to enjoy life drawing. It’s a healthy exercise in putting pen to paper and seeing the human body in a different light.”

And while life drawing can be a social occasion, Rosie points out the inherently personal nature of artistic practice.

“I love to see the different ways that people see me. Some artists shape you in the form of something that already existed in their minds – one guy drew me in the form of an octopus.

“As a life model. I have an invisible contract with the artists; I give them an avenue towards something that already dwells in their imagination. I provide the foundation for their artistic fantasy,” she says.

Rivette explains that life models, unlike their waif-like catwalk counterparts, are hired for their natural feminine form.

“I’ve learned, through talking to artists, that there is no ideal body shape for a life model. It is more important to be able to create interesting shapes with my body,” she says.

Hallis agrees, “The human form is so very beautiful – in all its permutations and diversity – and life-drawing is truly a celebration of this.”

Amber says, “In a world where women are often expected to look and behave a certain way, life modelling is very liberating. It doesn’t matter if I gain weight, or if I lose weight. I am free to just be me.” (CC)

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EAT & DRINK

La Rosa The main dining room of La Rosa feels like stumbling into a confessional, what with candelabras - complete with sooty stains on plastered walls - black screens with rosy cross cut-outs, and long velvet curtains, as richly red as a Roman priest’s cassock. A bevy of black-clad staff move around the dining room with purpose, eyes fixed firmly upon the task at $ - mains less than $15

$$ - mains between $15-$22

DARLO, KINGS X & SURRY HILLS The Farmed Table Comforting and homey – two words I don’t usually associate with the dining offerings in Surry Hills.Yet it’s exactly what Chef Brendan Cato achieves when he takes over Bangbang Café with a healthy Saturday night pop-up called The Farmed Table. Brendan’s a keen forager, and this Menu ($55/ head) was inspired by visiting the Hawkesbury/Hunter region.With two shared dishes, and three individual dishes, it’s good value, even with (bottomless) biodynamic Wine ($80/ head).Tip-top vegetables shine in charred broccoli shoots with cured mullet roe and Meyer lemon. Beautiful Hawkesbury calamari cooked gently in its own ink is presented with

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By Jackie McMillan hand. When their attention turns to you, things move quickly - first an approachable Aussie 2012 Scott Fiano ($74.90), then a flurry of dishes. Nduja Bruschetta ($16.50) – soft Calabrian salami paste - is bested by our salumi selection, thin slices of cured wild boar sausage - Salsicce ‘Mignon’ di Cinghiale ($16.90) with pickles, bread and olives. The same green Sicilian beauties make a showing in Cetriolo e Schiacciate ($13.50), a side salad which surprises with vibrant, crisp cucumber. It’s a good foil for Cavolfiore al Tartufo ($24), a pizza that tops a credible (though not perfect) base with a decadent mix of roasted cauliflower, buffalo mozzarella and truffled pecorino.

Also in the onslaught are a Char-grilled Asparagus Salad ($22) that sees us hunting for wedges of organic Gorgonzola dolce latte; and simple baked pumpkin and ricotta-filled pasta tubes - Cannelloni col Ripieno di Zucca ($26) - with mustard fruits and Parmigiano. It’s quite the feast.

Shop 133, Level 2, The Strand Arcade, 193 Pitt Street, Sydney (02) 9223 1674 larosathestrand.com.au Italian, Pizza,Wine $$$ $$$ - mains between $22-$30

river prawns and chickweed before a dessert of rhubarb with lavender cream takes me back to Grandma’s house.

Bangbang Cafe, 113 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills (02) 9281 0018 facebook.com/thefarmedtable Modern Australian $$ The Clock Hotel Inspired by Spain’s tonicas, dedicated gin and tonic bars, mixologist Jeremy Shipley has scoured the globe for fourteen local and international gins.

I started with The Botanist ($13) – a serious Scottish gin with New Zealand’s Quina-Fina (low sugar) tonic and mint.After dabbling in Spain with Gin Mare ($12), I found my sweet spot with Hayman’s Old Tom ($10).

You’ll also find gin cocktails like Hotel Georgia ($16), clever snacks like Mini

$$$$ - mains over $30

Cuban Sliders ($8) with New York pastrami and beet relish, plus some of the best thin-crust pizzas I’ve seen in a pub. My hit pizzas are the vegetarian Mushrooms, Pumpkin, Zucchini,Treviso ($18) and the Pork and Fennel Sausage with Artichoke and Mint ($18).

470 Crown Street, Surry Hills (02) 9331 5333 clockhotel.com.au Pub Bistro, Pizza $$ ROCKS & CBD Pendolino Niño Zoccali’s two restaurants, La Rosa and Pendolino, sit at either end of this picturesque Victorian arcade.The older sibling has a dark, moody seriousness.

It softly whispers: red wine; then seduces you with Ravioli Di Magro Con Burro Fusso ($27.90/$39.90).The

Rocketboy Pizza Dan Luxford is a man “on a mission”: he has a five-year plan to move to his own farm. Keeping him busy in the meantime is taking four of the five Doughboy stores in a new direction - one that will hopefully pave the way. Inspired by an appearance on Matthew Evans’ Gourmet Farmer, Dan took a hand-made, al dente spinach ravioli glisten under burnt butter, crisp sage leaves and Parmigiano Reggiano.This near-religious experience eclipses my Slow-Roasted Duck Leg ($43.60) main; though Raw Beef Carpaccio ($26.50) with wild baby olives, rocket cress and Tetsun di Barolo impresses. Desserts are a triumph, particularly Meringata Di Fragolini E Rabarbaro ($17.90) - a meringue cake that kicks the Eton Mess to the kerb, accompanied by braised rhubarb and wild strawberries, Lambrusco jelly and strawberry sorbet.

Shop 100, Level 2,The Strand Arcade, 412-414 George Street, Sydney (02) 9231 6117 pendolino.com.au Italian $$$$

INNER WEST The Workers This’ll bring a tear to the eye to Labor Party faithful who remember the glory

look at the products he was putting on pizzas, and decided to start making a sustainable switch. First in line were the prawns, which are now wild-caught Aussie prawns, best shown off against fresh parsley, garlic, lemon and baby spinach, on the simple Chilli Prawn Pizza ($17/M, $22/L, $26/XL). The bases include a healthier spelt option, most enjoyable when it’s consumed hot in the now-green surrounds of the Petersham store.You’ll also find organic chook from Australia’s largest organic poultry producer, Inglewood Farms, popping up on the new Chicken Gorgonzola Pizza ($15/M, $21/L, $25/XL). On your accompanying crisp Caesar Salad ($10) you’ll find free-range eggs and bacon, with the option of Organic Chicken ($2.50). Consider it a starting point for Dan, who’d actually “love to work with a little farmer.” It’s also a step towards that dream farm, where he’ll get to be the change he wants to see in the world - and I’ll raise my Peroni ($6) to that!

Shop 3, 88-94 New Canterbury Road, Petersham (02) 9550 9988 rocketboypizza.com Pizza $$

days of Whitlam, Hawke and Wran.

They’re the dudes on the roof – the question Bar Manager Jeremy Baldi gets “asked the most”. Mosey across the Astroturf,Woodlands Margaret River Chardonnay ($43/bottle) in hand, to gaze at photographic memorabilia.Tuck into Chihuahuas ($5.50/each) – mini Mexican hot dogs with grilled franks, jalapenos and cheese – searching for the birth of land rights: Gough pouring sand into Vincent Lingiari’s hands. Dude food like Más Verduras ($5.50/each) – fried zucchini tacos - and Quesadillas de Espinica ($13) – grilled spinach and ricotta tortillas - with a Blood and Sand ($16) Whisky cocktail help Wednesday night comedians go down.

1/292 Darling Street, Balmain 9318 1547 theworkersbalmain.com.au Bar Food,Wine, Cocktails $ JamVybz Restaurant & Café Despite Jerk Chicken ($17.99)

creeping onto bar menus, there isn’t much authentic Jamaican in Sydney.

This brightly coloured Glebe flagship cooks it over wood-fire, coated with tasty jerk marinade producing bona fide falling-off-the-bone goodness.

Initiate yourself with the Chef’s Sample Platter ($18.99) bearing codfish fritters, jerk chicken wings and jerk prawn kebabs.With homemade ‘slaw and pineapple to sweeten the deal, it appeals to both seasoned and unseasoned Caribbean eaters.

“Reggae dancehall favourite” Curried Goat ($19) is deliciously tender, while Coconut Curried Shrimp ($22) is mild and easy to eat. Sweet Potato Pudding ($8.50) is warm and deliciously sweet, leaving you feeling the good vibes - driven home by the Bob Marley posters and tunes.

72 Glebe Point Road, Glebe (02) 9571 1158 jamvybzrestaurant.com.au

EAT & DRINK

Ananas Bar & Brasserie They’re assembling quite the gun team over at Ananas, what with Citi Service Excellence Award winner Louise Tamayo stepping in as Venue Manager, and Daniel Mussen (ex-Shady Pines) helping kick the cocktails up to the next level. After 8 ($19) is a prime example, combining two of his loves – whiskey and mint – into a sophisticated tipple with a hint of smoked maple syrup. Samedi Punch ($20) looks deceptively fruity, but turns out to be quite

FOOD NEWS

By Jackie McMillan the smoky player. Executive Chef Paul McGrath has populated the menu with dishes fitting of a French brasserie, including some that hark back to his Bistro Ortolan days, like (reconstructed) Salade Niçoise ($27) with seared yellow fin tuna. Hearty Lamb Navarin ($35) with gremolata-crumbed brain will help keep winter at bay, as do Seared Scallops ($33) with caramelised sweetbreads and Jerusalem artichoke. Pear and cashew notes from the 2012 Patrick Piuze ‘Terroirs de Chichée’ Chablis ($96) provide an elegant foil, and won’t overpower your raw bar selections either, be they Sydney Rock ($4.50/each) or Angasi ($5/each) oysters, fresh Tasmanian uni on a bed of trumpeter, or Yellowfin Tuna Tartare ($20/100g) with freshly grated horseradish. Cold dishes show great finesse across the board, all the way from creamy House-Salted Cod Brandade ($23) to the Charcuterie Selection ($26/3 pieces) of rabbit rillettes and duck liver parfait.

18 Argyle Street, The Rocks (02) 9259 5668 ananas.com.au Modern French, Cocktails,Wine $$$$

By Alex Harmon The Cottage is perfect for winter – cosy and inviting.

It’s like stepping into a Hobbit’s home, except it’s full of tall, beautiful people. So it’s no surprise the launch of their new winter menu went down a treat. Guests were invited in to try Head Chef Ellen Young’s new menu of comforting dishes including roasted cauliflower with pulled lamb shoulder; maple and cider braised beef brisket, mushrooms stuffed with barley; and Yellowfin tuna tartare – to name just a few. Cocktails showcased by co-owner Osman Misirlizade included the Speyside Sour with Glenfiddich 12-year, ginger liqueur, honey water and orange bitters;The Slow Cuban with Plymouth sloe gin shaken with pressed mint and lime and charged with soda; and the Lemon & Basil Gimlet made of Citron vodka and limoncello shaken with fresh basil, lemon and lime.With tunes from musician Dom Cotton, the evening was geared towards unwinding, by the time you left you honestly felt like part of the furniture. www.thecottagebalmain.com.au

The Spice Cellar While the somewhat lurid colours of this year’s Vivid painted this town, I slipped twenty feet underground to investigate this sunken cellar. By cleverly rolling everything you want from a small bar - food, wine and cocktails - in with a nightclub vibe - DJs and dancing - they’ve created the perfect way to avoid the Sydney lockout blues. Fuel your mini-club adventure

with a better than average bar food selection, that might see you start with witlof boats of Tuna Crudo ($15/3 pieces) dusted with fresh horseradish, or a duo of freshly shucked Oysters ($8) with Champagne mignonette.Vegetarian dishes are well represented on the short menu, from baked feta-stuffed Filo Cigars ($9/4 piece) to fat golden slabs of Grilled Haloumi ($12/4 piece) with shaved cucumber, lemon and dill.

The standout is a Warm Cauliflower Salad ($8) with chickpeas, parsley, tahini and black sesame seeds.

The light and surprisingly healthy dishes suit wines including the Spanish 2012 Colours Chardonnay ($9/ glass), however if you ask me, cocktails are where this bar shines, starting with a cleverly designed absinthe float on the gin and pink grapefruit-based Good Voodoo ($18). Later in the evening, Keep On Keeping On ($18), with an energy boosting glass of bananainfused Tennessee whisky stirred over ice with bitters and smoked maple syrup.

Basement, 58 Elizabeth Street, Sydney (02) 9223 5585 thespicecellar.com.au Cocktails, Bar Food $-$$

BAR FLY

By Rebecca Varidel

SWANSON HOTEL Downstairs locals are still huddled drinking schooners. Upstairs the elegant transformation of the Kurrajong Hotel brings contemporary pub dining to the mix.And it’s up the stairs at one end of the new Swanson bistro where the real Erskineville drinking pleasure resides. Service at the new Swanson bar is smart casual: knowledgeable with just the right warmth. Of courses there are cocktails, great value at mostly $18, with even better value for jugs ($28).The Ersko 75 ($17) – Bombay Sapphire with sparkling lemon juice; Palme d’Or ($18) – Sailors Jerry rum, palm sugar and ginger beer; and the jug Black Swan – Hennessy VSOP, fresh fruits, rose and orange juice; catch our eye. Praise also for the very good pub wine list: a mélange of recognisable names littered with smaller, cooler producers; and including some aged releases in the reds.

106–108 Swanson Street, Erskineville (02) 9519 3609 swansonhotel.com.au

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Connie and Tristan are polar opposites who sign up for a new anti-depressant drug trial. As the dosage goes up they fall in love – but is this the real thing or just an adverse side effect? Does it matter? Analysing the results from an objective distance are doctors Lorna and Toby.They used to be involved with each other but now that’s history – or is it? Is love the drug? Is the chemistry right? This is The Effect, a new play by young English playwright, Lucy Prebble.

“It’s a play that asks more questions than it answers,” says Sarah Goodes (Vere) one of STC’s co-resident directors. “It is very much a story about love and falling in love, but it

also poses the question – are we just the sum of our chemical reactions or do we have souls?”

Rising star Anna McGahan (House Husbands, Underbelly: Razor) plays Connie while Mark Leonard Winter (Thyestes) plays the unemployed drifter, Tristan. One is a ‘thinker’ and one is a ‘feeler’.The contrast drives much of the play.

A play about depression could be, well, depressing – but Goodes is upbeat.

“Lucy Prebble writes with such a fabulous sense of humour, so she is able to reflect the dark side of life with this wonderful warmth and sense of the ridiculous.” (GW) Jul 12-Aug 16, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $50-99, (02) 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au

Photo: Aaron Tait

The Effect

Review

An Unexpected Execution A three-hour historical play might not sound like everyone’s cup of tea, but Factory Space Theatre’s An Unexpected Execution contains enough royal rivalries, murder plots and political intrigue to satisfy any Game of Thrones fan.

Directed by Roz Riley, An Unexpected Execution is an adaptation of Mary Stuart by 19th century playwright Friedrich Schiller. As the name suggests, it tells the story of the final days of Mary, Queen of Scots – albeit with a few liberties taken with the historical accuracy, and comic relief in the form of the irreverent, fourth-wall-breaking Davison (Melissa

Kathryn Rose).

For instance, one of the play’s pivotal scenes – a meeting between Mary (Michela Carratini) and Elizabeth I (Dimity Raftos) – never actually happened.

Raftos’ Elizabeth is imperious but sympathetic as a queen, unwilling to spill blood but knowing her survival relies on it. Carratini as Mary alternates between sweetly beguiling and righteously angry at her treatment by the hands of the ruthless Lord Burleigh (Daniel Csutkai). (AS) Until July 19, Star of the Sea Theatre, Collingwood & Iluka Ave, Manly, $28-35, trybooking.com

The Man In Black

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devoutly religious,” Perkins notes.

Within the stage show, The Man in Black, Perkins as Cash, along with The Tennessee Four and Rachael Tidd as his wife and guiding light, June Carter Cash, explores the many paradoxes of a man whose life story, as Perkins notes, was almost Shakespearean.

“It’s got all the elements,” he explains.

“Rags to riches, the dead brother, the overbearing father. Sex, drugs and country music.”

And perhaps most importantly of all – “It’s got redemption”. (SW) Jul 15-20, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, $89-109, sydneyoperahouse.com (02) 9250 7777

a&e

15 STAGE 16 SCENE 17 SOUNDS 18 SCREEN

giving them a dramatic edge,” she says.

“It’s mostly me telling stories, doing a bit of singing, it’s not great singing but it’s there!” (SOC) Jul 15-Aug 3, $44.90-49.90, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, sydneyoperahouse.com

Denise Scott Mother Bare

A Doll’s House

Renowned theatre director Adam Cook has sunk his teeth into the critically acclaimed 1879 Henry Ibsen play A Doll’s House and will be showing his efforts at the Seymour Centre.

“It’s set in the original period, so the audience can see how the world was like 135 odd years ago, and can then compare it to what the world is like now. Have we changed? Have we developed? Have we evolved? What are the problems and challenges? Are they the same? Are they different? It’s a wonderfully exciting, intense and claustrophobic play,” Cook says.

After 25 years in the industry Cook has chosen this old gem, but has made

sure to respect it by staying true to the primary story.

“The only thing I’ve varied in my adaptation is I’ve made it sound contemporary; it won’t sound like 19th century British actors doing a Norwegian play, it will sound like it’s happening right now –– just not using iPhones and laptops,” Cook explains.

“A Doll’s House has a really exciting, riveting plot, surrounding the relationship between men and women.

[It’s] a play that has truly stood the test of time.” (RM) Jul 17-Aug 2, Reginald Theatre, Seymour Centre, City Rd & Cleveland St, Chippendale, $25-36, seymourcentre.com Photo: Takaya Honda

It’s been over a decade since the death of Johnny Cash, but his appeal shows no signs of waning – and nor is it restricted to any one group of fans.

“When I stand onstage and see an 18-year-old punk rocker over there and a bunch of 80-year-old women over there, I’m a little torn as to how hard to go,” Tex Perkins, star of The Man in Black, admits.

“Sometimes I do feel I’m scaring little old ladies. I’ve got to find a middle ground,” he laughs.

Admittedly, a middle ground would be hard to find in Cash’s life-story – a life of opposing extremes.

“He would sing songs about taking cocaine and killing people and he liked to do records in prisons... but also [he] was

Comedienne, Denise Scott, is baring it all on the stage and exploring motherhood in her hilarious production, Mother Bare.

Based on her personal experiences, Scott explores all the phases in life of being a parent: toddlers, kids, adolescents, adult kids and even death.

“They’re all autobiographical stories, I wish I had the imagination to do otherwise,” Scott says.

“I have to do autobiographical stories, which is a shame for my family!”

The Aussie icon doesn’t hold back in her 90-minute show, telling stories about all things motherhood, from giving birth to losing her own mother to Alzheimer’s.

“I mean, I really celebrate motherhood, but it’s definitely not a reverential show, it’s a bit punchy, a bit rude,” she says.

After a successful run in Melbourne, which saw families of up to three generations attending together, Scott says she is looking forward to bringing her show about family to Sydney.

Laying out her life on the stage, Scott goes back to the fundamentals of great theatre, simple storytelling, but with a few surprises along the way.

“I like retelling ordinary events and

Arts Editor: Leigh Livingstone Music Editor: Chelsea Deeley Live Wire: Alexandra English

For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au

Contributors: Alexis Talbot-Smith, Anita Senaratna, Anthony Bell, Catherine Knight, Cheryl Northey, Ciaran Tobin, Craig Coventry, Elise Cullen, Georgia Fullerton, Greg Webster, Hannah Chapman, Jamie Apps, Laurie Hackney, Leann Richards, Marilyn Hetreles, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Melody Teh, Michael Muir, Michelle Porter, Peter Hackney, Rhys Gard, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Ruth Fogarty, Sean May, Sharon Ye, Shauna O’Carroll, Siri Williams

Every Second

Photo: Paul Thomas

Photo: Greg Barrett

Darlinghurst Theatre Company and AccessA (Access Australia) present this new Australian production – a daring yet witty play.

Every Second depicts the common issue of infertility and the struggles of starting a family.

“It has the personal struggles and the strain of relationships through it emotionally,” says Simon Corfield, who portrays Tim, “while it’s doing that it still manages to be rather funny and lighthearted.”

Every Second is a very personal production to playwright Vanessa Bates, as she experienced these same issues not long ago when she found out that she and her husband were infertile. Personal experience coupled with wry observations and bitter truths illustrate a common problem in society today.

“You can tell it’s quite personal, the way she (Bates) handles the shifts in relationships in the structure of the play,” says Corfield, “it is such a current issue and problem that doesn’t really get spoken about in the artistic world.”

Darlinghurst Theatre Company has partnered with AccessA

to help raise awareness about infertility. AccessA is a not-forprofit organisation that provides men and women with life support who experience difficulties conceiving their families.

(CT) Until Jul 27, Darlinghurst Theatre, 39 Burton St, Darlinghurst, $30-43, darlinghursttheatre.com Photo: Wendell Teodoro

Oz Rock Roadshow

Age–Less 3: Dreamweaver vs The Nightmare Child Need something to do with the kids these school holidays? Look no further.

Matty Grey is performing his final show in his hilarious Age-Less trilogy.

Age-Less 3: Dreamweaver vs The Nightmare Child takes imagination and fun to another level.

“It’s Chaos! Organised chaos. It’s silly, stupid, squirmy, all the kinds of stuff that they [children] don’t see adults do, ever,” says comedian Matty Grey, “we’re shooting parents with nerf guns and we’re recapturing their youth.”

This show will feature Kat Placing, who may be known to fans as Professor Kit E. Kat from the Grossed Out Game Show, which won the award for Best Kids Show at the Sydney Fringe Festival Boasting a line-up of classic rock alumni from Choirboys, The Angels, Matt Finish and more, this band of musical brothers will be playing their greatest hits at Bridge Hotel – hits from the 70-odd albums they’ve collectively released.

It originally started as a benefit concert for Mi-Sex guitarist, Kevin Stanton, but the boys are back for another run of the Oz Rock Roadshow thanks to its previous huge success.

John Prior, drummer of Matt Finish says: “It’s exciting to see all these players in a different context.”

Prior also says it was a “no brainer” to join the event.

“A lot of these guys were rock royalties that had created a lot of rock royalties.”

THEATRE &

PERFORMANCE ORPHANS is described as “a dark and gritty thriller” by lead actor Thomas Unger.The Dennis Kelly play explores violence in a low socioeconomic environment, and how humans relate in harsh urban settings.

Helen and Danny’s quiet night in is interrupted by the arrival of Helen’s younger brother Liam.

Spattered in blood, he claims to have found someone injured on the street. As the story unfolds,

They’ve all gigged around for over 20 years, and the experienced rockers will get opportunities to play each other’s songs to bring their own distinctive flavour to the set.

In particular, Prior describes Mark Gable of Choirboys’ distinctive voice.

“It’s just so raw and visceral... there’s this dangerous element. Having his voice in Skyhooks and Matt Finish is something really, really different.”

What can audiences expect from the Oz Rock Roadshow?

“Classic good-time, high energy Australian rock that is just really distinctive,” says Prior. (SY) Jul 11, Pyrmont Bridge Hotel, 119 Victoria Rd, Rozelle, $33+bf, moshtix.com.au

what happened on the street seems less clear.

Author Dennis Kelly (Matilda the Musical, Osama the Hero) always aims to entertain, and the themes in Orphans are designed to keep the audience wondering and worried.The play raises questions of class and family loyalty, and the human potential for racial discrimination and violence.

A psychological thriller that pits morality against family ties, Orphans is not for the faint of heart. (HC) Until Jul 20, Old 505 Theatre, 32

They were the years of boy bands, big pants and tight dance moves. Now music-lovers can relive the wonder years of the ‘90s with cabaret-style That ‘90s Show.

Performed by award-winning musical star, Tom Sharah, a self-confessed “’90s kid through and through,” the show takes audiences on a trip down memory lane.“In my formative years it was the era that inspired me, I am always that person at the party that has the ‘90s playlist,” Sharah says.

“There is a whole lot of music, fashion, and culture from that time that younger generations need to know about.”

Performing with a three-piece band, Sharah will bring to life famous ‘90s music from a diverse range of

Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, $18-28, venue505.com/theatre OF MONOPOLY AND WOMEN The relationship between sisters is a highly confusing but fascinating one: best of friends one day and worst enemies the next. It’s this complex connection that Of Monopoly and Women is looking to explore through the rollercoaster of relationships between sisters, Zoe, Kate and Ella.The house becomes tense when Zoe wins two tickets to Paris, leaving Kate and Ella to battle it out for the second seat. A game of Monopoly seems to be

last year. Placing will heighten the controlled chaos and kid-friendly fun.

“It’s allowed me to go in a very different direction and doing it with Kat is fun,” says Grey, also a successful children’s entertainer.

Matt and Kat get sent to their room for misbehaving. The show features vomiting bunnies, closet monsters and bed bugs.

“The whole point of the Age-Less series is that older people should remember what it’s like to be a kid and kids should not rush to become old.” (CT) Until Jul 11, King Street Theatre, 644 King St, Newtown, $17-20, kingstreettheatre.com.au

artists, including Spice Girls, Nirvana, Robbie Williams, Alanis Morissette, and even Disney.

“It’s my aim to have a complete smorgasbord of music, in the ‘90s it was completely diverse, so many things were cool and fashionable,” Sharah says.

Celebrating the ‘90s for the fashions, the movies, the headlines, and the music, Sharah shares his personal memories and experiences through a funny and entertaining show.

“I am not asking much of the audience, just for them to sit back, listen to cool music, and have a laugh” he says. (SOC) Jul 6-13, Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point, $35, hayestheatre.com.au

the answer, but that childhood favourite has the ability to drive people insane.

Moving beyond superficial portrayals of ‘crazy bickering sisters’, Of Monopoly and Women delves into the multifaceted nature of female relationships, revealing the kind of person you can be with your family or without your family. (MT) Until July 24, Exchange Hotel, 94 Beattie St, Balmain, $17-20, bnwtheatre.com.au PATYEGARANG Australia’s largest Indigenous performing arts organisation, Bangarra Dance

That ‘90s Show

Theatre, brings to the stage a tale of trust and friendship.

Patyegarang is based on the true story of a young Eora woman, who befriended Lieutenant William Dawes when he landed on Sydney’s shores in the 18th century.

For dancer Jasmin Sheppard, who plays the title role, the medium of dance was ideal to describe the story of a woman who was, “not separate from her environment.

She breathed the Eora land of Sydney Cove... and it’s more about creating an essence, and a spirit,

rather than spoon-feeding the audience.

“I hope that [this piece] will empower Sydney Aboriginal people to feel that there is a sense of reclaiming the whole city, the harbour, the Opera House.This is their story, this is their place, and their stomping ground and it is time for them to have the limelight.” (SW) Until Jul 12, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, $29-89, (02) 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com

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GAME MASTERS

THE NAKED CITY

Get your head around an unmade bed!

It’s exciting walking into the Powerhouse Museum’s newest exhibit, Game Masters. As visitors step through, they are confronted with a hall lined with buzzing, blinking, whirring and colourful arcade games, all vying for attention. In that moment visitors are transported back in time, to the dawn of video gaming.

To enter is to become totally immersed in this fun and interactive world. Exploring not just the act of playing, but also the development of the industry and the creative minds behind the games’ design.

Director of the museum, Rose Hiscock says that the exhibition shows what happens when science and design combine to create amazing opportunities for creativity.

With fascinating sections devoted to exploring the motivations of designers, as well as multiplayer and large-scale 3D displays, the exhibition is sure to have everyone enthralled.

(ATS) Until July 13, Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo, $15-59 (includes general admission), powerhousemuseum.com

The Curtain Breathed Deeply – Justene Williams

By Coffin Ed, Miss Death & Jay Katz It was a bed that looked like it could have spent a cold winter’s night under the railway bridge in Walla Mulla Park in Woolloomooloo – dishevelled, bedgraggled and garnished with all manner of empty bottles, cigarette butts and other miscellaneous accoutrements.

In the ‘loo it would be near worthless but in the cashedup environment of Christie’s auction house in London it brought in a staggering, mind boggling $4.5 million.

Yes, believe it or not, that was the final bid for British artist Tracy Emin’s controversial installation piece My Bed, well exceeding the estimate price of a measly $2 million.

Previously owned by collector Charles Saatchi, the ex of celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, it was a creation that had polarised the art world since Tracy Emin first pulled back the sheets in her council flat in 1998 and let the condoms loose.

We’re not sure who actually forked out the big bucks to purchase My Bed, but the question does arise, just what would you do with such an artwork once you had purchased it?

Hardly a conversation piece for the reception room of your three-storey townhouse on the Thames, and it’s unlikely you would ever put it to its original use and kip down for the night. It would more than likely be placed on temporary loan to some highbrow gallery or secreted in a secure storage unit as an investment piece for the future.

Personally, given its ongoing notoriety, we’d love to see My Bed travel to Australia as a kind of ambassador for British installation art. Whether it comes for the next Biennale or undergoes a more street-

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friendly, rock ’n’ roll-style tour, its mere presence down under is sure to generate controversy and enrage both the tabloid press and shock jocks alike. Loaded on the back of a truck it could easily do a ticker tape parade down George Street, followed by a civic reception at the Town Hall, providing yet another great photo op for the Lord Mayor.

We’d be confident an art-lover like Malcolm Turnbull would get in the spirit and hire the bed for one of his winter sleep outs. Fitted with an adequate motor it could also embark on a Cliff Young-style marathon, down the Hume to Melbourne where giant floaties could see it sail down the Yarra as the unofficial King of Moomba with Bert Newton snuggly tucked inside.

The possibilities of course are endless and we are confident that despite an initial scepticism, the Australian public would eventually embrace My Bed, showering it with additional accoutrements like crack pipes, live cockroaches, well-worn sex toys and half-eaten edible underpants as it toured the length and breadth of the country.

Many would say moving such a ‘delicate’ piece with all its sleazy bits and bobs could result in major damage or the bed disappearing altogether – shipped off to the Salvos by some well-meaning soul.

Let’s face it, if My Bed did meet with misfortune, it would be a simple matter to sneak down to the local Snooze City, purchase a look-a-like bed and install it in one of those seedy Marrickville boarding houses for a week. Broken in with cigarette burns and unsightly bodily stains, much like the original, it could be dispatched back to London with nobody the wiser. We hesitate to parrot the well-worn adage but what the heck! “You’ve made your bed and now you’ll have to lie in it.”

With The Curtain Breathed Deeply, artist Justene Williams has produced an aural and visual omelette that both entices and confronts.

The installation begins with a stark white ute supporting a trio of screens simultaneously displaying images of chequered fingers, vaginas, and a distorted digital shaman who invites the visitor to continue their journey.

A series of rooms hosts intriguing displays of visual decadence and aural discombobulation. In one, masked figures and plastic owls gaze upon a wading pool which doubles as a wishing well.

In another, a natural landscape is playfully dismantled.

This extensive collection of video art and sculptural experiment is a dissonant stroll through the paths of uncharted imagination. The vibrant colours and random noises suggest a rough passage through a storm-tossed sea, but the perturbed subjects are somehow comforted through the raging tempest.

With this show Artspace continues a tradition of provocative exhibitions which elongate the boundaries of abstraction. (LR) Until Aug 10, Artspace, 43 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo, free, artspace.org.au

‘The Curtain Breathed Deeply’, by Justene Williams

Une Australienne – Hilda Rix Nicholas Hilda Rix Nicholas is one of the most important Australian female artists from the early twentieth century.

The Mosman Art Gallery Exhibition, Une Australienne, explores the beauty and richness of the works she created when she moved back to Mosman from Europe after World War I. Gallery curator Julie Petersen, says the exhibition focuses on how Nicholas moving back to Australia shaped her artistic career. “We look at what it meant to her, how it reset her course,” she says.

After losing her family and husband in the war, Petersen says Nicholas used her time in Mosman exploring new artistic techniques to create original pieces.

“The artworks were made during her recovery period, Mosman became her place of recovery,” she says.

“She made these large pictures painted in a fresh and confident manner, and they look as fresh today as they did 100 years ago.”

The exhibition features important paintings and drawings that have not been together in a gallery since the 1920s.

“Her paintings have been all around the world, they are now out of the lounge rooms and on our walls,” she says.

The exhibition also features artist workshops and talks, and a symposium about women artists in the twentieth century. (SOC) Until Jul 13, Mosman Art Gallery, Art Gallery Way & Myahgah Rd, Mosman, free, (02) 9978 4178, mosmanartgallery.org.au

‘The Bathers’, by Hilda Rix Nicholas

Brian Marquis - Blood & Spirits Brian Marquis’ debut solo fulllength album, Blood & Spirits, combines soulful ballads and rocking jams in an intriguing folk setting.

Marquis’ Boston hardcore roots come through clearly in the opening two tracks Drink You Up and Paralysis Analysis with their emphasis on energetic guitar riffs and big strong sing-a-along choruses.

Marquis then drifts into a more relaxed folk ballad style where his vocal abilities are highlighted. Young & Dumb and Highways & Heartache are the standout tracks here, showcasing an impressive vocal range to convey the deeply emotional and heartfelt lyrics. (JA)

Runner - Cloud Kingdom Sometimes a band will come out of nowhere (or in this case, Perth – which is almost the same thing) to take you by surprise.

Runner is one such band.

The cover art for their debut album Cloud Kingdom instills feelings of soaring, atmospheric beauty – a theme that continues when pressing play.Vocals are used sparsely here, with most tracks being instrumentals – and while it’s unclear what this album is ‘about’ (if it’s actually about anything), it sounds damn good.

The genres of shoegaze and dream-pop are strongly represented here, with perhaps a touch of progressive rock – but ultimately this will appeal to anyone who appreciates good musicianship. (PH)

His third album, Blackbird, has impressed its rocking sound indefinitely on the Australian scene and Melbourne’s own Dan Sultan is in the midst of a mammoth tour with the riff-goddesses Stonefield and the enigma that is Way Of The Eagle.The songs from his latest batch are nothing short of well-crafted.

“We had quite a few songs to choose from,” reveals Sultan about entering the studio. “But Jacquire King [producer] had some great ideas and was able to cull some songs. It’s nice to have someone who’s not emotionally attached to make those decisions.”

With the singles Under Your Skin and Same Man pumping over multiple airwaves, and the former of the two sporting a visceral video that would make any sane person blush (it features dancers from Bangarra Dance Theatre provocatively licking and touching Sultan), he says of the experience: “We were comfortable with each other and we’ve worked together in the past... But it was a little bit [weird]”.

Sultan is flying the flag of rock ‘n’ roll loud and proud and with becoming ambassador for AMRAP and Record Store Day, as well as campaigning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues, he’s managed to interlink his many passions.

“There’s my music and there’s my profile,” he says simply.

LIVE WIRE

Thumpers: The thing about Thumpers is they are so committed to the catchy melody of their songs that you can barely understand a word they’re singing, so if you see them live you could lip read and then sing-a-long in the car later.The alt-pop duo occupy the space that Alt-J,Two Door Cinema Club and recent Animal Collective tunes orbit, and they fill it with catchy hooks, synth-driven melodies, and dance beats.

Thu, Jul 10, Newtown Social Club, Newtown.

“With a profile comes a certain level of responsibility and I’ve always been brought up to have a bit of a social conscious so it’s a bit of a no-brainer.”

From spending time as a child in his hometown and in the centre of Australia, Sultan’s exposure to music came from the easy-going nature of Australian culture.

“There was a band called The Crocs that used to play in Fitzroy out the front of a restaurant.They were a rock band and sort of family friends so it was always a treat when they were playing, there’d be kids running around.

I always remember thinking that it would be good to do something like that.”

And thus his passion for music grew.Though there was a significant gap between his latest album and its predecessor Get Out While You Can, Sultan explains it was nothing to worry about.

“I just found I had to make a couple of changes to get inspired again, which really just involved me growing up a bit I guess,” Dan says of the process. “Taking more control over my career also helped me because I found the songs just started to flow.” (CD) Jul 11, Metro Theatre, 624 George St, Sydney, $49+bf, metrotheatre.com.au. Blackbird is out now via Liberation Music.

Sydney Live Music Guide

Lorde: This New Zealand teenager with the glorious mane of hair is somehow wise beyond her years, yet simultaneously speaks the language of her generation.

She has an inherent knack for throwing girl-teen angst lyrics over minimalist, throbbing backdrops, hitting the top of the charts while sending out bitch-slaps to fame-driven pop stars everywhere. Her debut album, Pure Heroine, hit the ground and send out shock waves everywhere, even David Bowie was rocked by it, saying it’s like “listening to

tomorrow.”

Fri, Jul 11, Hordern Pavilion, Entertainment Quarter Cookin’ on 3 Burners: There is some serious deep-funk going on here.This Hammond organ-bashing, sax-playing, soul-humping band sound like they’re from 1960’s New Orleans, rather than present-day Melbourne.

Their latest album, Blind Bet, is a portal through space and time that simultaneously stretches back to the ‘60s and off into the future.

Their funk, soul, organ jazz, boogaloo fusion sounds like it should be reserved for

the dark veils of a smoky basement, which is exactly where you can see them... sans smoke.

Fri, Jul 11,The Basement, Circular Quay Cash for Gold: These guys call their music “death pop”, whatever that means.

Regardless of their selfdefined genre, there is a cornucopia of influences here, most notably the T-Rex vocals, and guitar riffs from The Kills.The duo love their fuzzy guitar, droney harmonies, and doomed love stories. Their single, Black Metal Queen, was released in June with a clip that was filmed in Chicago,Tokyo,

Dan Sultan

Mexico and Melbourne, so it’s worth checking them out before they jet off again.

Sat, Jul 12, Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach Jesse Davidson: This 17-year-old has been impressing top figures in the music industry with his ghostly, age-defying vocals and minimalist acoustics, and while he has drawn comparisons to Oliver Tank and Jeff Buckley, there is something indefinable, going on. For lack of a better analogy, listening to Jesse is like listening to music underwater; everything is deep, slow, and, for lack of a better word, floaty.

Sat, Jul 12, Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst The Mango Balloon: This is Julian Curwin’s way of stripping back The Tango Saloon for a lighter sound that combines almost any genre: jazz, classical, cowboy, Gypsy, Latin, spaghetti western, lounge, and exotica, to name just a few.There are even elements here that are yet to be named, but they make his compositions dance, glide, glitter, waltz and tango as they swirl in the air. (AE) Wed, Jul 16, foundry616, Ultimo

Scandinavian Film Festival 2014 The inaugural Scandinavian Film Festival comes to Sydney, screening a curated selection of 21 films from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark.

The critically acclaimed selection of comedies, dramas and documentaries ensures there’s a film for all tastes. Scandinavian films rarely receive cinematic releases in Australia and this festival allows audiences to experience them as they should be seen, on the silver screen.

Special events including opening night after parties, dress-up screenings, Q&A sessions with the film’s stars, food, and music promises a memorable and ongoing event. Not to mention the wealth of Scandinavian films getting their Australian premiere.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is the Swedish blockbuster which opens the festival. This comedy centres on an elderly man who escapes from his nursing home and embarks on a hilarious journey.

Waltz For Monica is the extraordinary biopic of Swedish Jazz singer Monica Zetterlund, highlighting the dark side of fame and success.

Ego revolves around a conceited young man’s obsession with partying, girls and sex.

Belle & Sebastian

Flow is the arresting rags-to-riches story of a young man’s rise from labourer to rapper and stars Danish rapper Kian Rosenberg Larsson.

August Fools is an uplifting comedy based on real political events and stars Finnish actress Laura Birn who will be attending the Q&A screening.

Pioneer is the much anticipated suspense thriller starring Australia’s Jonathan LaPaglia, who will also be in attendance for the Q&A screening.

(MM) Until Jul 27, Palace Norton Street, 99 Norton St, Leichhardt; Palace Verona, 17 Oxford St, Paddington, $20-75 (5 film pass), scandinavianfilmfestival.com.au

Belle & Sebastian is a French family/drama set in the Snowy Alps during World War II. Sebastian (Fèlix Bossuet) is a 7-year-old who befriends Belle, a mountain dog villagers believe is “the beast” killing their sheep.

Belle ultimately aids resistance fighters in guiding Jewish refugees over the Alps as German soldiers fast approach.

Newcomer Bossuet delivers an energetic performance and audiences will feel the bond he shares with Belle as they partake in this

All This Mayhem

All This Mayhem is a documentary based on the lives of two brothers Tas and Ben Pappas. Hailing from a working class family in Melbourne’s western suburbs, brotherly rivalry propels the two boys on a course to becoming the best vert ramp skaters in the world.

But tragedy finds the boys, as it often does when young men find fame and fortune. The film documents the rise and the

eventual demise of the two brothers as they spiral into a life fueled by partying and drugs.

Directed by Eddie Martin, the documentary packs an emotional punch. Full of interviews and archival skateboarding footage, it’s a must-see for not only those who skated in the ‘90s but also for those seeking a gripping and shocking narrative. (SM) WWWW½

The Lunchbox In The Lunchbox, a one-in-amillion mix-up with Mumbai’s famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a neglected housewife (Nimrat Kaur) with a curmudgeonly accountant (Irrfan Khan) on the verge of retirement.

What follows is a series of increasingly honest handwritten notes through which the two strangers find a new lease of life.

Don’t be fooled by what is, on paper, a somewhat cheesy

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION The fourth instalment in this franchise is much of what audiences expect from the action-packed films.

Though, this time they’ve switched Shia Lebouf’s Sam Witwicky for Mark Wahlberg’s single father/inventor Cade Yeager, and thankfully, it’s a massive improvement.

Disappointingly the character arcs are non-existent, the half-realised subplots are plentiful, and sadly, most of the female characters are either underutilised or irrelevant.

The Transformers films are not meant to be cerebral-challengers and audiences will largely ignore the flaws to appreciate it for the easy, entertainment that it is. (LL) WWW½

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CALVARY Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is a priest, striving for decency on Ireland’s west coast. His parishioners present daily moral tests of his faith and he confronts their rage, grief and cynicism with humane compassion and wit.

During a confession he’s threatened with murder – retribution for a sin he didn’t commit – and he must decide if he’ll face up to the penance.

This small, powerful tale, stunningly shot against the wild and craggy setting of the Atlantic, deftly handles dark themes with gallows humour and the film is an ode to Gleeson, whose expressive face governs the screen,

embodying all that can be understood in the human condition. (RF) WWWW 22 JUMP STREET The inevitable sequel to 2012’s parody of the hit ‘80s television series has arrived. This time Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) are going undercover in college to investigate the distribution of a new killer drug.

There is no stretch of the imagination here and they don’t even try to hide it. It’s the same story, with the same characters and similar jokes. Herein lies the bulk of the punchlines.

Stick around for the spoof sequels in the credits – arguably the best bit of the film. (LL) WWW

premise: this isn’t Bollywood.

No, the debut feature from Indian writer/director Ritesh Batra is a bitter-sweet romance that offers cinéma vérité-style realism, good-natured humour and relatable characters as well as thoughtful observations on the human condition, including the value of companionship.

The Lunchbox is a charming little drama that will leave viewers in high spirits, with an insatiable hankering for a spicy curry. (JH) WWWW

dangerous adventure.

Beautifully filmed in breathtaking locations, this is more than just the story of a boy and his dog.

Underlying themes include friendship, hope, good versus evil and the film also explores the desperate measures undertaken by civilians in time of war.

Belle & Sebastian is heart-warming and targets family audiences, but the English subtitles will overwhelm younger viewers. (MM) WWW½

Multi-award-winning actor and director, Clint Eastwood, turns his hand to the world of musicals by adapting stage success, Jersey Boys, for the big screen.

It’s the true story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, from their spectacular rise to fame in the ‘60s with hit songs such as Big Girls Don’t Cry, and Sherry, to their eventual tempestuous disbanding.

The list of recognisable hits is longer than you might think and sadly, for a musical, they don’t get enough screen time.

Songs have been cut or shrunk to make way for lingering looks and close-ups, which sometimes slows the pace to almost inert.

Big events in the original story are skipped over in cursory fashion to better focus on the gritty biopic about four Italian boys from a tough New Jersey neighbourhood.

Three out of the four main cast members were plucked from the award-winning stage show, and are so comfortable within these versions of their characters that translating them to the screen is boring.

The standout (which should be John Lloyd Young’s Frankie Valli) is actually television actor Vincent Piazza’s Tommy DeVito. This changes the intended narrative entirely, when really, the music should be front and centre. (LL)

WW½

Jersey Boys

BLENDED The romantic comedy flick feels familiar because, not only is it another reunion for Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, but they aren’t the only Hollywood hasbeens involved: this storyline has been washed up, thrown out and trampled on so many times it’s hard to keep count.

The African scenery is, unfortunately, a highly westernised view of Africa, and while the super-imposed safari animals are almost convincing, the human acting is not. (AE) WW

wife (Kirsten Dunst) meet a lesser scammer, Rydal Keener (Oscar Isaac), in ’60s Greece.

Accomplished screenwriter Hossein Amini should be given more chances to direct, but this debut is not all it could have been. Good performances from the leads are wasted in a production that lacks dynamics and tension. In particular, Mortenson’s performance hints at complexities of character that are never fully realised by the script. It is all a bit flat; Hitchcock would have done it better. (MMu) WW

THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY Fleeing a fraudulent past, Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortenson) and his younger

MALEFICENT Disney’s reimagining of the classic Sleeping Beauty is dark and beautiful with near-perfect styling.

Angelina Jolie gives a powerful performance as the scorned Maleficent. A well-written backstory and clever plot twists ensure that the character is enthralling and it bears repeating – Jolie is magnificent.

She revels in the delicious malice of the character and reaches into the very depths of her soul to convey pain.

There comes a point when Aurora must fall victim to her sleeping curse and this is unfortunately the only downside in an otherwise entertaining film.

Suddenly scenes become esoteric and trippy, a style that doesn’t fit with the rest of the film. (LL) WWWW