Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - Page 37
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ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE Glass Menagerie
● Clare Hayes (Laura), Ian McGregor (Tom) and Warren Logan (Jim) in Heidelberg Theatre Company’s The Glass Menagerie. Photo: David Belton ■ Tennessee Williams fans would be happy to hear Heidelberg Theatre Company is presently playing a tender and true-to-Williams’s-vision production of The Glass Menagerie. Beautifully staged, the show features some phenomenal acting and exquisite underscoring composed specially for this production. For those who are not familiar with the play: Tom Wingfield recounts his memories of a claustrophobic and unhappy life, living in a small apartment with his manipulative and overbearing mother and his eccentric sister, Laura. Laura is disabled and fatally shy. Unable to face reality, she spends her time admiring her glass figurines and listening to records. To support them, Tom works begrudgingly in a factory and despairs at not fulfilling his dream of being a poet. Yet his sense of duty to his family is so strong, he submits to his mother’s desire to see Laura married and agrees to his end of a scheme: to bring home a gentleman caller. HTC’s production, directed by Karen Wakeham, does well to highlight the characters themselves and underline the universality of the themes of the play. Marianne Collopy, as the insufferable mother Amanda Wingfield, dominates the show with her polished characterisation and enduring energy. Collopy fully explores the intricate nuances of Amanda, presenting a very complex personality thoroughly entertaining to watch and analyse. Ian McGregor as Tom is also wonderfully engaging to watch. He later finds a deep honesty in his performance that is very moving. The beautiful Clare Hayes gives a delicate performance that satisfies the characterisation of Laura, but remains one-dimensional throughout. Playing the gentleman caller, Jim, Warren Logan is extremely charming in a solid and honest performance. While the set, designed by Marie Mackrell, is beautifully and skilfully crafted, certain choices and uses of the space puncture any sense of ‘being in an apartment’ that would reflect the suffocation felt by Tom. However, other choices made are imaginative and quite effective. Costuming (Wendy Drowley, Lois Connor, Dianne Brennan) deserves a worthy mention here too. Particularly effective and delightful is the emotive piano underscoring, composed by David Cheshire and performed by his brother John. Performance Season: Until March 8 Times: Thurs, Fri, Sat 8pm; Wed March 5 only, 8pm Venue: Heidelberg Theatre, 36 Turnham Ave, Rosanna Bookings: www.htc.org.au or 9457 4117 - Review by Deborah Marinaro
By FRANCES ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
● Edward Smith ■ One of the great things about going out for Chinese Yum Cha or Spanish Tapas is the chance to sample a little of many different delicious dishes. And the same delight can be found in a top-class musical afternoon, such as the first concert in the Arden Crescent Concert Series for 2014. Arden Crescent Uniting Church hosts A Royal Command Variety Performance on Sunday (Mar. 2) at 2pmfeaturing the queen of Australia's finest mezzo-sopranos, Roxane Hislop. Roxane will be joined by a host of up and coming young classical music stars, including soprano Piera Dennerstein, tenor Michael Edwards, baritone Christian Smith and bass Edward Smith, in an afternoon of songs from opera, music theatre and the lighter classics, all accompanied by pianist David McNicol. Making this a musical afternoon with a difference will be new young classical a capella quartet Tacet, which won the Melbourne University Conservatorium Chamber Music Competition last year. If you love the jazzy sounds of the famed Kings Singers, you will definitely enjoy Tacet. The program includes hits from Bizet's popular opera Carmen and Verdi's Il Trovatore, English folk songs, much loved songs from West Side Story and Chess, with some jazz standards and modern classics. Add in duets from Showboat, Mame and a good sprinkling of Gilbert and Sullivan and you have a program that will appeal to all. Melbourne Observer columnist and 3MBS broadcaster Julie Houghton will host the afternoon, and join Roxane and Piera in some duets and trios. Tickets are $25 adults and $20 concession, with reduced prices for students and children, and a post-concert afternoon tea is included. While tickets will be available at the door, this popular concert series often sells out so if this sounds like your cup of tea, book by calling 9457 2595. ■ Arden Crescent Uniting Church is at 21 Arden Cres, Rosanna. - Frances Elizabeth Lawrence
● Julie Houghton
Passion Play
● From left: Roman legionnaire [John Smith], Jesus [Dirk de Kauwe], Pontius Pilate [John D’Silva] and Centurion [Gino Gammaldi] depict the ‘Washing of hands by Pontius Pilate’ in the 2013 Melbourne Passion Play. ■ Calling actors and stage crew members. The Melbourne Passion Play is recruiting cast and crew to take part in this year’s one special performance, which will take place on Palm Sunday, April 13 at Ruffey Lake Park, Doncaster. There will be no performance on Good Friday. Former acting experience is not essential to participate in this popular outdoor epical re-enactment, which is produced by Pat La Manna . If interested in joining the cast or crew, call the Secretary, Dawn, on 0411 957 164 www.passionplay.info - Cheryl Threadgold
Western Wynde ■ Lovers of good choral music have a treat coming their way if they live in Warragul, Macedon or Melbourne. The Australian Chamber Choir is kicking off its 2014 concert season with a program called Western Wynde, a tribute to contemporary choral composer Sir John Tavener, who died in November last year. Western Wynde will feature works of both the Renaissance era and the 20th century, paying tribute both to the modern day John Tavener and his revered ancestor, the master of Renaissance English choral music, John Taverner. Only one letter and several hundred years separate the two musical masters. The older Taverner's signature work The Western Wynde gives the concert its name and will be the central piece in the program. The younger John Tavener's well-known work Song For Athene, which was sung at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, will also feature in the program. Music by Thomas Tomkins and Australian composers Brett Dean and Brenton Broadstock will also make an appearance. The 18-member Australian Chamber Choir enjoyed a most successful tour of Europe last year under their director, Douglas Lawrence, and are always well received in Australia. The musical gene blessed the Lawrence family richly, with Douglas's wife, harpsichordist and fine alto Elizabeth Anderson being part of the choir, along with son Jacob Lawrence, a tenor who is starting to make people sit up and listen with the beauty of his voice. The Australian Chamber Choir can be heard in action on Sunday, March 9 at 3pm at Wesley of Warragul, 62 Victoria St, Warragul; Saturday, March 15 at 3pm at the Church of the Resurrection, cnr Mt Macedon Rd and Honour Ave, Macedon; before the Melbourne performance at St Fidelis, 49 Clarendon St, Coburg on Sunday March 16 at 3pm. Bookings and further information at www.auschoir.org - Julie Houghton