Flying in my gondola

The Pirates of Penzance | The Production Company Written by  Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Saturday, 02 November 2013 07:29 Melbourne has been invaded by pirates. The Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic operetta  The Pirates of Penzance , that is. From the moment the doors open and the seats of Hamer Hall begin to fill, colourfully dressed young men and fair maidens stroll through the isles, interacting with the public as well as each other, whilst a merry bunch of swashbuckling pirates congregates on stage, enticing the observers with what is to come, and that which does come, is great over the top, light and fluffy fun. Though there was little reference to the classic which debuted in 1879, this silly adaptation, mirroring the 1981 Broadway production is one fabulously orchestrated show. From the beautiful costumes, overly dramatic acting (reminiscent of South American soap operas), earth shaking vocals, amazing Orchestra Australia, whimsical set design, spot...

Every Blessed Day (Tutti i Santi Giorni) ‘ Every Blessed Day ’ (Tutti i Santi Giorni), part of the Lavazza Italian Film Festival 2013 , is an intimate albeit left of centre love story, between the highly educated intelligent, generous and soft spoken Guido and the slightly neurotic, ex wild child/singer Antonia.  This unusual Yin-Yang couple, finds a harmonious balance in life, experiencing their everyday events in a unique encapsulated state, weaving through the turmoil and chaos of the rest of the world unfazed and perhaps even perceived as slightly crazy by the people around them.  Guido has the opportunity to work in very economically rewarding jobs both in Italy and abroad, but instead, he is the night clerk at the front desk of a luxury hotel. He enjoys reading his academic books during the quiet hours of the night, which he would not be able to do if he held a “regular” job. Antonia has left behind a tumultuous and erratic singer’s life and the w...

Elixir | Head First Acrobats Written by  Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Friday, 04 October 2013 09:11 The elixir of life is a mythical potion which, when ingested from a specific cup at a precise time, supposedly allows eternal youth to the individual who drinks it. In ancient China, emperors have sought the elixir, Hindu scriptures mention ‘Amrit, the Nectar of Immortality,’ and in 18th century the elixir was on the lips of European nobility who yearned for life extension. It seems the topic of youth and physical stamina has been on humanity’s agenda since the beginning of time, and now in Melbourne, it has resurged via  Elixir , a contemporary circus performance, part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Created and performed by  Thomas Gorham  and  Callan Harris , who play research scientists in a high tech laboratory, conducting trials of a new drug which is sure to invigorate and boost physical endurance in its test subjects. In this case, t...

Alice in Wonderland Written by  Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Friday, 27 September 2013 09:18 Alice in Wonderland , always a favourite among the young and old, the seasoned theatre goers and the wee little ones just being introduced to the fabulous world of ‘pretend.’ This year, Melbourne Fringe offers a lovely adaptation of the Charles Lutwidge Dodgson children’s novel (written under the pseudonym  Lewis Carroll ) playing at The Theatre Husk in Northcote, until the 1st of October. Directed by  James Wardlaw  and starring  Veronica Thomas  and  Philippa Spicer , this version of  Alice premiered at Last Year’s Melbourne Fringe where it was warmly embraced by audiences, and then it had quite a successful run at this year's Melbourne Comedy Festival as well. The Husk is a quaint and intimate theatre, a perfect venue for the  Alice  target audience, whose attention tends to wonder easily. The stage is stark but, it had just en...

Written by Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Friday, 23 August 2013 08:07   After two decades of impressing audiences around the globe, the Brighton, UK and Manhattan-based dance troupe known as Stomp has come back to Australian shores. My first exposure to the troupe was in the US back in 1997, at the Orpheum Theatre, by which time New Yorkers had already enjoyed numerous performances over the years. For me it was all very new. I was impressed by its originality and awestruck from the first matchbox shake. If you have never heard of Stomp , imagine a sort of post apocalyptic junkyard, where its inhabitants or workers have rummaged through the scraps and salvaged such things as large plastic rubbish bins, metal paint buckets, shopping trolleys, rubber tubes, newspapers, etc. After which, these overall clad scruffy individuals perform a mind blowing percussion symphony which varies from Spanish Flamenco-like clapping to Brazilian Samba ...

Indie film director Noah Baumbach, known for his dark humour films such as: ‘The Squid and the Whale’ and ‘Margot at the Wedding,’ has come out with a new cinematic feat, ‘Frances Ha.’ The film features quirky and whimsical actress Greta Gerwig, who plays a young woman in the midst of finding her purpose in life. Frances is 27 years old, living with her from university, Sophie (Mickey Sumner daughter of Sting). The two women share a great affection for one another, which they describe as, “lesbian love without the sex.” So deep-rooted is their friendship, that when Frances’ boyfriend asks her to move in with him, she declines the offer, because of her upcoming rental lease renewal with Sophie. Under the circumstances, the boyfriend dissolves their relationship. Ironically, Sophie decides to take an apartment in the uber pricey Tribeca neighbourhood in Manhattan, which is impossibly out of Frances’ budget. With no boyfriend, apartment-less and her best friend suddenly out of her l...

MUSEUM OF MOTHERHOOD MamaBlogger365 – Mommy’s Wish List by Sue Fabisch POSTED BY  JOY ROSE   ⋅   FEBRUARY 23, 2011 ⋅   1 COMMENT FILED UNDER    MAMABLOGGER365 ,  MOTHERHOOD ,  MUSEUM OF MOTHERHOOD ,  SUE FABISCH It’s inevitable. Around the time of my birthday, Mother’s Day and Hanukkah/Christmas, my kids are walking around wondering, “Gee, what can we get for Mom?” I’m sure they are! But don’t worry kids! I’ve made my own list for you to refer to and for all of these presents combined the cost to you is $0… but to me? Priceless. Mommy’s Wish List: 1)  Feel free to clean your room. Any time, any day. It doesn’t have to be a special occasion. Even just picking up the socks and underwear on the floor would be great. Maybe another day you can pick up stuffed animals. Another day old Chuck E. Cheese toys that never worked anyway. This is a gift that keeps giving all year long… 2)  Don’t leave your dishes in the si...

TUESDAY 16 - WEDNESDAY 17 OCT 2012 The Grimstones- Mortimer Revealed Created and performed by Australia’s leading deaf performer, this is the second compelling and magical fairytale about The Grimstone family. Martha Grimstone, the girl who reads dreams, longs for the truth. What happened to her father Mortimer? Back by popular demand, The Grimstones return to Nelson after the success of last year’s  Hatched . Asphyxia  – Creator/Performer                Paula Dowse  – Performer Created and performed by Australia’s leading deaf performer, this is the second compelling and magical fairytale about The Grimstone family. Martha Grimstone, the girl who reads dreams, longs for the truth. What happened to her father Mortimer? Enter Martha’s fantastical world of mysterious family secrets, giant books, marionettes and sign language. This quirky and inspiring tale explores family, love and lo...

This review was published on ArtsHub.com.au . By Gordana Andjelic-Davila | Monday August 12 2013 Two men stumble into an apartment, seemingly inebriated. One is quite brash and opinionated, the other somewhat whiny and unable to manage his booze-induced condition. A dialogue, evolving between the two men, gives hints as to their identity and the era they live in; they are none other than Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and they are living in the Roaring Twenties, alternatively known as the Jazz Age. Amadeo Astorino’s  Jazz Angel  is a theatrical vignette focusing on the fascinating yet torrid relationship between Hemingway and Fitzgerald during their expat stint in France. The American literary icons are depicted as self-indulgent and somewhat confused by the direction of their careers. Even before the shoe dropped as to the identity of the two characters on stage, it was apparent that the brawny one was Ernest Hemingway, embodied by Lliam Amor, who w...

Rumour Has It: Sixty Minutes Inside Adele Written by  Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Monday, 08 July 2013 17:24 Photo – Dylan Evans Rumour Has It: Sixty Minutes Inside Adele , performed by  Naomi Price , is an hour-long cabaret show packed with fabulous singing and peppery humorous banter, during which the audience is taken down Adele’s memory lane, highlighting key times of her life which proved to be a source of inspiration to many of her chart topping songs. Naomi Price  walked out with determination, planted her fierce presence on the dark stage and proceeded to belt out Adele’s repertoire of songs. Though she donned a red wig and black dress, somewhat resembling Adele, she did not do a straight-on imitation of the British singer but instead she lauded her with her interpretation, which is ironic, because apparently  Rumour Has It: Sixty Minutes Inside Adele  was initially a total piss-take, and its working title was  ‘Cheer the Fuck Up,...

Room on the Broom Written by  Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Friday, 05 July 2013 14:00 Left – Josie Cerise and Crystal Hegedis. Cover – Crystal Hegedis, Stephen Anderson, Josie Cerise and Damien Warren-Smith. Photos – Prudence Upton British writer, playwright and performer,  Julia Donaldson is best known for her popular rhyming stories for children, including  The Gruffalo  and  Room on the Broom , which have both been adapted for theatre. Room on the Broom , a story about a flighty witch, her sassy cat and the characters who hitch a ride with them, is currently at the beautiful National Theatre in St Kilda, where it has been playing to a packed house since opening day. The stage, though scantly decorated was brought to life by the performers, who more than made up for its spartan look, displaying their multi-skilled talents through clever and lively pantomime. Stephen Anderson, Josie Cerise, Crystal Hegedis  and  Damien Warren-Smith ...

flowerchildren | Magnormos Written by  Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Wednesday, 19 June 2013 11:43 Photos – Steven Potashnyk The 1960s spawned many-a-memorable musical group which influenced a generation, among them  The Mamas and the Papas , who wrote and performed such iconic songs like:  I Saw Her Again, Monday Monday  and of course the infamous  California Dreamin . Australia’s own,  Magnormos , has created the fabulous new musical  flowerchildren , a story about the incredible rise and consequent spiraling descent and break up, of the American four member group formed by,  Cass Elliot ( Casey Donovan ),  John Phillips  ( Matt Hetherington ), Denny Doherty  ( Dan Humphries ) and  Michelle Phillips ( Laura Fitzpatrick ). The show charts the journey of  The Mamas and the Papas , through a chronological narrative weaved in between extended monologues, with the actors regularly addressing th...

The Athenaeum Theatre was buzzing with women’s voices on the night I attended Motherhood: The Musical . Mothers with daughters, granddaughters with their nans, sisters, aunties… every female combination one can imagine was in attendance on this evening (I was there with my seven year old daughter). ‘I’m Having a Baby’, a saccharine-sweet song about… well, having a baby, opened the show; with it I let out a little sigh, accompanied by a quick scan of my surroundings, and a plan to escape the theatre, out of fear that the rest of the show was going to be this ‘sappy.’ A grand total of 15 seconds later I realised that I was so, so wrong, and that this song was only an illustration of the state of mind of Amy (Rebecca Moore), a first time 20-something mummy to be. My ‘I can relate to that’ radar switched on immediately, I found my focus drawn only to the stage, and all plans of escape evaporated away into thin air. Motherhood: The Musical is the creative fruit of Sue Fabisch, a...

Return to Nim’s Island Review by: Gordana Andjelic-Davila Return to Nim’s Island  is a sequel to the 2008 film  Nim’s Island . In the original, Nim (Abigail Beslin), is a girl living on an isolated island with her scientist father (Gerard Butler), and eventually communicates with an agoraphobic author (Jodie Foster) who travels halfway around the globe to help Nim as her island is “invaded” while her father is away, and a fabulous adventure unfolds. Five years forward, and a teenage Nim still communicates with animals, makes mealworm sandwiches and assists her father in the quest to preserve their island from the outside world. Appropriately, in this film Nim is played by Aussie’s own Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late environmentalist and world-famous “Crocodile Hunter,” Steve Irwin.   Nim’s scientist father (Matthew Lillard), once again leaves his daughter with her animal friends and travels to Queensland to meet with Government authorities to persuade them t...

Josh Groban Written by  Gordana Andjelic-Davila    Tuesday, 23 April 2013 09:12 American award winning singer-songwriter  Josh Groban , a renowned name among the classical and popular music world, wowed audiences at the beautiful Palais Theatre in St. Kilda this past Saturday evening. The venue was packed to the rafters with a mainly female audience, and to say that the air was abuzz with anticipation for  Groban’s  performance is an understatement. Declarations of elation and expectation of specific songs could be heard all around. Once  Groban made his appearance on stage the superfan-like screaming commenced and “I love you Josh!” rung throughout the Palais in all ranges and colours of voices. Surprisingly,  Groban  began to sing the very instant he grasped the microphone in his hand, and did not address his audience until the second song was sung. Though this and his rather casual attire choice threw me a bit, I noticed that no o...