Pig’s Armchair Critic, E.M. Jay reports from the Festy.
Continuing the approach of last year’s Sydney Festival, 2014 sees a comparatively modest offering lacking big name headline acts (unless Chaka Khan is one of your big names).
FM and I responded in kind with a modest selection of tickets to the Speigel Tent (Limbo – a passably entertaining cabaret/intimate circus in the round with stunning athleticism. tap dancing that Fred would have admired and some vaguely queasy contortion, sword swallowing and fire-eating).
Night two saw us back in the Spiegel keenly anticipating the work of Amanda Palmer, self styled punk cabaret entertainer. AP was a member of the sometime famous Dresden Dolls.
She opened with a stirring Ukulele intro, tinkled the Kurzweil synth ivories with gusto and sang up a squall, if not quite a storm and the fan base was well pleased. Adopting an unusual sensitivity to things Australian, she presented a haunting version of Ted Egan’s “The Drover’s Boy”.
I was discussing the show with Brett (my chiropractor – well, also lots of other people’s chiropractor too) and he said “Don’t know her – what does she do?” I said “punk cabaret, apparently”. To which he asked “Punk, eh, did she take her gear off ?” To which I replied “Well, she did the whole performance in her satin slip, but the drover’s boy who did a ghostly walk on, also did a slow strip and a slow walk off. She was stunningly beautiful in a slim, small puppies kind of way”. Brett replied that he especially admired small puppies. he we went on, as usual to talk about motor cycles. But I digress.
Third cab off the rank was Oedipus Schmoedipus (OS) at the Belvoir. Now FM and I seek out experimental theater at the Syd Festival and we were not disappointed in this respect. The notion of the play is that great whites (writers not sharks – one of the puns) kill off a lot of their protagonists – Shakespeare being a candidate with definite form. And the protagonists of OS borrowed about a hundred such extinctions and drifted (as several critics said, off the rails with puns an deliberate inanities borrowed often from TV promos (you’re still having fun and we’re still the one) and other bric-a-brac.
No secret, there was a lot of blood, suicide, murder and mayhem and quite a lot of laughs – except in our session from a woman behind us who remarked in a stage whisper that anyone who had had a suicide in their family might not think this was very funny. FM was reminded that one of the protagonists had a surprising likeness to the lady on TV who does those online insurance company ads “Hi Rob” – and her quirky literalist humour was evident in abundance. Some patrons walked out during the blood letting. readers with working memory might recall that in a previous festival report I bagged out the Sydney Theater Company – under Cate Blanchett – for concatenation of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses plays on the grounds that it was just a huge downer with a lot of death and not much else. Well, OS was a lot funnier.
The performance features an extended Greek Chorus of 25 new people off the street – that is, not actors, who each have three hours’ rehearsal – and who read their stage directions off two suspended LED monitors. There were lots of walk-on-walk-off moments and a fair amount of hilarity with them working vaguely ensemble.
sandshoe said:
I jest badly. I’m famously unknown for jesting badly. When K O’K’s performance of the once known as K. O’K’s joke is reviewed (and reviewed and replayed etc and flogged seems so appropriate…), I am well fascinated to catch up yesterday and see reference that he [K O’K] did not write it. Respeck. Doh. Right on.
Nice writing the way the review by Mr Jay puts us in the thicket of the Festival. Interesting stuff here especially the insight about the chorus used for Oedipus Schmoedimus. Watched with great interest other night on ABC the film on Shakespeare the two young actors made interviewing people including celebs about their take on Shakespeare at their beginnings. Very excellent bit of education and followed by a movie featuring the incredible Ruth Cracknell ‘Lilian’s Story;, Some reviewer suggested they find that movie depressing. They either haven’t lived or can’t manage Shakespeare either or any other real life subject that is made taboo. Such a pity. I thought it was great as a collection of performances. What else is art.
Nice art, Mr Jay.
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sandshoe said:
Good to see women are mentioned. TA did that once.
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gerard oosterman said:
Glad to see some women are still ‘au naturelle’.
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algernon1 said:
Hirsute to that then.
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Carisbrooke said:
Good to see Tasmania (the map) was featured.
They need some publicity now that they’re going to the polls (merde rixe).
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algernon1 said:
Where’s snug.
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Big M said:
Just North of Lower Snug.
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algernon1 said:
Up and under then.
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Therese Trouserzoff said:
Hi Viv. Some of the festy is free, but none of the gigs that we attended were. Prices ranged between $15 and $55 a ticket. We racked up six gigs and spent half what we usually spend – which is good. My second and final report comes out next Monday. Did you watch the Amanda Palmer clip ? Boy does she serve it up to the Daily Mail !
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algernon1 said:
Very nicely done too I thought.
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vivienne29 said:
Yep. Her tits are as good as mine (used to be!).
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vivienne29 said:
Aaargh – are not as good as …..
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Big M said:
Bloody skite!
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vivienne29 said:
It was a long time male friend of the family who told me I had great tits (years ago). He reiterated that a few years ago – ah, Viv, see you still got great tits. Pleased me no end !
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sandshoe said:
Must be so. I lived in an address where someone was in business terms required to only stick her knockers out a window thus securing free electricity supply for the house from a neighbouring building site, Viv. So I have bone fide experience in this sort of thing it’s only just occurred to me. We’ve got a real resource. We ought to use it btw mine aren’t as good as yours but used to be pretty good and for now leastwise I have two of them so if you require a relief sitting, I’ll… No wait, I’m running ahead of myself here so to speak…I suggest we get your tits an endorsement for The Arms, Viv. I know that is a mixed metaphor. No time to waste discussing the literary genre really. Someone ought to do a photoshop arty type promo immediately. I can’t understand why I didn’t bring this experience to the table before and suggest you stick them out the window upstairs Viv? (Shameless 😉
In v good mood. I met a bloke from my home town this morning surely one of the funniest people I’ve met in my life. I hope that’s a friendship that augurs well in my circle in NQ.
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atomou said:
Someone ought to do a photoshop arty type promo immediately.
Tick!
…suggest you stick them out the window upstairs Viv? (Shameless 😉
Tick!
https://pigsarms.com.au/2014/01/22/planting-the-oar-act-two-a-radio-play/
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sandshoe said:
Entirely naive was I that the aforesaid suggestion has been put into train well before I in idle moment happened along here and I turned the page to mou’s Second Part of his drama and THERE she IS! HaHAHAHA now THAT is so entirely what’s the word …synchronicity but that really doesn’t explain how crazy it is that this crowd of desperate piglets realised yes perhaps as individuals time had arrived to do absolutely anything to rescue this show and get the roof fixed and everything…
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atomou said:
Oh, I am such a shameless self-publicist!
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sandshoe said:
mou while you were writing that i was back pedalling, I have been pipped…
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sandshoe said:
you Greeks!
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atomou said:
Love you, shoes! xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
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sandshoe said:
she’s ours, mou, you’re not going off with the deal to get your Oars up thingy out there.
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sandshoe said:
love you ato, that is one of the funniest literary moments between us here xoxoxoxoxo
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atomou said:
Shit, I hope Mrs Ato doesn’t visit here too soon!
i LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, MRS ATOOOOOOOOOO!
XOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXO 🙂
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sandshoe said:
You’re a funny hahahaha Greek I’ll give you that, Golly I’ve had a wild day after sheer nothing happening but write and write day in & out & misery isolated. The things that I have enjoyed today. Legion.
Going to Adelaide tomorrow on strength of last minute summons from a department that has changed its mind about threat of withdrawal of services from me because I’m worthy after all blow me away. I wrote substantial material in protest that I am. I so hate it when they act as if they never did, but a temporary glitch. I have all the appointments I need & I’ll sort the obfuscation when they are achieved. Have to get back to do a photo shoot on Sunday. What luck. Lovely fun too today. Thank you for your contribution. Gee that is classic funny. 🙂
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atomou said:
Nothing pleases more than to please a fellow piglet, shoes! Damn the boorokrats! Stoopid and horribool!
I’m intrigued by the photo shoot! Centrefold with titties?
Have a great one, shoes!
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algernon1 said:
More abreast of things I suspect.
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vivienne29 said:
You have all the fun in Sydney. Free isn’t it.
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Hung One On said:
It would have to be
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