Mr Affogato by Full Tilt Performance Troupe. The Street Theatre Studio 8.30 pm April 29 - May 9, 1998.
Whatever you do in the next week, you should not miss this engaging, beguiling story of two hospitality venues, head-to-head in competition. The Cafe Affogato is never relaxed and comfortable and it is unlikely you will actually receive the caffe latte you hope for. But you are quite likely to win a glass of beer from Mr Tattaglia's Romany Bar. Just make sure you sit at one of the front tables. Mind you, expect to be kissed, have a hair from your very own head used to commit love's suicide, dance with a philosopher and hide a fearful soldier under your chair.
Thoroughly modern commedia dell'arte is a rare and wonderful thing - and here it is in central Canberra. One television channel which will remain nameless announced on opening night that commedia is half a century old - half a millenium, more like, still energetic, full of verbal and physical tumbling and creating continuous laughter. In a kind of children's theatre for adults, director Tony Kishawi and actors Danny Diesendorf, Robin Davidson and Mark Johnson have discovered the art in commedia, using the traditional Italian characters to comment on our lives - and the first night's highly sophisticated audience of theatricals loved it from the first Once Upon a Time.
There will be an important announcement, which will raise a great cheer, from the High Court to say that the nasty bosses have been defeated by the absolutely justified workers; and Death once again will be cheated by the power of Arlecchino's violin - but only after an agonising period of dramatic terror, when Mr Affogato gains an injunction against the playing of music at the rival Romany (read Gipsy) Bar.
I never quite worked out what happened to the Lovers, but I think they remained unrequited. The Demon did amazing handstands on a pocket handkerchief stage. The Captain waved his sword alarmingly. The Doctor (lawyer and philosophical pedant) spoke sparklingly. Mr Punch threatened terribly, but unctuously flattered his customers. And all eleven characters were played at Full Tilt by the three actors, with startling transformations. Well worth a muggacino!
© Frank McKone, Canberra
Wednesday, 29 April 1998
Wednesday, 22 April 1998
1998: Yours Truly, Arthur Streeton.
Yours Truly, Arthur Streeton The letters of Sir Arthur Streeton between 1890 and 1942 selected and compiled by Anne Gray from the book Letters from Smike, edited by Ann Galbally and Anne Gray. Performed by Phil Roberts with music selected and performed by violinist Louise Hildyard as a tribute to Nora Clench (Mrs Arthur Streeton). The Acting Company, directed by Peter Wilkins in the New Worlds From Old exhibition space at the National Gallery of Australia, April 22 - 23, 1998.
Though there are some technical problems performing theatre in the Gallery, where acoustics are designed for people to stare, quietly, and spotlights spoil the art, the "salon" setting works wonders. For Samantha Littley, NGA's Public Programs organiser, Peter Wilkins' aim to "reflect life through the art and art through the life" has given the New Worlds From Old exhibition new meaning. This kind of cross-art experience should become a common feature of exhibitions in future.
For me it was a minor weakness that Sir Arthur was surrounded, in the only gallery where the performance could be accommodated, by American art of his period while his own "Golden Summer, Eaglemont" and "The Purple Noon's Transparent Might" stood head and shoulders above the American work, in the next room.
These paintings set the scene for Streeton's letters covering his life in England during most of this century's first two decades; his return and life at 'Olinda'; and his death in 1942. It would have been a powerful focus if they could have been set behind him as we heard him recall those early days with such clarity, in the midst of a ten year courtship, living among the "inartistic" English, an awful five years of war which took him away from Nora who had "something rare in a woman - original ideas", the sale of "Golden Summer" for $1000 guineas in 1924, and his feelings when Nora died in 1938: "I find oblivion difficult".
With simple costume changes, Phil Roberts transported us from the sometimes rather precious young Streeton, through love and war to the mature reflective artist in old age. Nora is revealed as a person of great independence, an artist in her own right, represented musically for us by Louise Hildyard. Art was made alive by the drama of Streeton's letters: I hope we will see many more projects of this kind.
© Frank McKone, Canberra
Though there are some technical problems performing theatre in the Gallery, where acoustics are designed for people to stare, quietly, and spotlights spoil the art, the "salon" setting works wonders. For Samantha Littley, NGA's Public Programs organiser, Peter Wilkins' aim to "reflect life through the art and art through the life" has given the New Worlds From Old exhibition new meaning. This kind of cross-art experience should become a common feature of exhibitions in future.
For me it was a minor weakness that Sir Arthur was surrounded, in the only gallery where the performance could be accommodated, by American art of his period while his own "Golden Summer, Eaglemont" and "The Purple Noon's Transparent Might" stood head and shoulders above the American work, in the next room.
These paintings set the scene for Streeton's letters covering his life in England during most of this century's first two decades; his return and life at 'Olinda'; and his death in 1942. It would have been a powerful focus if they could have been set behind him as we heard him recall those early days with such clarity, in the midst of a ten year courtship, living among the "inartistic" English, an awful five years of war which took him away from Nora who had "something rare in a woman - original ideas", the sale of "Golden Summer" for $1000 guineas in 1924, and his feelings when Nora died in 1938: "I find oblivion difficult".
With simple costume changes, Phil Roberts transported us from the sometimes rather precious young Streeton, through love and war to the mature reflective artist in old age. Nora is revealed as a person of great independence, an artist in her own right, represented musically for us by Louise Hildyard. Art was made alive by the drama of Streeton's letters: I hope we will see many more projects of this kind.
© Frank McKone, Canberra
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