Dracula with a live score by Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet
In the gorgeous art deco surrounds of Sydney's State Theatre, at a midnight screening attended by the bold, and by the looks of it, some of the undead, I watched the 1931 Bela Lugosi version of Dracula, with a fantastic live score composed and performed by the legendary Philip Glass, with the Kronos Quartet. Truly a rare experience and one of my festival highlights, I loved seeing the old school film tricks to create the building brooding vampiric atmosphere, including the toy bats hanging outside the windows! Marvellous.
The Red Shoes
This British theatre group, Kneehigh Theatre, came to Australia with their darkly funny and gory version of The Red Shoes story, with clogs replacing the ballet shoes of the Powell and Pressburger film, and some pretty gruesome sound effects. Loved it, and I found some of the themes it drew out incredibly interesting, and some which I'd not thought of before. It's all very pertinent to our times, the desire to have everything, without thinking of the cost.
Trocadero Dance Palace
For the Sydney Festival the beautiful newly-renovated Town Hall in Sydney was transformed into a 1940s dance hall, with a live all-girl swing band, acrobatics, and some fantastic jive dancers. Our seats were at tables along the side of the room, and the night was preceeded by a swing dance lesson. This is clearly going to become my new favourite thing, I loved it! I especially loved the eclectic mix of people attending: lots of youngsters newly into 50s fashion and dancing, along with lots of old timers who clearly remembered the Troc from the first time round, and were still pretty nifty on the dance floor.
Eddie Perfect
At midnight in the Spiegeltent we dared to witness Eddie Perfect, and his musical comedy. This guy's show skirted close to the boundaries of good taste, but I did find him very funny, and ultimately I like his politics and what he chooses to take the piss out of. He definitely lost some of the rest of the audience along the way though!
My Bicycle Loves You
Found footage from the 1920s was projected onto various objects at the Sydney Theatre, while various dance and acrobatic pieces were performed, interacting with the film footage and using it as inspiration. I thought it a little disjointed and long, but some of the set pieces were awe-inspiring and the film footage itself was incredible. I'd quite like to have seen more of that.
Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
The primary reason why I went to see this show is because Mike often appears on one of my favourite podcasts, This American Life. His stand-up show My Girlfriend's Boyfriend was a lovely meandering tale which delighted the audience and was one of the most popular shows in the festival. This guy is really funny, and has a broad appeal, and really wasn't afraid to take a shot at himself in order to raise laughs.
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik
I didn't see much theatre as a child so I try to make up for it as much as possible now I work in a venue, and make a point of seeing as much live theatre as I can. I find the psychology of kids' theatre fascinating, because almost as much time can be spent keeping the audience's attention as actually telling the story. This wonderful tale of a deep sea explorer, told with puppets and lights, was captivating and one of the best family shows I've ever seen. It was also surprisingly moving.
A Life in Three Acts
I knew nothing about the life of Bette Bourne before going to see this monologue, delivered by him, telling the story of his life. What a character! He grew up in London round the corner from where I used to live in Stoke Newington, and was a driving force in the early Gay Liberation movement, and one of the first people to openly dress in drag in the UK. His tales of living in a drag commune were hilarious, and his story was incredibly moving, as well as informative of that key period in the history of gay rights. In particular I loved all the old photographs he'd found, which were projected onto a screen behind him as he spoke.
Another cultural highlight of January was going to the Ashes! Yes, I got to cheer on the victorious England team at the SCG as they trounced the Aussies, much to the upset of my friends. I also realised what fun going to a cricket match can be. It's basically just a whole day in the sun eating and drinking, and you get little radios to wear in your ear that transmit the ABC radio coverage, which really add to the experience!
Lots more fun was had over the summer, including more gigs, theatre, eating, drinking, and chilling out, despite the rather rubbish weather this year (lots of rain).
cx
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