BRITANNIA WAVES THE RULES - - - Nick Rowe as Bilko and Vincent Andriano as Carl Jackson
Lynn Belvedere

BRITANNIA WAVES THE RULES @ New Theatre NEWTOWN

BRITANNIA WAVES THE RULES (Sydney Fringe) FLAG
Featured pic- Nick Rowe as Bilko and Vincent Andriano as Carl Jackson

“We fight. We win. We burn your land. We fight. We win. We carry on.”

When you see their wretched Union Jack flag, you know that BRITANNIA WAVES THE RULES embodies all the brutal reality of a soldier’s life.  We follow disenfranchised, hot-blooded Carl Jackson’s dramatic journey, from his need to escape from Blackpool, England to becoming fully trained and ultimately sent as a sniper to the killing-fields on the front-line in Afghanistan.

Many Australian soldiers also followed suit and  made that journey to the horror of the front-line in Afghanistan.       

Earlier this week, I was invited to watch a very impressive, closed dress rehearsal of BRITANNIA WAVES THE RULES. Director Deborah Mulhall has applied her unique and meticulous vision to the delicious dialogue crafted by playwright Gareth Farr.

This production is in your face theatre that often breaks the fourth wall and fully captivates the audience.  Vincent Andriano  delivers all the searing intense grief, when discussing the methodology of coping with the making of each kill-shot and how he copes with performing his violent acts. In the end one has to ask, is Carl a hero or is he a candidate for PTSD?!

At the dress rehearsal, all five actors impressively maintained, with compelling high energy throughout the ninety minute performance time. Vincent Andriano has the lion’s share of the meaty dialogue, and requires him to be visible on stage throughout, and memorably he provided a stand-out tour-de-force performance.

A brief history . . . This show was the winner of the  Judges Award, in the Bruntwood Playwrighting competition  in 2011. BRITANNIA WAVES THE RULES, by Manchester’s Gareth Farr, received its world premiere in May 2014 at The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. In August 2014 the show was performed at the Paines Plough’s Roundabout Auditorium as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.

The upcoming production at the New Theatre will be the show’s Australian premiere season, and features an all Australian cast.

CAST:   Vincent Andriano, Jane Angharad, Patrick Cullen, Alan Faulkner, Nick Rowe.

Well worth a visit,  performance times at the New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown are scheduled for Tuesday 22 September at 6pm, Wednesday 23 September at 8pm, Thursday 24 September at 6pm, and finally Saturday 26 September at 5pm and 7pm.

 http://newtheatre.org.au/sydney-fringe-festival-2015/britannia-waves-the-rules/

Published by Lynn Belvedere

Once we were old enough, my parents took the whole family to the Sydney CBD cinemas every week. Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited ''Australian Film Censorship Board'' true cinéaste versions of brand new release ''Cinematograph Films''. Greater Union always gave my father (who worked in Cinema Distribution Exhibition) guest double movie passes, to every first-night ''red carpet Opening Night'' at The State Theatre Cinema at 49 Market Street. Up until his death, my dad always received ''two house seats'' for every Opening Night performance events at the Theatre Royal SYDNEY and at Her Majesty's Theatre SYDNEY. As a child, when mum choose not to go, I often went with him, to those live performance events. As a young child, I remember being taken for each new show, at both The New Theatre at 60 Sussex Street, and the Phillip Street Theatre when located at 150 Elizabeth Street, and for classical music concerts at Sydney Town Hall. = = = ★★★★★ = = = Being happy is a choice, and I have always viewed my life, as material ready be made into a series of amazing tentpole movies. My New Years Resolution is kept every year: ''Get to see/review five new live theatre shows each week, and get to see/review six new cinema movies each week'', plus is one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers, and apparently have seen far too much already, but always wanting to experience more and more each year. I am also able to do almost everything that I enjoy doing. Yes, I do have a great daytime job in I.T. as ''Software Design Project Manager'', PLUS each evening until quite late - - - Australian Cinematograph Films historical censorship consultant - product-placement consultant - mystery-shopper consultant - playwright, writer, author, director, producer, photographer, cinematographer, color-grader, subtitles proofreader - arts/ drama/ music/ film critic and judge, journalist, member FIPRESCI & FCCA & AFCA, member AACTA accredited film reviewer-critic-writer, accredited IMDB.COM critic-reviewer-author, projectionist, plus an innovative iconoclast - - - ★★★★★ LYNN BELVEDERE ★★★★★ - - - [usr 5] - - -