This is not a full review, there’s no criticism and certainly not a conviction. These are only a few personal thoughts of a theatre professional groomed in a different cultural environment than Australia. Why no comprehensive review? Because I attended the opening night of SHOPPING CENTRES AND GUTTERS but was unable to get involved. Why no criticism? Because I do believe that criticism at times does not help the project. Why no conviction? Because the conviction in this case is to tell all involved never to stop trying.
The five actors, Letitia Sutherland, Stefanie Funnel, Aaron di Pietro, Paul Newton and David Attrill are fine performers and deserve to be on stage. Ira Hal Seidenstein with no doubt is in command of his craft. He obviously holds fundamental knowledge about Shakespeare, Stanislavski, Grotowsksi and even Peter Brook. Are they really “the giant shoulders upon which we all stand”? What about Peter Stein, Zadek, Max Reinhardt? What about Goethe and Schiller or the artists Hundertwasser and Ernst Fuchs? Why do we (theatre practitioners) have to stand on shoulders when it is better on the grounds of our own reality?
Seidenstein calls the show a play and a project. And there is the point. What I experienced on Thursday was more a project than a play. In his special thanks the author, Valentino Musico, mentions Timothy Daly. Daly is certainly one of Australia’s leading playwrights and to encourage his fellow authors is one of his highest priorities. So, why is SHOPPING CENTRES AND GUTTERS still more of a project than a play?!
Probably because of the circumstances Australian theatre makers are faced with on a daily basis. Not enough funding, not enough audience support, not enough well equipped and affordable venues and too much focus on often shallow, but moneymaking “light” entertainment.
Musico has come up with an intriguing plot. It is surreal, almost clownish, with many very funny one-liners and sometimes philosophical depth. “Let’s all wear round our necks a sandwich board. The front board flaunts a birth certificate, showing the world where we’re from. The backboard declares: ‘This is me – love me or keep walking’.
The Tap Gallery is a charming venue. However, it is not equipped to call itself a true theatre! Musico’s play needs space, sound and predominantly light. The artist, Vince Vozzo, created a mural as background (set) for the production. It is clever and promises interaction of actors and set. However, without light and the necessary distance it becomes mere distraction. The space is so small that actors have to jump over the legs of the audience to enter the stage!
All the above is the reason why, at this stage, I could not be involved or nailed into my seat. I do hope that the season at the Tap Gallery will attract audience numbers that will enable the production to return in a venue where the potential of the play, the same production crew and actors can blossom and shine. Until then I shall keep on dreaming of an Australian Performing Arts Scene that allows artists to make a living from their craft and gives them the platform to stand on their own creative feet!
Valentino Musico’s SHOPPING CENTRES AND GUTTERS opened at the Tap Gallery, 278 Palmer Street, Darlinghurst on Thursday 3rd November and plays until Saturday 19th November, 2011.
© Markus Weber
EMU Productions (theatre & music) Pty Ltd
4th November, 2011
Tags: SHOPPING CENTRES AND GUTTERS, Valentino Musico, Letitia Sutherland, Stefanie Funnel, Aaron di Pietro, Paul Newton, David Attrill, Vince Vozzo, Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst.