The Eulogy by Kel Vance and directed by Brendan Paul, centres on a teenage boy, Sam (Archit Mahajan, as he arrives at his own funeral. However, he soon learns how different his life could have been when the girl (Lola Bond ) he never met, but loved from afar, begins to eulogise him.
Touching and delicate with very moving performances, this piece rolls out its story and themes with slow precision. The differences between them is foregrounded and his frustration and her confusion combine to develop the powerful, emotional story. And there is a fantastic feminist joke that the audience loved when it took them by surprise.
The Last Radio Show by John Longhurst. Take a third-rate radio station, a second-rate murder mystery and a first rate show wrecker … that spells mayhem and hilarity! Steven Tait directs Mark Longhurst, Gina Cohen, Dudley Levell and Jack Douglas.
This was a classic piece of vindictive overacting to superb effect. The Foley was funny, the physical comedy hilarious and the chaos clever. Impressively rehearsed, the mayhem ran sweet and smooth. Kudos to the audio operator who got those flourishes and upbeat swing music beautifully timed.
Lucy and Me: Sphenn loves Lucy, he loves Lucy a lot, he loves Lucy more than apple strudel, his favourite t-shirt and his mum combined. Written and directed by Jennifer Anne Laycock with Nicolas Angelosanto as Sphenn, supported by Lucy the bike.
What a delight. Using a mimetic, fluid, Cleeseian physicality Angelosanto rules the stage here. The world building is so impressive, the comedy so well thrown and his use of vocal variation, the outrageous accent aside, makes this piece pelt along like no-hands down a hill. So effective is his creation that most of the audience gave a little whimper at the bathos of the finale.
Quality of Life by Sevgi Murphy is a snapshot of Alice’s road to recovery from a major depressive episode. Where there is life, there is hope. Luke Berman directing Sophie Bentley, Natalie McConchie and Beth Fuller.
There is insight and empathy in this piece which is education as much as art. A look into the mind of the girl is well moderated by an external eye on her behaviours and the personification of the illness. The coat device was clever as was the choice to have the doctor half in shadow. The climax of piece, all that friendly advice, and the final tableau was very moving.
In Dummy by Jude Bridge, Guy and Jinx (Samantha Zinner and Callum Mooney) have two very different personalities… although basically they are the same person. Katharine Babatzanis directs.
Technically difficult to never speak at the same time, the two characters really popped off the page and their interactions were very physically clever. She with a limited range of movement, her hands and face particularly good, and he limited in his travel around her. The audience were well amused by her acerbic tone and his frustration at having to explain his creation. Great sound effects in playground and chatter and the spooky music for the end.
The Golden Years by Joe Starzyk (US) with Felicity Burke (who also directored) and Duncan Armitage. Mable and Norman have been together so long, they know everything there is to know about each other. Or do they?
The witty dialogue, comic accents and stylised movement are delivered with deadpan precision. This offering is replete with repressed emotion and yet tells a complete story with sunny side up dignity and aplomb.
The Dancing Lessons by Connie Schindewolf (US). Craig Simms directs Ingrid Lenert, Matt Oxley, Melissa Saxton and Teresa Spencer-Plane. Catherine is desperate to connect with her mother, Miriam, a dementia patient. as a last resort she brings some things from her mother’s past to spur a reaction.
This production was heartwarming and affecting and it made effective use of music, piano and strings in music box style, to develop the audience engagement and support the emotional impact. The vignettes are well chosen and the play does not overdo the nostalgic elements at the cost of the present. And the focused, well directed performances kept the piece out of the maudlin. A personal note of appreciation for the beautifully created blue and pink dress with the stunning lined petticoat, when she twirled it was just lovely!
HMS Headwind is a musical comedy that follows Abigail Pirate Queen and Captain Abernathy as they battle it out over whose crew is ship shape. Alicia Badger, Jarrod Kitto, Alex Fenner, Laura Bailey, Sean Bermingham and Nathan Bolton are the cast. Directed by Amelia Gilday and written by Michael Shapiro.
This offering fit neatly into the 10 minute format. We get just enough character to enjoy them and there is enough story to provide context and a surprise conclusion. The music is enjoyable, especially 'Perilous Heart' and the choreo is well created for non-dancers on a small stage, the 'Cat Stalk particularly clever. The voices do very well against the backing track, always difficult, and they are obviously having an highly infectious fun time.
Butterfly Wings by Adam Szudrich and directed by Georgia Drinan has Richard Littlehales as a young boy with the genetic skin condition epidermolysis bullosa. He is making decisions about growing up when faced with an uncertain future.
The warmth of the actor is evident from the first time he speaks directly to the audience and our engagement with him doesn't falter. His optimism and perky, upbeat delivery is delightful as he creates a picture of want and this has a lovely build up in the writing. He wants not for material things but for experience. A delightfully written conclusion to this piece.
To End Where You Began: We have nothing but the threat of memory to connect us to our past. The thread of memory and the beat of our heart. Valentina Buay performs her self devised and directed piece.
A coherent creation, well written for the short format, this piece was a gentle and reflective interpretive offering which put the performer's considerable dance and movement skills on display. The limited use of the colourful, reflective tape was a very effective throughline for the work as was the use of the metronome. The recap at the end was clever scripting to tie together the clearly delineated stages inside the piece.
Vietnam Zippos is written by J. Weintraub (Chicago USA). The trajectory of the Vietnam War from beginning to end, as told by the inscriptions the soldiers engraved on Zippo lighters they carried. Directed by Erika Lydrama with David Neill, Chloe Byrd,Matthew Taylor and Sean Foster.
This piece is becoming a bit of a favourite in schools and short form theatre comps. It is reliant on voice and performance and has a resonant and powerful story to tell. This production made effective use of sound effects, choppers over and echoey rumble under. The matter of fact uninvolved narrators in stark contrast to the soldiers living through it and sharing it was neatly directed. The cast all gave powerful performances. Deceptively simple, an incendiary indictment.
Enough To Wake The Dead where three sisters reunite after their mother’s death is directed by Michael Harris and written by Catherine McKernan Doris. The cast: Maria Karambelas, Vanessa Moltzen, Stephen Penn, Celia Kelly, Jessica Loudon and Elouise Eftos.
Having 'Danny Boy' on the audio really helped set the scene here and the accents were well maintained throughout. The interjections from the dead granny were very comical, neatly placed and fitted easily into the fracas that was going on around her. The cast worked very well as an ensemble and the characters all made an immediate impact, keeping the hysteria high and the avarice entertaining.
Balls Alive is abaout a passionate air band who must decide whether they have what it takes to make it to the top, or if they are trying to hold onto something that really isn’t there. Written by Brian Wallace and directed by Zoe Tomaras with Suriya Ticehurst, Tyler Cross and Anton Smilek.
These guys were having a whale of a time and their delight was infectious and engaging. The mime was great, plugging and unplugging and packing up and the air guitar, award worthy. The very,very clever use of pause before the puns and invisible illusions was carried off expertly so that the audience got there first! Great fun.
The winners of SHORT + SWEET THEATRE, 2018 will be announced on Saturday 7th March.
All photos by Chris Lundie. Tom Mann Theatre- 136 Chalmers Street Surry Hills. ALL THINGS S+S Tickets Website Facebook Twitter Instagram