Arts & Culture

Cyrano by Black Swan State Theatre Company

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Thanks to Covid, alternative venues and the vagaries of modern life, it had been quite a while since my partner and I had had the pleasure of taking in a performance at the Heath Ledger Theatre. After all the doom and gloom of the past few years, it was an inspired choice by Artistic Director Kate Champion to choose Virginia Gay's adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac (directed by Sarah Goodes) as the season opener by Black Swan State Theatre Company in 2023.

Most of us are passingly familiar with the theme of Cyrano, the warrior-poet with the large heart and even larger nose. But the original is a tragedy, while Gay's version is a modern-day rom-com which nods to the source material but forges its own path, with new spins on the tropes of the past.

 

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Of an Age at Luna

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On a sunny Saturday morning, I had a leisurely walk down Oxford St, heading to Luna Leederville to watch Of an Age.

The teenage years can be rocky and turbulent times, let alone being a young gay man growing up in a Serbian immigrant family in a working class Northern suburb of Melbourne.

It is 1999 and Kol and Ebony are best of friends and dance partners when a distress call from Ebony after a big night out brings Kol and Ebony’s brother Adam together on a long drive to rescue Ebony.

From there, an unexpected romance blossoms between Kol and Adam. Kol is “fresh as” just out of school, experiencing love for the first time, unsure about himself and his place in the world, and tentative about his sexuality, whilst Adam is older and more settled about his place in the world.  

 

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Empire of Light at Luna

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The title of this movie struck me as rather beautiful. I envisioned a light beam casting a warm glow on the Empire Theatre.

It is cognisant of the warm and fuzzy feeling that you get when you enter a movie theatre knowing that you can switch off for a couple of hours and immerse yourself in a good movie.

The trailer didn’t reveal much about the story line – so with this vague introduction to the film, my partner and I headed to Luna Leederville to watch it at Cinema 5 – one of their small cosy cinemas.

Empire of Light clocking in at around 2 hours is one of the most tender movies that I’ve watched recently. It strikes all the right chords.

 

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Love Slaps: The Ultimate Improvised Comedy Romance at Fringe

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On a fine Friday night my partner and I headed down to the Perth Cultural Centre to get a little bit of Aussie culture thanks to Love Slaps, an improvised romantic comedy performance.

The car parks were full, Northbridge was packed, and Rehearsal Room 1 at the State Theatre Centre of WA was also pretty busy as an upbeat crowd settled in to see Tamara Creasy and Elise Wilson, the piano accompanist Maddie Moulin and special guest performer (a different one each night - on this night it was Alicia Osyka) put together a fresh off the cuff performance about the ups and downs of love based on a handful of audience ideas.

 

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Aftersun at Luna

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Looking back in time, once we have lost a loved one – all we are left with are our precious memories.

That is the essence of the movie Aftersun, where young adult Sophie tries valiantly to piece together her memories of the last holiday that she had with her father in the late 1990’s in a Turkish seaside town – as seen through her collection of photos and video camera footage of her and her Dad.

The photos and video camera footage are hazy and distorted – just like the memories that she tries to restore of her father and what he was actually like.

Aftersun is a poignant coming of age movie about young Sophie and her relationship with her father. 

 

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Godz by Head First Acrobats at Fringe Perth

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The weather in Perth has been sizzling hot and so are the Godz from Head First Acrobats.

They are back for Fringe World and audiences are lucky that they will be performing at our annual fun arts fest.

Judging by the electrifying carnival like atmosphere at The Pleasure Gardens in Russell Square Northbridge as we waited outside the Aurora Spiegeltent, we knew we were up for an exciting night.

The evening’s entertainment saw the ancient Gods of Olympus show off their prowess as well as at the same time tackling their demons.

The performances of Apollo (God of Light, Music & Healing), Cupid (God of Love), Hercules (God of Strength) and Dionysus (God of Wine) are fun, cheeky and amazing.

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Bogan Shakespeare Presents: Hamlet at Fringe Perth

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There’s something rotten in Denmark… Denmark, Western Australia, that is – where Bogan Shakespeare’s reimagining of Hamlet is set.

Hamlet has returned home from the city following the death of his father under suspicious circumstances. His mother Gertrude has already married his uncle Claudius – who happened to be the only one present when Hamlet Sr died of “ear poisoning”.

What unfolds over the next hour is a delightfully irreverent, uniquely Australian p***take and tribute to the tragedy of Hamlet. 

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