Yana Alana and tha Paranas in Bite Me
I went to my first Fringe show at the Fringe hub on Saturday night. After a turn around delay that brought back memories of my own frantic stints at striking sets in ten minutes, my companion and I crowded into the well-dressed Ballroom at the Lithuanian club for an hour of rhythm, rhyme and the reclamation of the word c***.
Yana Alana greeted us from a high backed chair, sipping on a glass of red, while a gramaphone tinkled out an old time tune. Impeccably dressed in pencil skirt and waisted cardigan, her 50s appearance was soon shattered by her subject matter as she opened the show with Young Liberals, an ode to those young men with their right wing ideals, and her wish to transform them from d***heads to, well, c***heads. Just for one day, at any rate.
To put it mildly, Yana Alana's poetry is scathing. But it's also extremely funny, due to Sarah Ward's (Sista She) wonderful delivery. Her timing and tone are precise and carefully used to drive every sharpened jibe into the heart of chauvinists oppressors everywhere. Her bearing belies the crudity of her poetry, an increasingly amusing juxtaposition, particularly as her haughty bearing is slowly dissolved by her own petty jealousies and insecurities as exposed by the band - the very talented Paranas
The trio back Yana for both songs and poems, heightening the whole experience, and also provide interludes of hoola hooping, juggling, sultana catching and a superb example of ostracism. They are naughty children to Yana's haughty mistress, and every meddlesome mood adds to the increasing chaos of the cabaret.
This show is clever, funny and crude, all the things you want from the Fringe, but it's also challenging and empowering. There's something wonderful, still, about hearing a woman elevate her vagina to a thing of poetry, of wonder, of respect, of joy, of soulful blues... And yet, she doesn't take feminism too seriously, with some wonderful digs at herself and her kind. But Yana is wonderful - sexy, beautiful, strong, crazy, and with an amazing voice, which is shown off more and more as the show goes on, but most of all it's fun.
And if you don't like it, you can not only bite her, you can bite me.
Waiting in the Wings
Jen
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Monday, October 8, 2007
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical
My office had the (dubious) pleasure of attending a preview of the much publicised Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical last Thursday. Friday morning saw a raging debate about the production. Some loved it. Most hated it.
I must say off the bat that i 'enjoyed' the experience. I was caught up in the glamour and glitz of it all, particularly the costuming, and clapping along to the songs. After all the songs are all chosen specifically for their clap-along-ability! But even at the time I couldn't help but question the strength and purpose of the production. About ten minutes after leaving The Regent I began to get that feeling you get after you've scoffed poor quality chocolate. You enjoyed the Nestle at the time, but you start to realise you could have had half as much Haighs and enjoyed it twice as much.
The show is spectacular, but like a well dressed pavlova, there's nothing much to it. I was immediately skeptical when the show opened with a lack lustre version of Downtown, but was reassured when the cast presented a wonderfully black version of Don't Leave Me This Way. This number was subversive and dark and had the production carried on in this intelligent and original manner, this would be a very different post. Unfortunately this was the artistic highlight of the show.
The show descended into dazzle mode, with fantastic effects, impressive props (the bus is VERY impressive, as it should to be for $1 million) and some of the most fabulously elaborate costuming I've seen on stage. And while this was entertaining, the show failed to build any dramatic interest. Despite a stunning performance from Tony Sheldon (Bernice), the interludes between musical numbers failed to pull the audience into the reality of the situation. The moments that should have been intimate and exquisite were as false as the eyelashes on the chorus boys.
Despite the millions of dollars spent on the spectacle, the musical failed to build at all on the original film. It offered no new insights, no revelations - even the jokes were often word for word. It only served to tarnish the elements that made the original so great, over-playing the campness that was so wonderfully understated in the film and glossing over the truly interesting moments - or even worse turning the most shocking moments into poor taste music video clips.
Even accepting that the event relies on spectacle, the show was still slightly disappointing. The dancing was not up to the standard I'd expect of a multimillion dollar production that had been playing for a lengthy season. The dancers were often out of time with each other and the music, and the choreography was, quite frankly, boring. Only the elaborate costumes and the degree of difficulty in moving in them saved the dance numbers. The three Divas, it must be said, were exquisite, with extraordinarily powerful voices, but seeing them swing in and out of the scenes grew old quickly.
The set relies almost exclusively on the bus, which is a clever piece of stage craft, but without the fabulous backdrop of the Australian outback, the grandeur is diminished and caged. In truth, only the costumes truly impressed at every turn.
I'm not claiming that all productions, particularly musicals, should be life-changing experiences, but it seems to me that there should be something behind the sequins, some sort of substance to the show. A little bit of artistic integrity, daring and originality - an original song or two, clever juxtaposition, more heart - and this production could have been more than just the most expensive drag show in the history of the country.
Waiting in the Wings,
Jen
I must say off the bat that i 'enjoyed' the experience. I was caught up in the glamour and glitz of it all, particularly the costuming, and clapping along to the songs. After all the songs are all chosen specifically for their clap-along-ability! But even at the time I couldn't help but question the strength and purpose of the production. About ten minutes after leaving The Regent I began to get that feeling you get after you've scoffed poor quality chocolate. You enjoyed the Nestle at the time, but you start to realise you could have had half as much Haighs and enjoyed it twice as much.
The show is spectacular, but like a well dressed pavlova, there's nothing much to it. I was immediately skeptical when the show opened with a lack lustre version of Downtown, but was reassured when the cast presented a wonderfully black version of Don't Leave Me This Way. This number was subversive and dark and had the production carried on in this intelligent and original manner, this would be a very different post. Unfortunately this was the artistic highlight of the show.
The show descended into dazzle mode, with fantastic effects, impressive props (the bus is VERY impressive, as it should to be for $1 million) and some of the most fabulously elaborate costuming I've seen on stage. And while this was entertaining, the show failed to build any dramatic interest. Despite a stunning performance from Tony Sheldon (Bernice), the interludes between musical numbers failed to pull the audience into the reality of the situation. The moments that should have been intimate and exquisite were as false as the eyelashes on the chorus boys.
Despite the millions of dollars spent on the spectacle, the musical failed to build at all on the original film. It offered no new insights, no revelations - even the jokes were often word for word. It only served to tarnish the elements that made the original so great, over-playing the campness that was so wonderfully understated in the film and glossing over the truly interesting moments - or even worse turning the most shocking moments into poor taste music video clips.
Even accepting that the event relies on spectacle, the show was still slightly disappointing. The dancing was not up to the standard I'd expect of a multimillion dollar production that had been playing for a lengthy season. The dancers were often out of time with each other and the music, and the choreography was, quite frankly, boring. Only the elaborate costumes and the degree of difficulty in moving in them saved the dance numbers. The three Divas, it must be said, were exquisite, with extraordinarily powerful voices, but seeing them swing in and out of the scenes grew old quickly.
The set relies almost exclusively on the bus, which is a clever piece of stage craft, but without the fabulous backdrop of the Australian outback, the grandeur is diminished and caged. In truth, only the costumes truly impressed at every turn.
I'm not claiming that all productions, particularly musicals, should be life-changing experiences, but it seems to me that there should be something behind the sequins, some sort of substance to the show. A little bit of artistic integrity, daring and originality - an original song or two, clever juxtaposition, more heart - and this production could have been more than just the most expensive drag show in the history of the country.
Waiting in the Wings,
Jen
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