Reviews

Brave New World is reviewed by Peter Kiernan
Roaratorio is reviewed by Roslyn Hames

Both reviews appeared in Tinteán, December 2008.

Brave New World, an arcade show for Bloomsday, 16 June 2008, at the Melbourne Museum, Carlton. – Reviewed by Peter Kiernan

This fifteenth annual celebration of Bloomsday opened in brilliant late winter sunshine in the forecourt of the museum. A large gathering of Joyceans strolled around haphazardly to register and exchange greetings but were rudely interrupted by a museum guide (Anna Scheer) with a sergeant-major’s voice and attitude. She was a parody of an efficient tourist guide, and set the tone of the day – there were no stragglers and no idle chatter. Bloomsday patrons were not permitted to be lax or ill-disciplined. She soon had people laughing at her antics as she sang her way around the museum, offering perspectives on the exhibits used for the show. The museum guide metamorphosed in a scene exploring the idea of Joyce’s invention of avatars into a Germanic Bella/Bello, a novel angle on that provocative scene.

The opening was dramatic. Suddenly, up high on top of a leaning pediment, stood the quizzical figure of Leopold Bloom (David Adamson). Asking ‘Where am I ?’ , he was put right by Stevie, his great, great, great grand-daughter (Jane McArthur) who, from then on, guided him through the themes of Melbourne, of the antipodes, of science and modern technology and of prognostications as to mankind’s future. They were dutifully trailed by the orderly and tightly controlled rabble which was  spellbound by the rumbling and resonating words and language of the master, as the themes of chapter after chapter of his Ulysses were explored and expanded by a script brilliantly and very skillfully matched to the location by Frances Devlin-Glass, Graeme Anderson and Greg Rochlin.

The generous and varied spaces of the Melbourne Museum provided a perfect setting for this Joycean excursion. Memorable moments were spent listening to the rich and challenging language of Joyce in the beautiful Milarri Garden, in the Forest Gallery (remember it was a sparkling sunny day), in front of the Harry John’s Boxing Troop Bus (Harry’s bus was a reminder of imperial conflicts expressed through sport both in Australia and Ireland) and so on. Then we were taken into the scientific and futuristic realms which truly confused Mr. Bloom. Perhaps the climax was in the Body Gallery when the Circe chapter was fully explored with the inspired help of Leopold’s old grandfather (Bill Johnston). The naked full-sized models were lined up for close examination and the old man went into graphic lurid detail, a parody of male education in sexuality, pointing out the three prominent “protuberances“ sticking out of the fully pregnant female exhibit. After trying to describe the two hidden protuberances in her rear, he went to move on to the nude male but Stevie grabbed Bloom and took him away hurriedly followed by the relieved followers.

The whole performance of this strolling theatre was professional and cleverly designed and scripted. Great credit is due to the director Brenda Addie who is so experienced and understanding in matters Joyce and in making theatre in museums. The actors excelled and used the efficient personal mikes effectively, their voices resounding across vast spaces. This annual event cannot fail and next year will be hard put to equal 2008.

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Dubble In It, by Philip Harvey, music by Rod Baker, based on Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. – Reviewed by Roz Hames.

There was not a bloom in sight but all hailed to the human genome for Bloomsday in Melbourne’s evening performance this year.  Phillip Harvey and Rod Baker’s delightful “Dubble In It: A Roaratorio in Praise of the Progenitors of the Human Genome” transformed Joyce’s babble on the pages of Finnegans Wake into a oratorio in seven forms.  The potentials and particularities of our chromosome, first explained by Joyce as the double helix seven years before it was discovered, was traversed from tango blustering to a hallelujah chorus and silly walks in between.

The evening commenced with the introduction to the human genome in swoonfuls.  Anna Scheer lamented “The pleasures of love” whilst David Adamson made us feel what Joyce “meant about it” leaving us smouldering just in time for the tango.

In part II “The tango lecture” Kirk Alexander was the university professor in flights of enthusiasm about the double helix.  He was eventually edged out by a pair of zealous tangoists.

The dance of love became an intimate coupling in “her and him”, part III.  He (David) and She (Jane McArthur) moved from introspective musings like chromosome pairings edging each other on towards vocal histrionics (“his fatherjohnson” “her little mary) before getting over it.

Then things got really lively.  Part IV “Reckonition” called for a Gilbert and Sullivan chorus lead by Bill Johnson.  “With helixes so splendid”, Bill reminded one of a mad band stand leader commanding his “betwixt”, “yesterdicks” and “twomaries” out of a word box of somethings into something at least highly comical.

Part V, “The Plainchant of the Cloudyphiz”, reminded us of the changeability of the human countenance, and the human physiognomy for good measure, and in the end we were encouraged to drink to change.

We then entered a Gregorian Plainchant coupled with an Elizabethan madrigal for part VI  “A Coil of Cord”.  Jane’s lilting “a colleen coy” sent many an eyelid down to better absorb the echoes of love pleasures long gone.

The oration finale was a Messiah-inspired Hallelujah Chorus with the cast and audience singing “Your Ominence! Your Imminence! And delicted fraternitrees!”  The conclusion of the performance was Joyce’s words alone “A way a lone a last a loved a long the” leaving the audience in a state of transcendence.  And then we sang again!

Kevin Lo, Musical Director, threaded and accompanied the performance beautifully with a rustic solo violin, and Brenda Addie’s direction focused on using theatricality – heavy academic garb in blacks and ABC-princess accent – to achieve a sense of intelligence from the mad words.  The performance delivered on lifts, lofts, laughter and leftness.

The atmospheric Monties on Smith Street in Fitzroy was a perfect backdrop; lofty and yet the tables surrounding the ground-level theatre space brought the action up close.