Of God and Wenches
Fri, 2 Nov 2012, 11:08 amGordon the Optom2 posts in thread
Of God and Wenches
Fri, 2 Nov 2012, 11:08 am‘Of God And Wenches’ is a double bill, comprising ‘God (A Comedy in One Act)’ an off-the-planet play by the 76 year old, Bronx born comedian, Woody Allen; this has been coupled with ‘The Rover / Redux’ by Aphra Behn, the daring seventeenth century writer, who was possibly the first British female playwright.
This crazy double presentation comes from Murdoch University's Acting and Production Two unit. They are showing at the Nexus Theatre, near car park 3, Murdoch University, South Street Campus, Murdoch nightly at 7.30 (some ads say 7.00) until Saturday, 3rd November. There is also a matinee on Saturday 3rd at 2.00 pm.
There are two casts, Blue and Red, which have different actors for the major parts. I saw the Red cast shown in bold.
The stage manager’s request to turn off ‘phones has to be the best delivery ever.
‘God’ written in 1975 is loosely based two thousand years ago and the present day.
In an amphitheatre, dressed in a toga, we find Hepatitis (Travis Hasson, Scott McArdle); he desperately wants to win the Athenian Writers’ Competition, but is struggling to find an ending for his play. His main actor, Diabetes (Harriet Fettis – outstanding, Andrew Dawson) makes a few suggestions before pointing out that Hepatitis’s play is actually a play within a play, so why not ask the audience for help (don’t worry there is no audience participation). Voluptuous Doris from Willagee (Kate Willoughby, Corina Brown) offers to help, but as soon as she stands on the stage, the nervous adrenalin gives her an uncontrollable urge to have sex – quickly. The doctor (Catherine Dunn) seems unable to help poor Doris.
The ruggedly handsome Trichinosis (Michael Davies) arrives with a God machine designed by Bursitis (Selena Nemeth) that will guarantee her pleasure, however Doris wants the real thing! At this stage Lorenzo, the director (Quentin Thony), sitting in the audience feels a need to intervene and discuss metaphysical and philosophical points. Then Blanche Dubois (Grace Johnson, Sam Knox) climbs onto the stage and offers her writing skills, followed rapidly by a woman from Rockingham (Amy Miller). When the ‘All American’ tourists Bob and Wendy Fate (Talen Herzig, Melanie Buchanan) start taking photos the strict codes of the theatre really start to fall apart.
Even the advice shouted down from the lighting gallery by the sexy beauties (Corina Brown, Janice Lim, Amy Murray and Kaitlyn Barry) seems to be too late to save the day.
The cast delivered this madcap humour perfectly. A little bit tongue in cheek, slightly hammed up and blended with a naivety made this comedy one of the funniest shows that I have seen in years. The disorganisation of chronological errors, the cast and audience illogically becoming one, may well annoy some audiences, but with director David Moody’s skilled handling every cast member completely captured their strange personalities and delivered their lines faultlessly.
How did the play finish – who knows? Who cares? If you love dry, absurd and bizarre humour this is for you.
‘The Rover / Redux’ was written around 1676, in the late Stuart period. This version was edited by Dr David Moody and is now present-day.
The author, Aphra (pronounced Eaffry) Behn had quite a wild life. She wrote about how men became sexually aroused, cross-dressing and lesbianism. She went off to visit a brothel in Venezuela, befriended slave traders and, amazingly, was eventually buried in Westminster Abbey.
It is Naples at Carnival time; author Aphra Behn (Rachel Doulton, Kaitlyn Barry) sweeps onto the stage and introduces us to three very different sisters, representing the three kinds of women – the nun, the wife and the whore. The first, Hellena (Grace Johnson, Chloe McGrath) is keen to become a nun. Her sister Florinda (Amy Miller, Catherine Dunn) is the marrying type, looking for financial security and the third is a wild sister, Valeria (Janice Lim, Melanie Buchanan) solely there to pick up as many men as she can.
Their brother, Don Pedro (Quentin Thony) wishes Hellena to marry his friend, the King’s son, Don Antonio (Jordan Holloway) but Hellena doesn’t feel any magic and remains focused on going to a nunnery.
The choice of scantily dressed girls, with their Libertine attitudes, at the Carnival seems limitless; some are under the supervision of their pimp (Bob Morshidi). Then into town comes the English navy. The smooth, slinky Willmore (Steve Capener – great movement, Nik Pinnock), known as the ‘Rover’ for his lecherous habits, scans the choice, spots Hellena and starts his amorous patter. Away from her governess, Callis (Leah Toyne), things are going well, until that evening Hellena sees Willmore leaving a house of ill repute being guarded by Sebastian (Jasmine Huilin Xie,) and Biskey (Shamini Rajah).
Inside the brothel is the calculating seductive Courtesana, Angellica (Sam Knox, Amy Murray) and her dominatrix assistant, Lucetta (Catherine Parish, Corina Brown) waiting to pounce on any man that enters.
Florinda, meanwhile, has found a quiet masked Englishman, Colonel Belville (Simon Meiri) and is already in love. Belville’s friends Blunt (Nelson Gilmour) and Fred (Travis Hasson) continue their search for love.
Will the three sisters find what they want out of love?
Following the immense success of the first play, this second didn’t quite hit the mark. To be fair the script was deliberately, slightly archaic and the style of direction by David Moody and his talented assistants Christian Mauri, Kaitlyn Barry and Ingrid Vost more over the top. The actors presented their lines blatantly, but still with very good comedic delivery.
There were plenty of laughs, some daring costumes and again full use of the auditorium as a performance space.
Quality teching on lights and sound by Clare Talbot – who is mentoring some school children on lighting techniques – Danica Rickard and Andrew Kornnish.
For a very small ticket price you get almost three hours of fun and theatrical style that you may never have seen before. A student production, but with all the skill of a professional company. A cast of ‘thousands’ without a single weak link then sent us home with a massive song and dance routine. MOST enjoyable.
‘Of God And Wenches’ is a double bill, comprising ‘God (A Comedy in One Act)’ an off-the-planet play by the 76 year old, Bronx born comedian, Woody Allen; this has been coupled with ‘The Rover / Redux’ by Aphra Behn, the daring seventeenth century writer, who was possibly the first British female playwright.
This crazy double presentation comes from Murdoch University's Acting and Production Two unit. They are showing at the Nexus Theatre, near car park 3, Murdoch University, South Street Campus, Murdoch nightly at 7.30 (some ads say 7.00) until Saturday, 3rd November. There is also a matinee on Saturday 3rd at 2.00 pm.
There are two casts, Blue and Red, which have different actors for the major parts. I saw the Red cast shown in bold.
The stage manager’s request to turn off ‘phones has to be the best delivery ever.
‘God’ written in 1975 is loosely based two thousand years ago and the present day.
In an amphitheatre, dressed in a toga, we find Hepatitis (Travis Hasson, Scott McArdle); he desperately wants to win the Athenian Writers’ Competition, but is struggling to find an ending for his play. His main actor, Diabetes (Harriet Fettis – outstanding, Andrew Dawson) makes a few suggestions before pointing out that Hepatitis’s play is actually a play within a play, so why not ask the audience for help (don’t worry there is no audience participation). Voluptuous Doris from Willagee (Kate Willoughby, Corina Brown) offers to help, but as soon as she stands on the stage, the nervous adrenalin gives her an uncontrollable urge to have sex – quickly. The doctor (Catherine Dunn) seems unable to help poor Doris.
The ruggedly handsome Trichinosis (Michael Davies) arrives with a God machine designed by Bursitis (Selena Nemeth) that will guarantee her pleasure, however Doris wants the real thing! At this stage Lorenzo, the director (Quentin Thony), sitting in the audience feels a need to intervene and discuss metaphysical and philosophical points. Then Blanche Dubois (Grace Johnson, Sam Knox) climbs onto the stage and offers her writing skills, followed rapidly by a woman from Rockingham (Amy Miller). When the ‘All American’ tourists Bob and Wendy Fate (Talen Herzig, Melanie Buchanan) start taking photos the strict codes of the theatre really start to fall apart.
Even the advice shouted down from the lighting gallery by the sexy beauties (Corina Brown, Janice Lim, Amy Murray and Kaitlyn Barry) seems to be too late to save the day.
The cast delivered this madcap humour perfectly. A little bit tongue in cheek, slightly hammed up and blended with a naivety made this comedy one of the funniest shows that I have seen in years. The disorganisation of chronological errors, the cast and audience illogically becoming one, may well annoy some audiences, but with director David Moody’s skilled handling every cast member completely captured their strange personalities and delivered their lines faultlessly.
How did the play finish – who knows? Who cares? If you love dry, absurd and bizarre humour this is for you.
‘The Rover / Redux’ was written around 1676, in the late Stuart period. This version was edited by Dr David Moody and is now present-day.
The author, Aphra (pronounced Eaffry) Behn had quite a wild life. She wrote about how men became sexually aroused, cross-dressing and lesbianism. She went off to visit a brothel in Venezuela, befriended slave traders and, amazingly, was eventually buried in Westminster Abbey.
It is Naples at Carnival time; author Aphra Behn (Rachel Doulton, Kaitlyn Barry) sweeps onto the stage and introduces us to three very different sisters, representing the three kinds of women – the nun, the wife and the whore. The first, Hellena (Grace Johnson, Chloe McGrath) is keen to become a nun. Her sister Florinda (Amy Miller, Catherine Dunn) is the marrying type, looking for financial security and the third is a wild sister, Valeria (Janice Lim, Melanie Buchanan) solely there to pick up as many men as she can.
Their brother, Don Pedro (Quentin Thony) wishes Hellena to marry his friend, the King’s son, Don Antonio (Jordan Holloway) but Hellena doesn’t feel any magic and remains focused on going to a nunnery.
The choice of scantily dressed girls, with their Libertine attitudes, at the Carnival seems limitless; some are under the supervision of their pimp (Bob Morshidi). Then into town comes the English navy. The smooth, slinky Willmore (Steve Capener – great movement, Nik Pinnock), known as the ‘Rover’ for his lecherous habits, scans the choice, spots Hellena and starts his amorous patter. Away from her governess, Callis (Leah Toyne), things are going well, until that evening Hellena sees Willmore leaving a house of ill repute being guarded by Sebastian (Jasmine Huilin Xie,) and Biskey (Shamini Rajah).
Inside the brothel is the calculating seductive Courtesana, Angellica (Sam Knox, Amy Murray) and her dominatrix assistant, Lucetta (Catherine Parish, Corina Brown) waiting to pounce on any man that enters.
Florinda, meanwhile, has found a quiet masked Englishman, Colonel Belville (Simon Meiri) and is already in love. Belville’s friends Blunt (Nelson Gilmour) and Fred (Travis Hasson) continue their search for love.
Will the three sisters find what they want out of love?
Following the immense success of the first play, this second didn’t quite hit the mark. To be fair the script was deliberately, slightly archaic and the style of direction by David Moody and his talented assistants Christian Mauri, Kaitlyn Barry and Ingrid Vost more over the top. The actors presented their lines blatantly, but still with very good comedic delivery.
There were plenty of laughs, some daring costumes and again full use of the auditorium as a performance space.
Quality teching on lights and sound by Clare Talbot – who is mentoring some school children on lighting techniques – Danica Rickard and Andrew Kornnish.
For a very small ticket price you get almost three hours of fun and theatrical style that you may never have seen before. A student production, but with all the skill of a professional company. A cast of ‘thousands’ without a single weak link then sent us home with a massive song and dance routine. MOST enjoyable.
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