Mrs Brown Rides Again

Brisbane Entertainment centre

March 22^nd 2014

 

Brendan O'Carroll as Mrs Brown

In 1992 in Ireland, a little-known pub comic and his partner had secured a four-minute radio comedy spot in which the writer had planned to create a radio serial based upon a typical widowed Irish Mammy and her adult children. However as the small ensemble prepared to record the first shows, news came through that the middle-aged actress booked to play the lead character, Agnes Brown, had taken ill and wouldn’t make the recording session. In a moment of combined desperation and genius, Brendan O’Carroll raised his voice up a tone and read the lines himself … and an international comedy icon was born.

Of course it would take some years, a lot of gumption and no doubt many a sleepless night to get Mrs Brown’s Boys to the TV screens and to achieve the worldwide success that it enjoys today. There is little doubt that the caustic-tongued Irish widow has “made it” … and this week it was Brisbane’s turn to experience first-hand the razor sharp wit of the dysfunctional family Brown and their cardigan-wearing, hanky-clutching Mammy in Mrs Brown Rides Again.

I’ve heard fellow cast-members (including the star’s actual wife, Jennifer Gibney) talk of how they work in a state of constant “fear” on stage of his “rabbit trap-fast wit” and his penchant for throwing in ad-lib lines and actions. Regular viewers of his TV series will remember countless outrageous moments when even the cast can’t maintain a straight face, let alone the crew or the live studio audience. Mrs Brown’s devotees were not to be disappointed when, in their thousands this past weekend, they streamed into the vast Brisbane Entertainment Centre to witness this comedy phenomena live on stage.

From the moment the lights dim and the dumpy housewife with a laugh like a machine gun first appears to the curtain call and standing ovation, some two and a half hours later, one just can’t stop laughing. Many of the gags and storylines we can now recognise from the various TV episodes but that somehow doesn’t detract from their magic when presented live. I heard Sinatra sing on the radio and on recordings for decades … but nothing prepared me for actually seeing him live.

The ad-libs came fast and furious – poor Rory Cowan (one of O’Carroll’s longest associates) could barely speak when he sat down with his dear ole mammy for a “serious” chat” … and she interjected with: “First, I’ve got a bum joke for you!” … And proceeded with telling the joke! Priceless! Cowan was in tears with laughter – O’Carroll sat there looking as innocent as a babe and the ten-thousand strong crowd just lapped it up. “I remember writing this scene” he innocently quipped as his co-star tried desperately to compose himself sufficiently to speak … “and it didn’t go for this long!” More laughter.

O’Caroll’s real-life sister Eilish O’Carroll, plays the winsome neighbour, Winnie McGoogen and, like the other much-loved members of his immediate family, he appears to take great delight in throwing her concentration on stage – much to the amusement of the hugely adoring audience. Then there’s poor Gary Hollywood who (at the performance I saw) copped no fewer than four solid whacks around the ears with a folded up tea towel in his ever-suffering role of Dino (Rory’s partner).

Brendan O’Carroll’s is an inspiring story – the young waiter from Finglas, Ireland who found he had a gift for making people laugh. Who grew up in tough times –and somehow managed to avoid the perils that often befall bored schoolboys trapped in harsh housing estates. However he and his ten siblings were brought up by a tough Mammy with a heart of solid gold and who was no doubt, the principal inspiration for his on-screen persona.

In his programme introduction, O’Carroll pays homage to one of his (and my) greatest theatrical heroes, Dame Edna Everage (AKA Barry Humphries). In my humble blog, I pay homage to Mr O’Carroll: for following a dream with all the determination of a starving bull-mastiff with a dropped sausage – for not listening to the “nay-sayers” and for believing in his “inner-mammy” and bringing his beautiful sense of lunacy to the World. It’s wonderfully entertaining; it’s uplifting … it’s feckin hilarious! 

The Unexpected Guest

Gold Coast Little Theatre

Saturday 25^th January 2014

  

Of her 17 published plays, Dame Agatha Christie listed The Unexpected Guest among her favourites - the intriguing tale of a stranded traveller, looking to use a phone late one foggy evening in May. As he approaches the Warwick’s grand country home he happens upon an attractive young lady in the dark, holding a gun and standing over the body of her wealthy but not terribly popular, husband. In typical Christie style, the challenge is to guess “whodunit” before the big revelation in the final scene. I must agree with the playwright … this plot line is a corker!

And so, a very appropriate way for the Gold Coast Little Theatre to begin its 2014 season – with a most enjoyable production of The Unexpected Guest. Director Andrew Trump has made the curious decision to set the piece, written and set originally in the late 1950s, in the modern day. While that works on the whole (and the very thought of the late Ms Christie banging out the word “E-mail” on her old Royal typewriter amuses me no end) … it’s a little hard to ignore the fact that none of the characters have mobile phones. The detective awaits calls from the station on the victim’s landline – the “unexpected guest”, having bogged his car, seeks out a phone to call for a tow truck. I sometimes wonder if re-setting a period piece in the modern day is actually a creative device to make an old script more appealing to a contemporary audience … or if it’s just laziness. However it appears, as far as the story goes anyway, to have worked in this instance - even if it does seem to diminish some of the magic (and dare I say the suspense) of the classic nature of such a play.

Jimmy Odenbreit & Marja-Liisa Rintala

In the title role is a local actor, who has been building up quite an impressive body of work over recent years, Jimmy Odenbreit. Mr Odenbreit’s performance is invigorating and thoroughly believable. He gazes around the stage as if he’s never been there before - every word he speaks is as though he’s just thought of it and is saying it for the very first time. Marja-Liisa Rintala plays the grieving widow beautifully and cleverly allows the audience to see the performance within her performance. These two develop quite a rapport in the first act as he attempts to help her cover what he assumes to be her abhorrent crime … or does he?

The remaining seven members of the cast play their respective roles well – their characters clearly defined. As difficult as these “catalogue of clues” type of plays can be to follow, I found that I missed none of the important facts. (I am proud to boast that I managed to accurately “finger” the murderer quite early in the second act.) Before moving away from the cast, I should mention Mitchell Walsh in the role of the “slow” son, Jan - another most believable and enjoyable performance from this young QUT student.

The stage set by Michael Sutton is superb – the polished timber floor (hand painted I believe) is a triumph of scenic art. While I found the lighting a little flat in places (although I accept that it’s not easy to back light actors when they are sat hard against the set wall) I think that technically, this production over-all is strong.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to the GCLT for 2014 and I would confidently recommend The Unexpected Guest to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and a quality night at the Theatre. See if you can follow the clues and work out “whodunit!”

Glenn T

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Lyric Theatre, QPAC

21^st November, 2013

Some 45 years since the release of the now classic feature film of the same name, staring the irrepressible Dick Van Dyke, Sally Anne Howes (and, would you believe, Australia’s Sir Robert Helpman as the Child Catcher?) the modern stage incarnation of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has finally made it to Brisbane. Wrapping up a successful Australian tour for 2013, it’s been a long and probably quite exhausting run for the company. The show has received a huge amount of publicity, even some glowing accolades but frankly, I struggle to see what all the fuss is about.

Clearly James Bond creator, Ian Flemming had a “thing” for lavish cars with fanciful gadgets and he let his imagination run wild with his series of short stories (originally entitled: “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – The Magical Car”) that he penned for his son and first published in 1964. The stories centred on a derelict old car (based upon a real English Derby winner) found rusting at a junkyard, being faithfully restored by “inventor extraordinaire” Caractacus Potts. Acclaimed Children’s author Roald Dahl combined the stories into one and added a few of his own touches when he adapted the curious tales of “Chitty” for the 1968 movie.

By his own admission, stage writer Jeremy Sams said: “the film is definitely the show’s starting point. Roald Dahl’s screenplay had moved things on a long way from Flemming’s original and I think we have moved things on further still.” * The problems I have with this stage script are that it is very thin, almost pantomime in its style and it’s two clear stories. I’d have been quite happy to have gone home at interval - the tale of an old car, its racing history, its impending doom and its spectacular resurrection, had been told by the end of Act I. Act II was another adventure all together and one, to be honest, that felt just a little drawn out and superfluous at times.

However, having said that, this is a delightful cast who work very hard to convincingly maintain some pretty thin characters for almost 2½ hours of performance. Rachael Beck (with whom I worked on Home & Away many years ago!) is thoroughly divine as Miss Truly Scrumptious. I think her voice (which has always been beautiful) just continues to improve with every show in which she appears. David Hobson plays Potts, the inventor. Again, this role suits his stunning tenor voice and his slightly over-played operatic acting style.

A standout amongst the company is wonderfully animated Jennifer Vuletic as the narcissistic, child-loathing Baroness Bomburst. Sadly she’s set against a somewhat two-dimensional Shane Bourne as the Baron, who looked and sounded a little out of place within such a vibrant company. Dana Jolly’s high-octane choreography certainly keeps the ensemble fit and the show’s momentum up whilst the audio, at times, lets it down as some of the spoken dialogue is almost incomprehensible under the otherwise stirring live music.

It is said that the creation of the famed flying Mercedes has become the most expensive theatre prop in all history … and one can see why. It really makes for a delightful piece of theatre magic and when it quite literally “takes off” late in the first act, there is a palpable gasp of anticipation and delight from within the auditorium. It’s just a shame that having “fired that cannon”, there was nowhere left for it to go throughout the entire second act. It’s a shame there wasn’t just one more trick up its manifold to impress again as the intelligent automobile steps in and saves the day at the story’s climax.

Like the magical car, the sets and costumes (by British designer Anthony Ward) are bold and vibrant. The costumes a study in colour and lines - the backdrops created with an interesting perspective. However it seems that they blew all their money before all the sets had been built. It struck me as peculiar that the finale of the show, allegedly set in the Baron’s castle, where the cast actually refer to the “happy ending” … and yet they play the entire scene against standard blacks. Not the effervescent final image I’d have expected from a production of this calibre. A production that had, in earlier scenes, utilised such attractive stage sets, superb costumes and some dead-impressive “invention” props.

As I said at the start, this is not so much a grand, family Musical in the style of Mary Poppins but more a lavish and long Pantomime without the audience interaction. If you can convince your children to sit still for 2½ hours without getting bored and restless (I have to admit that I struggled) then I’d concede that it’s fun, harmless family entertainment but not something I’d rush back to see for a second time.

Glenn T

* History Notes by Mark Fox

The Grand

The Space – The Arts Centre, Gold Coast

14^th November 2013

 

The Arts Centre, Gold Coast runs a season of Independent Theatre upstairs in The Space each year. All are fascinating new works: all are the culmination of months (if not years) of hard work: all are enjoyable theatre experiences. The latest Indi-production by Writer / Producer Victoria Carless is no exception.

"The Grand" *

The Grand is, she tells us in her program notes, about “belonging” … “the unique feeling we get in a place that is both at once comforting and familiar, strangely steeped in memories”. As one might expect, The Grand was once a vibrant, beautifully appointed seaside hotel. But times have changed … the tourists have moved on and The Grand no longer enjoys the influx of excited holidaymakers at the start of each much-anticipated summer season. However one dark evening, there is a knock at the front door and there stands a solitary figure, Euginia - a seemingly shy young girl, offering her services to the stately and unwelcoming manageress, Matilda.

Eugina manages to talk her way into refuge for the “one evening only” … but stays. She learns the ropes: how to make a bed, clean a floor, hand-wash blood from a sheet. Of course, she must never go behind the desk – that is Matilda’s domain.

There is no assuming that this is a story in the traditional sense because, although there is a clear beginning, there really is no end … that, Ms Carless cunningly leaves up to the audience to decide. Interestingly, after the show, I chatted over a glass of bubbles with a number of friends and colleagues also in the audience for the Opening Night performance. Amusingly, we all came up with different scenarios for the play’s outcome – different explanations for what had just happened. Basically, we all had seen different shows. And I suggest that is precisely the writer’s bold intention.

Tammy Wheeler and Anna Mowry * 

Tammy Wheeler plays the young itinerant superbly. Her sweet innocence clearly belies an underlying intention – although that intention is never quite allowed to surface. Anita Mowry is lovely as the matriarchal proprietor of the majestic establishment with (one may assume) spare pillows, a blanket and a skeleton in every closet.

Director, Lisa Smith has blocked the piece beautifully – her use of half-speed, slightly stilted movement, to pass time and blanket scene changes, is most effective. There is clearly a nice rapport between these characters and a cleverly developed fascination with their very being that never seems to wane.

The set design by Luke Ede is charming: simple but again, very effective. The detail in the finishing is simply stunning. Michael Bunen’s carefully considered lighting gives the stage a beautiful, eerie feeling of a fading, but glorious past – for both the tired establishment and the ladies toiling within it.

So is Euginia is really an innocent traveller … or is there an ulterior motive to her unannounced arrival? And is Matilda just a cold old woman protecting a catalogue of family secrets … or are they just two little girls playing a game of “make believe”? We’ll never know … and that’s what precisely makes this play such a clever piece of contemporary theatre.

Glenn T.

* Images by Aaron Ashley

www.theartscentregc.com.au