2014 Adelaide Fringe Festival; Freya Bennett: The Marvellous Reject Girl, music review

Melbourne-based singer, songwriter and artist Freya Bennett. Image: StarNow.

Marvellously Mellow by Linh

Freya Bennett is a Melbourne-based singer, songwriter and artist who made her Adelaide Fringe Festival debut at a pop-up venue called Tandanya Firefly, which is within the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute of Australia. Her show is titled The Marvellous Reject Girl, which is also the name of her debut album, and features all the songs, spoken word story and some of the photography from the album. The Marvellous Reject Girl is quirky and interesting blend of songs, spoken word, photography and a bit of astronomy.

Freya Bennett promotional photograph. Image: StarNow.

Bennett sings and plays the keyboard, while wonderfully supported throughout by a band comprised of cellist Helen, Nathan on drums and Harry the guitarist. Bennett’s singing voice is soft and mellifluous and she maintains the same sweetness and gentleness while reading the story about the marvellous reject girl and her cat named Mint. The story is written by Bennett’s friend Stefanie Markidis and it is cleverly woven into the show to link with the songs and the photography by American artist Sophie Pelligrini which is projected onto a large screen above the stage.

Night scene photography by Sophie Pelligrini. ©Sophie Pelligrini.

Capturing a contemplative and serene moment. ©Sophie Pelligrini.

All the songs from the show are beautifully sung and have common themes of loneliness, sadness, rejection and self-acceptance, but without sounding dreary or slow. The melodies are whimsical and the lyrics are optimistic, with an uplifting feel reminiscent of indie pop or soft rock ballads. 

Pelligrini’s photography is a mix of colour and black and white images, from night scenes to intimate moments and urban streetscapes, that are made more intriguing with some astronomical magic on the screen’s top left hand corner (audience’s right hand side). A large white ball hangs from the ceiling above the stage in front of the screen, and a projector reflects the photographs onto the screen. The large white ball blocks some of the photography, casting a black shadow onto the screen’s top left hand corner. This creates a lunar eclipse effect onto the screen and colours the white ball with parts of the photographs, making the ball look like the planet Earth. In other words, the projector acts like the sun, the white ball as Earth and the black shadow as the moon. This is apt as the performance was at night and lunar eclipses occur at night, thus creating a dreamy or romantic atmosphere for the show.  

Freya Bennett performing at the 2014 Adelaide Fringe Festival with her band members cellist Helen, drummer Nathan and guitarist Harry; featuring Sophie Pelligrini's photography onscreen with the lunar eclipse effect. Image: Facebook.

Freya Bennett and her band at the 2014 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: Facebook.

Bennett is a rising singer and songwriter to watch for in the future.  She is currently writing songs and collaborating with other artists for her second album. She is also a saxophonist, so it would be fun to hear her play saxophone on a few of her upcoming songs. Bennett also is an artist who designs, paints and draws for music albums, greeting cards, gifts and websites. She is a multi-talented and creative collaborator whose music reflects her own aspirations and personal goals in her life to bring people together with music and art.

Self-portrait by Freya Bennett. ©Freya Bennett.

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2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival- The Dark Garden art exhibition at The Tuxedo Cat, review

Paul McDermott presents his art exhibition The Dark Garden in The Tuxedo Cat at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: Rip It Up.

Bizarre Bewilderment by Linh

Before you even enter Paul McDermott’s new art exhibition called The Dark Garden, you are tempted and lured with words on the steps leading into his cavern of creativity. The words are welcoming and witty, cleverly arranged in rhyming couplets and lead the guests from the bright light of day into the dimly lit interior of The Tuxedo Cat. It may take a few seconds for the eyes to adjust but the ears are immediately sensing the atmospheric and soothing sounds courtesy of musician Stu Hunter. Hunter’s soundscape provides the ideal aural accompaniment to McDermott’s visual wonder that consists of paintings, drawings, prints and banners in The Dark Garden.

A Hippy Monster in the Emile Kirst story by Paul McDermott for his art exhibition The Dark Garden in The Tuxedo Cat at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: Paul McDermott.

The Dark Garden begins with an interactive story about the first day at a new school for a young boy named Emile Kirst. He notices something different about the other students and how he is different from them. Emile soon realises he is at a Monster School and at first feels frightened of the other students who all look scary, strange and spooky. However, he soon becomes friends with them. The story is told visually through paintings and drawings along the walls and on the ground. The guests must read the story, which is written in stanzas of rhyming couplets, according to the numbered “pages” found in and around The Dark Garden. Some of the monsters are reminiscent of the ones from Maurice Sendak’s book Where The Wild Things Are and that made the paintings and the story more enjoyable for me.

The little polar bear with its mother in The Ghost Bear story by Paul McDermott for his art exhibition The Dark Garden in The Tuxedo Cat at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: Paul McDermott.

After reading about Emile Kirst, guests can wander into the next part of The Dark Garden, about a young polar bear’s journey of self-discovery and finding his place in the big wide world. The artwork titled The Ghost Bear was inspired by the increased rate of polar ice caps melting in the Arctic and Knut the polar bear, born in captivity at the Berlin Zoological Garden. As a baby, Knut was rejected by his mother so the zookeepers raised him, and he soon became a media sensation. The Ghost Bear is a visual story with no words and all the images are printed onto large black, vertical panels that weave around in an S-shaped path. The images look ghostly and beautiful, especially on the smooth and silky surface of the black panels lit up by bright overhead lights.

The suicidal girl (Pia Miranda) in the short film The Girl Who Swallowed Bees written and directed by Paul McDermott for his art exhibition The Dark Garden in The Tuxedo Cat at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: Paul McDermott.

The final destination in The Dark Garden is the screening room where guests can sit and watch McDermott’s two short films that he wrote and directed. The theatre is small and intimate with the two short films The Scree and The Girl Who Swallowed Bees screening continuously, one after the other. The Scree, narrated by the late Ruth Cracknell, tells of how five friends set out together on a boating trip and they land on a mysterious island with fierce and savage flora and fauna. The terrifying beast called the Scree soon attacks them, and only one is brave and fast enough to escape. The second film, narrated by Hugo Weaving, is about a suicidal girl who has only felt pain and misery in her life so she imagines various ways to die. She decides to swallow bees so they can sting her to death from the inside. However, things do not go as planned. Both these films reflect the nature of life and death and the ways humans interact with nature. These themes are present in all of the artwork found in The Dark Garden and can be simultaneously sublime, ugly, fearsome and beautiful.

The Dark Garden art exhibition season has ended at the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

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2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival: Judith Lucy and Denise Scott in The Spiral; comedy review

Promotional poster for Judith Lucy’s and Denise Scott’s latest comedy show The Spiral. Image: Token Artists

Literary Laughs by Linh

Comedians Judith Lucy and Denise Scott have joined comic forces to not only share their own stories about themselves, but they share the stage in faux-nude dancing, singing and readings from their journals. Don’t assume *Judith Lucy and Denise Scott in The Spiral is a regular stand-up comedy routine show. Lucy and Scott unashamedly call it their literary event to sell their books about life’s spirals. Hence, the name of their show is all about life’s downwards spiral into shame, humiliation and self-loathing, yet all those disastrous experiences sound very funny in hindsight.

Lucy’s book called Drink, Smoke, Pass Out is where she bares her soul by embarking on a spiritual journey to seek happiness and meaning in life. Her stories of addiction to drugs and alcohol, and rejecting her Catholic upbringing carries all the trademarks of her savage and satiric humour, which all form part of her life’s spiral. Lucy refers to some of these aspects in this show with warts-and-all, droll honesty. Scott’s book, The Tour: A Memoir, is also about spiritual enlightenment, and is hilariously insightful as she discovers motherhood, intimacy, ageing and the joys of touring in a bus with young male comedians. Scott refers to some parts of her book in this show and delivers her comedy with pathos and self-deprecating humour.

Denise Scott and Judith Lucy in their interview with Jason Steger about their books for the latest comedy show The Spiral. Image: Token Artists

Lucy and Scott have done their homework by making references to Adelaide’s posh side of town, and amused themselves by asking about the ages of their audience, which ranged from 19 to over 60. Age shall not weary these two funny females nor will their comedy get old.

Highlights include a fully frank and outrageous conversation with literary critic Jason Steger on video; slow-stripping to ‘The Flower Duet’ from Delibes’ opera Lakmé; readings from their books in the faux-nude and audience interactions.

Lucy and Scott are two of Australia’s funniest and much-loved comedians whose humour appeals to all ages and both sexes. Their ability to easily make people laugh, more than proves their comedy credentials so Lucy and Scott can continue bringing the laughs for years to come if they wish.

*All of the remaining shows for Judith Lucy and Denise Scott in The Spiral have SOLD OUT for the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

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2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival- Kitty Flanagan: Hello Kitty Flanagan comedy review

Promotional poster for Kitty Flanagan's latest comedy show Hello Kitty Flanagan. Image: A-list Entertainment

Charismatic Kitty by Linh

Following her successful standup comedy show Charming and Alarming last year, Kitty Flanagan and her sister, Penny, return to the Adelaide Fringe Festival with her new comedy show called Hello Kitty Flanagan. This show is much funnier, topical, has fully-clothed burlesque dancing and Kitty duet-singing with Penny (who only appears in the final ten minutes). It also has nothing to do with the popular female white Japanese bobtail cat with the bow in its hair. However, Kitty does mention her own cat named Sarge and her dog named Henry.

Kitty shares some of the funniest and embarrassing moments about herself and her interactions with others. Some of the hilarious highlights include her bald and flaky-scalped ex-boyfriend’s unpleasant toilet habit, her generosity of apple-giving to a “mungry” homeless person, and her interview with a journalist on being a role model. These are only some of the humourous moments that have made Kitty realise her authenticity is being challenged, particularly her status as a single woman living alone with furry-children.

Kitty summed herself up as a “pain in the arse with too many rules”, which is why she reckons she’s still single. Kitty shares her thoughts and observations in an analytical and intellectual manner but it is all for laughs. She reckons having pets are better than having children, women in toilets should not be talking, and how lyrics in rap songs may be anti-women. Kitty has two songs that may not be rap or have prejudice lyrics, but they are very funny and Penny sings along while playing guitar. The songs, ‘Teach The World To Shut Up’ and ‘I Wish I Had Religion’, are the finale of a fantastic stand-up, dance-around, comedy show, and generally summarises Kitty’s clever and comical perspective on people, pets and human nature.

Kitty confidently espouses her wisdom on practically any subject and no topic is too hot for her to poke fun at or laugh about. She has made audiences guffaw with delight and attracted a fan base from her appearances on television shows The Project and Good News Week. However, she is at her best and most animated when performing live on stage. Kitty is the thinking person’s comedian who also likes to laugh at the absurdities in life, and she happily shares these thoughts if you like rapid-fire wit delivered with side-splitting humour.

Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan sing in their latest comedy show Hello Kitty Flanagan. Image: Edible Garbage TV
Visit Kitty Flanagan's website:
Official Kitty Flanagan website 

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Who: Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan

What: Hello Kitty Flanagan – stand-up comedy, some dancing and singing

Where: The Royalty Theatre

When:
7, 8, 9 March at 7pm
10 March at 6pm

Price: $37 on 7 March; $42 on 8, 9, 10 March

Running Time: 1 hour

2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival: Michelle and the Gentlemen’s Club (The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel)

Left to right: Alex Wignall, Chris Neale, Max García-Underwood, Milush Piochaud and Michelle Pearson. Image: Ali & Rocky Feo of Photografeo.

Dynamic Debut by Linh

Adelaide singer/songwriter Michelle Pearson has been entertaining audiences for the last fifteen years, but has always been a support act or team player in stage musicals, revues, concerts and cabaret performances. In 2013 at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Pearson made her debut as a solo singer and she was fantastic. Backed up by an orchestra and a rock band, plus a trio of backing vocalists, Pearson rocked the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel with her powerful vocals.

The venue was packed to capacity with some audience members having to stand throughout the show. Pearson was apologetic for the inconvenience in the lack of seating but showed her appreciation that so many people turned up to support her debut show. The show was divided into two parts, the first being classic rock, jazz and soul ballads and the second was musicals, cabaret and contemporary songs. Pearson shared some hilarious moments in her life that included how music shaped her personal tastes and how some songs have helped her overcome personal crises. Pearson never disappoints when it comes to belting out her favourite Cold Chisel songs like her rendition of the song ‘Flame Trees’ or grooving with her backup singers in a soulful rendition of Dusty Springfield’s ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’.

In the second part of the show, Pearson enthralled the audience with her musical theatre talents for the song ‘On My Own’ from the musical Les Miserables. She will also be performing in the upcoming musical The Little Shop Of Horrors in April 2013 at the Shedley Theatre with her backup singers, so she sang a rollicking number from the musical with them. Musical theatre songs continued as Pearson beautifully sang a gentle and stirring duet with Mark Oates called ‘With You’ from Ghost: The Musical that was adapted from the film.

Pearson has shown she has the confidence and talent to be a solo singer and performer in her own right, and she has more shows during the Adelaide Fringe Festival for those who enjoyed her performance and wishes to see her in a variety of shows. Check out the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Programme Guide or visit the website for more details.

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Michelle Pearson Music

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2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival- It's Back

Promotional poster for the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: www.adelaidefringe.com.au

With two more weeks to go for the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival, there are still plenty of performances from all around the world to enjoy. I like to be surprised by the unexpected, so the unusual and bizarre acts at the Adelaide Fringe Festival are a fun alternative. Although I love comedy and theatre the most, I am also inclined to attend some music shows, burlesque performances or visual art exhibitions. There is so much to choose from that it may be a bit overwhelming. However, sometimes attending a show without any prior knowledge about it or without reading any reviews on it, may turn out to be one of your Fringe highlights.

Besides being extended for another week, this year's Adelaide Fringe Festival has embraced the "pop up venue" concept, which are makeshift temporary performance spaces made available especially for Fringe acts and artists. This is a wonderful idea that not only allows more artists to perform their show, but also helps attract more visitors to Adelaide, hence brings in more money to boost the state economy.

Hope everyone has fun this year at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and return again next time, which may be even bigger and better than the last.

Cheers!

2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival; Oleanna by David Mamet review

David Mamet's play Oleanna returns to the Adelaide Fringe Festival for a limited season, starring Guy Masterson and Joanne Hartstone. Image: C.I.T.

Power Play by Linh

Playwright David Mamet's powerful and thought-provoking drama Oleanna returns to the Adelaide Fringe Festival after its sell-out season in 2009. Director, writer, actor Guy Masterson's Centre for International Theatre (C.I.T) presents four shows only this year and Adelaide actress Joanne Hartstone co-stars with Masterson in this gripping and critically acclaimed masterpiece concerning gender politics, exploitation and freedom of expression. Carol is a struggling and frustrated university student who seeks assistance from her unconventional Professor and he invites her into his office to discuss her assignment. Her Professor is on the brink of tenure and their sessions are constantly interrupted by phone calls from his wife. Beginning with opposing ideas and differences of opinions, their meeting results in very subtle touching and physical embracing from her Professor.

Oleanna presents both sides of the arguments regarding a young woman's right to feel, think and act freely without being under the patriarchal power of a male, whereas the Professor feels he is being unfairly implicated as a "rapist" and allegedly abused his power and position to sexually exploit her. The issues are somewhat context-driven and each side of the argument is presented through the strong characterisation and solid performances from Joanne Hartstone as Carol and Guy Masterson's portrayal of the Professor. The minimalist setting of the play keeps the focus on the characters' interaction and is brilliantly staged to keep the audience engaged through the use of ambiguity in dialogue and explosive emotionally-charged outbursts from both characters.


Hartstone is superb as the seemingly naive yet strong-willed student Carol with an enquiring mind whose eagerness to learn, lands her in an epic power struggle with her Professor. Interestingly, Carol's clothing reflects her growing confidence and defiance against her Professor, starting off with a singlet top and skirt in the First Act and by the Third Act, she is in pants and cardigan/jacket as though transgressing from a feminine appearance to a masculine countenance. Guy Masterson is equally powerful as the Professor and his character straddles between adhering to the professional conduct as an educator and being a friend to his student.

Oleanna demonstrates how easily words and actions can be misconstrued and misunderstood. Throughout the play, the phrase "I don't understand" is repeated by both characters at various stages, perhaps to reveal a disconnect between them, or as a subconscious rejection of the other's viewpoint and an attempt to impose their own views upon the other as a form of power or influence. This is one of Mamet's most controversial and divisive plays and definitely one of his best.

DRAMATIC DIVIDE: Guy Masterson and Joanne Hartstone star in David Mamet's play Oleanna at the 2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: C.I.T.



Follow Guy Masterson's C.I.T. Theatre Tours International on Twitter:
@TheatreToursInt

Visit Guy Masterson's C.I.T websites:
Theatre Tours International Official Page

Centre for International Theatre Official Page


WHO: Oleanna by David Mamet

WHAT: Theatre, Drama play

WHERE: Higher Ground (Main Theatre), 9 Light Square, Adelaide

WHEN:
All shows begin at 2:30pm.
6, 12 and 13 March

PRICE: (no concession):
All tickets $23.00

RUNNING TIME: 2 hours including two (15 minutes and 5 minutes) intervals

2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival review; Peter Helliar’s World of Balls (preview)

Peter Helliar's World of Balls bounces into the 2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: Roger Cummins.


Ballsy Banter by Linh

Peter Helliar’s comedy show at last year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival, The Dreamboat Tour, dealt with personal topics and family matters. This year, Helliar returns with more things that stir up passion, frustration, and laughter – sport. It would be familiar territory for Helliar, as he recently completed a season of the sports-based comedy television quiz show The Trophy Room for ABC1, which received strong support from viewers. Peter Helliar’s World of Balls allows him to combine two of his loves in life, sport and comedy. Australians love their sport and Peter Helliar’s World of Balls is guaranteed to attract attention, even without the help of Helliar’s alter-ego Bryan ‘Strauchanie’ Strauchan.

Everything about Peter Helliar’s World of Balls is sporty, from the music playing while the audience streams into the venue (Pat Benatar’s All Fired Up and Chariots of Fire by Vangelis), to Helliar’s energetic and funny delivery of sports stars and their follies. Helliar kicks goals from start to finish in this show and keeps the audience enthralled with hilarious observations of past and present sporting scandals, controversies, triumphs and tragedies. There is no need to be an armchair expert on sport as Helliar provides quick explanations behind the stories and finds the humour embedded in the seriousness of some of the incidents. From gender and racial issues to politics, Helliar covers the extent of how sport can just as easily divide a nation as it can unite its people.

Helliar muses about the sporting dreams and devastation of Australian champions such as hurdler Sally Pearson, super-swimmer Geoff Huegill, rugby league’s John Hopoate, and freestyle skier Jacqui Cooper. Not all the sports mentioned in Helliar’s comedy show involves balls on the court/field/stadium or between men’s legs. Sometimes the balls represent an athlete’s courage/battle against the odds (he/she’s got balls), or figuratively represents a fantastic and exciting experience (we had a ball). Whichever way it’s interpreted, there is no doubt Peter Helliar’s World of Balls will leave you in stitches, particularly as he amusingly evokes the passion shared among many around the world who love their sport. Helliar carries the entire hour of stand up comedy with his usual panache and comedic creativity that clearly resonates with the audience, making Peter Helliar’s World of Balls a must-see.


Follow Peter Helliar on Twitter:
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WHO: Peter Helliar’s World of Balls

WHAT: Stand up comedy performance, audience interaction

WHERE: The Umbrella Revolution in the Garden of Unearthly Delights

WHEN: Previews have concluded.
All shows begin at 8:15pm.

PRICE: Ticket prices vary according to dates (no concession):
$32: 22,23, 24 and 27 February
$35: 25 and 26 February

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour

2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival review; Ali McGregor-Something Old, Something New

Ali McGregor brings her show Something Old, Something New to the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: www.alimcgregor.com


Something Scintillating by Linh

Operatic soprano, cabaret/jazz/burlesque performer Ali McGregor is a frequent visitor to Adelaide, bringing her shows to the Adelaide Cabaret and Fringe Festivals in the past. After her critically-acclaimed show Jazz Cigarettes, Ali McGregor returns to Adelaide with her latest concoction of Something Old, Something New. McGregor could only squeeze in a weekend of two matinee performances due to her hectic schedule being a mum to her baby girl and currently is in the middle of rehearsals for the operetta The Merry Widow.

In McGregor’s sold-out show Jazz Cigarettes she was smoking hot, but in Something Old, Something New she is scintillating. Her show brings together some popular jazz standards with mash-ups of contemporary pop songs and blues. Between songs, Ali would engage with the audience in her current frustrations about being unprepared for the unusual wet weather in Adelaide, her love of blues singers such as Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and her childhood interpretations of songs which now, as an adult, still has a long-lasting effect on her.

McGregor’s opening number The Man I Love, is delivered with titillating sensuousness and could be a heartfelt dedication to her husband and comedian/presenter Adam Hills (who is stuck inside a hotel room nursing a dreadful cold), while her next song is a jazzed-up homage to Soft Cell’s hit Tainted Love. McGregor dedicated Little Girl Blues by Nina Simone, to her little girl, delivering the song with soothingly smooth vocals and tenderness.

Other highlights of her show include a Santana-inspired rendition of Madonna’s single La Isla Bonita; a wildly outrageous and sexed-up rendition of Britney Spears’ Oops I Did It Again; I Was Made For Loving You by Kiss gets the blues treatment, and a fantastic mash-up combining Fly Me To The Moon with Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive.

McGregor was superbly supported by a trio of masterful musicians, with Matthew Carey on the piano, lovely Alana Dawes keeping the harmonies flowing on the double bass and Barnabas Smith held the rhythm and beats on percussion/drums. Although this was a matinee show, there were still some younger audience members who enjoyed most of the eclectic range of songs. Something Old, Something New is another showcase for the wonderful vocals of the talented and gorgeous Ali McGregor who will soon be completing her album Jazz Cigarettes in the next few months.

The season for Something Old, Something New has concluded.




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2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival review; Emma Horwood – Songs of Middle-Earth

Middle-Earth Melodies by Linh

Emma Horwood performs Songs Of Middle-Earth at the 2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: emmahorwood.com.au



Local soprano and harpist Emma Horwood’s Songs of Middle-Earth is one of two shows inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Lord Of The Rings being performed at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival. The other is the theatre comedy One Man Lord Of The Rings starring Charles Ross (One Man Star Wars Trilogy).


In Horwood’s show, she seamlessly blends her singing with harp and short readings from specific chapters in Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings and sets her songs to the poetry in Tolkien’s book. Horwood selects poems in the order they appear in The Fellowship of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King, and links each reading with a song.
With the exception of the first and last songs in the programme, all the words in the songs are from Tolkien’s book. Founder and director of The Adelaide Chamber Singers,Carl Crossin, arranged and set the music for the poem Elbereth. The other songs are composed by Australians Helen Cartridge, Judith Clingan and Andrew Close, with music by English composers Donald Swann and Stephen Oliver. Horwood transcribed Oliver’s music and arranged any music not written for the harp to create an aural journey, enabling the audience to experience the wonders in Tolkien’s fantasy world of Middle-Earth.

Emma Horwood sings and plays the harp during her show Songs Of Middle-Earth at the 2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: Linh Chameleon.


Horwood’s dark forest green dress represents the luscious greenery and beauty of the hills, dales and forests depicted in Tolkien’s book and the earthiness of the many characters from hobbits to elves. Her harp and music stand are entwined with green vines to create the sight and sounds of being in a forest glade where Tolkien’s elves would sing, dance, eat and drink in merriment.

Horwood holds the audience in silent hypnotic awe with her angelic voice and harp-playing in the intimate Radford Auditorium. The music seems to transport the listener to the magical world of Tolkien’s fictional Middle-Earth as inhabited by characters that were depicted in director Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of The Lord of The Rings. Songs Of Middle-Earth is for fans of Tolkien’s books as well as those who love classical music, and for anyone who enjoys the talents of a sublime performer such as Emma Horwood.

Emma Horwood reads passages from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings during her show Songs Of Middle-Earth at the 2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: Linh Chameleon.


Visit Emma Horwood's website:
Emma Horwood: Harpist and Soprano

WHO: Emma Horwood- Songs Of Middle-Earth

WHAT: Solo performance, classical singing, harp playing, book reading

WHERE: Radford Auditorium at the Art Gallery of South Australia

WHEN: 3pm show – 20 February
7pm show – 27 February

PRICE: Adults - $22
Concession - $18

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour and 15 minutes

2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival review; Felicity Ward – Honestly (preview)

Hilariously Honest by Linh

Felicity Ward opens up and bares her soul in her new comedy show Honestly. Image: laughingstock.com.au

You may have been to Felicity Ward’s (The Ronnie Johns Half Hour, Good News Week) previous shows like Ugly As A Child or Felicity Ward Reads From The Book Of Moron, but in her latest comedy show, Honestly, Ward opens up her personal treasure chest of emotions and insecurities for laughs. Honestly, as her show title, possibly sums up her approach to life, love and laughter.
Ward’s show is a blend of stand-up comedy, characterisations, impersonations, music, singing and audience participation. Metaphorically stripping herself of all inhibitions, Ward shows she has all the self-confidence and comic ability to deliver laughs with plenty of flair and great comic timing. No story is too private to share and no-one is safe from her eagle eyes scanning the audience during her show.


Honestly is riotous fun and is as entertaining for the audience as it is cathartic for Ward about her personal moments of humiliation and rejection by a teenage crush, her skin-peeling experience, some handy advice from her family members, and the reason behind her skinny figure.
The highlights are when Ward tackles technology in creative and engaging ways with the audience. Expect some form of participation (a volunteer from the audience is required) in her anti-synthesised vocals segment in a backlash against the weird synthesised voice pioneered by Cher in her hit song Believe. The use of an iTunes app plus crazy lyrics by Ward as she duets with a willing participant is a fabulous spectacle.

Mostly during her show Honestly, we discover why Ward is the way she is and how she has come to accept her flaws and weaknesses. Honesty is the best policy and Ward shows it’s also a sure-fire method to generate laughter and not to take yourself too seriously. Your adventures at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival would be incomplete unless you include Felicity Ward’s Honestly on your itinerary.


Follow Felicity Ward on Twitter:
@felicityward



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Buy Fringe Tickets:
Adelaide Fringe Ticketing




WHO: Felicity Ward - Honestly

WHAT: Comedy, music, interactive segments/audience participation

WHERE: Le Cascadeur in the Garden of Unearthly Delights

WHEN: All shows start at 7:30pm
Previews – 16, 17 February
Cheap Tuesdays: 22 February and 1, 8 March
Regular price shows: 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 February and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 March

PRICE: Cheap Tuesdays – All Shows $20
Regular Prices - Adults: $25
Concession: $20

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour