|
|
 |
Feast Round Up.
There was a sense of intimacy noted during FEAST that tied in
most appropriately with this year's theme of family. Not only
did we see the return of familiar events such as Megadrag, Bearstock,
the garden tours, literary talks and Picnic In The Park, but
a sense of comfort and ease pervaded this season.
Following on from previous successes, Steven Dawson's cheekily irreverent Melbourne based theatre company returned yet again with 'Four Queens In Hawaiian Shirts'. For the diva fans, look-alike Belinda Lemon's 'Outrageously Divine' tribute to Miss M. returned with dancers (The Harlettes), played to a full house, but due, no doubt, to the recent tour by the Divine One herself, the response was perhaps a little more muted than last year. Local talent and identities were well supported in the 'opportunity knocks' cabaret of Shine and Brenda Baklava's 'It's All About Me'.
It's good to see classical music performances have made their way back this year, via - in part - to a new and exciting arrangement between FEAST and Recitals Australia. Pianists were to the fore - the famed virtuoso Michael Kieran Harvey in a thoughtful performance of Beethoven's mighty contrapuntal fest - the 'Hammerklavier'. After this marathon he returned to present a programme of contemporary Australian works (Vine, Hair and Ford) often written specifically for this amazing pianist. Renate Turrini along with Harpology will take over Pilgrim Church to perform music by Rachmaninov, Ravel and more.
As in previous years, Filmfeast proved to have often sold out events with many would be patrons being turned away. In a programme that featured the urbane, historical, documentaries and dramas, the highlights were the camp soap 'Sordid Lives' featuring our own Livvy, and yet another return to Baltimore for the zany director John Waters ('Hairspray', 'Pink Flamingos' and 'Serial Mom') and last year's sex farce cum social metaphor 'A Dirty Shame'. Featuring as an eclectic a cast as ever (Tracey Ullmann, Chris Isaaks and even Patty Hearst!), this not very subtle sex-weirdo Martians invade Baltimore provides an over-the-top satire on right wing US religious conservatism under Bush.
It is pleasing to note that the idea of family seen in response to Brian North's 'It's All About Me' was also present in the warm and welcoming introductions provided by artistic director Fanny Jacobsen and board president Iain Henderson throughout the Festival. This hands-on sense of intimacy and community involvement can only re-enforce the tolerance of the Adelaide community and their responses not only to the arts, but also to themselves.
Brett Allen-Bayes
Pic: Belinda Lemon
|
|
The latest issue
available now!
|
