A cowlick of a fringe
Posted by cacophony in : Entertainment , 1 comment so far
“Bob is an average insecure penis,” begins the Melbourne Fringe Festival’s synopsis for puppet play Tyrannosaurus sex. Bob the knob may be average but the Fringe is definitely not.
This year’s festival has the usual unusual smattering of experimental, post-post-modern, kitsch and just plain weird music, art and theatre but also has a strong puppetry bent and includes a children’s program for the first time.
Spring is my favourite time of the year to be in Melbourne and the Fringe is a big part of that. It’s a theatre of risk: the artists are doing non-bankable works that are often self-funded (and in the case of neon-bulb swallower Manx, really bloody dangerous) but the audience takes a risk, too. Fringe shows are mostly one-offs, and hit-and-miss depending on which show you attend.
But for about $12 a pop, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.
Mea culpa
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 10 commentsThis is an apology to all the naysayers who told me I was an idiot for falling in love so quickly a couple of months ago. You said I should exercise caution, I didn’t.
He broke my heart. Right you were.
Happy now?
Is it wrong to root for the other team?
Posted by cacophony in : Sport & Leisure , 8 comments 
Sporting allegiances tend to be set by your parents, where you grew up and who with, or by virtue of a star player at the time you were most excited by the sport.
I must have missed something. My parents are not great sports fans and I moved around too much as a kid to have a region-based team (or for that matter, any particular sport to follow) and my crush on Tony Modra (Adelaide Crows, early 1990s) faded as quickly as his chromium trading card lost value. (Aside: In retrospect, I should have held onto that card. It’s probably worth a lot of money now.)
Don’t get me wrong, I like sport. I just don’t support anyone in particular.
This makes me a particularly underdressed fairweather friend. I’m happy to go along with rabid fans of any persuasion and wear any scarf they want to lend me. Last weekend, I watched Geelong beat Collingwood at the MCG, wearing a singing Cats scarf to support my friend Greg. In the last few minutes, three goals up, the big Cats were playing very petty football. They had a couple of shots on goal but instead kicked the football back and forth, wasting time until the siren. It was a cheap way to win and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Greg, however, was rapt the Cats had slain the Magpies whichever way they could.
Which brings me to tonight’s Rugby game: New Zealand is playing Australia in Auckland. Even though I’m a proud Aussie and I’ve never even been to kiwiland, I’m going for the All Blacks because I think they play better. I go for them because they make the game great.
Does that make me unAustralian?
The music of the night
Posted by cacophony in : Entertainment , 5 comments 
Actors are a superstitious lot. I guess it must be a symptom of the unpredictable nature of the theatre. If I worked in an industry where so much could go so badly wrong with one slip-up, I think I’d be wary too. So it was with some pleasure that I noted the Princess Theatre had left a box empty for the opening night of The Phantom of the Opera on Thursday.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic modern musical breathes new life into the 1886 theatre with lavish costumes, strong vocal and musical performances, pyrotechnics and constantly surprising staging. It is as bewitching and intricate as the Opera Ghost himself.
Phantom veteran Anthony Warlow is captivating in the lead role, backed up by a strong and enthusiastic cast from which Andrea Creighton as Carlotta is a clear standout. Ana Maria plays the Phantom’s love interest Christine a little too demurely and as a result, she pales next to the other leads during group scenes.
The production makes excellent use of the intimate and ornate Princess Theatre, using levels and lighting to show changes in space and time, and electronic props glide on and off stage to set the scene. Fireworks add drama and spectacle, and the chandelier that is almost itself a character, is mobile, suspended from the ceiling by pulleys.
Phantom is a challenging play and this production demands a lot of its cast and crew. One confounding costume and set change takes place in less than 30 seconds during the first act, and poor Christine is either singing or swooning for the better part of the evening. But save for one minor “wardrobe malfunction”, opening night was without fault.
The Phantom of the Opera is on at the Princess Theatre until at least late November. Tickets are $69.90-$99.90 from www.ticketek.com.au
Details: www.thephantomoftheopera.com.au
The most frightening four letter word?
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 19 comments
Sorry I haven’t been around for a few weeks, guys. I’ve been busy; falling in love.
My new beau, Darren, is an extraordinary fellow. He’s smart, funny, caring, drop dead gorgeous and keen on me. I’m the kind of girl who falls in love at the drop of a hat but a broken heart or seven have taught me to exercise caution. We’ve been going out for a month.
I know that I’m falling in love with him. He can probably tell. But at some point, you need to say it.
So when is the right time to use the “L” word?
A day for every occasion?
Posted by cacophony in : Making News , 4 comments 
We all recognise the importance of events like Red Nose Day and Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea but do you think having a day for every cause has gone too far?
In my inbox today is a press release announcing Check Your Home Loan Day. On that day, you’re supposed to compare your rate with the other home loans on offer. How ridiculous!
Rain or shine
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 11 comments 
Do you prefer the rain or the sunshine? Me, I’m a rain girl. I love nothing more than to listen to the sound of rain on the roof, watch it trickle down the window, walk through it, dance in it; thrust my head back and feel it on my eyelids and taste it on my tongue.
And I love the way the city smells clean after rain, how much more give my garden soil has, how clean my car gets and how the tram tracks squeak under my tyres.
But I was never one for excessive sunshine. What about you?
I’m sorry
Posted by cacophony in : Making News , 26 comments 
There it is. It’s National Sorry Day tomorrow and I am truly sorry.
John Howard says he won’t say sorry to the Aboriginal people because it leaves the Federal Government open to legal action. Me? I think the removal of people from their families and subsequent neglect leaves governments open to legal action anyway. And so it should. If the courts believe that Aboriginal people deserve compensation, us taxpayers deserve to foot the bill - just like we do for Veterans’ healthcare.
I am not at fault for the stolen generations but I am responsible, as we all are, for the continued neglect of Aboriginal people.
Therefore, I’m sorry. And unapologetically so.
So sue me.
What is your gangsta name?
Posted by cacophony in : Entertainment , 20 comments
Now that Carl Williams will be behind bars until he’s 71, I don’t think he’ll be needing his nickname “baby face” any more. So I’ll have it, thanks. What would your gangster name be?
Some suggestions:
“Holey” bill
Lady “Black Widow” Chaos
The Shadow. (Nuff said.)
“No” Mercy
What do you reckon?
The sound of shite
Posted by cacophony in : My life , 19 comments
Is it just me or is everyone else -over- Missy Higgins? I’m sure she’s a nice girl and her music is pretty but she’s absolutely everywhere!
