Words to Lyrics Ben Ho's observations from the cloud

7 May 2012

Review: Strange Interlude

Filed under: Arts,Attended,review — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 11:45 am

Well, it’s been a while since I wrote a review for a theatre play. I feel I should in this instance because I’ve finally seen something early enough (last night’s performance was a preview) in its run to be able to at least encourage someone to go see it.

Strange Interlude had been written about no less than three times in the Fairfax press. Which was surprising because they wrote a rather harsh review about Belvoir’s previous play, Every Breath. Well, they convinced me to go see this play, and I’m happy to report back to you!

This was the first time I had seen something at Belvoir St. So it was interesting to see whether the crowd was similar to that at Sydney Theatre Company plays (I’m a subscriber to STC). To my surprise, there was a larger contingent of younger people. I think it is great that main stage theatre in Sydney is no longer the domain of older patrons.

Now about the actual play.

Strange Interlude is originally written by Eugene O’Neill, Pulitzer Prize winner and one of America’s well known playwrights. Director Simon Stone has rewritten this with a contemporary twist. No, it’s not a rewrite of the five-hour original, but a compact piece that still gets across the main issues. I really loved how he has kept the original setting and has added references to modern conveniences to make the play remain relevant.

The story goes like this. 20 year old Nina Leeds (played by Emily Barclay, who was recently in This Is Our Youth) has just lost her husband to the war. We follow her life over the next 25 years as she attempts to get her life back on track. Through a series of affairs, another marriage and a pregnancy, we see the small events in life shown against a web of secrets.

The set was minimal, yet functional: a seamless white backdrop (photographer’s heaven) that allowed a lot of imagination. Also fascinating was the rolling shower and the toy train track (which was somewhat distracting).

Because Strange Interlude is set over a long period of time, it is up to the actors to ‘look the part’ to preserve the story, especially in the later scenes. Barclay’s portrayal of Nina remained true and real to Nina’s life. Mitchell Butel’s Charlie Marsden becomes more of a caricature towards the end, which helped keep the comic relief present.

I really enjoyed this play. Some people will never like the classics to be rewritten, but if it gets young people interested, then it is well worth it. You should go see this too, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Strange Interlude plays until 17 June. Tickets are $42 for students/concession, $62 for adults. There is a $29 student rush for the Tuesday evening and Saturday matinée. Details: http://www.belvoir.com.au/productions-1/strange-interlude

30 June 2011

Review: Terminus

Filed under: Arts,Attended,review — Ben @ 4:16 pm

A word of warning before you go see this: If you can’t focus for more than an hour, don’t go. Also, note there is no interval to gather your thoughts.

Terminus by Mark O’Rowe follows the stories of three strangers going about their lives. From the dead of night to the deadly violent, the stories take wild turns until they somehow relate, similar to the 2006 film Babel (starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett). From the stage, we can only rely on the limited body movements and the rich, rhyming dialogue. The rhyme keeps the stories going, renewing the audience’s (and certainly my) attention. There’s not much else to see, except for the occasional flashing light. But from what we get from the stage, the imagination is left to paint the picture of what is going on.

For me, it took a while to ‘settle in’ into the play. The stories become more intense as the play progresses, and more gruesome as well. As for the supernatural element (B gets caught by a demon), it was fun imagining what it was like. (Actually, kind of hard when it is described frequently as a ‘can of worms’!) The thing to take away from this play is that ‘click’ moment, when you realise three stories combine into one, and how much of a train wreck one of the characters is. All in all, I liked it, although I could have been more awake throughout.

This is a play for the mind, not the eyes. You have been warned.

Terminus plays until Saturday, 9 July at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House.

11 January 2011

Review: Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005

Filed under: Arts,Attended,review — Tags: , , , , — Ben @ 8:59 am

The first thing that comes to mind when one mentions Annie Leibowitz would be her striking photos of photographs of various celebrities. This exhibition not only invites us to share in these celebrities’ glory, but also to understand her largely unseen personal side.

Sprinkled like confetti between portraits of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Nicole Kidman are glimpses of Lebovitz’s family. In these black-and-white images, Lebovitz presents the raw emotion and experience. Rarely do you see a photograph of the ‘happy’ family; a typical photograph found in the family album. It is all about the intimacy, a characteristic not seen much in modern photography.

For me, the portrait of Al Pacino stood out among others. Shot in an empty studio and in monochrome, Pacino is pictured simply with hands in pockets. The message is conveyed very simply via the expression of his face.

Among the personal photographs, eight frames tell the story of a family trip to the beach. The backs of the children and mother can be very revealing (just like Winston Smith said).

All in all, a very revealing, and insightful exhibition. Followers of celebrities and art enthusiasts alike can learn something from the portraits, even if it is as small as understanding someone else’s family situation.

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005 is showing until 31 March at the MCA. Tickets can be booked online to avoid the queue.

18 September 2010

Review: Stories from the 428

Filed under: Arts,Attended,review — Tags: , , , , , — Ben @ 10:01 pm

Earlier this weekend (Sat. 5pm in fact), I went to see Stories From The 428 at Sidetrack Theatre in Marrickville. It’s part of the Sydney Fringe Festival, and it’s got two shows left tomorrow. So if you are reading this now, I suggest you book tickets now, because in short, it’s really good.

Stories From The 428 is a collection of anecdotes and stories collected from the passengers of Sydney Buses route 428 (Canterbury <-> City). It’s presented in a way so that your attention span will not be tested (i.e. short and sweet). As someone who has never caught the 428, it’s an engrossing look into the diverse group of people who fill the seats and aisle. Whether it’s the two old folks, the city worker, the tertiary student or the socialist (oh yes, the socialist!), each have a unique and somewhat relatable story to tell.

I would have thought the monotony of the ordinary bus trip to work or uni would be rather boring. Instead the team of writers and the cast inject plentiful amounts of humour and life into each story. The intimacy of the venue also adds to the experience; it’s just like listening to the passenger next to you. If you have a spare 90 minutes tomorrow, go see this, you’ll smile once you leave.

Stories From The 428 Twitter

PS: I’m volunteering at the Sydney Fringe, selling tickets at the Greek Theatre tomorrow afternoon, next Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. If you like, come along, say hi and enjoy a show. Details at the Fringe website.

12 September 2010

Election Night

Filed under: Attended,Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 10:13 pm

On 21 August, Australia went to the polls to decide who would govern for the next three years. There was no clear result, only the outcome of a hung parliament.

During election night, you will have no doubt seen the television coverage at some point from the National Tally Room in Canberra. I went to visit the tally room that night, and I was met with this:

The Queue

Yes, there was a queue outside in the cold. Dad and I waited for an hour snaking around the courtyard before we got to the front entrance. Only  a limited number of people are allowed in at one time. Luckily the ABC had a TV outside so it wasn’t all that boring. One unique feature of Australian federal elections is the atmosphere of the coverage, the excitement associated with the result if you will. (This YouTube clip of 2007 election coverage will demonstrate this point, as well as Kerry O’Brien’s famous gaffe). During the last few minutes of waiting, I noticed this placard on the fence:

Media Placard

Yes, that’s the Chaser’s Craig Reucassel with Senator Conroy in the top left corner. The AEC took the opportunity to tell everyone how good they were at administering elections and the media are an important part of the process.

(If you don’t know the rest of the media personalities on that poster, they are clockwise: David Koch, Tom Gleisner and Santo Cilauro, Kerry O’Brien, Ray Martin and Laurie Oakes, Mark Riley, and Alan Jones)

Media Tally board

Once inside at about 8pm, the tally board of all 150 House of Representatives seats spans an entire side of the hall. The numbers are manually updated throughout the night by AEC workers. On the other side are the TV media sets. Ten, Seven, Sky, Nine and ABC were there with almost every news personality sitting behind a desk. Politicians were moving between sets to do numerous interviews. Between the public area and the TV sets were representatives from political parties and other media interpreting the results.

A few electorates

Probably the other highlight of the night (besides the hung result) was the surprise visit by Greens leader Bob Brown. I was standing behind the Channel Nine interview of Warren Truss (yes, that’s the one highlighted by the Chaser) when Brown walks in to cheers and the large media pack. With me being me, I got nowhere near, but I did catch these shots:

Warren Truss with Allison Langdon Bob Brown adressing media

If I ever visit the tally room again, I’d better bring a larger camera. Dad and I left at about 11pm, and the next day I drove a long way.

6 June 2009

From the Archive: Recollections of a Camp: Day 1

Filed under: Attended,Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 8:38 pm

This is a post I wrote in November of 2007. It was about the first day of the Yr 10 Camp. At the time, I felt the need to document it, as the days surrounding it were interesting. Anyway, here it is.

It was the day after the formal. All the glitz and glamour from that night just disappeared that afternoon. It was the beginning of Adventure Camp 2007. 180 people gathered beside the oval, ready to be whisked away to Jindabyne. Some people were excited about it, others not so.

I arrived at 1pm with my large bulky pack and a small daypack. At the time, there weren’t many people there yet. I went to my team bus and sat outside for a short while. Several minutes later, Mr Ashby called us over. He had some things to talk about, one of which was to not take this camp for granted because it was a rare opportunity to do so many activities in one week. I took this into mind, but it did not stay there. In my mind, there was opposition to the camp. Nevertheless, those thoughts could not overpower the schedule of the camp. I felt helpless and trapped. (more…)

24 May 2009

Inherit the Wind

Filed under: Attended,Reflection — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 11:08 am

A few people have asked me to write a review of Barker’s Year 11 play, “Inherit the Wind”, because they themselves couldn’t get to the play. Having seen it yesterday night, it’s fine.

Note that the powers that be have forbidden me to use people’s names, so I’ll write about it in context.

“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.” – Proverbs 11:29 (King James Version)

This is a play is based on the Scopes Trial in Tennessee in the 1920s. The Scopes Trial was a rather famous case, testing the Act that prohibits the teaching of creationism, i.e. from Charles Darwin’s book ‘The Origin of Species’. Although the characters and accounts are fictionalised, it does stay true to the core ideas of that case.

The play started off rather quietly. I could sense that the audience was watching closely with intent. As we watched the case unfold, with every piece of evidence presented to the audience, the intensity in the courtroom built up. You could see it becoming a landmark case. Add in the zany journalists from Baltimore and the UK, and suddenly there’s another set of opinions to think about.

While the dialogue was concentrated on a few characters, the acting was well done. Another point to note was the minimal staging and props, mainly chairs, desks and picket signs. Also, flawless American accents.

Overall, another fantastic production. Nothing else needs to be said.

1 August 2008

Battle of the Choirs: The Last Hurrah

Filed under: Attended,Reflection — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 1:44 pm

Friday July 25. It’s Barker Swings night, and the choir will be performing.

Tonight felt special, not because I was wearing the red and black for the last time, but because it was the last time we were performing from our ‘battle’ repertoire. JAllington, our conductor, called it “the ridiculous”, but we all loved it. That night started at 5pm, the rehearsal.

Nostalgia filled the room, as we were all moving to the music that we sung, what felt like, many months ago. Then, the choreography was changed to fit the longer version of “Say a Little Prayer”. For an hour, we went through moves with O’Brien, but in the end it was what she described “three songs mashed up into one”. We all felt good, now it would be up to the performance.

Five hours later, we were just about to enter the hall for our part of Swings. Everyone was hyped; it couldn’t get better than this. The Big Band started to play; we ran on, the crowd loved us. About five minutes later, it was over. Our last performance as the ‘battle’ choir was done. As we left the stage, I felt happy and slightly sad. Battle of the Choirs had been a great experience for all of us. Now, it was back to our normal repertoire and schedule.

Working for TV is very different to what many people think it is. On our filming days, there were many rehearsals to get the best camera positions, basically to get everything right. Filming 40 minutes of footage took about three hours! I can’t stress how unique and fulfilling this experience was.

22 June 2008

The Formal

Filed under: Attended,Rant,Reflection — Tags: , — Ben @ 10:46 am

Last night was the formal. I thought it was going to be a great night. Unfortunately for me, it mostly wasn’t.

To put it simply, the formal was a great idea at first, but it quickly loses its panache as the night progresses.

We started off with a three course dinner. Entrée was a green salad, then the main course was a steak. The steak was done really well. The atmosphere was very positive (as it usually is). Once dinner was over, things went from good to bad.

I was asked to nominate someone to ‘cut the cake’ symbolically and to say thanks. That was slightly surprising to the special someone, but the speech was terrible. (Almost) everyone cheered their head off every few seconds and I felt the spotlight taken away from me. Then came the dance.

In my opinion, the DJ really didn’t satisfy anyone. The music was this new stuff, I couldn’t tell. It did get better towards the end, then it was the end of the night.

I was beginning to question whether the night was worth it, but I didn’t let that get in the way. It is a problem of being under-recognised when you do so much for everyone.

On a lighter note, if you are reading this via Facebook, don’t feel offended. I thank you very much for all your support! In my opinion, the best form of recognition in this situation is a thanks, and a nice hug.

Link to photoset on flickr.

22 April 2008

Birthday

Filed under: Attended,Reflection — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 7:08 pm


Everyone and the mascots

Originally uploaded by hohohob

Last Sunday, I had my birthday party. There were five of us to begin with at Luna Park. There, we had fun for a while, before Simon left and the rest of us took a ferry. It went to Circular Quay, and after getting off, we walked to Wagamama, one of my favourite restaurants. Dinner was had, before Georgina left us. The rest of us took the train home.

That’s it in a nutshell.

You know, the party went better than expected even though the other five I invited were away or sick. It was right after a week long camp some people went to, and it rained every single day. Just a small group of people, having a good time.

Now to get on with life.

Flickr photoset

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