Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) first saw the light of day as a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos which was published in four volumes in 1782.
 

It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two rivals who use sex as a weapon to humiliate and degrade others, all the while enjoying their cruel games.
 

After several unexpected twists and turns, their dangerous game spirals into a fierce battle to the last person standing. Sprinkled with betrayal, passion and dramatic revenge, Les Liaisons Dangereuses is an exciting dark comedy that reveals the utter indulgence and decadence of the French aristocracy prior to the French Revolution.
 

Academy Award-winning British playwright, screen writer and film director Christopher Hampton wrote his adaptation of the 18th Century novel and a film version in 1988. He is known more recently for writing the film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s Atonement.
 

With a Tony Award-winning script, direction by the accomplished Duncan Driver and featuring some of Canberra’s finest actors including Duncan Ley (Valmont), Hannah Ley (Merteuil), John Lombard (Azolan), Helen McFarlane (Tourvel), Nicole Nesbitt-Allan (Emilie Lexi Sekuless (Cécile Volanges), Liz de Totth (Volanges), Alice Ferguson (Rosemonde) and Adrian Flor (Danceny), the Canberra Rep production promises to deliver.

What: LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES
Presented by: Canberra Repertory Society
Where: Theatre 3, 3 Repertory Lane (off Ellery Crescent) Acton ACT
Preview—10 September 8pm

Season: 11 September – 3 October—Thursday to Saturday 8pm
Matinees: 19 & 26 September, 3 October, 2pm
Twilight: 20 & 27 September 5pm
Director’s Q & A: 19 Sept, following matinee performance
Tickets: $35, Conc $27, Members $25, Preview/Mat/Twilight $27
Online bookings: www.canberrarep.org.au
Phone bookings: 6257 1950, Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm,
tickets also available at the door 1 hour before scheduled performances.

Refreshing and endearing 22 year old comedian Josh Thomas rose to fame when he won Best New Talent at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2005.

Since then his star has risen on TV shows Talkin’ ‘bout my Generation and Good News Week.

He describes himself on his My Space page as a ‘comedian, writer and very generous lover’. In fact much of his material is filled with self-deprecating stories of his sexual exploits and unfortunate encounters with shady women that make you want to run up on stage and give him a pat and say ‘there, there’.

With sellout seasons at the Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney Comedy Festivals, it was no surprise to find a full house on his opening night at The Street on Tuesday.

His ‘vulnerable nerd’ certainly gets the girls in, and the nods from the males in the audience indicated an empathy or at least recognition of those awkward moments we’ve all encountered during intimacy, but which we’re not willing to discuss in public.

Thomas says, “I’m not good at computers… but I am good at talking to large groups about genitals, so it’s OK”.

There are only 3 nights left for you to catch his hilarious act at The Street Theatre.

WHAT: More Josh than you can handle
WHERE: The Street Theatre
WHEN: Fri-Sat @ 7pm and Sun @ 5pm (30 August)
TICKETS: $24-$28
BOOKINGS: www.thestreet.org.au or 02 6247 1223

WEST SIDE STORY
Canberra Philharmonic Society
Review by Shanna Provost
That classic ‘fifties take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is given a breath of life by Canberra Philharmonic Society.
Bursting with classic songs by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim including Something’s Coming, Maria, America, Somewhere, Tonight, I Feel Pretty and One Hand, One Heart, West Side Story ran for 732 Broadway performances in 1957 before going on tour. The rest is theatrical history.
Set in New York in the mid-1950s, the musical explores the rivalry between two teenage gangs of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The young protagonist, Tony, who belongs to the Anglo gang (Jets), falls in love with Maria, the sister of the rival Puerto Rican gang’s (Sharks) leader Bernardo.
The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes and focus on social problems marked a turning point in American musical theatre—and it was aptly translated to the Erindale stage by a talented cast and crew in this production.
A commendation to Miss Robyn Collins, who, despite a family sadness, put in an outstanding performance that would make her father proud. Her classical training gave Maria the sophistication and vocal assuredness required of the role. Tim dal Cortivo, who played Maria’s ‘Romeo’ Tony, was a competent match for Ms Collins. In fact it was easy to get lost in the duets the two sang so beautifully.
Supporting actors Janie Lawson as Anita and Jordon Kelly as Bernardo slipped into a Latino groove with ease and provided the grit to counterbalance the more classical leads. Charles Oliver’s cameo is the perfect light relief for a predominantly intense story.
West Side Story is heavy on dance scenes, with rumbles (fight scenes) that would necessitate careful choreography not only to please the audience, but also to ensure the cast is safe at all times. Michelle Heine has done an exceptional job in creating light and shade (from rough and tumble acrobatics to sweet and rhythmical ballet). Sometimes the talent levels of a chorus in amateur theatre can be a little uneven, but this ensemble seemed competent and well matched throughout.
The set was stark but effective, and transitions relatively smooth, although there is some ironing out to do before next run to tighten up the first act.
Musical Director Craig Johnson and his orchestra took on a challenge in bringing Bernstein’s lauded musical to life—especially as the score includes not only jazz and orchestral pieces but also contains operatic elements.
It’s obvious Director Jim McMullen knows his stuff, and knew to enlist a very talented crew (of around 60!) to cocreate one of the more challenging musicals ever to hit the stage.
As with Shakespeare’s R&J, West Side Story isn’t a fairytale with a happy ending. It hits at the heart—and Canberra Philo has done an excellent job of bringing all the elements together to make a great evening’s entertainment.

WHAT: West Side Story
WHERE: Erindale Theatre
WHEN: 27th, 28TH 29TH August, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th, 12th at 8pm
5th and 12th Sept at 2pm
BOOKINGS: online only at www.philo.org.au

Actor Andrew McFarlane is best known by Boomers as ‘Australia’s best loved son’ as John Sullivan in the ‘70s classic television series The Sullivans and by babies as a Playschool presenter.

Younger generations will have grown up with him in Neighbours, Home and Away, Water Rats, All Saints, Murder Call, Heartbreak High, Flying Doctors, Rafferty’s Rules and Patrol Boat (in fact, is there an Australian television drama that McFarlane hasn’t been in?).
His most recent notable portrayal was of Donald Mackay in Underbelly: Tale of Two Cities, and his film and theatre credits are as long as your arm. McFarlane has been around the block—and back again.

His 2007 performance as the beleaguered George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? brought him acclaim, and no doubt his current theatrical foray in English author Paul Shaffer’s masterpiece Amadeus will reap similar praise.

Shaffer’s Amadeus has been described as a wickedly funny, dark fantasy about music, genius, jealousy, madness and murder. Its appeal will run broader than opera buffs, although the score will set operatic hearts racing.

Amadeus won a ‘Best Play’ Tony Award in 1981 and was popularised by a film adaptation in 1984, which won 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture. 

Set amidst the opulence and splendour of 18th century Vienna, Amadeus tells of the bitter jealousy of the Italian court composer Antonio Salieri towards the brilliantly talented up-and-coming Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who has just settled in Vienna to seek his fortune.

Salieri sees the young Mozart as a serious rival to his position and sets about plotting his downfall. He resorts to trickery, deceit and lies and through a campaign of suppression, brings Mozart to a state of poverty and ill health. Mozart dies and Salieri is haunted by his own conscience, claiming to have murdered Mozart. Salieri’s torture doesn’t end there—but you’ll have to see the play to find out.

“Shaffer used the conflict between the Old Guard and the new whirlwind of energy to vitalise his play”, says McFarlane.

“It is operatic, which reflects the battle between the Boy Genius and the mediocre Salieri who, despite being reverent to his craft, will never be more than pedestrian in his composing”, he says. “He recognises the genius of Mozart and is incensed by the young man’s complete disregard for his God-given gift”.

The themes in Shaffer’s script are palatable for today’s audiences.

“If Mozart were to be incarnated in this day and age, he would be likened to a rock star, with all the consequent bad behaviour that can bring. He certainly set a cat amongst the pigeons amongst the 18th Century court.”

McFarlane will be joined by Steven Tandy and a supporting cast of some of Queensland’s most impressive talent, including rising actor Dash Kruck as Mozart, and Kerith Atkinson as his long-suffering wife Constanze. It is directed by Sydney-based Tama Matheson, who is currently working with Gail Edwards on Manon Lescaut for Opera Australia.

McFarlane says he jumped at the Salieri role.

“My most recent work was playing a Noosa property developer in a David Williamson play, so it was quite a leap to this huge, grand, complex, drama. But it’s the kind of thing that actors jump at because we all like challenges and to be pushed into areas we can explore”, he says.

McFarlane is well aware of the gravity of playing such a monumental role. The American actor F. Murray Abraham won an Oscar for his turn in the film version.

“There’s no doubt that this kind of role draws attention. That can frighten an actor off because if it has been done well by someone else, that [performance] can be stamped on the public psyche. But no one shies away from playing Hamlet, and I think it’s the role that stays alive, not the particular performer’s interpretation of it.”

WHAT: Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus
WHERE: Playhouse, Canberra
WHEN: 8th & 9th September at 7.45pm
TICKETS: $50.00, Concs $43.00
BOOKINGS: 62752700
WARNING: This show contains obscene language
 

Cross-section of storylines in four films

By Rama Gaind

EVEN though ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ is darker than its predecessors, this one is visually inspiring and more interesting because of the interactions of the boy wizard and his gang.
It’s the relationships between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) that work wonders, not necessarily the potions and spells of the popular books.
A lot of the credit also rests with David Yates, who has returned to the director’s seat, and carries the mantle of loosening up the friends group.
IN ‘The Ugly Truth’, Katherine Heigl, a television producer and Gerard Butler, an opinionated relationship expert, are set on a collision course from the outset.
Abby is outraged when the popular personality Mike is brought on-air without her knowledge.
Unfortunately, this startlingly coarse battle of the sexes lacks the necessary chemistry between the two leads. It does not have the romantic reality which should be a prerequisite.
What a shame that director Robert Luketic ‘borrowed’ from some notable films including ‘When Harry Met Sally’, but did not deliver competently.
MICHAEL Mann provides a technical talent which commands attention in ‘Public Enemies’. Starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, this biopic of famous 1930s bank robber John Dillinger covers a lot of ground and outlines some intriguing elements of his life.
A FINE creation that breathes life into images of a dark fairytale, ‘Coraline’ sees an adventurous little girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) doing a playful battle with an ‘other’ world.
Director Henry Selick’s offering could see the adults not accepting it as readily as their children.
 

Arguably the most important show in what’s left of human history.

STREET THEATRE 25-30 August 2009

Rod Qantock has been around the block. I just can’t the image of him prancing around in that nightie in the Capt’n Snooze TV ads out of my mind. But Qantock’s true gift is using his comedic talent to pounce on an issue and grappling with it until it lies, wasted, on the floor of our conscience. So effective is his commitment that he was the recipient of the 2005 Adelaide Justice Coalition Romero Community Award for his contribution to Australian social justice.

Shoving the facts of climate change down our throats has become Qantock’s new raison d’être – and he does it in his inimitable way so that we actually get to laugh out loud at our ignorance and lack of a sense of urgency about this issue.

“It’s the greatest challenge humanity’s ever had to face. And history tells us we’re not very good at cooperating, but that’s what we’ve got to work towards. The sadness is there’s so little time. And it’s just as urgent as urgent can be.”

In his words, “If climate change doesn’t scare you shitless, then you just don’t get the science.”

Qantock has done his homework, and when he gives you his take on the physics, chemistry, biology, geology, paleontology, cosmology and meteorology of climate science you’ll get it too. And then… you’ll be scared shitless!

He’s talked to leading climate scientists, read the reports and watched the documentaries; he has taken the news stories big and small and joined the dots: worst fires, longest droughts, most devastating storms, mass extinctions, ice caps melting, polar bears drowning… But, hey! Bugger the polar bears, this is serious.

And why the polar bears?

“I hate polar bears,” says Qantock. “Why is climate change always about polar bears? Who’s their agent? It’s not like they’re the only ones who’ll be extinct. Chances are we will all be extinct!

Bugger the Polar Bears will be Qantock’s first return season to Canberra after his 2007 sell-out called The Farewell John Howard Party.

SHOWS: Tues – Thurs 7pm; Fri-Sat 8.30pm; Sunday 6.30pm
TICKETS: $22 – $32 Tuesday all tix $20
BOOKINGS: www.thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223 or at the box office

Modern love is a film for tomorrow
By Rama Gaind
In addition to acting the lead in the latest Bollywood film to hit Canberra – ‘Love Aaj Kal’ – Saif Ali Khan also co-produces it for director Imtiaz Ali.
The winning formula pits modern love, with the aid of mobiles, internet and SMS, against old-fashioned romance where commitment, restraint and respect were the underlying factors for affection. This film is anything other than the perennial formulaic tale where the story and a message takes precedence.
Shorter than most Indian films, Ali keeps a tight reign on the pace over two hours as the present seamlessly intertwines with the past.
At the start, there’s a fast fling between the progressive couple – Jai (Saif) and Meera (Deepika Padukone) – who have a zest for living in London without any emotional baggage. Fast-forward and you see their liaison blossoming, but like-minded and faithful as they are their relationship cannot bear the weight of legal bonding.
Instead, they call it quits when professional opportunities draw them elsewhere. Jai and Meera are the young lovers of today (Aaj).
This is the cue for Veer Singh’s (Rishi Kapoor) entry as his past is the Kal (meaning tomorrow) of the title. A successful entrepreneur, Veer is mindful of his past options and chooses to show Jai the craziness of his ways.
Amazed by current easy-going trends, Veer recalls the hardships he had to endure to win his love Harleen. He’s quick to point out – to a disbelieving Jai – that in his day when it came to pursuing relationships, there were no compulsions, choices and options. That’s what’s called a generation gap!
In a double role, Saif is fine as the young Veer, but flawed as Jai, even though he displays some charisma. While Deepika shows style, work needs to done on her voice modulation. Rishi is excellent as the mature Veer.
Irshad Kamil’s lyrics are set to music by Pritam and the songs are finely woven into the screenplay. One of them is a stand-out: ‘Twist’ featuring a snake charmer’s tune maybe inconsequential, but it is catchy.
Director Ali has pulled off his second success: ‘Jab We Met’ has been succeeded with an oddly appealing movie made up of flawed characters whose practicality tends to hinder their understanding of love. Here’s one filmmaker who knows how and when to push the scenes without delivering extensive sermons.
 

Jane Austen fans will be delighted with the Free Rain production of a much-loved Austen classic Sense and Sensibility.

When Mr. Dashwood dies, his wife and three daughters Elinor, Marianne and Margaret are dismayed to learn their inheritance consists of only £500 a year, with the bulk of the estate of Norland Park left to his son John from a previous marriage. John’s scheming, greedy, snobby wife Fanny immediately installs herself and her spouse in the palatial home.

Austen could be classed as the very first ‘chick flick’ writer – with her novels bursting with more romance and heartbreak than a woman of her young age should be privvy to.

Sense and Sensibility was the first of Austen’s classics, and was published in 1811. Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant went on to play the leads in the popular film version of the novel.

You will especially love this play if you are an Austen fan or love Period drama. Free Rain Theatre Company has an ability to recreate Period classics (Wuthering Heights 2007, Pride and Prejudice 2008) to a professional standard–so this won’t disappoint.

WHAT: Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility
WHERE: Courtyard Studio Canberra Theatre
WHEN: 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 August at 8pm. 15, and 22 August at 2pm & 16 August at 5pm.
TICKETS: $28.00 Conc:* $22.00; Matinees and Twilight Shows: $18
Bookings: 02 62752700

Engaging program at international film festival in Brisbane

By RAMA GAIND

The 18th annual Brisbane International Film Festival, which ends on August 9, has become an important feature of the city’s vibrant visual arts scene.
Screening an estimated 300 features, documentaries, shorts, animation, experimental works and foreign films, the festival attracts an ever-growing number of audiences.
With Queensland celebrating its 150th birthday this year, it’s only fair that Queensland films were highlighted beginning with the short film Auntie Maggie and the Womba Wakgun, from Leah Purcell.
The 11 days also saw the world premier of Subdivision, which was shot on location at Hervey Bay. It was co-written by Ashley Bradnam. This comedy/drama centres on the change a community goes thorugh when city developers move in. It stars Gary Sweet Sweet and Brooke Satchwell.
Another Australian film, Prime Mover, which centres on the dreams of a long-haul truckie, features a mainly Queensland-raised and trained cast including William McInnes, Michael Dorman, Gyton Grantley and Anthony Hayes.
Other Australian films screened included Jonathan auf der Heide’s Van Diemen’s Land, Khoa Do’s Missing Water and Blessed from Ana Kokkinos.
Among some interesting documentaries were Hair India which looks at how human hair is almost like currency for some poor Indians, while explaining the enormous trade in hair from both the buyers and sellers points of view.
Ending the festival is a tense, political thriller, Balibo, which recreates events surrounding the shooting of five Australian journalists during Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor in 1975. . Told through the eyes of Roger East, a sixth Australian who is lured to East Timor by Jose Ramos-Horta to investigate the truth behind the death of the five men, who were supposedly ‘caught in cross-fire’ during the invasion.
Apart from Balibo’s director Robert Connolly, four other Australian documentary filmmakers connect with Asia and have their works screened. They are Megan Doneman, John Hughes, David Bradbury and David MacDougall.
The festival’s exxecutive director Anne Demy-Geroe says that although BIFF has traditionally focused on directors, this year there had been an increased emphasis on actors, with spotlights on living legends Jeanne Moreau and Amitabh Bachchan.
“Once again we’ve maintained our commitment to Asian cinema, with a strong group of films from master directors such as Girish Kasaravalli from India, Prasanna Vithanage from Sri Lanka and Kore-eda Hirokazu from Japan and there are others from Iran, Turkey and hong Kong, Philippines and Kazakhstan.”
There were some notable Indian films on show: The Last Lear directed by Rituparno Ghosh with Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Shefali Shah; Amar Akbar Anthony directed by Manmohan Desai starring Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi; Roots which is described as a ‘cultural document’ by director Father Joseph Pulinthanath of Kerala, and tells of the people displaced by the construction of the Dumbur Dam, which in 1979 submerged huge areas of arable land in the fertile Raima valley; and Gulabi Talkies which is set in a fishing community in Kannada, is a complex script based on a short story written by the well-known Kannada feminist writer Vaidehi. It is directed by Girish Kasaravalli.
Gandhi’s Children is an Australian/Indian collaboration with director David MacDougall spotlighting several hundred orphaned, abandoned and runaway boys who are accommodated, fed and educated in the Prayas Children’s School for Boys run by a non-profit NGO in a poor area on the outskirts of Delhi.
As another film festival comes to an end, it’s heartening to note that all the major sponsors have actually increased their commitment to the film festival in Brisbane.
This was another exhaustive program which enabled the festival to provide more than interaction with just the screen; it showed the importance of maintaining contact through seminars, juries, and talks with critics, academics, actors and filmmakers.
 

Sam’s elite clientele in Hong Kong

By RAMA GAIND

BEING humble is a trait that one does not find often. I found it in Manu Melwani, who was modest about the worldwide reputation enjoyed by his Hong Kong-based business – Sam’s Tailor.
What makes this tailor unique is its A-list clientele of the rich and famous. The names are too numerous to list here, but a small selection includes former US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Regan, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Australian Prime Ministers Paul Keating and John Howard; the late Lady Di, Prince Charles; former South African president Nelson Mandela and former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau; former US vice-presidents Dick Chaney and Al Gore, also an environmental activist; and entertainers Sir Cliff Richard, Bruce Willis, David Bowie, George Michael, Pierce Brosnan, Whitney Houston, Luciano Pavarotti and Michael Palin.
Isn’t that impressive?
The business was founded by Mr Melwani’s father, Narindas, in 1957 and the shop is still in its original location in Burlington Arcade at 94 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.
After learning of the ‘celebrity’ status enjoyed by Sam’s Tailor, I made a point of visiting the store and meeting Manu Melwani. It was a hot and muggy afternoon, but my husband and I were welcomed inside the store. It was a tight squeeze as customers crowded inside the small confines. However, a cold Coke (ordered for us by Mr Melwani) was refreshing.
The walls, adorned with pictures of famous people, caught my eye as I waited for Mr Melwani to finish speaking with a customer. One could spend hours here trying to spot the familiar personalities…
Five minutes later, Mr Melwani came over, introduced himself and in his soft-spoken voice asked us politely how he could be of assistance. Was it an outfit for myself or a suit for my husband? I felt awkward, but had to politely decline. We’d already had our clothes stitched elsewhere.
I couldn’t resist asking what it was like to have superstars among their clientele?
“We are in a privileged position to have them come to us, but we pay equal attention to all our customers,” Mr Melwani modestly said.
“Everyone who comes to us is special – whether you are a superstar or ordinary citizens like yourselves from Australia or New Zealand, Britain or the US,” he said.
“We treat everyone equally – and we do everything we can to ensure that everyone is satisfied.” That includes the 25% of women customers.
Sam’s Tailor is a well-oiled business with 75 workers stitching countless number of pants, jackets, dresses, suits and shirts a week.
In fact, Mr Melwani insisted of making a shirt for my husband. We were in the midst of refusing his kind offer, when a young man appeared measured my husband for a short-sleeve shirt – and it was delivered to our hotel 24 hours later! It fitted like a glove. We couldn’t believe that we’d received such prompt service.
Sam’s Tailor is a family business which is destined to prosper for many generations. While Manu Melwani is assisted by his brother Sam, his son Roshan is now also a part of the business.
When next we visit Hong Kong, the first thing we do will be to head on down to Sam’s Tailor and place an order for both of us. That day is not too far away.
Owners of Sam’s Tailor must be held in high esteem because they were honoured with a postage stamp on the 50th anniversary of its founding.
What is especially impressive is that the business does not advertise: the publicity is word-of-mouth. Now that’s the best kind!