The Main Stage was a center point of entertainment featuring everyone from Tassie’s own Ben Wells and The Middle names right through to classic rockers Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and The Klaxons all gracing the stage and doing what they do best, entertain. The Field Stage was also a very good selection with Charlie Parr, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis as well as The Bamboos and more comedians than you can poke a Tornado Potato at. Including the likes of Josh Earl and Tom Gleeson.

The Falls Art Village had another year of the wacky, weird and talented. The Diamonds of Burlesque and Danger Academy stole the show in the Moonhouse as well as an ‘Animated/Musical/Tarrentino style retelling of the story of Mary MacKillop’ in the Shipping House. There were circus lessons, costume making and of course the annual Falls Village Fiesta at 6pm on the 31^st.

Some of the highlights for me personally include finally seeing The Living End perform live, being in the midst of a chilled out Paul Kelly ‘moshpit’ and seeing some classic artists that I would have thought I was born too late to see such as Joan Jett and Flavor Flav in Public Enemy. My Favourite moment from the festival was in fact Public Enemy coming out and doing exactly what the did 20 years ago when ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ was first released.

Getting there and back was considerably less painful than I had prepared myself for and it made the experience all the more enjoyable. All in all I would say that the 2010-11 Falls Music and Arts Festival in Marion bay was a complete success and I look forward to attending the 2011-12 event.

-Luke

Clara’s parents have arranged a party for her on Christmas Eve. All her friends attend and there is dancing and celebration. Clara’s Uncle arrives and Surprises Clara, Her cousin Fritz and all Clara’s friends with a display from his mechanical dolls. Afterwards, Clara’s uncle gives Clara a gift, The Nutcracker Doll. Fritz is very jealous and takes the doll away from Clara, Her uncle soon puts things right and the guests leave for home.

Clara is sleepy and falls asleep on a chair beside her nutcracker doll. Clara Dreams that all the toys have come to life and that she is the same size they are. There is a battle between the toy soldiers and mice, with the nutcracker doll and the mouse king at the helm of the battle. Clara throws her slipper at the mouse king and then nutcracker doll defeats him. His mouse companions carry the mouse king away.

The Nutcracker Doll transforms into a handsome prince and takes Clara to a winter wonderland where snowflakes dance around them.

In Act 2 the prince takes Clara to his Magical palace where the princes loyal subjects perform all kinds of dances to entertain Clara and the nutcracker. The show ends with Clara in the arms of her beloved Nutcracker Prince.

The Company dancers bring this story together with all the magic of a fairy tale you expect to see at the ballet. The Principle Dancers in the role of Clara and the Nutcracker draw the audience in on their journey through the winter wonderland and to the prince’s palace. The mechanical dolls impressed the audience with their mechanical dance and high jumps. The Chinese Dancers charmed the audience and were awarded with their own personal applause.

Clara’s Friends played by girls from Hobart Dance Academy, held their own amongst the professional company dancers. The party scene dance was a wonderful demonstration of their talent as actors as well as dancers.

The sets were simple and enhanced by exquisite backdrops and clever lighting. The set always added to the mood of the story, and never distracted from the dancers

The Company has plans to tour the show in regional areas of Tasmania. In conjunction with the tour the company plans to present eight workshops and short performances from “the nutcracker” as apart of their Community outreach program.

An enchanting evening for young and old, get swept away with the music and magical story of the Nutcracker, presented by the Tasmanian Classical Ballet Company at the Theatre Royal Hobart and touring regional Tasmania soon.

Jen

The self titled album has a great rhythm to it, the kind where you’re humming before you even know the lyrics and by the end of the album you have no qualms about pressing the repeat button. While the whole album has the same underlying feel to it, each song has its own distinctive flow that sets it apart.

The song most people will know without even realising it is ‘My Delirium’. This song in particular gets stuck in your head and will be a favourite among the love sick. It has a gentle beat which will have you swaying on your feet in time.  ‘My Delirium’, delirium meaning a temporary state of excitement or mental confusion, has loose enough lyrics to strike a chord in any lovers heart and make it a favourite.

My favourite pick of the album is ‘Morning Dreams’. Although the feel is more mellow then some of the other songs it is the perfect cross between the ‘yearning’ love songs and the ‘in love’ love songs. It has a balance between being sappy and realistic that is intoxicating. This album is one of those CD’s that wheedles its way into your car because you can listen to it over and over without being bored of the lyrics or the rhythm.

-Alyce

The play in its entirety goes for a little over 2 hours with an intermission and you are kept laughing throughout. Monty Python’s quick, sharp humour keeps you reliving some of the best parts from the films and television series. From a killer rabbit to a Trojan Rabbit, everything that could be thrown in was.

The choreography in the production was marvellous, with a few complicated looking dance routines and the singing was of an equally high quality. The whole ensemble worked together to pull the show together in a flawless manner. Nicole Simms graced the stage with an awe-striking performance as ‘The Lady of the Lake.’ Ivano Del Pio held a very comical interpretation of the beloved, Patsy and a charismatic and entertaining performance from Connor Sweeny as multiple characters, including Prince Herbert.

The show is very comical but would be aided if you have a sound knowledge of Monty Python’s material from the past. The show is definitely worth seeing and is running from 6^th-16^th at the Theatre Royal.

-Sarah

Washington’s debut album, ‘I Believe You Liar’, is an amazing offering, featuring rousing blues rock tunes, slender ballads and an indie pop sound which has been produced perfectly, which is why it will be the first of many albums to be reviewed in the lead up to the Falls Festival.

Comprised of songs off their EP,  ‘Rich Kids’, and their earlier released, it is almost a compilation, or ‘Best of’ album, even though this is their first full length offering. ‘I Believe You Liar’, really has a similarity to The Kills, who have a very similar style. This also has to do with the consistent production, and clarity of the album, considering both have a very similar over all sound.

As an album, it flows perfectly as well as containing a number of standout songs, which just strike you above all else. The songs that particularly stood out include the rousing opening track, ‘1997’, ‘Cement’, ‘Rich Kids’,  one of first videos off the album, ‘Sunday Best’,  ‘How to Tame  Lions’ and the title track.  There is a real sixties vibe to it, especially in the guitar the sound on, ‘Navy Blues’, which really attributes to the overall atmosphere created by the album.   The album starts with the laid back, ‘1997’, which encompasses their indie pop style. The energy is kept up by, ‘Navy Blues’, and ‘Concrete’, which are both bluesy, sixties-esque tunes. The album centres around the two most listenable songs on the album, ‘Rich Kids’, and ‘Sunday Best’, both heavily influenced indie pop affairs. The rest of the album seems to settle back into the more relaxed, chilled out songs (ie. ‘Clementine’, ‘Lover /Soldier’).

Overall, here is an album which is unique and yet pays homage to a whole range of different styles. There is a similarity with other bands of the same genre, but that aside, it is an amazing effort. The catchy melodies, chilled out sound and familiarity make this album a brilliant start to Megan Washington’s success, and a welcome artist to the Falls Line-up.

This year’s Marion Bay Falls Music & Arts Festival is from the 29^th-31^st of December. Acts include Interpol, Washington, Joan Jett & The Black Hearts, Paul Kelly, The Living End and many more.

-Andreas

Interpol, who are headlining this year’s Falls Music & Arts Festival, released their fourth self titled album this month.  Being a fan of the bands previous three albums Antics, Our Love To Admire and Turn on the Bright Lights there was a certain expectation from me for the new album to a bit of a different turn, and it has.  The new songs are a lot darker than the previous albums and have an atmospheric edge to them.  There is a larger focus on Paul Banks’ vocals which resonate through the entire album, also it isn’t as heavy and is more mellowed out with preference given to guitar and piano riffs over drum and bass.  This may be because Bass/Keys player Carlos Dengler left the band after the completion of this album to pursue other projects.   Tracks such a Success, Lights, Barricades and Summer Wells are likely to be the most popular on this album.  All in all, not a bad listen for those who prefer an alternative to what is being broadcast on commercial radio.  I look forward to seeing what they are like live at Falls.

This year’s Marion Bay Falls Music & Arts Festival is from the 29^th-31^st of December. Acts include Interpol, Joan Jett & The Black Hearts, Paul Kelly, The Living End and many more.

Caitlin

There were leather jackets all round as The Alcestis was set in the Underbelly style world of Australian crime.  Admetus has been sentenced to an early death by the gods and is to be sent to the underworld but instead his wife sacrifices her life for her husband and Admetus must deal with what has happened and also the appearance of an unexpected guest.  This play was the more comedic of the two as the actors manage to capture the audience by tone of voice rather than the lines being said.  Marcus Johnson who played Admetus and Jon Lenthall as Heracles offered the stronger, more witty performances, managing to gain the minimal amount of laughs from the audience that the play had to offer.

The Medea was definitely the more powerful play of the two.  Medea, who is oppressed and exiled by her husband, leads her to the most devastating and bloodiest of revenge.  Eva Mackinley gives a powerful and convincing performance as Medea and was the highlight of the evening.  However the same cannot be said for Jason, Medea’s abandoning husband played by Jack Aylward.  It was hard to understand how this character was the one causing Medea the psychological damage because he was too calm with no anger in his voice.  This set was again minimal with the lighting really helping accentuate the end of the play.

All in all Plot really deserve a lot more attention than they get because they do pull off really good performances and it’s always an enjoyable night out.

Caitlin

Luke

 Star Crossed, written by Mark Rees and directed by Ben Paine, is the story of two teenage girls from either side of the religious divide in 1980 Belfast, who meet at a community project to read a play: Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. Elizabeth (Lauren Pegus) is a protestant with a difficult father, and Bernadette (Anya Row) is a Catholic who has been confined to a wheelchair by a stray bullet in the base of her spine. At first the two hate each other, but gradually a friendship grows between them – though never an easy one. They discuss love, families, and other issues that show they’re really not all that different. It is the society in which they live that makes them hate each other.

 This was perhaps the better of the two plays, and the strength is in the writing (though both are well written). The acting from both was excellent – it had to be, as there was very little else to look at, with the minimalist set & lighting focusing our attention on the characters and their stories, stories which were made real and believable by the performances. The Irish accents were almost perfect, there were one or two tiny slip-ups but nothing objectionable, and the lines were generally clear and understandable. The play won Best Director at the Deloraine Festival of One Act Plays, and several runner up awards at OneFest 2009, all well deserved in my opinion.

 The second play of the evening, Sam Sheppard’s Cowboy Mouth, directed by Victor Kalka, is a story about life, death, rock & roll dreams, performing, and life on the road. Written in 1971 by Sheppard and his lover Patti Smith in two nights by shoving a typewriter back and forth between them, the result is a fascinating reflection on the rock & roll lifestyle – and not always a kind one. Though perhaps not quite as engaging as Star Crossed, it was very interesting on many different levels. The word “existentialist” comes to mind, though this is perhaps not in the same vein as Beckett or Stoppard, it is still a good play and was performed very well.

 The setting, this time somewhat less minimalist, was a cheap hotel room, inhabited as only rock musicians can: by making a complete & total mess – clothes everywhere, empty bottles, instruments lying around, and pictures of rock icons adorning the walls. The performances were excellent, there is a real chemistry there between Natalie Venettacci & Campbell McKenzie, the two leads. They captured the unchained, free yet tortured spirits of rock & roll musicians, trying to make it big (but failing). There is love between them, but also antagonism, which frequently flares up. The third character – played by director Victor Kalka, is the Lobster Man. At first, the lobster man seemed at odds with the rest of the play, providing a (very welcome) distraction from the heaviness of the subject matter, with the whole audience howling with laughter upon his entrance. It is only later that this seemingly frivolous character reveals a more serious side. This play won Best Production, Director and Female Performance at OneFest 2009.

 If you see this production (and you should) PLEASE do not get there late – the noise of late people entering overpowered some of the quieter lines and was very distracting. The air conditioning switching on and off was also an annoyance during the first half of Star Crossed, though it did not affect the performances, all of which were very strong. This is by no means light entertainment, dealing with serious and universal issues, but these issues are handled well by both cast & directors, and this show is well worth seeing. Star Crossed/Cowboy Mouth is running from August 18^th to August 21^st at the Backspace Theatre.

-Tim B

The first play performed was The Seagull by Sue Smith who was sent to Zeehan. It tells the story of an illicit relationship, taking place between Cassie and Phillip. Phillip (Guy Hooper) is a married man who comes into Zeehan from time to time and spends time with his lover Cassie (Jemma Gates). After a heated argument he leaves and Cassie starts to miss him, enter May (Joan Murray) an elderly woman who is quite likely going to be able to teach Cassie of the importance of true love. This piece is charming and shows the darker side of human relationships, especially when one partner relies on the relationship more than the other. The set is subtle throughout the performances (this assists with the travelling of the show) yet effective in what it conveys. The acting comes across strong and, as we will discover, diverse as the actors have a different character in each play.
The second play was as strong as the first, with the exception of being slightly more comical. Bull Kelp by Debra Oswald is set in the confines of King Island and begins with the hilarious Scottish seal-man, Selkirk (Guy Hooper) jumping out of a pile of bull kelp and scaring a young local (Scott Farrow). This man accepts Selkirk’s offer of help and eventually is embarrassed by him in front of a childhood love and traveller (Jemma Gates). Both of the young characters, one who fears leaving, the other fears being stuck there, get tricked into helping out Selkirk for the entirety of his stay. Can Selkirk help the young couple see what has been in front of them all along? With more of a focus on love and being home in a country place, this piece had the most contact with the audience, based entirely on applause and laughter.

The second act was just as strong as the first, starting off with, Sex, Death and Fly fishing, which was probably one of the most acting based play of the entire night. The play was based on dialogue between an old fly fisherman (Guy Hooper) and a young man (Scott Farrow), in the old man’s hut, in the middle of winter. Adam Grossetti wrote Sex, Death and Fly Fishing in Miena. The lighting worked off a lower angle than the other shows, as to create a cold and dark atmosphere. The use of music under the young man’s first monologue, set the tone for the play, setting it up to be a very arctic feeling play in a desolate setting. Farrow and Hooper had quite a challenge when it came to this Sex, Death and Fly Fishing, considering the only two people on stage for the entirety are the young man and the Fly fisherman, this especially the case with Farrow who had the role of narrator as well as his character. This was certainly one of my favourite plays from the whole production, because of how it used it’s minimalist props and cast to create such a powerful image of dedication and ghosts of time gone by.

The final play of the night The Exceptional Beauty of the First and Last by Finegan Krukemeyer, was written in Swansea, based around the idea that the majority of the population of Swansea, are retired. The story revolves around the dress maker the drifter who has finally returned home, and the drifter’s childhood friend and later, girlfriend. Scott Farrow had another brilliant performance as the drifter, who was rediscovering the whole town. Jemma Gates and Joan Murray were also exceptional. Joan Murray, in this particular play, was a definite stand out, as Gates’ was in her other plays. Murray showed the perfect characterisation for her particular role. The use of the acting space, was resourceful, designating particular corner’s for particular locations, that combined with the simple props, such as the flowers, worked exceptionally well. The part of The Exceptional Beauty of the First and Last, that was the most memorable was definitely the ending with the drifter and his girlfriend on the beach, under the dimmed lights, it had an amazing atmosphere which was the perfect way to end Sex, Death and a Cup of Tea.

Sex, Death and a Cup of Tea is showing across the state. Travelling rurally until the 21^st of August, in Launceston from August 25-28 and in the Hobart Backspace Theatre from September 2^nd until September 25^th. This is most definitely not a show to be missed by supporters and enjoyers of local, professional theatre.

-Luke & Andreas