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Melbourne Arts - film, theatre, music, comedy, cd reviews

Robinsons' Exciting New Pantomime Promotion

It's an unlikely scenario: British squash company Robinsons is getting into children's pantomimes.

'Pantomimes have always been a highlight for families at Christmas and Robinsons continues to refresh generations of families, so we felt this was the perfect partnership."

At the heart of this very creative promotion is an interactive website. Children are guided every step of the way with the help of fun graphics, sounds and cues.

Robinsons' site makes the panto process engaging and fun for kids. There are even pdf scripts and instructions for someone (probably a frazzled mother) to make costumes!


So what is a pantomime? The form has changed much over the years and is always adapted to suit audiences and contexts.

Wikipedia does, however, list certain 'conventions':

* The leading male juvenile character (the 'principal boy') - is traditionally played by a young woman, and usually in tight-fitting male garments (such as breeches) that make her female charms evident.
* An older woman (the pantomime dame - often the hero's mother) is usually played by a man in drag.
* Risqué double entendre, often wringing innuendo out of perfectly innocent phrases. This is, in theory, over the heads of the children in the audience.
* Audience participation, including calls of "He's behind you!" (or "Look behind you!"), and "Oh, yes it is!" and "Oh, no it isn't!" The audience is always encouraged to boo the villain and "awwwww" the poor victims, such as the rejected dame, who usually fancies the prince.
* A song combining a well-known tune with re-written lyrics. The audience is encouraged to sing the song; often one half of the audience is challenged to sing 'their' chorus louder than the other half.




Direct your kids to the Robsinsons site and bring your own family pantomime to life.

(Robinsons are also running a 'Search for a Star' contest. Young performers are encouraged to audition for some big shows).
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Robinsons' Exciting New Pantomime Promotion

It's an unlikely scenario: British squash company Robinsons is getting into children's pantomimes.

'Pantomimes have always been a highlight for families at Christmas and Robinsons continues to refresh generations of families, so we felt this was the perfect partnership."

At the heart of this very creative promotion is an interactive website. Children are guided every step of the way with the help of fun graphics, sounds and cues.

Robinsons' site makes the panto process engaging and fun for kids. There are even pdf scripts and instructions for someone (probably a frazzled mother) to make costumes!

So what is a pantomime? The form has changed much over the years and is always adapted to suit audiences and contexts.

Wikipedia does, however, list certain 'conventions':

* The leading male juvenile character (the 'principal boy') - is traditionally played by a young woman, and usually in tight-fitting male garments (such as breeches) that make her female charms evident.
* An older woman (the pantomime dame - often the hero's mother) is usually played by a man in drag.
* Risqué double entendre, often wringing innuendo out of perfectly innocent phrases. This is, in theory, over the heads of the children in the audience.
* Audience participation, including calls of "He's behind you!" (or "Look behind you!"), and "Oh, yes it is!" and "Oh, no it isn't!" The audience is always encouraged to boo the villain and "awwwww" the poor victims, such as the rejected dame, who usually fancies the prince.
* A song combining a well-known tune with re-written lyrics. The audience is encouraged to sing the song; often one half of the audience is challenged to sing 'their' chorus louder than the other half.



Direct your kids to the Robsinsons site and bring your own family pantomime to life.

(Robinsons are also running a 'Search for a Star' contest. Young performers are encouraged to audition for some big shows).
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Music: Georgia Fields and the Freeways

Georgia Fields and the Freeways
Manchester Lane - July 24 2008

Ms. Fields and co. have been causing quite a stir on the indy folk scene throughout the past year, and the pot is reaching an almost boiling-point of new star creation. And that new star—backed-up by a crowd spilling out the doors at a boutique venue (Manchester Lane) on a cold Thursday night—should rightly burn for Georgia Fields and her slow driving Freeway band, with a standout performance of eclectic quirky pop confirming the purport of her talent and deservedness.

Boasting an “indy-folk orchestra” to back up Ms. Fields’ gorgeous vocal, tonight’s gig was somewhat of an extravaganza compared with her weekly stripped-back acoustic shows. Tonight was glitz and glamour, comparatively, with brass, electrified guitars, choir, harp and—no kidding—a drill and children’s toys. Even a soft-drink can had its sequence of melodious input.

But it wasn’t quite the raucous performance that may be interpreted: you could hear a pin drop in many of the breakdowns, and Ms. Fields certainly does test a audience’s listening diligence, with only the occasional drunk rebelling with an inability to contain a “We love you George!” midway through a pianissimo segue. But the heckle goes unpunished. Justified by the mass agreement, perhaps.
There is no doubt young Georgia was nervous; the turnout and applause-volume maybe surprising her a little, but there was no show of it in the songs (in her awkward between-song speeches, perhaps yes, but even that is endearing, like a kid with new skates falling over).

Her stunning EP was brought to a new life with the added instrumentation, and some new songs (notably Satellite, written by her sidekick extraordinaire, Judith Hamann) promise further acclaim whenever the next recording comes along. In the mean time, you’ll have to see it live, and you may just find yourself humming “This could be the start of something beautiful” as you leave, with a touch a prophetic hope. Only, this reviewer would argue, it’s already started.


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EP Review: SPUN RIVALS

This 4-song package by Melbourne outfit Spun Rivals is a nifty display of hooks, jaggered riffing and displays a promising future for this style of song writing. It's not punk, nor rock, nor pop—but a little of each. Post-punk indie new-wave is what the press release says, and as broad as that sounds, it feels kind of appropriate.
Scottish singer/guitarist Rich Davies Jr. has a whiny way with vocals, but mixed with some devilishly distorted bass lines and hammering drums, it works as kind of contrasting colour in a rainbow.
Nineteen Ninety Eight is clearly the single-track here, even though it doesn’t really follow the formula of your average radio single. There's a good chorus and bouncy verses, but half way through, it ventures into weirder territory and doesn't really come back—which is really effective, as it makes you want to listen again. And perhaps more importantly, gets you thinking, why is he so sorry about 1998? What happened? I'm sure answer is in the lyrics, but as with all things catchy, I only remember the grunt of the chorus: "I'm so sorry about 1998


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Theatre: How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found

By Daniel Vigilante


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Interview: Fin Kennedy, UK playwright (LINK)

"How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found"

By Daniel Vigilante
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Interview: Trial Kennedy

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Interview: Kate Ceberano (LINK)

By Daniel Vigilante

Kate Ceberano is not only one of Australia’s most loved and accomplished artists, she’s also one of our most prolific. The release of ‘So Much Beauty’ this month is her 17th full length album, and if, like wine, artists only get better with age, this may very well prove to be her best release yet. And that’s exactly the purport Kate herself put forth, as she explained to me in a friendly and lively chat. “I think this is one of my favourite albums ever. I’m usually very shy about saying things like that because obviously we like to like our own work, but I very rarely listen to my old stuff, and this is an album that I’ve already been listening to quite a bit. I’m enjoying something about it


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Movie: Before Te Devil Knows You’re Dead

Philip Seymour Hoffman can’t seem to put a foot wrong lately, and this latest effort only testifies to the fact. With another stand out performance in The Savages (see review in earlier post) also currently out at the cinemas, you’d be hard pressed to find a decent screening that doesn’t have Hoffman involved. Ok a slight exaggeration, but you get the point, and in case you don’t, I’ll elucidate more clearly: Hoffman is a superstar.
The screenplay for this film is by and large the blueprint for its success. Having great actors bring it to life and a super sharp directional approach merely add icing to the cake. In a fast paced flow of events, it jumps back and forth in time to let you know of characters’ motivations, but not for a minute is it confusing.
Ethan Hawke as Hank Hanson is perfectly cast as a stress ridden divorcee with massive financial troubles (and emotional complexes), who is lured by his brother, Andy Hanson (Hoffman), to rob a “mom and pa” jewellery store. The only catch is, the store Andy has in mind is their actual mom and pa’s jewellery store which they have grown up working at and hence know the ins and outs of its functioning. That may already be giving away a little surprise that was set for the viewer about 20 minutes in, so I won’t spoil any more of the plot, except to say (and this isn’t spoiling anything as it occurs in the opening scene) that it goes drastically wrong


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Live Music: Martin Martini and The Bone Palace Orchestra @ the Ding Dong lounge

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