…live show highlights of my 2009 (across three continents!)
1. Yankee. On Broadway, I enjoyed watching two of this year’s Tony winners, best original musical Next to Normal and best original play God of Carnage. But my personal favourite was 9-to-5 the Musical. Exuberant and hilarious, this toe-tapper had the most amazing production design I think I’ve ever seen (not as shiny as Wicked, but much more ingenious). Add to that, the pristine comic timing Allison Janney, the bolshy vocals of two former-stars of Wicked, and a whole bunch of new songs written by Dolly Parton, and you get a show that just couldn’t be more fun. Meanwhile in Vegas, Mystere by Cirque du Soleil showcased artists at the pinnacle of human physicality performing feats that most people wouldn’t even imagine, let alone attempt. But the unexpected part was that it had not only a sense of breathtaking beauty, but a great sense of humour as well. The experience was so magical and spectacular, I cried and ran straight to the gym*.
2. Yurp**. I may have mentioned two or three (hundred) times that I was at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. In technical/industry terms, there was an arseload of shows. Austrian duo Living Room is the world’s only bass-clarinet-and-hang-drum pairing. On a chilly, gray day, coffee in hand, I revelled in their warm rich tones in a tiny venue on Grassmarket. I grew particularly besotted with the hang drum – at only 8 years old, it’s one of the world’s newest instruments. It’s a convex steel drum with incredible versatility – both rhythmic and melodic. And it’s not like you can walk into your nearest music store and buy one. If you’ve got a hankering for a hang, apparently you have to write to its creators and explain why – but if you were a kick-arse percussionist looking for a new and unique challenge, it’d be so, so worth it. On the other end of the spectrum were Aussie acrobatic spectacle Controlled Falling Project – like Cirque, it put feats of strength and balance in the spotlight, but with a simple almost vaudevillian aesthetic. And last is the mammoth acapella troupe, Out of the Blue. These dorkiest of dorky Oxford boys would, on the rare occasion they weren’t sold out, storm The Royal Mile in full force and belt out a gloriously energetic number. People would stop in their tracks. Then, almost as quickly as they arrived, they’d be gone again. Their show was similarly energetic and delightful, featuring wacky stagings of pop tracks in quality arrangements. No wonder they’re the best in the UK.
3. Yowie***. Surprisingly, for someone who doesn’t love stand-up as much as other forms of comedy, two of my favourites on the home front are stand-ups. Way, way back at this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival (which seems like years ago now) I saw Janeane Garofalo. Now, I know a lot of people (read: guys) weren’t happy with her piecemeal approach to storytelling, but I loved it. She is ridiculous in a way I really identify with. My second stand-up rave comes from Cockatoo Island, home of World’s Funniest Island festival where Princess Cabaret did a post-Edinburgh reprise. There I finally got to see a full show by Fiona O’Loughlin and, my god, I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. Not only is she hilarious, but she’s a wonderful storyteller. I made fool of myself on the post-festival boatride, excitedly telling her I was “the tragic lapsed-Catholic in the front row” (FYI, I’m not often starstruck, but when I am it’s embarrassing). She laughed, perhaps in sympathy. Finally, just the other night, I saw a wonderful local show called LoveBites. It’s an ensemble-based musical revue on all things romance - a teensy bit like Australia’s answer to I Love You You’re Perfect… Now Change! but simpler and tighter. It’s funny, clever, moving, and has just the right amounts of light and shade to make it immensely satisfying. In terms of writing, composition, singing, and acting, it was as good as, if not better than, anything I saw on Broadway. The lyrics were particularly awesome. I walked out at the end smiling and inspired. This show not only has legs – it has wings and a turbo-charger.
*in this case, gym = all-you-can-eat buffet at Mandalay Bay
**that’s Baltimorean for Europe (I chose this dialect here for no particular reason)
***this is the only Aussie-ism starting with ‘Y’ that I could think of (I bet there’s a really obvious one I’m missing)
