Review: Dave Graney Live in Hell

Review by Lachlan Bryan, Arts Hub, 27/3/09

Dave Graney is nothing if not self-aware. In a way, it’s what his new cabaret Live in Hell is all about – but it’s also the reason why, tonight at least, the show didn’t quite live up to its premise.

A curious figure, Graney has carved himself a niche as an always quirky, innovative and at times even schmaltzy singer and songwriter in Australia and Europe over the past twenty-five or so years. His efforts have earned critical acclaim and at times popular approval.

Live in Hell is the sequel to Point Blank (which debuted in 2006) and it examines the journey of ‘the performer’ once either success, popularity (or even just a hint of either) has taken hold. The show asserts that at such point the performer descends into a living “hell” – not necessarily presided over by a devil but undoubtedly populated by demons of some description. Through a mixture of song, semi-improvised storytelling and a series of pop-culture (particularly pop-music) references, Graney and his band (including leather-clad wife and long-time collaborator Clare Moore) attempt to illustrate this central idea – with the help of absent performer ‘friends’ as loosely connected as Jim Morrison and Chad Morgan.

I wasn’t particularly enamoured with Graney’s song-writing tonight – but I really do like the way his mind works. His concept of hell is indeed thought provoking, and presumably the result of much self-analysis. To the small audience of mostly middle-aged musical contemporaries it may have all seemed like something of an ‘in-joke’ at times. But there is more to it than that, and from amongst the self-deprecation emerged a critique not only of the way we as an audience devour our entertainers, but also the way the performers set themselves up for a fall by pursuing continued relevance and simultaneously hankering after the glories of ‘back in the day’.

But this leads me back to Graney’s self-awareness. It seemed to me that Live in Hell is a character piece, yet Dave was not completely playing the character. Instead he was caught somewhere in between – unsure whether to immerse himself in the role and suspend disbelief or simply descend into self-parody. Too often he chose the latter – and by doing so he became less convincing and exposed weaknesses in the production that may have gone unnoticed if driven by a more committed performance.

I can’t help but feel that the venue also contributed. The Butterfly Club is wonderful, but it allows for only the most skeletal, minimalist production. This particular piece would, in my opinion, benefit greatly from a little more ‘smoke and mirrors’, and a more defined “fourth wall”. The concept behind Live in Hell deserves expansion and elaboration – it really seems to me to require the theatricality only hinted at by Graney’s shimmering purple shirt and trouser set.

I think the show will get better over the weekend as Graney and co. become more comfortable with the material. It’s an ambitious project with lots of potential, and Graney has the charisma to pull it off. Certainly worthy of stronger production and a longer season.

Dave Graney Live in Hell
At The Butterfly Club, South Melbourne
Dates: Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 March (three performances)
Time: 9.00 pm
Ticket price: $27 full / $22 concession and for groups of 8 or more
Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com
Duration: 60 minutes approx

Review: Dr Sketchy's Anti Art School

Review by Zoë Wolfendale, ArtsHub, 25/03/09

I studied art, I collect art, and go to big quiet places to appreciate it... but I have never attended an art class like the one I turned up to last night.

We arrived just before 8pm to collect drinks and tickets. People were milling around outside, smoking and clutching their sketch pads.

Last night Lydia De Carllo was our model, a burlesque dancer from Vancouver who has been running shows at Cristal Burlesque, each Sunday at the Cristal Bar in South Yarra.

Having attended shows at the Butterfly Club in the past, I was familiar with the venue and knew that it would be an interesting space in which to run a drawing class. I was not wrong, it was packed, all with sketch pads and pencils in hand.

From where I was sitting I could see snippets of Lydia as she held poses for us. The first hour was spent sketching short poses of around 3 minutes each, although this was extended if the audience requested and Lydia was comfortable. After a short break to refill glasses and remove some of the charcoal from my face, we settled in for some longer poses.

Lydia created lovely and interesting poses for us, very much in the pin-up style of the 50’s, and she looked the part. We were allowed to take photos, which I took advantage of so that I could practice for next month.

The evening ended with Lydia performing for us, which was a great way to end a fun couple of hours. There were balloons involved and I felt like I was in a speak-easy in Chicago for a short while.

One piece of advice for anyone planning to attend, do not wear anything warm, the room heated up as we worked, and in the end it was like taking an art class in a sauna, (an arty version of Bikram yoga).

This drawing class offered me an insight into just how out of practice I am, and any experimenting with perspective was completely out of my reach, although I did think that some burlesque dancing classes might be next on my list of skills to attain, (such a cheeky and sexy genre).

Unlike a traditional art class you do not receive any instruction, this is simply an opportunity to practice without grades and also be with other people with the same interest, and see how they work and what they produce.

That being said, my work ended up looking like either some kind of insect scratching or a completely unintelligible mess of line and form (ho-hum).I tried to angle my sketch pad to hide the train wreck of my efforts, but by the end of the night I had relaxed and was happily sharing with others.

If you consider the last time I attended a life drawing class I had to submit a letter from my mother allowing me, (an innocent Catholic school girl) < insert smirk>, to look at and draw naked bodies, then I have certainly come a long way - taking myself off the the Butterfly Club with NO NOTE from my mother!

So if you have the urge to draw naked bodies, then go along, you will be part of a worldwide event, there are 30 classes around the world.

Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School is run on the last Wednesday of each month at The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank St, South Melbourne. The fun starts at 8pm and continues till about 10. Visit Dr. Sketchy’s website for more information.

History in the making: Dave Graney to share dressing room with the Sharon Molls

The iconic Dave Graney will be "Live, in Hell" in more ways than one this weekend.



First, that's what his show's called, and second, he has to share a dressing room with these lovely ladies, Grand Prix protestors the Sharon Molls.

Bookings at our secure website. Dave is on Thurs to Sat and the Molls are on Thurs to Sun.

Review for this weekend's shows

From Here to Maternity and The Attack of the 40 Foot Wedge
The Butterfly Club 19 March 2009
Reviewer: David Allen

This week sees the invasion of The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne by a horde of theatrical women, voices at the ready, biting senses of humour and stories galore.

Well, two theatrical women, but a very theatrical pair! Covering everything from the perils of motherhood to the search for yourself – preferably not someone else's – the two new shows take us on a perilous and exciting journey full of hope, joy and hilarity.

Lizzie Matjacic opens the evening with the story of her journey From Here to Maternity. From finding out about her impending motherhood to the ongoing battle of living with a third person in the house, Lizzie blends story and song to really get across what it's like to be a new mother. Lizzie's voice is beautiful and powerful, showing a classical style that supports the familiar musical theatre tunes well. Songs from musicals such as Working (Just a Housewife) and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (The Baby Song) fit neatly into the stories of changing nappies and regular feedings that are the bane of every young mother's existence.

Lizzie's strength is her experience, and by sharing the tales that have made her both laugh and cry, she opens up to her audience in a powerful and endearing way. While being realistic about the trials and tribulations, it's clear that she loves being a parent, a feeling that's quite catchy – even to the point of making this 21-year-old male reviewer just a little clucky!

The evening continues with The Attack of the 40 Foot Wedge, a hilarious retelling by Nikki Aitken of her escape from Adelaide and nearly impromptu journey to Europe.

Seeking a husband, a hit broadway show and a house of her own, Nikki finds that two out of three ain't bad - but one out of three is terrible. Nikki is a born comedian, with the ability to send up the people who she has met on her travels to great effect. Her experience of attempting to organise a passport in the middle of Greece, in particular, is a hilarious send-up of culture shock that left audience members in fits of laughter.

Musically, the show stands out from the crowd, as the vast majority of the music has been written by Nikki purely for the show. Mixed into a couple of familiar songs (John Mayer's My Stupid Mouth and Nellie McKay's I Wanna Get Married , to name but two), the original music gives the show a personal flavour not often seen in performance.

Special mention must be made of the title song, 40 Foot Wedge, a hilarious dream sequence reminiscent of those made famous by Fiddler On The Roof. Between the two of them, Nikki and Lizzie have created two fantastic insights into what it's like to be a woman in modern society. Funny, serious and just a little crazy, these two highly talented women give us a night to remember.

THE ATTACK OF THE 40 FOOT WEDGE

Living in London can sometimes feel like you are being stepped on by the biggest heels in fashion. Starting tonight, Nikki Aitken sings the West End home with some hilarious stories from the Big Smoke! Devil Wears Prada meets Shirley Valentine.

“Nikki Aitken belts out with a huge voice” – The Adelaide Advertiser

Dates: Wednesday 18 to Saturday 21 March (four performances)
Time: Preview night at 8.30 pm Wed; then 9.00 pm Thurs to Sat
Ticket price: $22 full / $17 concession and for groups of 8 or more
Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com
Duration: 60 minutes approx

Review: Surviving a Modern World - closing tonight!

Review by David Allen

Surviving A Modern World The Butterfly Club 12 March 2009

Recently graduated from the VCA, John Frankland and Stephanie Evison-Williams are finding the real world, well, a little bit tough. And so, like all recent performing arts students should, they did the only sensible thing – they wrote a cabaret about it.

Surviving a Modern World is really two short cabarets joined together, each performer operating mainly independently and performing a short show in their own right. Drawn together by the common theme of 'where do I go from here?', the two pieces allow each performer to show off and spill a little bit of their personality onto the stage.

Cursed by a vague resemblance to two famous musicians, John Frankland has developed a quirky and insidious comedic style that leaves audiences in stitches. Coupled with an impressively powerful 'musical theatre'-style voice, John's piece is clever, witty and great to watch.

An innovative approach to modern theatre and impressive use of 'props' make his performance laugh-out-loud funny and just a little groan-worthy.

In contrast to her more 'together' stagemate, Stephanie Evison-Williams has a disjointed, slightly crazy style that makes her quirkily appealing to any person who has ever spilt food all down themselves on a date or declared their undying love for a celebrity.

Rejoicing in her absurdity, Stephanie's wacky approach leads to some downright hilarious antics, including a brilliantly crafted dance with a heart-shaped pillow and a photograph.

Closed nicely at the end with Monty Python's famous Universe Song, Surviving a Modern World is a fresh take on life outside of institutionalised education.

Raw, a little unpolished, but always honest, this is great fun from new strong young voices in cabaret.

Review for Fabtastix: Behind the Pearls and Trash of the Pops

Fabtastix: Behind the Pearls and Trash of the Pops
The Butterfly Club 5 March 2009
Reviewer: David Allen

Two brand new cabarets take over the stage this week at The Butterfly Club. Featuring three talented young performers, the shows are fun, silly, musical, bright, colourful and just a lot irreverent.

Trash of the Pops sees the return of Garret Buffo the self-important self-professed sex-god, the creation of Melbourne performer Oliver Farrell. Buffo takes us through a series of famous eighties hit songs, performed in his own inimitable style – as they should, he says, having been stolen from him in the eighties by the more well-known singers who made them famous.

Featuring such hits as Let's Hear It For The Boy, You Spin Me Round and Love is a Battlefield, the show starts out as a camptastic cringefest – and not much changes during the 45 minutes in the showroom. That said, Oliver is impressively committed to his character and performance, responding to an uncomfortably small audience and lack of audience participation with simply more enthusiasm.

While Buffo is an amusing and eccentric character, it is a shame that he does not bring anything particularly new to the music or the rather tenuous story. That said, his perrformance is endearing, amusing and a bit of fun.

The real jewel of The Butterfly Club this week is Fabtastix: Behind the Pearls, a collaboration between Justin Clausen and veteran musical director James Simpson that delves into the world of the overpaid and overdressed – set, perhaps appropriately, in a boutique homewares store in Brighton.

Fabtastix makes use of some great recent music, including the cult hit by Kristin Chenoweth, Taylor, The Latte Boy (a particular favourite that showed off Clausen's acting ability perfectly). With much of the music rewritten and tailored for the storyline, the musical interludes are generally a slick and well-suited way of furthering the story, thankfully free from the balance issues that were evident during the dialogue.

Clausen appears as various different characters during the piece, including both his bosses and several potential new junior employees. While the characters are amusing, they do tend to blur together somewhat, possibly being too similar to each other and not distinct enough to be really characters in their own right. Justin's ability to transform from one to the other is impressive, however, and should be applauded (as, indeed, it was).

With all of these characters running around on stage, it is interesting that the show really came alive when the character dropped, with a story about an older woman called Mrs Stevens, and we saw what appeared to be the real Justin underneath. He shows a real talent for storytelling, with a genuine love for the tales of the people that he meets, and the song folowing this story was truly magical. As in much of the best cabaret, when the character drops, the real performer shines through, and the audience get to see something personal and real.

Two new takes on life and love and music and song, these two new shows are fun and silly, and so wonderfully irreverent that you can't help but smile. Fabtastix: Behind the Pearls and Trash of the Pops are on now at The Butterfly Club.

The Butterfly Club is turning 10!

10th Birthday Party for The Butterfly Club

Bookings for this event is via the comedy festival website.

The Butterfly Club flutters from its South Melbourne cocoon to the Hi-Fi Bar to present a lavish selection of comedy cabaret acts that have appeared on its stage over the past ten marvellous years. One show only!

The acts will be revealed progressively on this blog as we get closer to the date. Sorry to be such a tease ;-) Rest assured, we have a stunning line-up of emerging and world-class comedy cabaret performers!

Post show drinks at The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank St, South Melbourne.

Date / time: Sunday 19 April at 2.00 pm (one performance only!)
Venue: The Hi Fi, 125 Swanston Street, CBD. Click here for directions.

Bookings: www.comedyfestival.com.au or call Ticketmaster on 1300 660 013
Ticket price: $45 full / $38 concession and for groups of 8 or more
Duration: 2 hours approx

Note: Patrons under 18 will only be admitted if accompanied by their parent or legal guardian, which needs to be proven by identification.

Colin Lane is not sure about the music

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival presents

Colin Lane in

I’M NOT SURE ABOUT THE MUSIC

Wed 1 to Sat 25 April

Colin Lane (Lano from Lano & Woodley) is stepping out solo with a brand new cabaret show. Colin is the man. Well, not THE man … but the man in this scenario. The man’s not sure about the music. The man doesn’t get the music. The man gets the music. The man loses the music. The man gets the music back.

Warning: show contains a couple of songs with no jokes!

Preview dates / times: Wednesday 1 April to Sunday 5 April, shows at 9.00 pm (8.00 pm Sunday)
Ticket price: All preview tickets $22

Season dates / times: Wednesday 8 April to Saturday 25 April, shows at 9.00 pm (8.00 pm Sundays). No shows Mondays or Tuesdays.
Ticket price: $27 full / $22 concession and for groups of 8 or more

Bookings: via this secure website
Duration: 50 minutes approx

Dave Graney is Live, in HELL!

> book now

A performer must always carry about them a whiff of poison and hemlock. Ambrosia. They must always be on their way to somewhere better. Teasing and leaving the people by the side of the road, alone. They will never be coming back.

This story is about a performer who has no resource to other worlds. No plane ticket in the back pocket, no connections to the real world. He is stuck here on this damned island, dealing with whatever he finds and whoever comes along.

But he has his powers and his old maps and trails to over lay the land. He has dimensions! He has you SURROUNDED!

We are Live, in HELL!

In hell we live only as reflected by others.

Each performer, in the beginning must possess and embody and project a future. A world of possibilities. That’s what attracts the attention of people. The best people of the time, who are hungry for something / anything. These are the people that eat you up. Later they spit you out as something else. Then other people come. The ones who were late. There’s more of them. They are there for the past. The present or the past. Not the future. There is no future.

We are Live, in HELL!

Dave Graney, ARIA award winner and long running enigmatic performer in the rock scenes of the world, sings songs he has composed in HELL! Accompanied by Clare Moore with a box of percussion and Stu Thomas aka Stu D on baritone fuzz guitar.

Dates: Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 March (three performances)
Time: 9.00 pm
Ticket price: $27 full / $22 concession and for groups of 8 or more
Duration: 60 minutes approx

THE PETTICOAT SOIREE

Due to overwhelming demand this show has been extended to 14 March. Book now though as we can NOT extend beyond this date!


The Butterfly Club is proud to announce a new residency by redroomTHEATREcompany

THE PETTICOAT SOIREE

A night of outrageous debauchery and forbidden laughter.

> book now

THE PETTICOAT SOIREE is a non-stop romp of laughter, song, dance and flesh! Roll Up. Roll Up! Come one come all ...

THE PETTICOAT SOIREE will spellbind audience with an outrageously spectacular spectacle of tremendous talent and opulent extravagance.

From a time of old comes the time of new, a world of decadence and razzle dazzle. Drawing on the traditions of Burlesque, Vaudeville and Cabaret THE PETTICOAT SOIREE is an explosion of song, dance and delicious irony. An extravaganza of extraordinary acts, sumptuous seduction in a special late night show design to mesmerize, seduce and titillate.

redroomTHEATREcompany has a history of designing and creating new and exciting theatre. In 2008 redroom won the inaugural Short Sweet + Cabaret festival with F**K YOU SHIRLEY TEMPLE which was followed by LA FEMME NOUVELLE “Fun, sexy.....hilarious!”

redroomTHEATREcompany presents a brand new, awe-inspiring marvel with a stellar cast of Melbourne’s hottest talent. This show is where the bizarre runs rampant – it’s surprising, daring, impossible and dangerous.

Featuring a menagerie of stars including: Kitty Fox, Stella DeVine, The Cox Brothers, The Candy Topps and Vera Limp, THE PETTICOAT SOIREE is guaranteed to be the hottest if not the sexiest ticket in town.

redroomTHEATREcompany:
“Exciting new theatre … spellbinding!” – artshub.com.au
“Startling, intense … rewarding!” – vibewire.net

Written and Directed by Alister Smith
Starring: Elenor Adams / Emma Clair Ford / Jennifer Robinson / Priscilla Armstrong / Andrew Ronay-Jenkings / Jordan Bowering

Dates: Fridays and Saturdays from 20 February to 14 March (eight performances)
Time: 10.30 pm
Ticket price: $27 full / $22 concession and for groups of 8 or more
Duration: 60 minutes approx