And so this was…

As John Lennon asks in his now Christmas standard, “so, this is Christmas and what have you done?” Reflection becomes par-for-the-course at the tail end of the holiday period, including of shows seen during the year passed and in what has become typical, my favourites are a little off-kilter from the perhaps usual list of big-budget showcases.

Local shows aside for a moment and 2015 allowed me opportunity to see the London productions of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” and “The Book of Mormon”. I am yet to hear of anyone who has seen the Dog in the Night-Time on stage and not raved about the experience. And justifiably so; it is the best dramatic production I have ever seen, anywhere. And as for “The Book of Mormon”…. is there any feeling better than being able to tick from an in-mind list of shows you want to see. For me, this musical had been at the top of my to-see list for a number of years, replaced now by “Something Rotten” and while the show is shocking in its satire, it’s quite brilliant and definitely up there as one of my favourites.

But that is not say that Brisbane has not seen its share of great shows of all sorts, from which my favourites would be:

1. All My Love (HIT Productions) – the story of Australia’s best-known poet and writer Henry Lawson and his relationship with fellow poet Mary Gilmore.
2. The Confidence Man (Side Pony Productions) – a choose-your-own-adventure of the theatrical kind as audience members use smartphone to flick between the characters’ stories, tuning in on their innermost thoughts as the action unfolds.
3. The Importance of Being Earnest (W!ld Rice) – a witty all-male telling of Oscar Wilde’s immortal play, as part of the Brisbane Festival.
4. Candide (Opera Q) – opera at its most accessible, merging music and comedy in a colourful and energetic search for Eden.
5. Tiptoe (Pentimento Productions) – Two timeframes unfold simultaneously on stage in this Australian psychological thriller with a twist from acclaimed playwright Sven Swenson.

• Best performance – Libby Munro in Grounded (Queensland Theatre Company)
• Best staging – Medea (La Boite Theatre Company)
• Best lighting – Dracula (shake+stir Theatre Company)
• Best AV – De Profundis (Brisbane Powerhouse and Metro Arts)
• Most interesting – The Mayne Effect (Flowers Theatre Company)
• Best Shakespeare – Titus (Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble)
• Best musical – Anything Goes (Opera Australia and John Frost)
• Best cabaret – That 90s Show (Tom Sharah)
• Funniest – The Odd Couple (Queensland Theatre Company)
• Most fun – Velvet (Organised Pandemonium)
• Most entertaining – Hugh Jackman: Broadway to Oz (Dainty Group)

With appreciation of the notion that theatre-going begets theatre-going, I am also confident, however, that 2016 will bring with it a range of shows and potential new favourites. So, as Lennon also says…. “Let’s hope it’s a good one”.

Choose your own character

The Confidence Man (Side Pony Productions)

Brisbane Powerhouse, Powerhouse Theatre

October 28 – 31

As the saying goes, there are two sides to every story. In Side Pony Productions’ “The Confidence Man”, however, there are six. And thanks to its technologically-enabled interactive event, audience members can edit their narratives together to create their own multi-layered experience in this original, gripping show.

Equipped with smartphones and headsets, audience members survey the action from the perimeter of a stage divided up like blueprint of a suburban home, eavesdropping on the pre-recorded dialogue of the characters’ most private thoughts and conversations by flicking through character choices on screen. This makes for an intimate yet shared theatrical experience unlike any other you will have experienced and brings a lot of fun to what is initially a deceptively simple drama as audience members switch character channels and perspectives in response to the points and laughter of fellow observers of the divided action.

When family friend Sam brings a sports bag full of cash into the domestic home of Pete, his wife Susan and daughter Anita, he walks into an ordinary, but still complicated family dynamic. But things then take a sinister and ultimately shocking turn as the on-stage stories cleverly interweave and gun-toting drug dealing duo Alex and Maria pay visit to recoup their spoils of crime swag.

The characters are played by six pre-show volunteers, equipped with headsets to assist them in navigation of the space, but also giant, highly exaggerated masks of almost Asian theatre and early gaming character hybrid. Although intriguing in themselves, their distinctness also assists audience members to quickly acquaint themselves with who is who. Even the layout of images screen for selection is helpful, grouping characters in terms of relationships. And switching between channels causes no disruption to the timing and entwinement of the stories.

Clearly, this is far from a realistic work, not only through staging and characters but the in-ear voice which both shares dialogue and verbalises the action (which sometimes actually disconnects the audience experience). Initially, this is a comic treat as stage directions instruct characters to consume biscuits and walk a giant stuffed dog, however, when the criminals commandeer the house, the dark comedy escalates quickly to the point that rather than just outer dialogue, voice overs take turn into powerful and poetic self-aware description of inner thoughts.

The complexity of “The Confidence Man” results in a deliciously dark, absorbing theatrical experience. Although it is obviously variable dependent upon performers, the fact that audiences can switch between characters and back upon desire allows for all sorts of possibilities within the parameters of the main plot points and ultimate outcomes, caters for even those theatre-goers with the most transient of attention spans.

The language of the overwhelmingly positive can be a strain, but “The Confidence Man” is worthy of every hyperbolic descriptor, ensuring that long after seeing it, you’ll remain awestruck and singing its praises to anybody who’ll listen as you try to drag them along with you for a repeat experience …  because when audience members are lingering without leaving after seeing the show, too engaged with talking about the performance, it is pretty clear that the work is something very special indeed.