Blog — Page 177 of 279

Jersey Boys

Capitol Theatre

Sydney, Australia

October 4, 2018

The 2018 staging of Jersey Boys at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre opened its proceedings with a bit of a surprise: A hip hop version “Ces Soirées-La”, i.e. the French equivalent to “Oh, what a night” set the tone for the performance, which was bit of a surprise.

Luckily, the storyline that ensued followed the traditional narrative of the entity that became known as the Four Seasons, detailing the trial and tribulations of the troubadours Frankie Valli, Nick Massi, Bob Gaudio and the streetwise promoter Tommy DeVito and gang.

The first quarter of the show had a bit of a slow build-up, framed by lesser known numbers but it was not long until the ensemble found its stride and the affair picked up pace, delivering all the timeless classics in an impeccable manner.

What makes this Australian take on the quartet is that the ensemble infused the characters with its own flavours and the value of the production rests firmly on the talent and showmanship of the well-cast individual performers with their standout vocal deliveries and on-point choreography backed by a superb orchestration, which accentuates and amplifies the individual characters’ distinct personalities.

A feat which is further elaborated on by subdividing the show in four components, i.e. ‘seasons”, each narrated by one of the constituents, which with their at times contradictive points of view complete the mosaic leaving out unnecessary ballast.

The fact that individual segments of the show prompted spontaneous applause and eruptions from the audience reflects the infectious nature the creative team under the guidance of Director Des McAnuff and Musical Supervisor Ron Melrose have accomplished to create.

It proves difficult to not leave the Capitol Theatre in good spirits after being serenaded for more than two hours with catchy harmonies by a cast of eighteen performers.

The imaginative stage settings and their rapid, seamless changes of the troupe’s classic rags-to-riches real life rise to success story complement the story – a story of a conglomerate of artists that were firmly embraced by the American mainstream working class culture and the epitome of what can be described as a jukebox musical.

This show is everything one could hope for – no matter if you are an uninitiated first timer or have seen previous incarnations.

The Merchant of Venice

Pop-up Globe

Sydney, Australia

September 28, 2018

The Buckingham’s Company's comedic take on Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is an exuberant exercise in engaging theatre.

Set in a three-story local pop-up equivalent to the second Globe Theatre built by Shakespeare’s company in 1613-14 under the open sky, the forum is explored to immerse the audience to the fullest, making it come close to what an original incarnation must have looked like when it comes to actors interacting with the audience with quick witted banter.

Having seem a myriad of interpretations of The Merchant of Venice, this was certainly one of the more entertaining ones and the bits that were improvised and left up to chance as the audience’s repartees are seamlessly incorporated into mono- and dialogues, were highlights of the evening that often left a smile on the faces both on- and offstage.

The fact that what is commonly perceived to be a play with anti-Semitic undertones, was reinterpreted so that the villain, i.e. Shylock found a representation through Peter Daubé’s nuanced portrayal in a manner that gave an inkling of an idea what has formed his character, that being the mistreatment by devout Christians.

Another connotation the play was infused with to make it relevant to modern times were allusions to current day Australia and the climate of prejudices, justice system and detention.

Despite these modern adjustments, the play was well-balanced and in some aspects very faithful to an original Shakespeare production, e.g. having an all-male cast (with one exception, i.e. the smart Portia, which given the nature of the role could have been a deliberate choice to make a statement) that was a pleasure to watch – specifically the female leads who were portrayed by male actors in all shapes and sizes adding to the resolutely comedic atmosphere but also something that can be further interpreted as a take on modern day gender identity issues.

The Merchant of Venice is not unlike any of Shakespeare’s plays a timeless classic, yet infused with the fresh blood of this New Zealand based production company and against the backdrop of a Globe Theater, it is given a new dimension and thereby builds a bridge between the 16th and the 21st centuries.

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Photo courtesy of Pop Up Globe Sydney

A veritable delight.

Water of Life

Bruichladdich

The Isle of Islay is the mecca for whisky connoisseurs, specifically for ones into the smoky and peaty variants. Bruichladdich is a distillery that reopened its doors shortly after the millennium and one that has first come across my radar with their curiously turquoise coloured Classic Laddie bottle.

Many moons ago we played a show in Connecticut and the after party culminated in the hip hop-phile thugged out club owner handing out bottles of the bewildering liqueur Hpnotiq, a concoction of fruit juices, French vodka and a dash of cognac that made for a fun evening yet resulted in a royal headache the following morning and an aftertaste that kept me from trying the Classic Laddie merely because of the fact that its visual aesthetic catapulted me back to da club.

A huge mistake as sampling revealed – the triple distilled Classic Ladddie is an unpeated single malt of epic proportions, matured in American oak and straight from the epicentre of the Islay region, bottled at hundred proof.

A zesty arrival is followed by traces of nut pervade the thick liquid that rest on a layer of vanilla, sweet fruity flavours on a bed of milky nuances and a bit of sugary salt with a finish that ebbs and flows and slowly fades.

The Classic Laddie is a well-composed introduction to the alchemy Bruichladdich channels as it gives an idea of how they honour the traditional ways of whisky away from prefabricated computerized mass production and one at that, that I would not want to miss on my shelves.

Now, not a bad start at all – specifically for the heathens who shiver on the back when the shores of Islay are mentioned.

Talking of which – you came for peat and smoke? Fret not and fasten your seatbelt.

Port Charlotte is the name of the town in close proximity to the original site of the Bruichladdich distillery and the name of one of their more exquisite expressions.  Again, higher in strength yet with the adage of Islay spring water below to make it dial in just below cask strength.

Port Charlotte is in essence an accomplished exercise in peated whisky excellence. Opening the bottle made me sit in awe, indulging in sniffing the cork of the bottle before pouring the first dram.

What materializes in the Glencairn is something else.

Matured in a melange of bourbon, French and Spanish wine casks, it is gentle with subtle flavour nuances running the gamut from lemons via chocolaty honey leading up to sweet smoke – a lot of meaty smoke with a ferocious finish. Peated to 40ppm peat, yet light and friendly, this is one solid dram for both hardcore Islay aficionados as well as an introduction for the uninitiated.

If you are remotely into whiskies of the Islay regions and you think you have found your favourite whisky without having tried the wonderfully crisp Port Charlotte – think again.

Starting with Bruichladdich’s Classic Laddie and building up via the excellent Port Charlotte is quite a build-up, yet we have not peaked yet – the climax is yet to come:

Enter the much fabled about Octomore.

An uncompromising peat bomb. 

59.3% ABV.

Peated to 167 ppm.

Manna from heaven.

Smoke, peat, smoke, peat, smoked salmon, peat, smoke, honey, smoke, peat, cinnamon, peaty smoke, bananas, smoky peat and hint of honey.

I have had a chance to try the excellent Octomore 7.1 before, but the 8.1 expression feels, smells and tastes gentler. The eight-year aging in first fill Bourbon barrels has left an inedible mark as the Octomore 8.1. finishes with a long, warming elegant embrace.

The dominance of smoke, tar and campfire is combined in a way that makes one wonder if the angels have collectively decided to distil the best of their Islay shares and sent it back in a stylish bottle.

The Octomore completes a troika of Bruichladdich’s flagship expressions, which make it one of my favourite distilleries from the Islay region. 

Each of the aforementioned is one for special occasions and if the circumstances are not special enough, having a dram will dramatically enhance the moment.

For peat and smoke aficionados, I would find it hard to imagine finding something more satisfying than the Octomore 8.1. - having a dram is the ultimate pause button in this busy age and silence the humdrum of white noise.

What a beauty.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photos by T

The Good, the Tasty, the Sustainable

Show me a human being that does not like snacking.

No matter if you are a health nut or a couch potato, devour leftover pizza hopped up on devil’s lettuce  or green, celery smoothies as part of your diet to tide you over – technically all of the aforementioned is snack territory.

Snack offerings are manifold. My criteria for tasty treats is that they should be easy. My criteria for tasty treats is that they should be easy to consume, preferably with your hands right out of the packaging.

On my quest for delicious snacks I came across Cartel & Co, which in essence is a brand partnership and product distribution company supporting and importing quality brands they are convinced of. What Cartel & Co has in store caters and resonates with my many tastes and appetites:

Their diverse range of Red Clipper hot sauces is a thing of beauty, not only because of the colourful emissions they produce and their distinctive bottles, but due to  the complex and sophisticated flavours they create by mixing chili with high quality ingredients, which make their hot sauces more than a mere condiment.

No artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.

Something that goes perfectly well with chili is chocolate: Enter Marou.

Oh, Freude schooner Goetterfunken – what delight!

You dig chocolate? Who does not?

Marou to the rescue. Legend around the campfire has that the idea behind Marou was incepted when they first encountered each other while exploring Vietnam, being inspired by how cocoa producing farms do not rely on a single crop but combine different nuts and coconuts.

Each of their chocolates pays homage to the notion of terroir it was sourced on and the respective province. In that way, their products are similar to wine in that subtle flavour nuances can be detected and attributed to the geographic region, climate and the fermentation used at the respective farm.

It proves to be difficult to frame in words how exactly Marou’ six dark chocolate offerings differ  - the nuances are subtle yet make a big difference.

Let’s switch gear and look at the mandatory ingredient for a good movie night, shan’t we?

Enter Brooklyn Coney Island Classics’s small batch, gluten free, vegan Non-GMO Kettle Corn, which is made in the traditional old-fashioned Boardwalk way, by hand, in small copper kettles, with well-calibrated seasoning.

Favourites of their range include the salty variants, which are enhanced with the flavours derived from the adage of Himalayan Pink Salt, is the classic sweet and salty mix of kettle corn with a jalapeno kick, which is dangerously delicious and has you coming back for more.

Read The Good, The Tasty, The Sustainable - Part 1 here.

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Photo by T

Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave

Thames and Hudson

Japan and art is not one but a myriad of chapters for themselves.

One of Japan’s preeminent artists is Hokusai, a maestro that achieved the heights of his oeuvre towards the final years of his life and mainstream pop cultural success and appreciation through what is definitely an iconic and one of the more known creations in the realm of art form the land of the rising sun, i.e. The Great Wave, which he created at towards the end of his career.

What Thames and Hudson’s opulently illustrated homage to Hokusai illustrates is that there was much more genius in and behind the man than his more known emissions would suggest. Zero-ing in on the second half of his life, the tome depicts his ambitious endeavours for innovation, marrying impressionism and art noveau and looking to pushing the envelope while choosing themes for his paintings that resonated with the middleclass of the Edo-era.

His most expressive works are the ones personifying forces of nature. The depth and dimensions he gives seemingly overly explored themes is awe-inspiring, which is amplified when one examines the attention to detail he put into his atmospheric carved wood prints.

Thames and Hudson’s tome on the master is a comprehensive one comprised of an interesting mélange of vibrant depictions of his famous paintings, detailed prints and comparative sketches that document how his works came about and evolved over time, with the main focus being on his 1830 landscape series.

Elaborate essays courtesy of Hokusai scholars help to gain a superb understanding of the subtleties and nuances of his works and the way they are penned should be interested to both aficionados in the know as well an the uninitiated.

Beyond the Great Wave gives an excellent overview of is life, how it informed his art and why to this day he is unrivaled in what this great Japanese artist has created.