What I loved in 2017: the best of Melbourne theatre

I can finally share this. I chose them before the "loveds" and before other final judging of the year and I am always thrilled when I see the same shows on lists and memories.

The Sometimes Melbourne popular winner this year – the absolutely most-loved show of the year – is easily Hannah Gadsby's Nanette.

Hannah Gadsby

We're still talking about it. (What Melbourne Loved parts 1–10) I haven't stopped talking about it. But go to Twitter and search for Hannah's name to see just how much this show has meant to people. It shared a truth that needed to be shared, even when it's not the same truth for everyone.

I'm still caught between looking at it as a piece of exquisite writing that takes stand up, turns it on itself and creates something new and vital that's everything that stand-up comedy isn't, and wanting Hannah to never perform it again.

Wild Bore also got a lot of well-deserved love (even if I wasn't cunty enough to be quoted) and those of us who saw Taylor Mac know that we may never recover.

Surprisingly, the shows we're most looking forward to are at the MTC! And it's not because we're becoming dull but because we're going to see Patricia Cornelius's new work The House of Bernarda Alba and Stephen Nicolazzo directing Abigail's Party. And Jean Tong's Hungry Ghosts.

Outstanding Artists 2017

WRITING

Katy Warner for Spencer, Lab Kelpie

Spencer, Lab Kelpie. Lyall Brooks, Jamieson Caldwell, Fiona Harris, Jane Clifton. Photo by Pier Carthew

Special mentions

Daniel Kitson and Gavin Osborn for Stories for the Starlit Sky at MICF

Stella Reid, Jane Yonge​, Oliver Morse and Thomas Lambert for The Basement Tapes at Melbourne Fringe

DESIGN

Dale Ferguson (set and costume), Paul Jackson (lighting) and J David Franzke (sound) for Away, Malthouse

Away, Malthouse. Photo by Pia Johnson

Special mentions

Christina Logan Bell for The Japanese Princess by Lyric Opera 

Dann Barber (set and costume), Rob Sowinski and Bryn Cullen (lighting) for Angels in America, Cameron Lukey and Dirty Pretty Theatre in association with fortyfivedownstairs

Angels in America, fortyfivedownstairs

PERFORMANCE

Kate Mulvany as Richard III in Richard III, Bell Shakespeare

Richard III, Bell Shakespeare. Kate Mulvany and Meredith Penman. Photo by Prudence Upton

Special mentions

Melita Jurisic as Genevieve in John, Melbourne Theatre Company

The cast of Black Rider, Malthouse and Victorian Opera at Melbourne Festival

The cast of Trainspotting Live at MICF

DIRECTION

Matthew Lutton for Away, Malthouse, and Black Rider, Malthouse and Victorian Opera at Melbourne Festival

Black Rider, Malthouse and Victorian Opera. Photo by Pia Johnson

Special mentions

Sarah Goodes for John, Melbourne Theatre Company

Bridget Balodis for Desert 6.29pm, Red Stitch Actors Theatre

EVERYTHING THEY DO ROCKS

Little Ones Theatre
Stephen Nicolazzo , Eugyeene Teh, Katie Sfetkidis and everyone who works with them

 

Stephen, Eugyeene and Katie. Little Ones Theatre

The Happy Prince at La Mama, The Moors for Red Stitch, and Merciless Gods at Northcote Town Hall and Griffin (Sydney). It's been a pretty amazing year for them and the team's first show for 2018 is Abigail's Party at MTC and the company's The Nightingale and the Rose, the second in their Oscar Wilde Trilogy, is at Theatre Works in June. CAN NOT WAIT.

The Happy Prince. Janine Watson and Catherine Davies. Photo by Pia Johnson

Outstanding Productions 2017

CABARET 

Clittery Glittery by Fringe Wives Club (Rowena Hutson, Victoria Falconer-Pritchard and Tessa Waters) at MICF.

Clittery Glittery. Victoria Falconer-Pritchard, Tessa Waters and Rowena Hutson.

Special mention
Betty Grumble: Sex Clown Saves The World at Melbourne Fringe

COMMERCIAL SHOW 

John, Melbourne Theatre Company


MUSICAL

The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon

Special mention

Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit by Jean Tong at Poppyseed Festival.
If this doesn't get some development and second season, there is something wrong.

24/12 Update: All is good because it has a season at Malthouse in March. Book here.

Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit. Margot Tanjutco and Louisa Wall

COMEDY

Nautilus by Trygve Wakenshaw at MICF

Trygve Wakenshaw

Special mentions

Monkey See, Monkey Do by Richard Gadd at MICF

The Travelling Sisters at MICF

OPERA

La Voix Humaine by BK Opera at Melbourne Fringe


LIVE ART

The Maze by Kasey Gambling at Melbourne Fringe


BEST OF THE BEST

Joan by The Rabble

Joan. The Rabble. Dana Miltins. Photo by David Paterson

The Book of Mormon
 

Black Rider, Malthouse and Victorian Opera at Melbourne Festival

Betty Grumble: Love and Anger at the Butterfly Club

Betty Grumble: Love and Anger

MY FAVOURITE SHOWS OF 2017

This year, I saw two shows that I have thought about every day since. Every day.

I've spent ages trying to separate these two and it's impossible. There wasn't a moment when anything came near to the experience of seeing Nanette, until Taylor Mac started talking about the homophobic shaming of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and finished 23 hours later dressed in a glittery, pink vulva and I couldn't stop crying.

Nanette by Hannah Gadsby at MICF and Arts Centre Melbourne

Hannah Gadsby. It's such a great pic that it can be here again.

and

A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, Taylor Mac, Pomegranate Arts and Nature's Darlings at Melbourne Festival

Taylor Mac. Photo by Sarah Walker.

I'm told that I expect too much of theatre. "People just want to be entertained". As Hannah said in the early version of Nanette, we have animal videos for that.

Maybe art can't change the world, but it can change people. I've seen the impact of both of these works. Both have changed how I see myself, my friends, my community and my world. Both have strengthened and created communities.

Hannah, in jeans and a jacket by herself, and Taylor, in most of the world's bright and shiny and the support of many equally-fabulous cast and crew, are incomparable – but both are their absolute real selves on stage and their work comes from the same place.

Hannah talks about the impact of being shamed by society, community, friends and family, and ultimately yourself. She talks about the insidious power of shame and her work finds the heavy hidden shame that sits in so many of us, even if we didn't know it was there.

She shares how people, especially women, put themselves down when they talk, write, perform, exist. We kick ourselves, so that you don't have to kick and reject us first.

Taylor knows communities and people who know shame, who have hidden their authentic selves out of safety or fear. Judy's work confronts the utter absurdity of this shame and creates a world where shame doesn't exist. People living at the edges of society are placed in its centre – and loved and celebrated. I had never seen a work place women, especially queer women, so in the centre of the world.

I have seen people change from seeing these shows. I saw a lot of anger, but I also saw smiles I have never seen and tears that let go of years of pain. They are the most humane pieces of theatre I have experienced.

And I'm going to keep wanting more of the same.

I don't know if Taylor and Hannah have seen each other's shows, but this HAS TO HAPPEN.

2016
2015

2014
2013

2012

2011 

2010 

2009 

2008 

2007

More 2017 lists. (I'll add them in as I find them)

Time Out's 2017 Top Ten by Rose Johnstone and Tim Byrne
Keith Gow's Favourite Theatre of 2017
The Music's Melbourne's Best Theatre of 2017 by Maxim Boon
My Melbourne Arts Top 10 Shows of 2017 by Myron My
Arts Hub's The Best of Performing Arts in 2017, including Richard Watts's 10 Outstanding Shows
Music Theatre Year in Review by Simon Parris
The Age's 2017 by Cameron Woodhead

MICF: Tim Key

Single White Slut
Tim Key
9 April 2014
Fairfax, Arts Centre Melbourne
to 20 April
comedyfestival.com.au

Tim Key writes shows about being a slut. I was a Tim Key virgin; shame on me!

He started performing in about 2003, won the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2009, was a MICF Barry nominee in 2103 and has been Alan Partridge's Sidekick Simon since 2010.

Single White Slut opens with a cheap bed on stage and a story about his trying to sleep with women after shows. There's doubt that this scruffy bearded ginger in a faded denim boiler suit can seduce, but by the end of the night, I wanted to join the long line of those happy and willing to indulge in his sluttiness.

He tells stories about failed seductions, owls and near-threesomes on holiday in India with Cobra beer and milk and a soundtrack of the We need to talk about Kevin audiobook, but he's really a poet and reads his Tweet-sized, mostly-crude poems that are stuck to the back of a pack pornagraphic playing cards. And there's a balloon. It's unexpectedly seductive and bloody marvellous.

I wanted to say that breaking my Key cherry was was a bit like seeing Daniel Kitson for the first time – not that he's like Kitson, but in that he's kicked stand up in the balls to create a form that is totally his own, and anyone who tries to copy it will fail miserably – then I found out that he's worked with Kitson. Can someone please bring Tree (written by Kitson, performed by Key and Kitson) to Melbourne.

This was on AussieTheatre.com.

MICF: The Boy with Tape on His Face

MICF
More Tape
The Boy With Tape On His Face
28 March 2014
The Forum, upstairs
to 20 April
comedyfestival.com.au

I know it's a brave call, but if you can only see one show at the Comedy Festival, make it More Tape from The Boy With Tape on His Face.

It's pure joy; like mainlining a rainbow.

It's the show you go to when you're feeling so down that kittens on the internet can't make you smile.

It's the show you go to on a date when you really like the person and really want the date to last long into the night and maybe forever.

It's the show you take someone to if it's been too long since they laughed.

It's the show you go to if you've seen a couple duds and need to be reminded just how brilliant the Comedy Festival can be.

It's the show you go to and want to be chosen for audience participation.

It's the show you go to because everyone who's seen it has told you to see it.

It's a guy, Sam Wills, with gaffer tape on his mouth so he can't or won't speak. He gets people from the audience and makes a stage full of absolute happy. It's clowning, magic and puppetry with a touch of genius and no description can do it justice.

It's also a brand new show if you saw him at MICF a few years ago.

This was on AussieTheatre.com

MICF: Bryony Kimmings

Sex Idiot
Byrony Kimmings and Theatre Works
27 March 2014
Melb Town Hall, Mini Main
to 5 April
comedyfestival.com.au

The delightfully wonderful Bryony Kimmings flys out of Melbourne later today. Boo. Come back soon - please.

Meanwhile, Melbourne was delighted by six performances of her wonderful show Sex Idiot.

When she was 29, Bryony had a sexual health check and found out she had a common STI. Her doctor offered to send anonymous letters to everyone she’d been in sexual contact with warning that they should have a sexual health check, but Bryony decided to contact her past lovers herself – and make a show about it.

The Comedy Festival set a ridiculous tone when they took down her promotional video of “The Fanny Song”.  The song lists words used for vagina and includes cunt. Given it’s hard to find a stand up in the festival who doesn’t abuse someone by calling them that, what can you say when they censor the rare time it’s used in a non-abusive and positive context.

But Sex Idiot is a fearless, hilarious and heart-touching look back at her loves, lovers and others. (And a reminder to use condoms and barrier methods to keep you healthy.) Of course, hearts can’t be as easily protected and the most powerful moments are those when she reflects on those that she knows she hurt along the way.

I was thrilled to give her my pubes.

And here's "The Fanny Song"

I also wrote about this on AussieTheatre.com. 

MICF: EDGE!

MICF 2014
EDGE!
Isabel and Rachel
27 March 2014
Tuxedo Cat
to 8 April
comedyfestival.com.au

Isabel and Rachel's EDGE! won Best Comedy at the 2013 Melbourne Fringe and they won Audience Favourite at Melbourne's 2013 Short and Sweet Theatre. EDGE! has since been to the Perth and Adelaide Fringes and is back home at the Tuxedo Cat so that everyone who couldn't get a ticket at the Fringe can see what the fuss was about.

Just book now, in case it sells out again.

Stella is 11. She had a viral hit on YouTube when she was 8 and her mum is trying to make her a star – even if she's in LA and talking to her daughter on the phone. It's one thing to sing about clouds and marshmallows, but it's time Stella grows up and becomes like other famous internet stars.

It was strange to see it the day after seeing a real life Stella in Bryony Kimmings's Credible Likeable Superstar Role Model performed with her real-life 11-year-old niece and addressing the reality of everything about Stella.

Isabel and Rachel are a fresh, original and adorable new voice who are sprinkling glitter and light on the frustrations and ironies of girls and young women aspiring to be famous for being famous.

I also wrote about this show on AussieTheatre.com.