Afterglow at Eternity Theatre; Basement Jaxx at the Sydney Opera House
Updated ,first published
MUSIC
Bodrum Jaxx
★★★★½
Sydney Opera House forecourt, 5 March
Reviewed by KATE PRENDERGAST
Experience an electronic music show these days – live or otherwise – and what you’re in for is usually a lackluster re-version of DJ worship. Behind the decks, one or two performers, usually poker-faced white men, go about their glory.
It’s a deeply incongruous departure from the genre’s origins. Pioneering British duo Basement Jaxx put shared touring ahead of ego trips as they honor the black, shiny origins of the musical genre they love in their first live show in Australia in 15 years. On a lushly hot night that lasts 70-odd minutes with a near-full moon winking, they stage a cosmically exuberant, Afrofuturist-inspired carnival on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
Felix Buxton (staff gear housed in a hole in the middle of the slanted stage) and Simon Ratcliffe (on guitar) may be the driving forces of the experience, but for the most part they’re not even the main act. We begin with the self-importantly affirming anthem good luckGuests Phebe Edwards, Vula Malinga and Jai Amore impress with their vocals, energy and otherworldly disco-royal outfits. Imagine a sleek silver Lycra dress with inflatable trim, a dress with solid metal studs, floating radium green visors, pearlescent tunics and an astro-tulle skirt under a hip varsity jacket.
With two massive drum kits and a trumpeter in the mix, we’re sent on an explosively creative journey through a cross-cultural assortment of noisy sonic textures. Along with fusion house style hip-swingers and gritty hits Red Warning And Do Your ThingMoments surrendered to the baroque grandeur of the 17th century composer Handel, some harsh techno and even a small opera with ROSALÍA’s cover of Björk and Yves Tumor. Berghain Our penultimate piece.
This is a music of unabashed expression, where the troop engages in collective, repulsively joyful movements. Contemporary dancers, acrobats and ballet dancers lead the way, gliding with wild grace across this tilted stage. Also lurking inside a huge transparent flower that slowly blooms to the beat is a woman and (naturally) a gang of gorillas. Where’s Your Head? closer, which finds its way into the drum and bass remix. The on-screen visuals simulate an acid wave ‘surfing over the rainbow’ and feature gray aliens and pyramids on turbo jets. (Note: Buxton’s encounter with a UFO partially inspired their latest album juntoIt was released in 2014. A new Jaxx album is set for release in 2026.)
Wildly eclectic, even crazy. But it definitely makes for an unforgettable night.
THEATRE
evening glow
★★½
infinity theater, March 3
until March 22
Reviewed by JOYCE MORGAN
There’s nowhere to hide in this gay ménage à trois. His three characters are exposed emotionally and literally throughout much of the piece.
The clothes are shed along with the defenses in this exploration of intimacy, desire, jealousy and betrayal.
As the play opens, three naked, athletic, tangled figures, backlit behind a screen, writhe in ecstasy.
Alex (Julian Curtis) and Josh (Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham) are a wealthy married couple in their 30s living in Manhattan, and they take handsome young masseur Darius (Matthew Predny) into their bed.
Alex and Josh have an open relationship and it has gone well throughout their nine years of marriage, and they are now preparing to become parents to a surrogate child.
What begins as a lighthearted piece of eye-candy three-way fun soon tests the limits of the couple’s relationship. Josh falls in love with Darius and Alex feels threatened. Infinite triangle.
Polygamy and open marriage (queer or heterosexual) are not topics I see explored on stage. Therefore, a study that promises to take such taboos into account is interesting.
But the tenor of S. Asher Gelman’s 2017 play, which establishes this unconventional relationship, is indeed conventional.
A large part of the play, directed and choreographed by Gelman, is revealed through movement. Scene changes are tightly choreographed as the actors remain in character while changing elements of the set.
The dialogue is choppy and largely superficial. The rare exception is when Alex recalls the childhood excitement he experienced when his mother took him to look at sparkling New York City from their rural home, even though they could only afford to stay in Jersey City.
Workaholic Alex and emotionally demanding Josh are so self-centered that it’s hard to care about them. Darius is an open-eyed and more sympathetic character. She desires a committed relationship and knows that her confusion with the duo is getting in the way of that.
Some elements of the game seem undercooked, especially the class difference. Josh has money but Alex doesn’t. So is Darius, who is having trouble paying the rent. However, the impact of Josh’s right was not investigated.
The couple’s impending parenthood is also underdeveloped. The unborn child feels little more than an opportunity to invent fun baby names. As Josh and Alex’s relationship unravels, the impending arrival is effectively forgotten. No idea who will keep this baby.
Ann Beyersdorfer’s chic black set is often filled with shades of gold and purple (illuminates Jamie Roderick). The mirrors and central shower create a voyeuristic feeling. Lauren Peters’ costumes (when the characters actually wear them) are mostly casual, contemporary streetwear.
Curtis is cool and measured as Alex; The complete opposite of Mitcham’s needy Josh. Predny brings vulnerability and honesty to Darius, as well as a self-awareness that the other two characters lack.
I can say that all three work hard to portray their characters, but there is no point in hiding the ordinariness of the script.
“The heart wants what the heart wants,” says Josh. It feels like simple triteness.
evening glow it burns with physicality, but its hopeful premise evaporates into a predictable ending.
Joyce Morgan is theater critic for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is the former arts editor and writer for SMH and is also an author.Connect with: X.
