Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: song

  • Chess

    IP - Chess 1

    IP - Chess 2

    IP - Chess 3

    IP - Chess 4

    I think I must be going through a theatre phase.  This is the third production have seen in the last month and I can't remember how many I've seen this year. It's a lot!

    We lived around the corner of the National Theatre in St Kilda for almost six years and never managed to step inside this gorgeous old grande dame. She's a bit run down but I think it that only adds to her charm. The foyer and sweeping staircase are fabulously over the top and ornate. I felt as if I should be wearing diamonds and a sweeping ball gown as I posed for a photo with my gloved hand resting lightly on the bannister.

    I saw my first production of Chess in Sydney when I was in my teens. At the time I loved it so much I bought the jumper! Last time I visited my folks in Canberra, Mum was wearing it around the house. So it was well worth the I'm sure exorbitant amount we paid for it back in the day. There wasn't a lot of merch on sale at this production by CLOC and I even resisted the urge to buy a program because a) I never read them and b) we are about to move to a smaller house and I need to get rid of stuff, not buy more of it!

    IP - Chess 5

    I have to admit I wasn't expecting much from an amateur theatre production group but I am more than happy to say that the production was excellent. I know that's a bit snobby of me but it's been a while since I've seen amateur theatre and I had forgotten just how darn good it is. The set was fabulous with huge moving parts that slid across the polished floor. Both the floor and this blocks would light up at different times. Two huge screens flanked the stage and a third was located at the back. Live footage from the production was streamed straight on the screens.  and filmed b 

    The costumes were fabulous

     

     

  • Moulin Rouge

    IP - Moulin Rogue 1

    IP - Moulin Rogue 2

    IP - Moulin Rogue 3

    I think this is the best production I have seen in the last couple of years. It was totally different from Death of a Salesman which I saw last week. The Regent Theatre on Collins Street was the perfect venue for Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge The Musical with its gothic styled lobby and Louis XVI style auditorium. Built in 1929, the Regent was designed by Charles Ballantyne and was a movie theatre or as they were called in those days, a picture palace. It's one of six theatres that make up Melbourne's East End theatre district. The whole place was decked out in red to recreate the famous Moulin Rouge nightclub and take the audience back in time as soon as they stepped off the street and through the doors.

    IP - Moulin Rogue 4

    We arrived early and saw some of the actors come out on the stage and start lounging around the incredible set. One of those times when it pays to be early! This production was magnificent. The sets were fantastic, the costumes sublime and the actors brilliant. The choreography was incredible (those dancers, those moves!) and the songs were fabulous – snippets of everything from The Sound of Music to A-ha's Take on Me and Adele's Rolling in the Deep. The lines were used to great effect and the timing was impeccable. It was funny, poignant and heart wrenching. The musical had it all.

    I walked out on a post-show high like I haven't experienced since I was in my twenties and first saw Slava's Snow Show in London's West End. If you've got some cash to spare or a birthday coming up, grab tickets fro this brilliant production before it ends in mid November.

     

  • Music, Nature and Storytelling

    IP - Jon Young 1

    IP - Jon Young 2

    IP - Jon Young 3

    I spent last week camping in the bush at Hawks Nest in New South Wales. I was there with my daughters to attend the Jon Young Music, Nature and Storytelling Workshop. Jon Young is a naturalist, tracker and mentor from North America. He's also an author (What the Robin Knows and Coyote's Guide to Connecting With Nature), musician and gifted storyteller who held us enthralled with his tales of tracking and connecting to nature.

    We were surrounded by gums and banksias, beautiful wildflowers and birds swooping in and out of the trees. Goannas foraged in the compost heap and dingo tracks headed south along beach which was a ten minute walk from the camp along a sandy path.

    It was an incredible five days of sharing story, singing songs and walking barefoot on the land. The incredible team in the kitchen, led by Nicki and assisted by Meat Master Fuzz kept us all fed with three delicious meals a day. There was a program for kids running alongside the program for adults. And in the evenings we sang and danced around the campfire held by the majesty of the stars.

     

    My head is full of songs and words.

    My heart is full of gladness and gratitude.

    My soul is filled with friendship and connection.