Nosferatutu…or Bleeding at the Ballet

Nosferatutu…or Bleeding at the Ballet
By Tommy Bradson. A Critical Stages and Virginia Hyam Production. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Banquet Room. 22-23 June 2018.

Kevin is having a bad day…a very bad day.  Having been in love with the ballet his whole life, Kevin got himself a ticket to see the one-man Swan Lake.  But Kevin’s night doesn’t pan out quite the way he envisaged when, rather than simply enjoying the show, Kevin is compelled to ‘enjoy’ its star (Brandyn Kaczmarczyk)…with his teeth. You see Kevin is 437 years old, as old as ballet itself, and all his life he has dreamt of being a dancer.

Tommy Bradson, who both wrote and stars in the show is captivating as Kevin. He looks the part with his pale skin, dark eyes and taloned nails, and, well, fangs! They are fangs worthy of Max Schrek’s Nosferatu from the 1922 film of the same name. However, unlike the dark and sinister Nosferatu that we are accustomed to, Kevin is a gentler immortal.  He’s fragile and far from a natural born killer, Kevin is plagued with self-loathing, failed dreams and a deep sense of isolation.

To make amends for mortally wounding the evening’s entertainment, Kevin commits to performing his own version of Swan Lake for the audience. His re-enactments of the various acts of the ballet are peppered with self-deprecating monologues and childhood reminiscences that are funny but poignant at the same time – Kevin is the kind of vampire you could take home to meet your Mum, but not in a boy next door, Edward Cullen kind of way.

Discovering that Swan Lake is not really a one man show, Kevin enlists the help of a hapless usherette (Sheridan Harbridge), who is repulsed by, yet drawn to, him.  The pair set about getting through the rest of the ballet, with some help from the fading ballet dancer who is still languishing on the stage in a pool of blood. The simple design by Ashisha Cunningham works well here and the use of headwear to designate characters in the ballet provides laughs of its own.

There are some surprising musical moments showcasing Bradson and Harbridge’s vocal prowess. The pair cover a large range of genres from operatic arias to David Bowie, ably supported by musical director Stephen Kreamer on keyboard and his two-piece ensemble.

This show spanned so many genres that I’m not sure they can all be covered in one review – perhaps Bradson has created one of his own. This enthralling show gives us a taste of ballet, opera, pop, monologue, comedy, romance, horror and political and social commentary, and does all it with great exuberance and skill.

Those involved in the arts will appreciate the inclusion of some one-liners highlighting some of the peculiarities and difficulties of the industry.

I, for one, can’t wait to see what Bradson and Harbridge come up with next.

Jenny Fewster

Photographer: Lucy Parakhina

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