Reviews

Bloomsday in Melbourne is a group which, since 1994, celebrates and explores the work of James Joyce. One of the ways in which this is achieved is to stage his work in order to demystify it, make it more accessible or simply provide an avenue to engage with and enjoy his writing. Circe’s Carnival of Vice was scripted by a team of writers: Bruce Beswick, Sian Cartwright, Dan Boyle, Philip Harvey, Linda Rooney and Frances Devlin-Glass in this spirit and as part of other Bloomsday events examining Ulysses.

A snappy, pacy farce, laced with lots of slapstick fun, director Tim Dennis’ tight, perfectly timed production of The Explorers Club at the Guild is two hours of bright, lively fun.

Looking down from upstage centre onto the audience, Queen Victoria’s portrait holds sway somewhat ironically over an impressive set depicting a 19th Century ‘gentlemen’s club’, its walls festooned with hunting trophies and other exotic treasures.

Vidya Rajan’s adaptation of Melina Marchetta’s novel fits snuggly into an even more multicultural Australia than Marcetta described in1992. Whilst it is retrospective, the story Marchetta tells is one that is still being experienced by girls – and boys – in families everywhere. Life is complex for young people, whatever their cultural or social background, and social media today adds complications that were never envisaged in the 1990s.

This exquisite performance is special in many ways. The extremely talented Swedish-Norwegian violinist, Johan Dalene, makes his debut in Australia alongside the renowned Australian pianist, Jennifer Marten-Smith. At the age of only 24 Dalene has already developed an astonishing career. He won the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Competition in 2019 and was recently named Artist-in-Residence with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The program presented by Dalene in this concert is varied, romantic and dramatic.