Presented by the South Australian Children’s Ballet Company, Cinderella – The Untold Story is a zany adaptation of the classic fairytale, with a modern twist. Inspired by Roald Dahl’s satirical story from his collection of Revolting Rhymes, this fractured fairytale follows Cinderella, a meek and dreamy girl who is bullied relentlessly by her two hideous stepsisters. When the Prince hosts a Royal Ball, all the ladies of the kingdom rush to attend, and with the help of seven clever rats and a Fairy Godmother, so too does Cinderella.

But will the Prince prove to be everything Cinderella hopes for? Will they live happily ever after?

The production incorporates both dance and theatre, featuring young dancers – between the ages of 10 and 19 – selected from various ballet schools throughout Adelaide. It is choreographed by internationally renowned Csaba Buday, and directed by Beverley Waters, who has worked on a number of performances for the SA Children’s Ballet Company, including The Red Shoes, Clara’s Arctic Dream and Aladdin and the Genie of Unlimited Wishes.

Cinderella – The Untold Story is creative and fun, with a combination of dancing, acting and witty narration. The audience consisted mainly of young children and their parents – the younger members particularly connecting to the upbeat music, colourful costumes and great energy of the performers. The addition of several fairytale favourites including Snow White, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and Jill, Puss in Boots and Little Red Riding Hood, also added to the fun.

Both the plot and costumes were given a modern spin. The Prince was dressed in sunglasses and skate-shoes, the ugly stepsisters in fluoro tutus and ribbons, and Goldilocks was almost unrecognisable, looking like a 1930s showgirl. While this related to a modern audience, it seemed slightly kitsch, diminishing the fairytale charm.

The performance was vibrant and entertaining, but lacked the polish one might expect to see from the state’s Ballet Company, even its youth branch. Admittedly, many dancers were under 15 so this can be forgiven; but nevertheless, I expected the standard to be more sophisticated. For many of the roles, there was not a lot of dancing at all – the Prince and the ugly stepsisters seemed, for the most part, to just stomp around the stage.

Having said this, Puss in Boots was, technically, very good, and the pas de deux between Cinderella and her true love was delightful – possibly saving the show. It was utterly refreshing to finally see some quality classical dancing. Goldilocks’ Broadway-inspired dancing was also noteworthy, as were the ugly stepsisters, who were very amusing and dynamic, despite being given limited dancing roles.

At the end of the show, the children from the audience were welcomed on stage to meet the dancers. They were clearly delighted to approach their favourite character and have a photo taken with them.

Overall, Cinderella – The Untold Story was imaginative, visually appealing and full of energy. I was a little disappointed with the standard of dancing; however, judging by the reactions of children in the audience, they thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

She’s On Sale is a captivating, artistic portrayal of ideal beauty and female identity in contemporary consumer culture. In her fourth solo exhibition, local artist Meaghan Coles explores the objectification of the female face in popular advertising.

Coles’ exhibition consists of a series of mixed media artworks displayed at the stylish and intimate Gallery on Waymouth. From afar, the works appear to be a sequence of enlarged beauty advertisements out of a fashion magazine, but up close it is clear that there is much more to the works – both technically and conceptually.

Coles takes faces of female beauties from magazines and re-creates them into works of art, symbolically restoring them and giving them an individual identity. She asks the viewer to consider how the female face functions when taken out of mass-production and transferred into a fine art context.

Working with both abstract and figurative techniques, Coles combines traditional oil painting with experimental spray enamel and resin. While the faces of her female subjects are painted in a realist manner – with smooth brushstrokes in neutral skin tones – they are fragmented along the outer areas. For example, in Eye Intensifying, most of the face is painted in great detail, while expressive brushstrokes have been applied to the outer regions, challenging the notion of the flawless, airbrushed faces in magazines. The use of accidental techniques such as dripping and spray painting similarly give the works a sense of imperfection.

‘My works wouldn’t have the same depth of individuality if they were painted in a realist manner…I do not want to just copy the image, but create marks through contrasted colour and accidental techniques,’ Coles explains.

Although certainly not the largest or grandest, I found Youthful Spirit to be one of her most striking works. This painting is far more exaggerated and intensified than the other works in the exhibition, through the use of harsh lines, bold colours and violent brushstrokes. The face is almost clown-like – pale, with blood-red lips, flushed cheeks and dark shadows. This work, in particular, seems to break through the notion of ideal beauty to reveal something more sinister beneath.

Coles’ works are multi-layered and collaged as she incorporates text and magazine clippings, drawing parallels to the decorated pages of fashion magazines. She has recently begun experimenting with resin, giving her works a glossy finish, mimicking that of the ‘glossy magazine’.

Coles paints on various surfaces, such as canvas and wooden board. She explains that, although board can be more difficult to paint on, it is her preferred surface ‘for the natural, raw, un-perfected appearance it has against lush paint.’ This is evident in the work From This Month, where natural knots in the wood are visible through the paintings, acting as blemishes or imperfections.

‘The board enhances the idea of opposing the perfected, airbrushed beauty,’ she explains. ‘It is a natural, unique starting point compared to the traditional white canvas.’

Having graduated from UniSA’s South Australian School of Art with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours), Coles has experimented with a variety of painting styles, but portraiture has always been her artistic leaning.

‘The colours in the female face taken from fashion magazines particularly interest me,’ she says. ‘I’m fascinated by the way the female face is portrayed in advertising, reduced to a sexualised, superficial object, devoid of human emotion.’

She’s On Sale is on display at the Gallery on Waymouth until March 18, so stop by for a drink and enjoy a unique taste of local art presented by a talented, up-and-coming artist.

Roll up, roll up! Polichinelle’s in town!

Held at the Gluttony Puppet Palace, The Buffoon’s Play follows the comical adventures of Polichinelle, the celebrated clown from France and Italy. Presented by French master puppeteer, Philippe Saumont, The Buffoon’s Play has toured worldwide, but is visiting Adelaide for the very first time.

Originating in Naples, Italy, ‘Pulcinella’ is one of the mischievous clown figures from the Commedia dell’Arte. The character has been a crowd favourite for hundreds of years, and has since been adapted to various forms of theatre such as puppetry. Pulcinella is the forefather of the English ‘Punch’, the Dutch ‘Jan Klaassen’, the French ‘Polichinelle’ and many other similar figures in European puppet theatre.

On entering the characteristic red-and-white striped tent of the Gluttony Puppet Palace, you are welcomed in by the unmistakable mandolin-twanging theme of The Godfather, in line with the puppet’s Neapolitan origins.

Being a quiet Thursday night, the small audience is ushered towards the front few rows. Saumont, the puppeteer, asks the audience ‘Are you ready?’ before disappearing behind the curtain, and introducing us to the cheeky Polichinelle.

Polichinelle is both impish and charming, with a voice amusingly reminiscent of animated television character Pingu – owing to Saumont’s obscure voice-distorting mouthpiece. According to Saumont, Polichinelle’s characteristic voice is suggestive of its Italian name, ‘Pulcinella’, meaning ‘little chicken’.

The show itself is a delightful combination of mockery, fight scenes and dancing – often all at once. The roguish Polichinelle shows off his tricks, assaulting (or killing) each of the characters he comes across, all in the name of slapstick comedy. These include the Monster, – an incomprehensible animal, somewhere between a lion and the squirrel from Ice Age – the stern Policeman, and Death himself – not to mention an inanimate rubber chicken.

Having studied the art of the guarattelle (traditional Neapolitan puppetry) under Italian puppet masters Bruno Leone and Salvatore Gatto, Saumont has been presenting the character of Polichinelle to a worldwide audience for many years.

Each puppet is beautifully crafted, and Saumont is brilliant in his manipulation of them – their movements are both smooth and convincing. The lively and comical trumpeting music only adds to the delight, particularly during fight scenes. There is little comprehensible dialogue in the performance, but it doesn’t matter – the action, sounds and incessant energy keeps the audience engaged at all times.

Despite his limited English, Saumont is extremely interactive with his audience. He is principally based behind the curtain, but makes sporadic appearances to converse with Polichinelle and encourage audience participation. With a small audience, this took some effort, but a larger crowd would no doubt be far more responsive.

At the end of the show, Saumont met with the audience, endeavouring to give a brief history of his craft and experiences. An interpreter would have been beneficial here, as it was clear that Saumont had much to say but found it difficult to converse with his English-speaking audience.

Presented by a talented puppeteer, this playful production is a celebration of Europe’s superb hand-puppet tradition. For a more energised experience I would recommend seeing this show on a Friday or Saturday evening. Nevertheless, The Buffoon’s Play provides a delightful night of light entertainment – a unique cultural treat for the whole family to enjoy.

If you don’t recognise Robert Hannaford by name, you must surely be familiar with that jolly bronze statue in a top hat and bow tie on the corner of Hindley and Leigh Street, or the sculpture of Sir Donald Bradman in the parklands outside Adelaide Oval.

Dubbed South Australia’s best known and critically acclaimed living artist, Robert Hannaford exhibits his brilliance once again in this unique chronicle of his life and work.

Previously unseen in Adelaide, Robert Hannaford Open Studio takes us behind the scenes and into the artist’s studio, drawing from his personal collection. Held at the Bay Discovery Centre in Glenelg’s historic Town Hall, this exhibition showcases both Hannaford’s well-known and rarely or never exhibited work.

Traditionally realist in nature, Hannaford’s works vary as greatly in media as they do in genre. His practice extends across portraiture, landscape, the human figure, nature studies and still life, with influences from European masters such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Turner. His works are a variety of oil paintings, watercolours, ink, pencil and charcoal sketching and bronze sculpture.

Curator, John Neylon describes Hannaford’s studio as the “engine room” for his life-long creative endeavour. ‘It is in part a physical space, the workshop in which ideas are translated into works of art. It is also a personal space, a way of imagining, thinking and working.’

He certainly succeeded in capturing the artist’s “personal space”. There is a woodwork sketchbook from Hannaford’s high school days, as well as a series of caricature drawings done whilst the artist was working as a cartoonist for The Advertiser in the 60s.

Hannaford was mentored by Australian painting greats Hans Heysen and Ivor Hele, and parallels to both are evident in his work. The landscape Gum trees Flinders Ranges, 1970s, for example, strikingly resembles Heysen’s signature gums, while his portraits and human figure sketches are technically similar to Hele’s.

Hannaford is, however, best known for his portraits. While proficient in all genres, it is clear that this is where his specialty lies, having won numerous awards including the Doug Moran Portrait Prize and the Archibald Prize’s People’s Choice Award (three times over). Perhaps the grandest and most famous piece in the exhibition is Paul Keating, 1997, a traditional (and formidably large) seated portrait of the former prime minister.

Portraits of Hannaford’s family members – his wife and children – also feature in the exhibition. According to Hannaford, ‘everything in nature (including human life) is interrelated; and art and life are inseparable.’ Much of Hannaford’s art deals with the notions of life and time, as evident in the two portraits of his daughter Tsering, 1997 and 2007, the first as a child, and the second as a woman.

While the bulk of the exhibition was situated on the ground floor, Hannaford’s collection of self-portraits was displayed in the Mezzanine Gallery, two floors up – obviously due to lack of space. While notified of this on entering, I (admittedly) almost forgot to continue upstairs. The exhibition would have been better served if all works were in a single space, as patrons may overlook the top floor, which included some of the best works in the collection.

Fortunately I did continue on, as Hannaford’s self-portraits are a must-see. The Mezzanine Gallery included a combination of his early to later self-portraits. Those of particular note were oil painting The Raiders, 1969-2010, a classical and dramatic scene of the artist himself on horseback, against the backdrop of an expressive landscape, as well as Wild Man, 1980s, a nude self-portrait in a jungle-like setting.

Robert Hannaford Open Studio is an intimate and unique insight into the life and work one of South Australia’s greatest living artists. Whether you are lover of his work or are just interested in local art, this is an event not to be missed.

The Cagebirds by D. Campton is a whimsical, Tim Burton-inspired adaptation of playwright David Campton’s absurd 1972 tale. As you enter the Immanuel College Century Theatre, you are transported into a bizarre, robotic-like toy-world. Six figures are placed in various positions on the stage, each going about their own business. Every now and then one lets out a sporadic cry of delight, a loud sneeze, an impatient clearing of the throat or a soft whimper, against the rhythmic ticking of a clock. It is as if each “toy” has been put on repeat, and their owner has forgotten to turn them off after leaving the room.

As the audience – a mixture of the young and middle-aged – eventually settles, the gentle melody of a music box begins.

The play tells the story of six lost souls confined to a cage, closely overseen by the sinister and calculating Mistress (Bec Troisi), who showers them with attention. Here they enjoy a comfortable, untroubled existence, mindlessly indulging in their chosen obsessions: power, beauty, scandal, food, hypochondria and indecision. While, at times, the characters appear to talk to one another, they never actually communicate. Each is locked in their own self-imposed isolation, a physical and psychological prison. However, this all changes with the introduction of the Wild One (Georgia Weinert). As she tries to convince the Cage Birds to look beyond the safety of their nests, she upsets the carefully constructed balance.

Set against the backdrop of a strange and expressionistic world, this darkly comical play delves into the absurdity of human nature; the themes of freedom, oppression, comfort and fear. It explores the extent to which a prison can become a sanctuary.

Directed by Immanuel College drama teacher Kelly Mildenhall, the play was originally performed as the school’s 2011 Year 12 production. Having enjoyed success, Mildenhall decided to enter the show into the Adelaide Fringe, with five of the eight actors being those originally cast.

Mildenhall drew inspiration from director Tim Burton, influencing the set design, costumes and overall concept of the play.

‘In his films he often has a trademark misunderstood outsider – like in Edward Scissorhands. It’s always someone from another world,’ she said. ‘The Wild One was that person from another world.’

The black-and-white colour scheme juxtaposed with the Wild One’s vibrant-coloured costume was effective, and the wacky, gothic-styled windows and picture frames were very Burton-like. However, Burton’s signature style could have been further explored – perhaps the concept of the cage could have been drawn upon, and better represented in the set design.

Mildenhall’s use of levels and character positioning was very telling, with the most dominant characters positioned at the highest level, and the more passive lower down and off to the side. The conscious use of space was also effective, with the six Cage Birds framing the stage, and the Wild One placed in the centre.

The play included strong performances from all cast members. Those of particular note were Henry Sawbridge as the conservative and power-hungry Thump, Marc Lanzoni as the pompous and scandal-driven Gossip and David Grant as the timid and irresolute Twitting. Weinert played the Wild One with great energy; however the character’s constant whining became somewhat tiresome.

If you enjoy journeying through the darker shores of human nature, then you should definitely stop by and see The Cagebirds by D. Campton. This play will appeal to the young and old alike, however, the deeper concepts may be better understood by a more mature audience. This is a play that will draw you in and throw you out again, with something to take home and think about.

For almost two centuries women have been waiting for the day when their very own Mr Darcy would waltz into their lives. How many of us have curled up in front of the TV with a large tub of ice cream, watching a Jane Austen classic, and wondering how Elizabeth Bennet could possibly find such a catch? Or wondering why the only man at the pub seems to be Mr Wickham, or worse, Mr Collins? Has Ms Austen deceived us all?

Jane Austen Is Dead is a charmingly honest take on relationships and dating in the 21^st century. Written and performed solely by Mel Dodge, the play offers an insight into the new wave of dating rules and etiquette in a world of Facebook, texting and drunken sex in disabled toilets.

Originally from New Zealand, but currently based in Melbourne, Dodge has collaborated with long time friend and fellow Jane Austen buff Patrick Davies, the director of the play.

The play begins with two candles being lit, revealing a modest, black and white-themed bar. Here we meet Sophie, a single, 33-year-old bar manager and Jane Austen fan. Levelheaded yet vulnerable, Sophie’s character mimics that of many of Austen’s heroines. As the play unfolds, Sophie takes us through her own romantic history, offering amusing comparisons between her past loves and the classic male characters in Austen’s stories. From swapping lunches in the schoolyard at the age of five, to more significant relationships in later life, Sophie points out the various Darcys, Wickhams and Bingleys she has come across. The audience responded with smiles and quiet giggles at first, but was roaring with laughter by Dodge’s stern impersonation of Mr Darcy.

Held in the Studio of the Bakehouse Theatre, the audience is seated very closely to the stage. This intimate atmosphere allows one to feel part of the setting, as if they are sitting at the bar, engaged in a deep-and-meaningful with the barmaid.

As Sophie, Dodge expresses her deepest feelings and experiences in love to the audience, in an almost soliloquy-like manner. These speeches are frequently interrupted, however, by the various characters who pass through the bar, providing much of the play’s comedy. We meet the frantic and – shall we say – desperate Mary, Sophie’s fellow barmaid, who is constantly checking her phone to hear back from last night’s date. Then there is the sex-driven vixen, Theresa, – unmistakably reminiscent of Samantha from Sex and the City – the happily settled best friend, Victoria, and the drunken bride-to-be, Helen, who is arguably the source of most laughs. As each role is played by Dodge, this could have run the risk of being chaotic and repetitive. However, Dodge is extremely dynamic and versatile, shifting between characters with ease. Her diverse use of voices, mannerisms and facial expressions skilfully differentiated one character from the other.

Some of the characters could be seen to be clichéd, but were nevertheless cleverly crafted and well received by the audience. This was clear from the many chuckles and nods, as audience members recognised either themselves or their friends in each personality. Dodge’s portrayals of the men she encountered through video dating were also a hit.

Dodge was first inspired to write the play after a relationship break-up.

‘I remember realising that love isn’t a fairytale, being really annoyed and angry at all the beautiful stories you get told,’ she said.

Dodge considers herself “romantic by nature”. When asked what her message is for women and love, she replies, ‘Like who you are. Don’t settle for the “washer and the dryer”, settle for someone who’s going to really make you feel good.’

Presented by a talented performer, Jane Austen is Dead provides an evening of fun and light entertainment, along with a deeper message. This is one to see with the girls, but any man who happens to be an Austen fan will enjoy it too.