The WA Opera 2013's Poster Photos

Have you seen the posters, photos and images accompanying the program of the WA Opera season 2013? The "Year of the Divo" is the counterpart to this year's "Year of the Diva", and will showcase operas in which male characters are the protagonist. 

If you check the program and photos of this year's season and the ones of the coming season, you will certainly notice a few things:

* The photos are gorgeous. The sort of photo you find in Vogue or Harpers Bazaar with beautiful models, awesome make-up, hairdos, accessories, apparel and backgrounds.

* Each photo has a person representing the main character of any of the coming operas. This year's program has gorgeous women in expressive photos, and next one has gorgeous men.

* The person photographed for each opera is not the leading singer, but a model.

* The models and photos of this year have men in sexy and erotic poses showing a bit of flesh. 

First reaction -  Wow, what a hunky. 

Second reaction - What what what?! 

1 - I do love photos of gorgeous men lightly dressed, even naked :O if aesthetically done, but this is not a fashion or photographic magazine. I hate the objectification of women in Society; should I have a double standard regarding the objectification of men? If it is correct to showcase men in erotic attitudes and slightly dressed for an Opera program, why not doing the same with women? If that was happening there would be much more media attention and social discontent, that is for sure.

2 - If the program and main posters is/are about promoting and attracting public to the Opera, why does the WA Opera need to photograph pretty people whose only talent is being pretty, while those hyper-talented performers are not in the poster? Are they deformed? Are they super-ugly? Are they obese? Some of them are photographed in the inner pages of the program, that is great, but not in the posters that will be reproduced everywhere.

3- I doubt that the general public -those who are not Opera aficionados or hardcore fans- will feel more tempted to go to the Opera after seeing these posters. I won't. If the singer and the hunky were the same person, the answer might be different.

4- If the Opera season is not bringing much people to the theatres, and the WA Opera wants to attract more, why not asking themselves those basic common questions that might help to attract more people. Questions like:

• Are the prices high in general? Are the prices too expensive for students, families and pensioners? Are the season subscriptions too expensive?
• Are the showing times convenient and attractive to different groups of people?
• Is the program  attractive enough in general?
• Are the individual operas attractive enough?
• Are the operas' stage design, wardrobe, lighting and ambience cool enough?
• Is His Majesty's Theatre a good place to represent the specific operas chosen? 
• Do the specific operas showcase themes and stories that connect with the modern spectator?

***

I do love Opera, without me being an expert or connoisseur. I attended several shows last year and even more the previous years. I enjoy the dressing up, His Majesty's and the shows. I have always found myself wowed by the talent of the musicians of the WASO, which plays in most shows. Sometimes, I find myself moved by the singing qualities and performance of the night. I always leave the theatre thinking how fortunate I am to attend, live, a show in which the players needed of years of study, practice, many different skills, plus an unbelievable innate talent to do just that. They should be in the poster photos, dressed in those gorgeous outfits they use to perform in. After all, they are the ones that will bring the public to the Opera, and make you want to return, not pretty boys and girls. Their voices and talent, not their pretty faces or gorgeous bodies.

Still, I understand why Opera is not attracting young people, why many old people snooze soundly while attending -yes, they do!-, and why I, myself, feel sometimes emotionally disconnected from what I am watching and listening to. A reason why I haven't gone to the Opera this year.

I do value the classics and enjoy classic operas and some of their arias and stories, but most classic operas do not speak to modern sensibilities, or my sensibility, beyond the artistic quality of the show as a whole. Sometimes, the scripts are sexist or simplistic, some others are a reflection of the issues, themes, characters, places, ways of living and fashion that were in vogue at the time the opera was written. In fact, those operas were super-cool, the last big thing, at the time - avant-garde or contemporary. 

However, we are not living in the 17th, 18th or 19th century. Our time knows the wonders of experimental and mainstream cinema and theatre, musical theatre and cabaret, TV soap operas, music bands, and much more. Thus, a simple opera needs more than good music, good lyrics, and good performers to move us - to connect. Pretty posters with contemporary fashion-style photos won't turn a program based on old classics into a contemporary thing, simply because the program is not contemporary. Oxymoron!

I think the WA Opera needs of better pricing to attract people with not many means, needs of more shows, more showing times; most importantly, it needs to reinvent itself and start offering operas that, despite not being so popular or known -the favourites- have a more contemporary feeling, modern stage and wardrobe design, and stories that are closer to the world, feelings, worries, and issues of the citizens of the 21st century.

I am not saying that old classic operas are invalid or that do not have universal themes. Some of them are and have. I am saying that the WA Opera, and Opera venues and companies in general, need to think out of the square, think more about the present and the future and less about the past. That would be super-cool. Cooler than investing in a marketing campaign that showcases the beauty of the models and of the photos, instead of the incredible talent  of the persons who are behind the music, voices and theatre of the WA Opera as a whole.

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Fresh Provisions (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

77 Walcott St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9227 6309
http://www.provisions.com.au/
Hours:
    Mon-Sun 7:00 - 22:00

One of my fav suppliers for years, Fresh Provisions is an iconic business in Mount Lawley, where it has been open for + 20 years.

THE POSITIVES
* The Location in the heart of Mount Lawley, with parking on site.
* The long opening hours, perfect for emergencies when the rest of the shops are closed.
* They have a decent selection, and decently priced, of organic produce.
* Their veggie and fruit section has good quality produce.
* Their non-organic pre-packed vegetables, remark pre-packed, are usually good quality and good-priced. They are better quality than the ones you find at IGA and can be even cheaper or the same price.
* Do you want to go bananas without visiting the fruit section? Easy, FP is a perfect place to bring your inner banana out: chocolates, cheeses, gourmet pastas, WA hand-made stuff, International favourites, packaged sweets, packaged barista coffee, gourmet breads (New Norcia's, Lawley's among other other bakeries), cured sausages... the list of gourmet temptations is endless.
* They sell frozen berries and mango, Kale and some unusual veggies. 
* They sell flowers.
* They pack their sweets, cakes, pies, and takeaways properly, so you get them home in a decent state.
* My experience with the staff has been good 99% of the times. Sometimes the guys are a bit tired and sleepy-ish, like on another planet, but many of them are students earning a few bucks, and we have to be understanding. Still, they are always polite, courteous and eager to serve.
* Cash out lines move fast. If a line is forming, they immediately call more people to the cash out area. 
* The Place is  clean and well kept.

THE GO-LUCKY
* Sweets, Cakes, pies and cold salads in the cabinets. Some of them are really good and gourmet, and others are greasy, bland and tasteless. Good luck with your choices!
* Ditto re their hot take-away food.

THE SO-SO
* Their frozen shelves are just OK.
* At times, their mesclun salad looks a bit "mushy" despite the water sprinklers.

THE NEGATIVES
* Their main sin is that most things are expensive or overpriced. We can justify the price of the gourmet thingies, but not of most staples, which are cheaper elsewhere; that even includes chocolates :O.
* They have a small and poor meat section, which does look ugly, not especially appealing to the carnivore in me.
* They sell their hot food by the weight. If you have a normal-size stomach you are thinking about 250 grams per person, and you are going to pay a lot for your take-away meal. More than you would be paying if you visited one of the cheap restaurants on Beaufort St. The cheap stuff, like roasted chicken, hot pies, etc. can be found cheaper elsewhere. 

TIPS
Go for your Sushi takeaway to Yuzu next door. It is way better.
Go to the supermarket across the street for your staples, and for basic hot food like roasted chicken, pork, beef  an roasted veggies.
Go to the Asian veggie grocer for your mesclun and basic veggies.
Go to Antonio's for your continental Italian, Spanish and Mediterranean Gourmet food and antipasti.

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Tayha Designs (Mt Lawley, Perth WA)

Shop 4, Astor Arcade
665 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley WA 6050
(08) 9371 6566
Website
Facebook
Hours:
    Mon-Sat: 10am-5pm

Tayha Designs is a tiny rocket pocket of a jewellery, selling only Western Australian jewels (designed and made in WA by Western Australian designers). It is located at the bottom end of the Astor Arcade, in Mount Lawley. I have passed thousands times by this shop, always sticking my nose to their shop window and telling myself that next time I am going to come in. And here I am to comment on my experience.  

Tayha sells solid silver and pearl designs made by the in-house jeweller Taryn Compagnoni, and by other local artists: Tamara Dixon, Amanda Hasenkam, Elizabeth Hesler, Kate McGregor. Roland Laval, Irvine Hay and Gillian Cordiner. The styles are varied, from the edgy, cool, creative, high design, or classic.

The do not only sell jewellery. They offer much more:
1/ They repair and clean your jewellery.
2/ They will melt your old stuff if you don't like it and turn it into whatever you want: earrings, necklace, ring. Anything.
3/ They will make come true any design that pops up in your head, wedding rings included.
4/ They will reproduce any drawing, mostly simple, you happen to like and turn it into a pendant.
5/ The shop has a workshop inside, where the in-house jeweller works, so they can adjust anything you buy on the spot.

Prices go from moderate to very expensive. Still, you can find unique earrings for 60-70 dollars. They rarely make sales or discounts, which is a pity and a bit inexcusable.

The quality of the silver, pearls and of the design is very good. The earrings I bought from them have caught the attention of many people already and they ask me if I bought them in Europe. No, in WA!

Customer service is excellent, by both the shop attendant and the young lady who happens to be the jeweller.

If you are the lazy kind, you can shop through their online shop, but as it always happens in these cases, what they offer online and in the shop is never the same or look the same.

The place looks posh from the outside, and a bit intimidating for your wallet, but the ladies inside will show and let you try anything you want, even if you tell them you are not going to buy anything. That is cool.

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"Gattaca" by Andrew Niccol (1997)

An elegant retro-futuristic science-fiction film that explores the ethical and social dangers of eugenics. The title Gattaca comes from the initials of the four essential chemicals of the DNA: GTCA.

Gattaca is the story of Vincent, who was conceived the natural way and born with a heart defect in a world that gives social and professional prominence to genetically-perfect humans. Vincent's dream of entering Gattaca -a futuristic NASA- is impossible due to his genetics so he will try to trick the system with the help of crippled but genetic-master-piece Jerome.

Gattaca is set in a retro-future that uses the elements of both noir films and science fiction to offer an allegory on the superiority of willpower and strength of the human spirit over genetic perfection to overcome difficulties and pursue your dreams. Gattaca is also a story about the need of the individuals to remain such, with their virtues and defects, to avoid creating meaningless amorphous societies based on measurements.

A world like Gattaca is not only possible - it is already happening. When the movie was shot, the mapping of the Human Genome was still an unfinished project, and many of the scientific developments that are now a reality were unknown or just fiction at the time. However, the film explores with philosophical depth and creative inventive the possible effects of human genetic selection and improvement. In fact, it posed (and poses) questions that we are already asking ourselves, +10 years later, regarding genetics and its use in medicine and conception. Where is the limit? What is ethical? What is sensible? Does genetic perfection equal personal achievement?

Visually speaking, the film has a terrific cinematography, with a great photo framing, great hues, and a 1950s-60s ambience, architecture, interiors, and wardrobe. Minimal clean lines and metallic textures create a sophisticated atmosphere and mood. The music by Michael Nyman is subtly enveloping, very classy, and creates a perfect mood for the film. Gattica's style is still modern and chic despite the pass of time. 

The acting is good, especially by Jude Law as the sarcastic heavy-drinker good-natured Jerome, and Ethan Hawke as dreamer calculating impostor Vincent. Alan Arkin is very classy as Detective Hugo. Umma Thurman is OK as the shy, clever and elegant Irene; she and Hawke had a great chemistry on camera, which really reaches the viewer. There are cameos by the always terrific Gore Vidal, as Gattaca's director Josef, and Ernest Borgnine, as Gattaca's head janitor Caesar.

On the negative side, the investigation and suspense part of the film is somewhat predictable, there are a few flaws in the storyline, and there are a few lacunas regarding the life of some of the characters that I would have liked developed or hinted.

A sci-fic suspenseful film that will both entertain you and make your think. A modern classic of the science-fiction

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"The Corpse Bride" by Tim Burton & Mike Johnson (2005)

A stop-motion comic-horror-romance musical directed by Tim Burton, which has all the elements and icons of the Burton's quirky universe.

The movie tells the story of Victor (Johnny Depp), who is in love with shy sensitive Victoria (Emily Watson) and finds himself married to the lonely Emily the Corpse Bride (Elena Bonham Carter) due to the release of an old spell. He'll have to find the way to leave the underworld and his unwanted dead wife, and return to the real world to marry sweet Victoria.

The movie mixes the moods of the classic Charles Dickens's novels and the 18th-19th century horror stories, and it is sprinkled with a great sense of humour and lots of winks to the adult viewer. 

The colours and backgrounds are beautiful, with a mix of the dark bright colours and precious quirky design that characterises Burton's world.

The characters are physically well designed, his personalities well-constructed and brought to live, and they are very witty and charming with the very charming old English and Scottish accents. The dubbing is excellent and helps the characters to come to live; you won't recognise the famous actors behind the characters, which says a lot about the good job they did at dubbing them.

The musical numbers are brilliant, hilarious sometimes.

The Corpse Bride is a very entertaining engaging animation movie for both adults and youngsters (not for kids, unless properly supervised) - Very sweet and funny despite the title. A classic of the stop-motion animation, perfect for the approaching Halloween.

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Source Foods Café (Perth WA)

289 Beaufort St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 6468 7100
Website
Facebook
Hours:
    Mon-Thu - 7:30 - 15:00
    Fri - 7:30 - 21:30
    Sat-Sun - 8:30 - 16:00

Source foods is a nice simple café located at the corner between Brisbane and Beaufort St, which offers burgers, salads and simple dishes made using fresh produce. They have an emphasis on vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, organic, and free range food, and affordability. 

 THE PLACE

The café is very simple and small, cozy and welcoming, very quiet, and seems to attract a varied group of quiet interesting people. The place being so small, it is never crowded. Despite the austerity and 1970s vibe, the place has cute decoration elements, and the ambience is luminous and relaxed with a nice background music. They have some of the nicest cutest blackboards in town, painted by one of the lovely waitresses. Their toilets are simple but clean. 

THE FOOD

They have a good selection of burgers (normal, gluten free and vegan), salads, tarts and other simple dishes cooked in the premises. They have a Burger night on Fridays with more than ten different burgers starting from 5.30pm.

Everything I have tried at Source -salads, burgers and sweets- is good in taste and portion size. The  problem I have with their burgers is that they are too big, or better said, the bun is too small to contain all the stuff between its two halves, so it is practically impossible to eat a burger as it should be - with your bare hands without the food slipping out of it. If you have a big mouth and the burger fits in, well, good on you!

They have a small cabinet with sweets, but they do not bake on weekends, so you are going to find what is left over from the week (or so I am been told by the waitress), which is sometimes a poor meagre selection of sweets. I tried the brown rum balls, and they tasted really nice, but were very dry.  

THE COFFEE

Source uses prepares a decent coffee using Antz inya Pantz coffee, a brand that imports the beans and roasts them locally, so they are delivered to the shop in 48 hours. This means that no flavour is lost in the process and the coffee is really fresh. That sounds good. However, the beans are not especially flavoursome or strong if you are into Italian coffees or full-body strong coffee; however, their coffee is perfect for people who like light very smooth coffees with a chocolate-ish sort of taste. If you do not want the ants walking on your tongue, Source's Elmstock teas, smoothies and fresh juices are a great alternative.

 

THE SERVICE

The staff are terrific - a very approachable chatty friendly genuine group of people. They do not have the hype factor, and focus on doing their job and being themselves without any pose or pretence. Re-Source-full people.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

+ They have to figure out the way to have an awesome full burger that can be handled manually. Perhaps they need a bigger pattie, or put less stuff inside :O.

+ Guys, do not over-grill the chicken because it rests juiciness and tenderness to the salads. 

+ They would make a favour to themselves if they baked some desserts in advance for the weekend. Otherwise, it would be great having some easy-to-make-in-the-morning sweets that you serve during the day. Like cream caramel, rice pudding or whatever you want.

TIPS

+ They are serving coffee now from 6am during weekdays.

+ They cater for private functions.

+ They have regular food and coffee specials and offers. Check their website and facebook site to get them.

 +++

Source Café is one of those unpretentious places that caters for people who like healthy food, good portions, decent prices, a chilled relaxed atmosphere and terrific service sans le hype. My kind of place. 

Location: 6/10
Layout: 6.5/10
Ambience 6.5/10
Food: 7/10
Coffee: 6.5/10
Service: 9/10
Pricing: 8/10

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Llama Espresso (Perth WA)

Shop H17 Carillon City
Hay St Level
Perth City Western Australia 6000
0423 153 197
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Hours:
    Mon-Fri 6:30 - 15:00

Pop Up, pop Up, another Café has just popped up in the heart of the CBD, in the Carillon Ctiy, in a temporary shop facing Mazzuchelli's, where they are going to stay for a few months.

Llama Espresso is a very pretty shop, with lovely decoration details and colourful llama paintings by the RedTiki designing team. The place being so small, and the seating area limited to a big common table an four chairs, the place is always quiet. There are plenty of people entering for a take-away, but not many choosing to stay in, which is perfect if you are looking for quietness and an escape-the-world moment in the heart of the city.  

The most important thing is that their coffee is well prepared, good in flavour, and medium strength. Good enough to bring me back. They use fair trade organic coffee beans that are locally roasted by an artisan Perth house called Rubra. They also have a good selection of teas from the same brand, and an eye-catching selection of gluten-free cupcakes, muffins and sweet breads by Catering Green. The cupcakes are really really sweet, not my cup of tea, but perfect for sweetoholics.

The ladies attending to the place are lovely, relaxed and very friendly to  everybody. 

There is something especial about Llama Espresso, perhaps the colours, the quietness and not being that popular. Or perhaps the fact that I like it :O. 

UPDATE 25/02/2013
 Llama Espresso is already settled in its new location within Carillon City on the Murray St level, instead of the shop on the Hay St level.

The place has lost a bit of the charm and special something it used to have, and has transformed into a small coffee corner. Although there are a few stools and a walled table, and the llama motif is everywhere, the place is mostly for takeaways and quick munches.

On the contrary, the food and drink offer has greatly improved, and together with their nice coffee, they have now yummy crushed ice coffee and tea, a nice selection of soft drinks, juices, sandwiches, rolls, wraps, pannini, salads, and winter soups.

The place is still gluten free friendly.

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