CALPURNIA DESCENDING

She wants to be alone, but when a golden chance arrives to resurrect her career and reputation, Beverly Dumont will do what Beverly Dumont does best - scheme, scam, and scream her way to stardom. Amidst gangsters and chorus girls, between depression and delusion, Paul Capsis embodies all the faded razzle dazzle and touching pathos of a woman whose time has been, but whose life isn't over.

In the wings stands Violet St Clair, with cheekbones that cut glass and a body to hold on to. Is she a starry-eyed ingenue or a calculating careerist? So far, no one can tell. But she'll be the talk of the town before the curtain descends.

THE SISTERHOOD:

Performed by PAUL CAPSIS, ASH FLANDERS, SANDY GORE, and PETER PALTOS.

Created by ASH FLANDERS & DECLAN GREENE

Directed by DECLAN GREENE

Set & Costume Design by DAVID FLEISCHER

Sound Design & Composition by JED PALMER

Additional Composition by STEVE TOULMIN

AV Design by MATTHEW GINGOLD

Animation by MATT GREENWOOD

Lighting Design by KATIE SFETKIDIS

Stage Manager: LISA OSBORN

Assistant Stage Manager: AMY BURKETT

A Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company production.

AWARDS:

WINNER - GREEN ROOM AWARDS - BEST AV DESIGN & ANIMATION (Matthew Gingold & Matt Gingold)

NOMINATED - GREEN ROOM AWARDS - BEST PRODUCTION

NOMINATED - HELPMANN AWARDS - BEST PLAY

REVIEWS:

'A deadly sharp commentary on the commodification and commercialisation of queer culture. [...] Undeniably queer, relentlessly, surreally funny, and deeply intelligent.' Aussie Theatre

★★★★ 'A live cinema experience that projects the anxieties of ageing onto a broader historical field. [...] Paul Capsis is in exquisite form as decrepit diva Beverly Dumont.' The Age (Melbourne)

★★★★ 'More frantic and wildly dangerous than [Sisters Grimm's] previous offerings. [...] The show belongs to Capsis, who gives a glorious performance as the vulture-like, faded diva. [...] The impact is undeniable.' Daily Review (Sydney)

'Surprise is key to this production's success... Calpurnia doesn't descend so much as swan dive into a hysterical multimedia nightmare.' Sydney Morning Herald

★★★★ 'Commendably mad; a revue show with main-stage polish, but one that still manages to retain the raucously unpredictable spirit of the wine cellar.' The Brag (Sydney)

★★★★ 'The work is jam-packed with truly bizarre and subversive moments. [...] Outstanding and as obnoxious as it is clever, Sisters Grimm should be congratulated on bringing theatre kicking and screaming into the present.' The Music (Melbourne)

'Calpurnia Descending allures, ensnares then disorients, till you're not sure you're even in the theatre / on Planet Earth / in this dimension any longer. [...] It pisses on the sanctity of theatre.' Concrete Playground

SEASONS:

9 OCTOBER - 8 NOVEMBER, 2014

WHARF 2 THEATRE

SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY

12 - 30 NOVEMBER, 2014

MERLYN THEATRE

MALTHOUSE THEATRE, MELBOURNE

CALPURNIA DESCENDING Photography by Brett Boadman