Nine

Nine, the musical, is based on Frederico Fellini’s film 8 ½, about a director who becomes creatively parallelised as he wrestles with his anxiety over a disintegrating marriage and middle age. The title of the musical alludes to the nine significant women in his life and also to his age when a particularly influential event occurred. Andy Leonard plays the director, Guido, in an upcoming production by Little Triangle. In a cast of 19 actors, he is the only man (although there is also a boy who plays a younger version of Guido). 

“I’ve got more ‘talent crushes’ than I’ve had working on other shows,” says Leonard regarding the predominantly female cast. “They’re amazing, the women in the show. There’s some beautiful, beautiful voices. And they’re really generous performers and really, performers that are pushing the boundaries of what would be expected from the text.”

The script, Leonard admits, is inherently problematic when viewed through the lens of modern sensibilities. 

“He’s such a charismatic character and he exudes all this confidence and all that – but when you’re doing something like that today, you have to take a bit of a different slant on it,” says Leonard, suggesting you could draw parallels between Guido and people like Harvey Weinstein. “Because, like a lot of successful artists, [Guido] does trample on a lot of people to get where he is. […]  We’re showing his charisma, but we’re also showing what an arsehole he is.”

In line with the current zeitgeist, they’ve opted for a less optimistic ending for Guido in this production. In terms of staging, the set is sparse, stark, minimalist. There’s a large film roll in the background, lots of stools, empty scripts scattered about – all reflecting Guido’s lack of inspiration. The costumes are black and white and it has a 1960s Italian cinema aesthetic. 

Sep 5-14. Reginald Theatre, Seymour Centre, Cnr Cleveland St & City Rd, Chippendale. $30-$50+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.seymourcentre.com

 

By Rita Bratovich

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