Scream Star review

Worlds collide in Speak Percussion's new collaborative performance, Scream Star, where three artists from around the globe have come together with three pieces of live music that intersect sound, the moving image and percussion. London-based Matthew Shlomowitz, German Johannes Kreidler and New Yorker Jessie Marino present unique compositions that investigate the playfulness and creativity of sound and music exploration.

The opener by Shlomowitz is an imagined variety show called Hey Hey It’s Tuesday. Archival footage of people lining up for shows, on stage, backstage and everything in between is projected onto a screen as the composers play with a number of percussion instruments including cymbals, drums and xylophones. Through this, we discover  ways of how the moving image can interact with new sounds and to appreciate new ways of hearing sound. The segment involving the Kiama Blowhole, the largest in the world, is a particular highlight.

Kreidler follows with a piece that initially deepens this inquiry into sound, music and visual images but in this instance, it hits its climax early on and unable to draw us in further. The repetitive nature of this work means there are few surprises along the way and misses the level of engagement and intrigue that Shlomowitz achieves.

After a twenty-minute interval we return for the finale by Marino, who combines sound with a captivating and gripping lighting design by Brownyn Pringle, and screens and blinds in a really exciting way. Beginning in the comforts of a domestic lifestyle and ending up in the unknown spaces outside our world, Marino takes her audience on a truly unforgettable journey. The closing visual brings to the stage, and into our thoughts, something powerful and a complete contrast to the laughter and safety felt at the start of the evening.

Scream Star is a wonderful chance to not only experience seeing and hearing works by Shlomowitz, Kreidler and Marino, but also the opportunity to have them perform together. Their creativity, energy and passion in Scream Star encourages us to consider the different in creating sound and music, and if we can do this, then maybe we can take this into our daily routine and look for the different in our every day.

Show Details

Venue: Arts House, 521 Queensberry St, North Melbourne
Season: Until 21 August | Sat 7:30pm, Sun 5pm
Duration: 100 minutes and a 20 minute interval
Tickets: $35 Pay If You Can | $20 Standard
Bookings: Arts House

Image credit: Bryony Jackson