Lester Percival

If you’ve ever had a dog then you’ll know the pain when it dies. Waking up in the middle of the night trying not to step on it’s bed. Hearing it cry when you know it’s not there, seeing it at the door waiting for you and going to pat it with your hand out like a blind person groping in the dark.

My little fluffy friend was a Jack Russell/silky cross with the most beautiful face you could ever imagine. He had such an amazing personality. Smart, funny, adventurous, brave and virtually fearless. His name was Lester Percival and he was the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met. He would chase German Shepherds three times his size across the park. If they were after him he’d do the special zig zag run to confuse them. He’d line up his Goodos and pick them off one by one. He’d run up to strangers in the street and lick them on the leg. He’d wait patiently outside his dad’s bedroom door until he woke up on the weekends. My Lester nursed me through cancer and would jump to attention anytime I sneezed. So many memories of an exceptional little dog there are not enough words to say how much I loved him.

He was attacked once by a couple staffies. The dog had Lester in his mouth and Lester was growling. I was screaming. I managed to pull him out but is stomach was ripped open and he was bleeding like crazy. After a stay with the vet he came back with lots of stitches. He took several weeks to recover but he survived and even thrived. Then a few years later he ate rat poisoning or it may have been pesticide. He had seizures. The vet couldn’t find out what was wrong. He couldn’t walk. I gave him raw food for a few weeks and he survived. My boy was tough. When he got old and his legs gave out he still refused to give up. He got dementia, began to lose his eyesight and his hearing went. He ploughed on and on. He was miserable but tried not to show it. Then finally his kidneys gave up. It was time. I never felt so empty. He had just turned eighteen. Not bad for a little scruffy fluffy fur baby. Its been three months now and I no longer hear his cries but I feel him everywhere and know that he is with me. Rest In Peace Lester Percival and know that you are loved now, tomorrow and always.

Genesian Theatre

Bourgeoise Reviews And Banter

Steel Magnolias is a play about women. Real women. Warm, funny, bright and tough women. Not tough in the way men are, but in their own indomitable way, having a resilience to the curve balls life throws at them that men can only dream of. The play centres on six women, all with very different personalities, who divulge their dreams, secrets, fears and sometimes just plain old gossip, at the hairdresser. The playwright, Robert Harling, captures perfectly that wonderful familiarity of female friends when gathering in a place they feel comfortable enough to let loose. In this case, Truvy’s Beauty Shop. Set in the Deep South, the play takes us through four seasons, reflecting the changing circumstances in the lives of these women over time. The four seasons are cleverly portrayed by changes in the lighting but the set itself never changes. Almost a metaphor, perhaps, for the lives of the characters.

The ensemble cast makes this a production. Each equally as good. Such strong performances in fact that the audience feels as if they are right in there with them having their hair and nails done by Truvy, superbly played by Molly Haddon, with just the right amount of grit, humour, kindness and empathy. In fact the audience is on the other side of the mirror. Very clever use of the fourth wall. So engrossed are we, the audience, in the everyday banter between Truvy and her clients, that we are kind of sideswiped by Shelby’s sudden change from cheerful bride to be, to vulnerable, needy child. Shelby, Heather Tleige, seems to be made of strong stuff. We don’t expect it. It is the strength of character, not only of Truvy and Shelby’s mother M’Lynn, Georgia Britt,  but of all the women that get her through with love, humour and strength.

Attributes that all these women possess in spades. Annelle, Julia Grace, is the sweetest bible basher you’ll ever meet. Clairee, Sharron Oliver, is stylish, charming and smart as a whip, whilst Ouiser, Sandra Bass, is portrayed as being without restraint, without tact and without humility. She is probably the most sensitive of them all and hilariously funny. It is impossible to separate the cast from the characters as they are one and the same. This is also a credit to a very canny director, Ali Bendall, who has worked very hard on creating such believable relationships between these talented actors on stage , that it appears they have known each other forever.

In all a wonderful production that will make you laugh out loud and cry buckets before taking the time to catch your breath. Everything about this production, including a set which conjures the fun and candy colours of the eighties, co-ordinated eighties soundtrack and costumes specifically chosen to define character and mood, is sublime. 

By Renee Dallow

Bourgeoise Reviews And Banter

Italian Cafe Cool. New York Style.

Just when you thought Little Italy had moved out of Leichhardt, Dom Panino, came to town.  Dom Panino is all about the sandwich, Italian style, of course. It’s classy, contemporary and family owned. In fact the Ruggeri husband and wife team run the kitchen themselves. They cook fresh pasta too. Their son, Domenico, runs the restaurant area which includes the tables outside, the front food bar and the family room at the back, where people gather to socialise in groups, or sit on their own, soaking up the atmosphere.Dom’s nona is a regular visitor to the family room too apparently. In fact there are photos of the whole family, including nona Ruggeri, adorning the walls, going right back to when she and Dom’s grandfather, moved to Leichhardt from Sicily. You can almost feel the love coming through the frames when you look at them. 

We can talk about the wonderful food, already covered by articles in the Sydney Morning Herald and other popular papers, or we can concentrate on the service, which in my opinion is excellent.  But don’t just take my opinion, there are people lining up for a whole block, waiting to get in of a weekend because they know, they will be rewarded with a friendly smile and a dedication to making them feel welcome. They will also be serenaded with Frank Sinatra and freshly made doughnuts. If you’ve ever been to New York, you’ll know that, a great mocha, latte or cappuccino served with sizzling hot doughnuts and the sound of Frank Sinatra crooning in the background makes for a pretty cool dining experience.

None of this came about by accident. Dom Ruggeri and his family have paid great attention to marketing and have planned everything down to the last detail, in order to deliver that wonderful, lively, old style Italian family cafe with a modern twist. When yours truly remarked on the fact that one side of their cafe awning was back to front, Dom grinned and replied, ,,,,” It got your attention, didn’t it.”  They have certainly researched their paninos. I had, The Serafina, and can highly recommend it. Delicious vegan sandy with eggplant and tomato and lots of other veggies. Just the right amount of olive oil and we have a winner. Served by Tony Benvenutto, Hmmm? Maybe a pun. Me thinks he’s a funny guy. Great waiter though. Full of charm, wit and enthusiasm. Sorely needed in this mixed up world.

I’ve also tried their sugar coated, custard filled Italian pastries and their cannoli, a staple of any true Italian Cafe.

Sitting on a bar stool inside the cafe is a man in a suit. Look closely and you’ll see him checking out his phone. He has a view of boxed hedges, traffic lights, a skin clinic and a petrol station opposite. Now imagine that’s Frank Sinatra drinking his coffee and just being cool. Not hard is it? Just like some film noir hangout even Frank would would approve of.

By Renee Lou Dallow

Bourgeoise Reviews And Banter.

A Film written and directed by Alex Lykos

Disconnect Me, is a film that actually connects, even though it is about disconnection. Disconnecting from one’s mobile phone does not mean disconnecting from people or from life in general. Alex Lykos is a filmmaker who connects with or without his mobile phone . The premise of this film is our total addiction to mobile phones, social media and communicating through text.  ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’, the title of a song by Cliff Richard way back in 1979, sums it up perfectly. How many of us prefer to text rather than talk? Well just about everyone it would seem. There’s nothing more annoying than getting ready to go out and meet a friend than having that friend text you ten times to tell you, they just got out of the shower, just got into the car, they’re on the way, they’ve reached your area, they’re just around the corner, they’re trying to find a  carpark, they’re walking down the street, they’re just opening the door to the cinema, restaurant or whatever, they’re inside, they’re sitting down, they can’t see you. By this time you are an anxiety ridden, out of control mental case and certainly not in the mood to to hang out. They can’t see you? WHATEVER! You’ve gone. 

The level of anxiety the other person feels if they are unable to text is also way out of order and this is what Lykos is getting at when he decides on a thirty day experiment without his mobile phone. He’s dedicated, he’s driven, he’s determined to see this through. He gives his phone to his wife, who locks it away in a safe, buys himself an old-fashioned landline, gets an alarm clock and uses a Gregory’s for directions, thereby, locking out poor Siri and doing away with Google Maps. He decides to film his drastic mobile phone diet, hires a film crew, sets up storylines and locations along with interviewing a variety of people of different ages and from different walks of life and takes us all on the journey with him. It’s not long before he realises that it’s impossible to disconnect alone. Everyone else is connected via mobile. How can he pay the crew? He banks online and so do they. How can he keep up with the medical problems which beset his ageing dad, whose problems, need immediate attention? His father too is dependent on his son having a mobile phone and his response to his son’s experiment is one of complete frustration with hilarious results.

Then there are the interviews with teens and even primary kids on why they can’t do without their mobile phones. One mother finds out her teen is up till 2.30 in the morning watching Netflix. Before the interview she had no idea this was happening. How many other mums are in the same boat? The interviews conducted reveal that there are many. All across the nation. Kids don’t see anything wrong with it though as many are taught that it is ok to spend hours on their phones, playing video games or watching movies. It keeps them occupied. Lets the parents have some, ‘Me Time.’

What of the teens who depend on likes and comments from others on their socials? Their whole lives can depend on these little approvals. They see themselves as being defined by what social media thinks of what they do and say as well as how they look, feel and act. What are they without Facebook, Instagram, Twitter e.t.c.? They are nothing. Lykos gently prods these screen dependent teens and is quite pleasantly surprised when some, well at least two, say they would prefer not to be so addicted and could maybe get used to playing sports in the park or going to the beach with friends rather than spending all their time in darkened rooms mesmerised by the flickering lights of their screens.

Alex Lykos has done an outstanding job on bringing the plight of the mobile phone addict out into the open.

He has juxtaposed natural settings, with the rustling of trees, the sound of birds and the glow of an evening sunset with the frantic pace of a world controlled by Artificial Intelligence. He asks if all the scientific progress we have made is worth it and looks at some of the sacrifices we have had to make along the way. He has achieved this with humour, empathy and all the curiosity of a seasoned journalist. Lykos’ documentary film is extremely clever and timely. Well deserving of the accolades it achieved at its Enmore Theatre premiere.

By Renee Lou Dallow 

Bourgeoise Bloomers Reviews And Banter