Reviews

The Dazzle

By Richard Greenberg. Corvus Arts Theatre. Director Jane Angharad. Meraki Arts Bar Darlinghurst. 17 November – 3 December, 2022

“Post Covid” Sydney is seeing some new, interesting and innovative arts venues. Meraki Arts Bar on busy Oxford Street is one of them. True to its name, it’s all about the arts. There’s an exhibition of art works on the ground floor, music on the first floor, and Corvus Arts production of The Dazzle tucked on the second floor. Every floor has its own bar, the décor is charming, and the pies and chips they offer are very ‘select’!

cavemxn

By Angus Cameron. Patrick Livesey & Wil King and Anthropocene Play Company. Chapel off Chapel, Prahran. 28 November - 4 December 2022

It’s described as a ‘gay odyssey’ and indeed it is.

A Christmas Carol

By Hilary Bell. Songs Composed by Phillip Johnston. Ensemble Theatre, Sydney. Directed by Damien Ryan. 27 November 2022 – 9 January 2023

This is the result of a terrific ‘what if’. What if, Hilary Bell had wondered, A Christmas Carol was presented by the Crummles Family, the fantastic theatrical troupe from that other Charles Dickens’ masterpiece Nicholas Nickleby. You’d have Vincent Crummles playing Ebenezer Scrooge, and the rest of the family doubling and trebling, including Ninetta, the Infant Phenomenon, supposedly 10 years old but actually looking 20+.

Much Ado About Nothing

By William Shakespeare. Directed by Simon Godwin. National Theatre Live. Select cinemas nationally. From December 3, 2022.

Shakespeare's romantic comedy is indulged to the fullest in this sumptuous and delicious production. The setting of the play in a 1930’s inspired Hotel Messina gives the production the aura of a mise-en-scene from a Wes Anderson film. This sets up a very satirical tone and the performers are deeply in tune with this register.

A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens, adapted by David Edgar. Harbour Theatre. Camelot Theatre, Mosman Park, WA. Directed by Ann Speicher and SJ Christiner. Nov 25 - Dec 11, 2022

Harbour Theatre are rounding of the year with this heart-warming new adaptation of A Christmas Carol, a large cast play that includes some singing and is a faithful and thoughtful adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic.

The Wizard of Oz

By L. Frank Baum, with Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. Background Music by Herbert Stothart. Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros. Beenleigh Theatre Group. November 18 – December 3, 2022

The Tin man might not have had a heart but this production certainly does – and plenty of courage to take on such a technically demanding show.

42nd Street

Music by Harry Warren. Lyrics by Al Durbin. Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble. Wanneroo Repertory Club. Directed by Drew Anthony. The Limelight Theatre, Wanneroo. WA. Nov 24 - Dec 10, 2022

Perth and Peel are having somewhat of a theme in musicals at the moment, with four shows opening in November that are “musicals about musicals”. Following on the heels of The Drowsy Chaperone, Curtains and [title of show], comes the ultimate backstage musical, 42nd Street, currently enjoying a fully sold-out season at Wanneroo Repertory Club’s Limelight Theatre.

That Was Friday

By Charley Sanders and Eliza Sanders. House of Sand, Directed by Charley Sanders & choreographed by Eliza Sanders. Belconnen Arts Centre, 23–26 November 2022, and touring.


That Was Friday is an unusual production.  At first it appears to be about the relationship between a mother, played by Sara Zwangobani, and her geographically distant adult children — daughter Eliza (Enya Daly), and son, Jack (Lachlan Martin).  Mother and children keep in touch — more or less — via Zoom, sharing something of their rather average lives.


Monsters

By Emme Hoy. Directed by Matthew Lutton. A Malthouse theatre production in association with Stephanie Lake Company. Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank. 24 November - 11 December 2022.

This is a play with incredible mood and atmosphere. Writer Emme Hoy suggests that the pandemic has inspired a great deal of escapist entertainment material to help society work its way through what has become known as “permacrisis” (permanent crisis). This play does quite the opposite and seeks to confront the demons that have generated the variety of social and political ills which have plagued recent times. This is addressed via a story around the rescue of a woman, Claire, who has fallen through a sink hole and is trapped in a terrifying labyrinth-like underworld. 

The Drowsy Chaperone

Music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar. Murray Music and Drama. Directed by Trevor Delaporte. Pinjarra Civic Centre, WA. Nov 11-26, 2022

Murray Music and Drama’s The Drowsy Chaperone, subtitled “a musical within a comedy” is a warm, fun musical that was very much enjoyed by audiences at Pinjarra Civic Centre.

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.