Reviews

‘The course of true love never did run smooth’: William Shakespeare, A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Act 1, scene 1).

Never a truer word was said, particularly in The Will To Be, written, produced and performed by Mark Salvestro.

We are taken back to 1962 and a university lecturer (William O’Halloran) in Melbourne has been fired from his lecturing position accused of having an affair with a male student.

Darlington Theatre Players’ production of Alice in Wonderland is a colourful and fun production, loyal to the original story, featuring an energetic multi-age cast. A musical of sorts, with pantomime elements, this large cast production is clearly aimed at a family audience.

This is a delightful marriage between Indonesian culture and Greek mythology. The pairing of these two diverse and contrasting traditions seems incongruous, however, the blending of these two cultures could not appear to be more natural. This is a very unusual interpretation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, yet the staging combined with the lighting, projections, music and costuming conjure up Hades in a precise and alluring manner. The long, flowing, white costumes, decorated with traditional Indonesian headdresses generates an ethereal quality to the personas.

In an ambitious quest to write a great Australian play, Kim Ho draws out a range of uncomfortable imagery that haunts our national consciousness and also addresses some of his own personal anxieties around his craft. This play is replete with examples of his artistry and the sophisticated command he has over his very skilful writing. His imagination seems to know no bounds and his inventiveness is beguiling. His talent often exudes from the text evoking a dense and highly refined sense of cultural history. The project is simultaneously incredibly impressive and incredibly overwhelming.