Reviews

Godspell In The Garden

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Michael Tebelak. The Australian Shakespeare Company, in conjunction with Room 8. Director: Glenn Elston. Melbourne Botanic Gardens. Feb 21 – March 13, 2016 and touring.

A balmy Sunday evening in Melbourne on the labour day weekend with the sun low in the sky and picnic baskets abounding; could there be a more perfect setting for this wonderfully entertaining re-imagining of a timeless 45 year old musical?

Calamity Jane

Stage book by James O’Hanlon. Music by Sammy Fain, Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. Rockdale Musical Society , March 4 to 13, 2016

The season of Calamity Jane being staged by Rockdale Musical Society had been running for several performances by the time I attended the show, meaning it had a chance of settling down for the season.

The Elephant Man

By Bernard Pomerance. Hobart Repertory Theatre Society. Directed by Petr Divis Playhouse Theatre, Hobart. 11 – 26th March 2016

The Hobart Repertory Theatre Societyproduction of The Elephant Man is a show to see with a mind cleansed of movie references, including special effects, so you can concentrate on the acting, language and intent of the clever play. Bernard Pomerance wrote this haunting drama based on the real life of Joseph Merrick (called John in the play), a hideously deformed man who was rescued from a dreadful life as a circus freak.

Annie

By Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. Bankstown Theatre Company. Bryan Brown Theatre, Bankstown March 11 – 20, 2016.

As is to be expected for any production of Annie, there’s a buzz in the air – mainly from the excited parents, friends and teachers of the twenty-two little girls (eleven of whom appear each night) in the cast of this much loved musical.

Into The Woods

Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Lapine. Directed by Fiona Delaine. The Star Theatre, Hilton. March 10-13, 2016

Into The Woods, Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine’s much beloved mashup of famous fairytale plots and characters, has Adelaide Youth Theatre’s usual uniformly first rate production values and is given reasonably polished, if possibly overly derivative treatment by the company.

Blind

Concept/Script – Nancy Black and Duda Paiva. Black Hole Theatre and DudaPaiva Company. Theatre Works. 8 – 19 March 2016

From go to whoa this wonderful ‘grownups’ puppet show is a rich rewarding delight.  Funny and even ‘laugh out loud’ to start with, Blind is a marvelous and often tantalizingly surprising journey.  Master puppeteer and artist Duda Paiva in communion with, through breathing life and voice into, his exquisite delicate puppets - delights his audience.

Paiva is a charismatic, consummate, relaxed and spontaneous performer who engages with disarming sincerity. 

Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium

Erth. Adelaide Festival of Arts. Norwood Town Hall. March 10th – 13th, 2016

With Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium, Puppetry Company Erth bring to life the prehistoric underworld, to the delight of many young eyes.

The audience is greeted by a large man in a bright yellow suit, who does very well to seat the audience and conjure up excitement for the show to follow. He, along with marine biologist Catherine, eagerly guide us through the history and fascinating ecological facts of an ancient time, introducing an enthralling educational element. Both hosts have a charming manner and are well received by the audience.

The Boy From Oz

Music & Lyrics: Peter Allen. Book: Nick Enright. Brisbane Arts Theatre. Directors: John Boyce & Ruby Foster. Musical Director: Lara Boyle. Choreography: Sarah Jane Jones & Jess Paige. Arts Theatre, Brisbane, 5 Mar – 23 Apr 2016

This year Brisbane Arts Theatre is celebrating its 80th year of production, a milestone in local theatre, and what better way to pop the fizz than a production of Australia’s favourite home-grown musical The Boy From Oz.

The bio-musical about the life of songwriter Peter Allen, who rose from small-town pub entertainer to headlining at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, is the stuff of legend and especially when his life also connected with two of America’s superstar legends, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.

The Peach Season

By Debra Oswald. University of Adelaide Theatre Guild. Directed by John Graham. The Little Theatre, University Of Adelaide. March 10-19, 2016

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild showcases yet another fine contemporary Australian play, with a solid staging of Debra Oswald’s The Peach Season. This bittersweet coming of age story rehashes many familiar, timeworn conventions of the genre, but contains enough unexpected, idiosyncratic nuances to emerge as fresh and relevant to a modern audience. The intelligent handling of universal themes, combined with candid performances from the entire cast and finely detailed production design result in a deeply immersive theatre experience.

Pennsylvania Avenue

By Joanna Murray-Smith. Directed by Simon Phillips. Presented by Duet Cremorne Theatre, QPAC Brisbane. 3-19 March, 2016

I love impressions: it's always a great source of amusement for me to take off famous personalities, even better if it's an improved version of the original artist, as I've seen before, but when you see a performer in a solo act who can do the 'verbal and the vocal', and with such aplomb, all one can do is beam with a little more than just admiration.

And this is pretty much what the audience did.

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