Reviews

Picnic at Hanging Rock

From the book by Joan Lindsay. Adapted for stage by Tom Wright. University of Adelaide Theatre Guild. Little Theatre Adelaide University. October 6-20, 2018.

Joan Lindsay's Picnic at Hanging Rock was first published in 1967. Whether a true story or not, the eery tale of a group of three girls and their teacher from Appleyard College who go on a picnic to the local beauty spot is etched into Australian lore.  The Peter Weir film adaptation in 1975 told with much beauty the haunting, ethereal story about the doomed Valentine’s Day trip in 1900.

Ann-Droid

Bandart Productions. Awesome Arts Festival. Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia. 4-6 Oct, 2018

For kids whose first passion is video games, Ann-Droid may well be the perfect early theatre experience. This production, which hails from Budapest, combines theatre with animation in a present day take on the Pinocchio story.

Bereaved eccentric inventor Alfred (Szabolcs Thoth-Zs) invents a robot girl. She is tasked with completing a mission. Along the way, the girl, Ann, (Katalin Lengyel) discovers her humanity.

Four Go Wild in Wellies

Indepen-dance. Awesome Arts Festival. Choreographed by Stevie Prickett. Directed by Anna Newell. PICA Performance Space, Perth Cultural Centre, WA. 3-6 Oct, 2018

Four Go Wild in Wellies does what is says on the box, as four adorable actor-dancers go wild in Wellington boots and bobble beanies in a 30 minute warm hug of a show aimed at 3-5 year olds and their families. I am not 3 to 5 years of age, but I also fell in love with this charmer of a production.

Lexicon

NoFit Circus. Melbourne International Arts Festival. October 3 – 21, 2018

No lion tamer. No animal in sight, not in this modern circus!

An unruly bunch of circus misfits mingle, while stirring up a trail of mischief through the crowd. The show is soon to begin, the smell of buttery popcorn hovers and children are giggling with anticipation.

The Third Beauty: Shakespeare’s Women

Adapted and directed by Michael Beh. The Curators, Spring Hill Reservoir. 5-20 October, 2018.

The deep and dark ‘rooms’ of the Spring Hill Reservoir make a fitting location for a mosaic of soliloquies, dialogues real and imagined, and complete mash-ups of speeches by some of Shakespeare’s most loved characters – all of them women. Macbeth’s three witches set the tone with their opening chant and lead us in to hear from Juliet, Queen Gertrude, the Nurse, Cleopatra, Desdemona and Lady Macbeth, to name but a few who contribute to the hurly burly of action.

Leap of Faith

Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Glen Slater. Book by Janus Cercone & Warren Leight. Based on the Motion Picture “Leap of Faith” produced by Paramount Pictures and written by Janus Cercone. North Shore Theatre Company. Director: Chapin Ayres. Musical Director: Andrew Beban. Choreographer: Olivia Cathro. Independent Theatre, North Sydney. October 5 - 14, 2018.

This production is full of charm, heart, and professionalism.

Director Chapin Ayres brings out both the emotional truth of the script and some great performances from the cast. I felt that Ms Ayres understands what the show is about, both in terms of its spirit and how to stage it.

Julius Caesar

By William Shakespeare – adapted and directed by Adrienne Costello – heartBeast Theatre – Spring Hill Reservoir, Brisbane. 5–20 October, 2018

The dark underground caverns of the Spring Hill Reservoir are the perfect location for this new interpretation of Julius Caesar – the ultimate cautionary conspiracy tale. Presented by Brisbane-based, indie company, heartBeast Theatre, this is a streamlined version of one of Shakespeare’s most famous pieces dealing with the corrupting forces of power.

It's Not Too Late (until you're dead)

By Sally Hardy. post-human productions. Star Theatres. October 4th – 6th, 2018

It is exciting to attend new and interesting theatre in Adelaide and post-human productions, an emerging contemporary theatre company, is committed to performing relevant, thought-provoking theatre for 21st century audiences.

Maggie Stone

By Caleb Lewis. Darlinghurst Theatre Company. Eternity Playhouse. September 30 – October 21, 2018

Successfully premiered in Adelaide in 2013, Caleb Lewis’ play ambitiously explores how wealth, debt and charity can strangle real empathy for those to whom we lend or give.

Maggie Stone is an opinionated, bigoted loans officer who lives alone with a lizard. In that jokey Aussie way, Maggie is a suburban racist; but she learns a lesson after the death of an African immigrant whose desperate request for a minor loan she’d rejected.  

What the Butler Saw

By Joe Orton. New Theatre, Sydney. October 2 – November 3, 2018.

Director Danielle Mass has brought Orton’s provocative attack on hypocrisy somersaulting into 2018 with her cunning cross casting and precision-based direction. She has swept together the farce and the facetious in a production that heightens Orton’s comic genius – and the contemporary relevance of the inequalities that he satirised so subversively … and so well.

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