Reviews

Wrong Direction

Created by Chris Wilcox. Fringe World. The Ellington Jazz Club, Northbridge, WA. 28-31 January, 2017

Wrong Direction features the world’s most politically incorrect boy band, who in simply beautiful harmony, sing songs that you wouldn’t want your mother to hear.

Written by Chris Wilcox, who also features as a band member, the songs are inspired by a slew of male vocal groups, from One Direction to El Divo. That Wilcox spend much of 2016 performing on cruise ships as a guest performer in Human Nature’s Soul Mates, may also have been an influence.

No Man’s Land

By Harold Pinter. National Theatre Live from Wyndham’s Theatre, London. Sharmill Films. In cinemas across Australia from 4 February 2017.

One of the great pleasures of this National Theatre Live production is to see Pinter’s poetic, enigmatic, multi-layered text in the hands of two old pros: Patrick Stewart as ‘Hirst’ and In McKellan as ‘Spooner’.  They have, moreover, honed their roles, first in New York and then on tour in the UK before landing at Wyndham’s Theatre.  It was the site, after the premiere at the Old Vic, of the famed 1975 production with Gielgud and Richardson.  Are Stewart and McKellan as good?  It doesn’t matter.  Mr Stewart plays Hirst as a

A Leading Lady in Waiting

Kimberley Diane. Directed by Geraldine Harris. Fringe World. The Verandah Lounge, Rigby’s Bar, Perth, WA. Jan 28-Feb 1, 2017

Kimberley Diane is well recognised in community theatre circles in Perth, having performed leading roles in companies including Roleystone Theatre, Playlovers, Koorliny Arts Centre and Nine Lives. In this show Kimberley re-visits her favourite leading roles and suggests a few that she would like to play in the future.

The Wolf Has No Teeth

Directed by Ellie Towner. FringeWorld/ WA Children’s Theatre. The Lunar Big Top, The Pleasure Garden, Northbridge. 28-29 Jan, 2017

The Wolf Has No Teeth was first presented by WA Children’s Theatre at YouthFest in 2016. I was very excited to be able to review this reincarnation at FringeWorld and was keen to see development and growth.

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare. Bard on the Beach 2017. Balmoral Beach Rotunda - Jan 20 - Feb 19, 2017; Dunbar Park, Avalon - Feb 24 - Mar 5; Gunnamatta Park, Cronulla - March 10 – 12: The Greek Theatre, Marrickville - Mar 31 - Apr 8, Watsons Bay – Apr 13 – 23.

‘Tis no mean feat to perform under the stars at any time, but imagine competing against very gusty sea breezes, the high-pitched chattering of a colony of bats and the possibility of summer rain! Despite such unpredictable conditions, the energetic cast and crew of this year’s Bard on the Beach productions are bringing Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, and the hilarious characters of The Merry Wives of Windsor to various outdoor locations across Sydney and a short indoor season at The Greek Theatre at Marrickville.

‘Night, Mother

By Marsha Norman. Javeenbah Theatre, Nerang, Gold Coast. Director: Barry Gibson. January 27th to February 11th, 2017

This compelling one act, two-hander is a great start for Javeenbah’s 2017 season.

Sensitively directed by Barry Gibson, the story of the relationship between a possessive Mother, (Del Halpin) and her epileptic, divorced daughter (Amy McDonald) is brought to life in a drama that is more common than we know of or care to acknowledge.

Both ladies bring comedy and pathos to their finely tuned characters which held the audience’s attention on the “roller coaster” ride of the entire play.

Still Life

By Dimitris Papaioannou. Sydney Festival. Carriageworks. Jan 27 – 29, 2017

Still Life is an appropriate closer of the Sydney Festival – part arts installation, part physical theatre, a wordless echo of Samuel Beckett.

Greek artist-performer Dimitris Papaioannou is best known for his opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Here his inspiration is the myth of Sisyphus, forever doomed to carry a boulder to the mountain top, watch it roll to the bottom and then repeat the action for eternity. 

The One

Written and directed by Jeffrey Jay Fowler. Whiskey & Boots / Fringe World. The Blue Room Studio, Northbridge, WA. 24-28 Jan, 2017

The One, written and directed by Jeffrey Jay Fowler, is both a romance and an anti-romance, a well-told story of a relationship where finding ‘the one’ may not be enough.

Strongly acted by Georgia King and Mark Storen, we follow a couple through the ups and downs of a relationship. Set on an almost bare stage, the only decoration is a wedding dress - proverbially and literally hanging over them as either a promise or a warning.

Jasper Jones

Based on the novel by Craig Silvey, adapted by Kate Mulvany. Belvoir (Sydney). January 25 to February 19, 2017, then on tour.

What is it about Western Australian writers that produces such cracking stories? Transfixed during this production my mind cast back to Cloudstreet; with Jasper Jones it shares buckets of humour, suspense, and life and death struggles with an air of authenticity you can almost taste.

Babe, the Sheep-Pig

By David Wood, based on the novel by Dick King-Smith. Victorian Youth Theatre. Southbank Theatre, The Lawler (Melbourne CBD). 19-28 January 2017.

Grown-ups will be familiar with this sweet story, either from Dick King-Smith’s 1983 novel, The Sheep-Pig, or the award-winning movie, Babe (Chris Noonan 1995), but this 1998 stage adaptation by David Wood, running just on an hour, works a treat for the small fry.  My companion – granddaughter, age 6 – sat entranced and smiling throughout, with total concentration.

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