Reviews

At What Cost? by Nathan Maynard on every level is challenging, which is as any theatre experience should be. The issues being grappled with are so relevant and confronting as Australia faces the Voice referendum this year. For this reviewer it was uncomfortable to see the wounds that First Nations people in Australia carry with them and the burden of sheer frustration and sadness. But this is how we wake up!

Triple bills (the presentation of three shorter original works in one evening) have been on the international ballet agenda for quite some time now and what is so inviting and invigorating about this genre is not only the diversity of entertainment on display but also the platform it creates for choreographers and composers alike to express a personal creative journey, untap passions and explore realms of the unknown.

A musical satire that mixes science fiction, space travel, politics, undercover activists, a self-centred multi-millionaire, and giant mutant rabbits? A little ambitious perhaps? Mmmm …

There are moments of clever writing and acting in this production, and some interesting music, but eventually it all becomes a bit too much. Unfortunately, the many themes get confused in overcrowded lyrics and too-loud harmonies that reverberate in a space that is not particularly acoustically friendly.

First-time director Caitlin Hill gives David Auburn’s 20-year old award-winning play Proof a radiant remake with a cast sent from heaven.

Despite its multi-layered themes of maths and mental illness, the play’s heart is all about love – parental and sibling relationships, caring for family, and the excitement of a potential new relationship. These elements of love demand that we like, or at least learn to like, the characters involved. That is not a problem in this production, as the cast simply radiate warmth and are a joy to watch in action.