Reviews

King Lear

By William Shakespeare. Chichester Festival Theatre. National Theatre Live. Nova, Carlton and participating cinemas nationally. 3 November 2018 onwards.

Sir Ian McKellen inhabits his Lear from the start as an old man afraid he is losing his mind – even while he makes arbitrary and foolish decisions.  Sir Ian’s emphasis on that fear of madness makes it, when it overtakes him, all the more ironic in that Lear begins to see the world as it really is.

Chinese Music Day

Oz Asia Festival. Elder Hall, The University of Adelaide. 28th October 2018

Chinese Music Day is an opportunity to combine age-old traditional Chinese music with contemporary influences. In recent years it has become a welcome part of the OzAsia Festival program and also provides an opportunity to showcase local talent and the work of a number of local performers.

The War of the Worlds Anniversary Broadcast

Presented by Innes Lloyd. The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne. 29 October 2018.

The comedy duo David Innes & Rob Lloyd, accompanied by the musical talents of Caleb Garfinkel, pay homage to the classic sci-fi novel War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. There is more than a passing interest in this story and the show centres around how the text has impacted their lives and entered our cultural imagination.

Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange

Adapted for the stage by Connor Carlyle and Sarah Christiner. Life on Hold Productions. Directed by Sarah Christiner. The Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park, WA. October 17 - Nov 2, 2018

Life on Hold Productions’ adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange is very much a passion project for director Sarah Christiner, who has loved the novel for over half her life. This production, which launches the new company, features a script, co-adapted by Christiner and featuring a large cast, with many familiar faces.

Xenides

By Clare Watson and Collaborators. Black Swan. Directed by Clare Watson. Musical Direction by Xani Kolac. Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA. 25 Oct - 11 Nov, 2018

The World Premiere of Xenides is a homage to Wheel of Fortune Hostess Adriana Xenides, a former model who co-hosted Australia’s Wheel of Fortune for eighteen years. It looks at her immigrant childhood, her tumultuous love life and her health issues both physical and mental, as well as examining the way she has been remembered. This devised musical also looks at the lives of the four women selected to play Adriana and the various ways that they relate to this icon of Australian television.

Beethoven’s Heroic Symphony

Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Alondra de la Parra. Double Bass: Edicson Ruiz. Concert Hall, QPAC. 25 October 2018

At the beginning of this year QSO promised audiences a “newly invigorated and re-imagined” orchestra and that’s what we got - exciting and passionate programs with a wonderful mix of the old and the new. Under Alondra de la Parra’s leadership there’s no doubt the orchestra has gone from strength to strength, audiences are bigger and every concert is now recorded for broadcast on ABC FM.

Stage and Screen

Barrier Reef Orchestra. Townsville Civic Theatre, Townsville. Conductor: Richard Davis. 27 October 2018.

With all the indications of a Royal Albert Hall Prom Night, the Barrier Reef Orchestra under the baton of Richard Davis was a triumphant evening of delight on Saturday evening for the concert entitled Stage and Screen.

Heathers: The Musical

By Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy. GJ Productions. Directed by Jack Wilkinson with Musical Direction by Peter Verhagen. St Martins Theatre, 28 St Martins Lane, South Yarra. 26 October- 3 November, 2018.

GJ Productions expertly manages the combination of musical elements with black comedy to maintain the original spirit of the 1988 film. The casting evokes the characters with accuracy while allowing the performers to bring their own style to the parts. The milieu of a typical US high school is meticulously reproduced. The attention to detail in the costumes, staging and accents, combined with the incredible enthusiasm of the performers, produces a vivid and vibrant performance.  

We Will Rock You

By Queen and Ben Elton. Spotlight Theatre, Benowa, Gold Coast. Director: Clay English. 26th October to 17th November, 2018

I was aware of the music of Freddie Mercury and Queen but never took much notice until last night’s opening of Spotlight’s final musical for the year. It was a memorable event!

Pre performance, the Artistic Director announced that the leading man had had an accident and the role of Galileo would be played by Jackson Brash – with only 4 hours rehearsal. (Jackson had just returned from overseas.)

Henry V

By William Shakespeare. Henry V. Blak Yak. Directed by Paul Treasure. Shenton Park Community Centre.18 - 27 October, 2018

There can be no better day to see Henry V than St Crispin’s Day, the date of which is central to the action of Shakespeare’s play. Blak Yak celebrated the occasion with free crisps for their patrons, and there was a sense of celebration in watching the St Crispin’s Day speech on the 603rd anniversary of its inspiration.

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