Reviews

Electrifying, Jaw-dropping, Must-see. With chart-topping music, stellar vocals, and a captivating visual smorgasbord, this musical is pure, unmissable theatre magic. Stage Artz Theatre Company know the recipe for a great production – bring together a cracker production team who are experts in musical theatre, an incredibly talented cast and technical geniuses and let them be. This production of &Juliet is proof that this recipe works.

It was March 2nd, 2019 at the Arkaba Hotel when I first saw a very entertaining group of young men who created a Franki Valli sound with style, energy and great harmonies. I had accidentally sat at a table of proud parents: theirs, and it was then that I learned the story of four local boys whose music teacher encouraged and nurtured their talent and potential, ultimately becoming The 60 Four.

It’s Time, written and directed by Chamkaur Gill and presented through a collaboration between Panda Entertainment Networks and Robina Literary Club, is an intimate and confronting exploration of post-war trauma. Based on real conversations with Vietnam veterans, the play centres on a man attending his first psychiatric session. Throughout the production, the man attempts to unpack years of buried guilt, memory, and pain.

As Joel Grey says “Life is a Cabaret”, and in Wonderfully Terrible Things it certainly is, but with more than a sprinkle of titillation for good measure!

The production is led by Christine Ibrahim, dressed in a frothy concoction of tulle and sparkle with a touch of S&M thrown in. Ibrahim is a master (or should I say Mistress) of comic monologue and ad lib. She dominates the production and rightfully so. She controls the audience, mingling with them, and revving them up to a frenzy when necessary.