Reviews

The Gov Sunday Sessions

Adelaide Fringe. Presented by Comedy Inc. Front Bar at The Guv. March 12th 2023

Veterans of 22 Fringe seasons, Comedy Inc brought 90 minutes of polished professional stand-up comedy to arguably Adelaide’s most beloved live performance pub venue with its latest Gov Sunday Session. The performance space is cosy, with different sorts of seating for about 80 people, who also had access to the pub’s beautiful old bar facilities. Staff were warm and welcoming and the raised stage, and professional sound and lighting rig meant that the audience could easily see, hear and enjoy the event.

Anything Goes

Music & Lyrics: Cole Porter. Book: Timothy Crouse and John Weidman based on the original by P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay & Russell Crouse. Phoenix Ensemble, Beenleigh, Qld. Mar 3 – 25, 2023.

Anything Goes achieves a rare kind of alchemy by succeeding at everything it turns its hand to.

It’s a sterling effort in song, dance, staging, acting and storytelling, and it keeps the pace throughout. Tonally, it tightropes between farce and sentimentality deftly. The romance doesn’t veer toward schmaltzy, the comedy never towards cringe.

A Double Bill

By William Zappa and Zavier Wileman. Wanneroo Repertory. Directed by Tim Riessen and Zavier Wileman. Limelight Theatre, Wanneroo, WA. Mar 9-18, 2023

You would be hard pressed to find two more different one act plays than those in Wanneroo Repertory’s A Double Bill, currently playing at the Limelight Theatre. The Greening of Grace is a family drama, set in contemporary Australia which deals with huge issues. 150 Years of Roman History in 30 Minutes is the World Premiere of a locally written comedy, and set in Ancient Rome.

No Exit

By Jean-Paul Sarte and Paul Bowles. Kalamunda Dramatic Society. Directed by Virginia Moore Price. KADS Town Square Theatre, Kalamunda WA. Mar 10-25, 2023

Kalamunda Dramatic Society’s No Exit is an expertly directed and superbly performed production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialist drama, and one of the best productions to come out of KADS in the last decade.

Wolf Play

By Hansol Jung. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre. 4 March – 2 April 2023

Wolf Play is about a Wolf at the centre of a family drama – a catalyst who brings to the surface all the flaws and troubles of flawed and troubled people.  He is a wolf, played by Yuchen Wang; a lone wolf - who speaks, who howls, who tells of wolf lore and of wolf needs – and he is also a six-year-old boy, sold on the internet to a new family, represented by a puppet.  If all that sounds confusing, it is not confusing on stage in this intricate and gripping play about the need for connection.

Ari Arari

Jeongseon Arirang Culture Foundation | Korean Season presented by AtoBiz Ltd. Adelaide Fringe The Arts Theatre, Adelaide. March 10 – 18, 2023

A while back I spent three weeks in South Korea helping Korean teachers. Watching Ari Arari made me want to book a Korean holiday back there as soon as possible!

Artistic Director Angella Kwon says, “We’ve performed Korean Season shows at WOMAD in the past, and we’ve wanted to be part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival for years … This is very exciting for us, and we hope everyone loves what we present”.

The 60 Four

Presented by The 60 Four. Adelaide Fringe. Norwood Concert Hall (and other rural venues). March 10-18th 2023

Before a die-hard audience of 700 loyal fans, this group heralded as “Australia’s best tribute act”,

Grey Rock

Australian Exclusive. Remote Theater Project. Adelaide Festival. Space Theatre: Adelaide Festival Centre. 9 - 12 March, 2023

In 2018 Palestinian playwright and director Amir Nizar Zuabi brought his play Azza, which explored the mourning ritual of the same name, and delighted and challenged the understanding of Adelaide Festival audiences. Once again Zuabi, with Grey Rock, proves himself to be an extraordinary theatre craftsman and a passionate and evocative story teller.

My Sister Feather. The Grief Trilogy: Part Two

By Liv Satchell with Emily Tomlins and Belinda McClory. La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street, Carlton. 8 -12 March 2023.

This second instalment in the trilogy explores grief from an entirely different perspective and highlights a very universal and recognisable relationship. Tilly (Belinda McClory) and Egg (Emily Tomlins) are sisters with a very troubled history. Their encounter carries both the weight and the lightness of their history. Their conversations are mostly set in the present during this one meeting, but the text uses flashbacks to their childhood to help give shape and scope to the complexity of their difficult rapport. 

Jurrungu Ngan-ga (Straight Talk)

Marrugeku. Adelaide Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. March 10-12, 2023

Marrugeku is a company with conscience; born from remote lands, highlighting cultural differences and our response to local and global situations, their art form is fueled by true collaboration and history. Marrugeku is led by co-artistic directors choreographer/dancer Dalisa Pigram and director Rachael Swain. They are responsible for workshopping ideas and bringing performers and audiences together to tell stories and promote change.

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