Reviews

Two of Them

Adelaide Fringe: MOD at UniSA. Presented by Shifting Lives Theatre. 20 February – 9 March 2024

As the audience waits in the foyer, two bald-headed men in suits are coming down the stairs, measuring with a tape as they go. Whether it’s the gap between pillars or the distance between two patrons, one always calls out the same number. The futility of measuring without meaning.

Seven Little Wonders

Presented by The PaperBoats. Adelaide Fringe. Goodwood Theatre and Studios. Thursday 22 Feb - Saturday 24 Feb 2024

Presenting Seven Little Wonders after its regional Mt Gambier debut, March 2022, Dave Brown is quite the theatrical legend.  Inducted into the Adelaide Festival Centre’s ‘Walk of Fame’ in 2020, Brown was former Artistic Director of Patch Theatre for twenty years and is much awarded here and overseas for an outstanding legacy within children’s and family-friendly theatre making.  This production also secured Dave and the PaperBoats the prestigious Arts SA Ruby Award for Outstanding Work for Young People 2022

Neil Frost: The Door

Adelaide Fringe: The Chapel at the Courtyard of Curiosities, Migration Museum. 22 February – 7 March 2024

There’s a white door on stage – no frame, no wall: just the door. That and a dress-up box behind it are all that Neil Frost needs to paint a picture of his early life with his grandparents, growing up in eighties England.

The door is the backdrop for photos from his childhood – and for each image we see projected onto it, Frost recreates the costume on stage for us to enjoy.

Queensland Ballet at Home

Queensland Ballet. Talbot Theatre, Thomas Dixon Centre. Feb 21 – Mar 13, 2024

Queensland Ballet at Home presents a dazzling showcase of ballet masterpieces carefully curated from local and international productions. Four pieces separated into two acts are featured in this year’s touring program: Ben Stevenson OBE's "Three Preludes", a poignant love story brought to life through Sergei Rachmaninoff's music. Matthew Lawrence's "Tchaikovsky Mash" delights with its enchanting blend of tutus and music from classical ballets like "Swan Lake" and "The Sleeping Beauty".

Rumours

By Neil Simon. Cairns Little Theatre. Directed by Narelle Shorey. February 23 to March 2, 2024

Set in Sydney in the 1980s, the deputy mayor of Sydney, Charley Brooks and his wife Vivienne are hosting a 10th anniversary party. Unfortunately, Charley, now bed bound, has gone and shot himself in the ear and Vivienne has disappeared. As the well-healed professional guests arrive, they each try to distance themselves from events, spinning unlikely tales as to what really happened to their hosts.

Are we not drawn onward to new erA

By Ontroerend Goed. Directed by Alexander Devriendt. Perth Festival. Heath Ledger Theatre, 21 – 25, February 2024.

It seems Belgian performance troupe, Ontroerend Goed, likes a clever joke and a play on words.

The mystery is, those sparse words in Are we not drawn onward to new erA might be in a Moomin-like language, clownish gibberish or Flemish and we don’t have the knowledge at the start of the 70-minute show, to be in on the joke.

Willing Participant

Rob Carlton. Adelaide Fringe Festival 2024. Holden Street Theatres – The Arch. February 16th – March 1st, 2024

Australian actor and writer Rob Carlton has brought his one-man show to his first ever Adelaide Fringe. Both humble and inviting, he welcomes the audience in for an old-fashioned night of storytelling. Directed by Darren Gilshenan, this no-frills production feels like catching up with an old friend.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland©

Choreography Christopher Wheeldon. Music: Joby Talbot. The Australian Ballet. Capitol Theatre, Sydney, 20 February to 5 March, 2024, then Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre from 15 to 26 March

Christopher Wheeldon’s stupendous homage to the surreal imagination of Lewis Carroll is revived even bigger on the wide stage at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.  Premiered in London, Alice was first staged by the Australian Ballet five years ago; now it’s their largest ever production.

Idomeneo

Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Libretto by Abbe Giambattista Vaersco. Opera Australia and Victorian Opera. Directed by Lindy Hume. Conducted by Johannes Fritzsch. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. February 20 - March 15, 2024.

Idomeneo was the first grand opera composed by Mozart at the age of 24 and is also believed the be one of the last written for a principal singer who was castrated.

The supply of male singers (who had made the prescribed sacrifice as children) was drying up and so the high-pitched leading role of Idamante was adapted by Mozart for a tenor, and these days is played by a mezzo-soprano.

This part is only one of the challenges of the opera, which has a sweeping story involving Greek Gods, a huge storm, a sea monster and the booming presence of King Neptune.

Rent

Book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. Produced by Lauren Peters & Toby Francis, directed by Shaun Rennie, musical direction by Andrew Worboys and choreography by Luca Dinardo. State Theatre, Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Rd, Southbank, Melbourne. 17 February - 7 March 2024

The cultural resonance of this musical is powerful because of its deep historical heritage and its ability to accurately capture the bohemian nature of 1980s New York. Despite being set in such a specific time and place this production effectively highlights the enormous contemporary relevance of this timeless story.

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