Reviews

Brilliant Traces

By Cindy Lou Johnson. Joh Hartog Productions. Bakehouse Theatre. September 25th – October 5th, 2019

Written by Cindy Lou Johnson, Brilliant Traces is a two hander, performed very ably by Krystal Brock as Rosannah DeLuce and Brendan Cooney as Henrey Harry.

The Kick Inside

By Kerensa Diball. Melbourne Fringe. Fringe Hub: Trades Hall, Carlton. September 21 – 29, 2019

The Kick Inside by Kerensa Diball is a feisty piece of feminist performance art addressing issues related to motherhood. Whether speaking to the past or the   present female generations, she is adamant about breaking down the barrier for the “barren spinsters”, ”frigid witches” and the eccentric “Aunt Frenzies” who did not experience the three trimesters and get to feel that “kick inside”.

MZAZA

Courier-Mail Spiegeltent. Brisbane Festival. 22 September, 2019

This year the Brisbane Festival has showcased a brilliant range of musical acts – none so eclectic as Mzaza, whose individual band members have cultural heritage that mirrors Australia’s waves of settlers from Greece, Latvia, Bosnia and France. This band of free-spirited World musicians have a playlist that mixes their original jazzy and internationally inspired compositions with covers from writers as discombobulating as Serge Gainsbourg. The result is a blend as refreshing as a Bobo Parisian spiked with a cool shot of Ouzo.

Street

By Liviu Monsted. Mon Sans Productions. Sydney Fringe. Chippen Street Theatre, Chippendale. September 25 – 28, 2019

In Street, writer and director Liviu Monsted presents to the audience a grim picture of the plight of young people living on the street. It is not so much a story of why or how they ended up homeless, nor does it present a neat solution to their situation, rather it raises our consciousness and asks us to look more closely at those living on the streets.

Jofus and the Plank

Created & performed by Lily Fish, in collaboration with Kimberly Twiner. Melbourne Fringe Festival. Fish & Twiner’s Bait Shop. The Burrow, Fitzroy. 24 – 29 September 2019

Lily Fish is a phenomenon.  She is astonishing.  She is a comedienne, a mime, an acrobat and a chameleon.  In this show, the stage is totally bare, and the house lights don’t even dim.  There’s just Lily Fish and a plank.  Her character – and storyteller - Jofus – is dressed more or less as a clown and the ‘plank’ is a roughly 60 cm piece of wood.  Those are her resources.  There is some minimal narration – in a strange ‘clown’ voice and with lightning quick audience interactions – but the story,

Aurora

Circus Oz. Circus Oz Big Top, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne Gardens, Southern Cross Lawn. 18 September – 6 October 2019

Climate change and toxic waste are hot topics with a massive world-wide protest movement on the rise to save the earth. Circus Oz, on the awareness campaign, have created Aurora, set in the cold regions where ice melts and oil spillage are destroying natural wild life habitats.

Guys and Dolls

Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows. Holroyd Musical and Dramatic Society. The Red Gum Theatre, Wentworthville. September 20 – 29, 2019

HMDS’ production of the ever-popular musical Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser, Jo Swirling and Abe Burrows, based on the stories of Damon Runyon, was very entertaining. Particularly well cast, the production team brought their shared vision of the piece together well.

Nunsense

By Dan Goggin. Gilbert and Sullivan Society Tasmania. Directed by Ingrid Ganley. Musical Direction by Ian Williams. Choreography by Cassie Xintavelonis. The Playhouse, Hobart. 20 Sept – 5 Oct 2019

Nunsense is musical comedy in its earliest incarnation; a revue combining disparate elements and which presumes significant audience involvement. The plot is flimsy: five nuns, survivors of a food poisoning incident, mount a show to raise funds for the remaining members of their religious community, still held in the convent freezer. The show is held together by the characters. Each nun has had hidden talent – singing, ventriloquism, dancing, comedy – but also a back story which makes the show more engaging than it might otherwise have been.

Just Us Girls (whATS a giRL?)

Written by Ellen Grimshaw. Performed by Ellen Grimshaw & Alice Stewart. Melbourne Fringe Festival. Trades Hall, Music Room. 21 – 29 September 2019

What to say?  Just Us Girls (or as the website has it, juSt uS GirLS) is sort of absurdist stream-of-consciousness mix of #MeToo meets Dada by way of cultural theory, poetry and vaudeville.  That formulation comes from The Companion.  After the show she said, ‘I don’t envy you reviewing that one…’

Kate Miller-Heidke - Zero Gravity Tour

Sydney Opera House. September 22, 2019

Performing at the Sydney Opera House won’t be the biggest concert of the year for Kate Miller-Heidke. That was - as you probably know - at the Eurovision Song Contest (which, according to organisers, was watched by 182 million people). Her new national tour takes the name of the song she sang for Australia, “Zero Gravity”. But that high-note of pop is just one of the many strings in Miller-Heidke’s metaphoric bow. This is one of the country’s most talented singers and composers at her best.

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