Reviews

My Best Dead Friend

By Anya Tate-Manning and Isobel MacKinnon. Zanetti Productions. Riverside Theatres Parramatta. October 11 & 12, 2019.

The stage is bare. The backdrop looks like a chalkboard – because it is! Attached to it are five small slates. One is blank. On the bottom of each of the others the names Ali, Dougal, Tessa and Emma are printed in thick white chalk. They are the characters in the story that Anya Tate-Manning is about to tell.

Much Ado About Nothing

By William Shakespeare. Bell Shakespeare. Directed by James Evans. The Playhouse, Canberra, 11–25 October 2019, and touring.

Much Ado About Nothing is the classic (and probably the first ever) romantic comedy, setting up two characters — the prince’s competent but increasingly nervous friend Benedick and the very sharp Beatrice, best friend of her cousin Hero — who are philosophically opposed though in fact they are both completely likeable, share a good deal of caustic wit, and observe life similarly.  Benedick’s friends — Claudio; Hero’s father, Leonato; and the prince, Don Pedro — and Hero’s closes

Grand Finale

Hofesh Shechter. Melbourne International Arts Festival. Arts Centre Melbourne. October 10 – 3, 2019

Contemporary composer and chorographer Hofesh Shechter offers a brilliant history of world bloodshed with true experimental finesse in his new show Grand Finale. He is no stranger to Melbourne; debuting in 2009 (Uprising and In Your Rooms), this will be his fourth spectacular visit alongside his company, at this year’s International Arts Festival.

In this wonderful powerhouse of modern dance, Shechter unravels the chaotic assemblage of the world at war, including the current climate change crisis.

13: The Musical

Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Book by Dan Ellish and Robert Horn. Adelaide Theatre Academy. Goodwood Institute, Adelaide. 11 & 12 October, 2019.

Can there be any milestone in one’s life that is more bursting with uncertain potential - for either blissful highs or ghastly lows – than the onset of puberty?

The Producers

By Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan. Babirra Music Theatre (Vic). Director: Karl McNamara. Musical Director: Vicki Quinn. Choreographer: Steve Rostron. The Whitehorse Centre, Nunawading. October 11 – 19, 2019

Babirra’s production of The Producers was a hoot!

This high energy, riotous show exceeded Babirra’s lofty standards. It was camp, it was slapstick, and it was hilarious! The dancing of the ensemble was tight, the lighting subtle, and multiple set and costume changes smooth.

A Girl’s Guide To World War

Music & Musical Direction: Aleathea Monsour. Book, Lyrics & Direction: Katy Forde. Musical Theatre Australia Inc. Events Centre, Caloundra, Qld. 11-12 October 2019 and Maleny Arts Council, 9-10 November 2019.

First produced in 2018, this new musical is being revived for runs at Caloundra and Maleny. Telling the true story of Agnes Bennett, an Australian/New Zealand doctor who, with other women, ran a hospital which served the Serbian Army in Macedonia during World War 1, the musical was highly effective in dramatising the frontline situation with comedy and pathos. More a play with songs, the cast of eight, all women, played a multitude of roles from doctors, surgeons, nurses, and ambulance girls, to Aussie soldiers and Serbian military Colonels.

Love/Chamberlain

By Bridget Mackey. Directed by Cathy Hunt. Theatre Works, St Kilda. 10 – 20 October 2019

That’s rock star Courtney Love and our Lindy Chamberlain.  Bridget Mackey’s play posits a connection.  Once you can accept – or get past – that premise, what we could get is an intriguing depiction of enduring loss and uncertain identity.  Courtney, would-be actress as well as a musician, about to break through with the release of her first album with her band Hole in 1994, is devastated by the suicide of husband Kurt Cobain – and accused of murder – and has her child taken away because she’s an unfit mother.  L

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

By Terence McNally. STARC Productions. Bakehouse Theatre. Oct 9th - 19th, 2019

Since January 2018 Adelaide’s STARC productions has produced seven plays where the focus is clearly on the actor and the text. Over this time the pairing of two of its founders, Stefani Rossi and Marc Clement has seen this tight acting partnership blossom into a mutually enriching team that is somewhat reminiscent of the pairings of legendary actors Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

Disenchanted

By Dennis T. Giacino. Directed by Lorna Mackie. The Studio, Subiaco Arts Centre. October 10-19, 2019

Disenchanted is an enchanting and dynamic look at the Princess Complex, as a bunch of familiar princesses give us the down and dirty on the princess experience in a cool and quirky cabaret.

Control

By Keziah Warner. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre. St Kilda East. 1 October – 3 November 2019

A comedy sci-fi satire in three parts, Control is about variations of ‘control’: being controlled, attempting to regain control, and losing control.  In its way, it is reminiscent of Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones’ Black Mirror television series in which the characters adopt and use technology, only to face unintended consequences when they find that they are trapped and the outcomes are not at all what was expected.  One austere set, designed by Emily Collett serves for all three stories, with atmospheric light changes by Lisa Mibus.

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