Reviews

Almost Home

By Daniel Downing. Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras. FOUNDRY 616, Ultimo. Mar 2 -4, 2016

Even before the show starts, you know you’re in safe hands when two things happen; a well-priced beer appears on the table before you, and Bev Kennedy walks across the stage and sits at the piano.

Taxithi - An Australian Odyssey.

By Helen Yotis Patterson, directed by Petra Kalive, music director, Andrew Patterson. Produced and presented by fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. Season Extended. 2- 24 March, then April 5 - 10, 2016.

This is a gripping performance that will have your toes tapping and pull at your heartstrings all at the same time. Helen Yotis Patterson has written a truly exceptional piece of theatre and found true kindred spirits in her co-performers, Maria Mercedes and Artemis Ioannides.

If you really knew me

Talk Out Loud. Adelaide Fringe. Worldsend Theatre. March 3-5, 2016

In a world where we are more likely to have a conversation via social media or telephone, it is nice to be reminded how important it is to talk to each-other in person; to take the time to care about what people are saying and ultimately be heard. Talk Out Loud is an organisation that brings awareness to many social issues that are a product of our lifestyles. Topics such as depression, sexuality, self-esteem, cyber-bullying and suicide are given a voice through many programs including the arts.

Amelia Ryan – Lady Liberty

Adelaide Fringe. The Factory. March 2nd – 13th, 2016

Amelia Ryan is sassy, sexy and super fun. Tapping into society’s perception of beauty and perfection, and smashing the absurdity of it all, she quickly establishes herself as a strong, free-thinking woman of the 21st century. Paying homage to the women that have come before her, such as Gloria Steinem, Maya Angelou and Madonna, Ryan is passionate in her need to let her audience know that we are right where we should be and we are blessed.

Follow Spot

Devised by Chelsea Plumley. Chapel off Chapel. 26th, 27th 28th February, 2016

There’s very little new under the sun, but Chelsea Plumley may just have discovered a new entertainment hybrid – a cross between a TV chat show and a cabaret. In fact, the whole show was filmed, so don’t be surprised if it pops up on late night TV. It would be a very welcome addition to the local TV scene.

The format is simple, Chelsea turns the follow spot onto three different artists every night and catches them off guard.

The Sentient Arrow

By Jennie D’Ambra. Directed by Matthew Briggs. Briggs & Heaysman Theatre Co. The Bakehouse Theatre, Adelaide. Adelaide Fringe. February 22 - March 5, 2016

The Sentient Arrow consists of three short dramatic monologues, each focused on a character haunted by regret and insecure about the present state of their lives. The first monologue is delivered by an aviatrix (Melissa Martins) embarking upon a record breaking flight, who, over the course of her journey, feels compelled to re-examine her childhood and question what motivates her to take extreme risks.

There Was a Boy

Written and performed by Adam Noviello. Directed by Leanne Marsland Chapel off Chapel. Feb 26th, 2016.

“There was a Boy, a very strange enchanted Boy…” Eden Ahbez wrote the song, though Nat King Cole made it famous and Adam Noviello has picked it for the title of his new cabaret show.

Banquet of Secrets

By Steve Vizard and Paul Grabowski. Victorian Opera. Director: Roger Hodgman. Musical Director/Composer: Paul Grabowsky. Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse. March 1 – 5, 2016.

New musicals are always a bit of a gamble. With Banquet of Secrets Victorian Opera is on a winner!

The premise of the show is quite simple. Four friends have been meeting annually for a meal for the past twenty years since leaving school, and one wants each to tell a secret the others don’t know.

Each of these secrets is quite dramatic in its way, so the action constantly moves between lively banter and high drama throughout the evening.

The Orchid and the Crow

By Daniel Tobias. Holden St Theatres. Adelaide Fringe. 29th Feb – 13th March, 2016

What do you do when you go through the harrowing realisation that you have testicular cancer? You survive and then tell the whole world about it in the form of a cabaret/musical theatre performance. Daniel Tobias was only 29 when he had to come to terms with his own mortality. As he came to the end of his chemotherapy, a nurse handed him a book about Lance Armstrong’s journey through the same illness. He was able to find strength through his reading and came out the other side a survivor.

The James Plays

Written by Rona Munro. Adelaide Festival of Arts. Directed by Laurie Sansom. Festival Centre, Adelaide. February 26-March 1, 2016

Three generations of Scotland’s Stewart Monarchy are covered in this ambitious trilogy of historical plays – each of which combine cutthroat political intrigue, heated romantic tension and irreverent comic flourishes with thrilling visual spectacle and stirring musical accompaniment. Each instalment can stand alone as a powerful, provocative work, but taken as a whole, The James Plays are an epic for the ages and amongst the finest theatrical achievements of the 21st century thus far.

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