Reviews

Sticks Stones Broken Bones

Monkey Baa Theatre Company / Bunk Puppets. Lendlease Darling Quarter Theatre, Sydney. Jan 20 – 22, 2016.

Recommended for awards from the Edinburgh Fringe, the Perth Fringe and the Adelaide Fringe, this clever production from Bunk Puppets is entertaining and intriguing. Puppeteer Tim Sneddon is a versatile performer who initially captures the interest of the audience with a range of strange vocal sound effects, then totally captivates them with a delightful ‘cast’ of shadow puppets that he creates on stage from various pieces of clothing and household detritus.

No One Likes Me

Written & performed by Darren Vizer. Devize Co. La Mama, Carlton (VIC), as part of the 2016 Midsumma Festival. 16 -31 January 2016.

With the final sequence of Darren Vizer’s autobiographical one-man show about growing up gay, the material suddenly becomes powerful, complex and disturbing.

Prior to this sequence, the show is truthful, sometimes painful, sometimes poignant, but also rather familiar and lacking in detail.  Mr Vizer, a trained dancer and choreographer, interpolates brief dance sequences, but if the intention is to illuminate the text, the import of these seems vague. 

The Rabbits

Composer Kate Miller-Heidke, librettist Lally Katz, adaptation (from the book by John Marsden and Shaun Tan) John Sheedy. Opera Australia. Roslyn Packer Theatre, Sydney. January 14 – 24, 2016.

This new music hall opera targeting the kids has already been acclaimed at the Perth and Melbourne festivals and awarded four Helpmanns. 

Based on John Marsden’s book, illustrated by Shaun Tan, The Rabbits is about their colonising arrival and the pain and displacement they cause the native marsupials.  It’s a witty, sometimes heavy-handed, often moving primer on Aboriginal experience and environmental destruction, adapted by director John Sheedy to a libretto by Larry Katz. 

The Little Mermaid

By Doug Wright, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater. Gosford Musical Society Juniors. Director, Jessica King; Choreographer, Nicole Seggie; Musical Director, Ben Ross; Set Design, Daryl Kirkness;. Costumes, Benita Kearney. Laycock Street Theatre. January 9 – 16, 2016

I'm not going to lie. The storyline depicted in Disney's The Little Mermaid (modified from the original Hans Christian Anderson fairytale) has always made me itch. Mermaid falls in love, literally at first sight with a human of the male persuasion, purely and utterly because he's hot. He in turn falls in love with her voice, hearing it for the first time as he regains consciousness from almost drowning. She then forfeits that voice for the chance of becoming human long enough to win his heart.

Legally Blonde Jnr

Book: Heather Hach. Music & Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin. Ballina Players. Players Theatre, Ballina. Directors: Mike and Jaime Sheen. Jan 15th – Jan 24th, 2016

O.M.G.! Ballina Players Youth Theatre production of Legally Blonde Jnr is a like a breath of fresh air. The Players invest a lot of time in their Youth Theatre with annual performances in the January School Holidays which are staged by the young group with guidance from some adult members.

Legally Blonde Jnris a prime example of how this combination is a success. The production team of directors: Mike and Jaime, musical director Jordan Stotter and Jaime’s choreography presented a tight, very entertaining show.

The Fantasticks

Music by Harvey Schmidt, book and lyrics by Tom Jones. Wooden Horse Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co. January 11 – 31, 2016.

Somewhat reimagined and stripped even further back than its very basic original by director Helen Dallimore, with new, darker atmospheric arrangements for keyboard and guitar from musical directors Hayden Barltrop and Glenn Moorhouse, against a simple setting of translucent drapes and astro-turf by Hugh O’Connor, the world’s longest running musical remains true to its minimalist roots in its current makeover at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre, a good match for the show’s original intimate New York home.

Masterclass 2: Flames of the Forge

By Gareth Davies & Charlie Garber. Red Line Productions. Old Fitzroy Theatre. January 12 – 30, 2016.

Red Line Productions brings Gareth Davies and Charlie Garber back to the Old Fitz as the lone survivors in a world that has not been saved. In a chaos of theatrical styles – including a guest appearance by David Stratton (filmed, of course!) – they look into their past, try to rationalise their very strange present and, eventually, take a bold and irreverent step into the future.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Book, Music & Lyrics: David Wood, adapted from the book by Judith Kerr. Direction: David Wood. Assistant Director/Choreographer: Emma Clayton. Music Supervisor: Peter Pontzen. Andrew Kay in association with Nick Brooke Ltd and Kenny Wax Family Entertainment Ltd. Playhouse, QPAC. 14-17 January 2016 – Touring Nationally.

Direct from London’s West End, this absolutely delightful musical adaptation of Judith Kerr’s children’s classic is just as magical on-stage as it is on the written page. The story of a tiger who comes to tea and eats all the food and drinks all the drinks including the water from the tap has been given a whimsical make-over by director/writer David Wood in a production that uses the traditional pantomime devices of audience participation, sing-a-long, and the classic “he’s behind you” gag.

West Side Story

Book: Arthur Laurents, Music: Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics Stephen Sondheim. Gold Coast Little Theatre, Southport. Director/Choreographer: Kim Reynolds. Jan 16th – Feb 13th, 2016

Kim Reynolds production of West Side Story is an excellent start to GCLT’s 2016 season.

Several performances have already sold out prior to Opening Night!

As the “star-crossed” lovers of this modern telling of Romeo and Juliet, Jack Harbour as Tony (he recently starred as Romeo at the same venue) and Susanna Treacy as Maria give sensitive portrayals and are strongly supported by Todd  Jesson - Bernardo,  Cat Deller   - Anita and Jackson Brash as Riff.

Bring It On The Musical

Book: Jeff Whitty, Music: Tom Kitt & Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lyrics: Amanda Green & Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Arts Centre, Gold Coast. January 7 – 16, 2016

The setting for Bring It On is the highly competitive sport of Cheer Leading and the lengths that some people go to win at all costs.

From curtain-up, the energy on stage was electrifying and contagious.

The production team of Director Rod Herbert, Musical Director Anne-Maree McDonald and Choreographer Tracey Rasmussen has delivered a fast paced, highly entertaining production with the daughter / mother combination of Gezelle Barham and Coralie Bradshaw creating the thrilling Cheer Leading sequences.

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