Reviews

Breathtaking in its Olympian equestrian skills, Cavalia, a celebration of the relationship between man and horse, galloped into Brisbane last night on the first leg of its Australian tour. With a cast of 42 horses and 36 riders, aerialists, actrobats, dancers and musicians, they brought a new dimension to the art of horsemanship, with a show that also embodied trapeze, rope-twirling, trampoline and bungee jumping. The displays of bare-back riding throughout were thrilling.

Ultimately a meditation on the fragility of life, Thursday is a riveting piece of theatre, ingeniously designed by Dan Potra and intricately lit by Colin Grenfell. It is inspired by the story of Adelaide woman, Gill Hicks, who lost her legs in the London bombings of 7th July 2005.

The play’s opening sequence offers audiences a simultaneous fly on the wall view of the beginning of the day of each of the characters – three couples and three singles.

National Theatre Of Great Britain’s One Man, Two Guvnors is now touring Australia following its ongoing success in London’s West End, a UK tour and an award-winning Broadway run.

Its first stop was for Adelaide Festival and while the immitigable English farce seems at odds with much of the other fare that artistic director David Sefton has programmed for 2013, it must be said that One Man, Two Guvnors is very, very funny.

More than a premiere, this is a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical event!

The story obviously burned in Carol Burns’s mind for a long time until she created her own true-to-the book interpretation of the Lindsay novel. Shane Rodwell’s brooding set exudes either mystery or reality according to Alan Lawrence’s ingenious soundscape and Geoff Squire’s illuminations.

Angela Tonuri’s costumes establish the early 1900s and the actors convince us how cumbersome they were, even for girls in a relaxed picnic situation.