Reviews

They Came From Uranus

Murray Raine Puppets Australia. Adelaide Fringe. Empire Cabaret Theatre at Wonderland Festival Hub - Hindmarsh Square. Adelaide. March 10 – 19, 2023

When I was a child, my father made me a puppet stage. I had a collection of hand puppets and marionettes and would put on shows for friends, and have maintained a keen interest ever since.

There has not been a plethora of puppet theatre productions since the iconic Tintookies made the genre famous in the 1960s. So naturally, I was keen to see this solo puppeteer and his creations, especially when they are in drag!

They Came From Uranus is puppet show meets glam drag, starring Murray Raine as the solo performer and puppeteer.

Messa Da Requiem

Adelaide Festival with Ballett Zürich / Adelaide Symphony Orchestra / Adelaide Festival Chorus. Festival Theatre, Adelaide. 8 — 11 March 2023

Alone, Verdi’s famous oratorio is a vibrant, stirring musical work.  Paired with sublime choreography, the exceptional dancers from Ballett Zürich, and an enormous precisely choreographed chorus, it is a master work. 

Hear My Eyes: Pan’s Labyrinth X Sleep D

Adelaide Festival. Hindley St Music Hall Adelaide. March 8, 2023

As I climbed the seemingly endless stairs of the Hindley Street Music Hall, I could feel the anticipation of a full house. Hear My Eyes:Pan’s Labyrinth X Sleep D is a one night event featuring the Guillermo del Toro’s horror masterpiece augmented with a new score by Sleep D.

Best of International Comedy

Adelaide Fringe. Laugh Lounge, Level 2, 93 Rundle Mall. 8 – 19 Mar, 2023

Stand-up comedy is a show or performance in which a comedian performs original jokes on stage in front of a live audience to make them laugh. The jokes are scripted and have setups and punchlines. These comedy monologues are frequently self-deprecating and are based on the life of the comedian giving the audience tacit permission to laugh at and with them. The average stand-up comedy show gets four to six laughs a minute from the audience.

Richard III

By William Shakespeare. Graduate Dramatic Society. Directed by Melissa Merchant. New Fortune Theatre, University of Western Australia. March 8-18, 2023

The Graduate Dramatic Society presents Western Australia’s first performance of Shakespeare’s Richard III in many years. This tragedy is well presented and performed in the atmospheric venue of the New Fortune Theatre, an outdoor venue with similar dimensions to Shakespeare’s own theatre.

Everything’s Coming Up Roses

Tania Lacy for Adelaide Fringe Festival, Hell’s Kitchen at Rhino Room, Adelaide. 9 March — 12 March 2023

One more female comic is here and smashing the patriarchy at Adelaide Fringe 2023.  This time it is Tania Lacy who has been famous, as well as just a little infamous, since the 90s after stints on Countdown Revolution and The Factory.  Greeting the audience by saying that everything is “pretty good” for her at the moment Lacy reminds us that happy endings don’t usually make for great comedy - or do they?  Fortunately in this case, they do.

Gundog

By Simon Longman. Secret House in association with KXT bAKEHOUSE. Directed by Anthony Skuse. 3 - 18 March 2023

As with most productions at this venue, way upstairs at the Kings Cross Hotel, the setting is at absolute minimum: what you tend to watch is the half of the audience watching from the other side. This time, in between there’s a small bale of hay, a fork and bucket, and what looks like a dead sheep. It’s enough. The brilliant five-strong cast carry you through two hours of exceptional drama.

Yummy Iconic

YUMMY Productions. Adelaide Fringe. The Peacock at Gluttony, Adelaide. March 7 – 19, 2023

“It's not what you do. It's the way you do it - stripping, or writing, or talking . . . or just breathing. Do it with an air, and never admit you're scared.” - Gypsy Rose Lee

YUMMY Productions combine the best of Burlesque and Drag in their latest production YUMMY Iconic. This is the first time I have seen this troupe. From the audience reaction during the intro, they obviously have a fan following which I will now be joining!

The Teaches of Peaches

20th Anniversary International Tour, until July 20th, 2023

I want to preface this review by stating that I knew nothing about the musician Peaches when I attended her concert last night at Northcote Theatre in Melbourne, on the eve of International Women’s Day. I requested review tickets based on a friend’s recommendation – you have to see Peaches, she’s right down your alley.

Hans & Gret

By Lally Katz. Adelaide Festival. Windmill Theatre Company and Sandpit. Queens Theatre. 3-12 March 2023

It was almost two hundred years ago when The Brothers Grimm published their version of two children abandoned in a forest, but the tale of the siblings who are seduced into a witch’s house had already been around five hundred years before that. Now Lally Katz has built on a concept from Rosemary Myers to retell the story in the near future, with an emphasis on the choices that children make, as much as those of their parents. It challenges us to consider what we’re prepared to sacrifice to get what we want.

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