By Neil Simon. Roleystone Theatre. Directed by Simon James. City of Gosnells, Don Russell Performing Arts Centre, Thornlie, WA. Apr 28 – May 6, 2023
Still waiting for their new theatre to be completed, Roleystone Theatre are presenting their latest production, the female version of The Odd Couple, at Don Russell Performing Arts Centre. Originally created in the 1980s, this incarnation has been updated to the present day, and reset in Perth.
By Cheryl Ward. Darlington Theatre Players. Directed by Michelle Ezzy. Marloo Theatre, Greenmount WA. April 28-May 13, 2023
Darlington Theatre Players’ Through These Lines is a striking, female centred story set in World War One. Fittingly opening in the week of ANZAC Day, it is centred around the experiences of Australian nurse Sister Florence Whiting, through her experiences on her journey and service in Egypt, on the hospital ship Kyarra, in Lemnos and in France.
By Suzanne Hawley. Presented by Di Smith in association with Arts on Tour. Directed by Kim Hardwick. The Q: Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. 28-29 April, 2023, and touring
What happens when a woman, a brilliant artist who has always lived life on her own terms, becomes aware that she has a disease which will rob her of one thing she prizes above anything else: her own independence? There is a logical but unpalatable conclusion, but will her friends and family allow it?
Text by Jane Austen. Presented by A Seldom Theatre Production. Directed by Emma O’Brien. La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street, Carlton. 27 April - 7 May 2023.
This is a sumptuous production that is impressive in its devotion and dedication to the Jane Austen oeuvre. The play cleverly adapts letters written by Austen combined with extracts from Pride and Prejudice and songs from her personal music collection. The three performers each bring different aspects of Jane’s persona to life along with the vivid characters that inhabited her powerful imagination: Elizabeth, Darcy, Mr Collins, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr and Mrs Bennet are all conjured with meticulous attention to detail.
By Akau Jambo. The Rubber Chicken, South Melbourne. Melbourne Comedy Festival. April 11 – 22, 2023
It is a full house at The Rubber Chicken, ethno-comedy is rife at the venue, and everyone is here for a laugh. Akau Jambo is an award-winning comedian and is a running hit in Melbourne, with sold out shows. He is also the founder of the Juba International Comedy Festival, the first comedy festival in South Sudan.
By Silvia Khoury. Directed by Brett Cousins. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre. 22 April – 21 May 2023
Kabul 2013. The United States has begun its withdrawal and the Taliban is filling in the gaps. Taroon (Khisraw Jones-Shukoor), a hot-headed young fellow, was a translator for the US military, working with an American called Jeff. Taroon signed up for that to impress girlfriend Bibi. It worked: now she’s his wife and in hospital having their first baby. But Taroon is an assassination target for the insurgent Taliban – which puts his family in danger too. He’s been hiding out in his sister Afiya’s (Nicole Nabout) small apartmen
Book, Lyrics and Direction by Julia Robertson. Music and Orchestrations by Zara Stanton. Little Eggs Collective and Hayes Theatre. April 21 - May 20, 2023.
The Little Egg Collective has pulled off a little gem of a production.
This is no mean feat, because turning an iconic science fiction silent movie from 1927 into a musical on the little Hayes Theatre stage, is degree of difficulty nine point nine. Especially when you consider that the action takes place in a large cave factory underneath a huge metropolis.
By MERAK. KXT On Broadway, in Association with bAKEHOUSE THEATRE, Sydney. Directed by Steven Ljubovic. 25 – 29 April 2023
MERAK, states the downloadable program, is ‘a Serbian word that refers to the feeling of bliss and sense of oneness with the universe that comes from life’s simplest of pleasures’. So the author/compiler of this marvellous 60-minute show is officially unknown? My money’s on the stated Founder/Director, Steven Ljubovic, but who knows?
Na Djinang Circus. Darebin Arts Speakeasy. Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre. 189 Hight St, Northcote. April 20 – 30, 2021
Branches of gum leaves fill the space, four performers in a ‘meeting place’ move within, swooping and swishing the leaves across the floor to the edges of the stage. While the audience is being seated, performer Dylan Singh steps out of the space gives random people a leaf requesting them to crush it and smell the lemon scent of the eucalyptus (a symbol of nature and of healing in an ancient culture).
Written by Jamie Hornsby. Commissioned and produced by Jopuka Productions. Directed by Joshua Maxwell. The Launch Pad, Tuggerah. April 20 – 30, 2023
Recently, I had the privilege of watching the opening performance of Jopuka’s production of The Boys on the Bus by award-winning playwright Jamie Hornsby, performed at the Launch Pad. Having never seen any of Hornsby’s previous works, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, I was completely captivated by the coming-of-age drama that unfolded before me.
