Reviews

Matthew Ryan’s Brisbane (more recently published under the name Danny Fisher) remains a deeply evocative piece of Queensland theatre. It’s a wartime coming-of-age story that places private grief against the shifting identity of a city under pressure. Set in 1942, it follows young Danny Fisher as he navigates adolescence, loss, fear, and longing in a Brisbane transformed by war and the arrival of American troops.

Sarah Ruhl’s Stage Kiss is witty, satirical, warm and whimsical. Director Alice Livinstone describes it as “a love letter to theatre and romance” written by “one on America’s finest contemporary playwrights”. On the surface it’s a send up of theatre and marriage and the nostalgic memories of “first love”.

Tom Holloway describes his play as a ‘quartet on loss and violence…closer to a musical quartet than a “straight play”’.  And so it is.  His affinity for music gives substance to that description, and seeing the play performed, I would be hard pressed to imagine this story being told any other way. 

Using a minimalist set, clever lighting by Michael Arnott, and impeccable staging, this dramatic courtroom thriller has been brought to life in a gripping production directed by Paul Winchester and Blair Cutting. A Few Good Men tells the story of a Marine’s death at Guantanamo Bay and the subsequent trial, unfolding at a cracking pace while wrapping the audience in a blanket of nostalgia and memory. This version is a delight, proving that theatre can make old stories feel fresh and urgent.