Reviews

[title of show]

Music & Lyrics by Jeff Bowen. Book by Hunter Bell. Understudy Productions. Hayward Street Studios, Brisbane. 31 August – 10 September 2017.

The best thing about a musical that parodies musicals, is that it parodies musicals. And that’s what this off-Broadway musical, masquerading as a Broadway musical does brilliantly.

Dennis

Written and directed by Clint Bolster. Presented by Homunculus Theatre Company. Short and Sweet Festival Gala Final, The Powerhouse Theatre Brisbane Powerhouse. 2 – 3 September, 2017

Sometimes when reviewing one comes across a piece that suffers from prolix, but that definitely can’t be said of the heart-warming tale of Dennis. It was first performed as part of the Short + Sweet Festival – an event created to give a platform to new and emerging works – and recently re-emerged on the Powerhouse stage as part of the Gala Final in which acts were judged and considered for awards.

Miley, Moon Unit and Me

Written & performed by Tegan Jones; accompanist Hana Zreikar. A Boutique Theatre Production. Butterfly Club, Melbourne CBD. 31 August – 3 September 2017

With a quick reference to Father’s Day, Tegan Jones presents a show about the musical connections (and more) between dads and daughters – that’s why ‘Miley’ gets into the title: Miley Cyrus is the daughter of Billy Ray.  And Moon Unit is the daughter – yes, really - of Frank Zappa.  Tegan Jones’ Dad is not a musician, but he has given his daughter a love of music that goes way beyond recognising a tune, singing along or tapping your foot.  He’s the kind of enthusiast that buys recordings of every production of Les Miserables

Anne of Green Gables

By Lucy M. Montgomery, adapted by Michelle R. Davis. Studio2Stage Youth Productions. Directed by Jodie Innes. Phoenix Theatre, Memorial Hall, Hamilton Hill, WA. Aug 26 - Sep 2, 2017

Studio2Stage Youth Productions teamed with Phoenix Theatre to bring the classic story Anne of Green Gables to the stage.

In this adaptation the play in narrated by the character of its author, Lucy Maude Montgomery. Nicely played, with convincing Canadian accent by Beth Tandy, she was placed on an island stage at a writing desk. This was an effective device, and the momentary interaction between the author and her most iconic character was a show highlight.

The Way Out

By Josephine Collins. Directed by Penny Harpham. Red Stitch, The Actors’ Theatre, St Kilda East, VIC. 22 August – 24 September 2017

Helen (Brigid Gallacher) runs a decrepit pub in the middle of a nowhere that was once maybe a somewhere – before the civil war, before the country was divided and poisoned by chemical weapons so that nothing grows, before the totalitarian government with its draconian laws took over.  Somehow Helen maintains a sense of humour and some optimism, maybe because she thinks there’s a way out…  Meanwhile, she and her bitter, one-armed war veteran father, Stewart (Dion Mills), sell illegal and probably lethal hooch brewed up by Claire (Olga Makeeva), a fiercely indepen

Lady Windermere’s Fan

By Oscar Wilde. Gold Coast Little Theatre, Southport Qld. Director: Rob Horton. September 2nd to 23rd, 2017.

Gold Coast Little Theatre’s current production is Oscar Wilde’s “Comedy of Manners” Lady Windermere’s Fan. Director Rob Horton has decided on a ‘Period/Punk’ interpretation of this classic piece.

The experienced cast includes: Chloe Dear – Lady Windermere, Stuart Lumsden – Lord Windermere, James Anderson – Lord Darlington, Jacki Simmons – The Duchess of Berwick, Andrew Cockcroft-Pennman - Mr Cecil Graham and Susan Carey – Mrs Erlynne.

Sweeney Todd

Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim. Book: Hugh Wheeler from an adaptation by Christopher Bond. Toowoomba Chorale Society. Director: Mary Quade. Musical Director: Shane Tooley. Choreographer: Daniel Erbacher. Empire Theatre, Toowoomba. 1-3 September 2017

This was the first production I have ever seen of Sweeney Todd where there has been an absence of blood. Yes, there was the high-pitched orchestral whistle-scream at every grisly murder and an image splashed on a window but no actual fake red blood anywhere. Even at the finale when Tobias cuts Sweeney’s throat there was nothing oozing from the slash. It was one of the features of Mary Quade’s highly-stylised production of Stephen Sondheim’s take on the 1840s melodrama of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Momentum

WAAPA’s Second Year Acting production. Directed by Andy Paris. Enright Studio, WAAPA, ECU, Mt Lawley, WA. Aug 25-31, 2017

WAAPA’s Second Year Acting Students have been exploring Moment Work. This self-devised production is a result of this study.

Thanks to a grant from the Minderoo Foundation, students were given the opportunity to work with American Andy Paris to explore Moment Work, which is a technique used for theatrical development and analysis. Created by Moises Kaufman, the process has been developed by the Tectonic Theatre Project (of which Andy Paris is a member), and used, perhaps most famously, to develop The Laramie Project.

It Takes Two: Songs In The Key Of Giraffe

Red Giraffe Theatre. Dirty Martini’s Mackay. August 27th, 2017.

Red Giraffe Theatre have only been established in Mackay since 2015, but they are already renowned for delivering first class productions and that was exactly what the audience of their latest cabaret act, It Takes Two: Songs In The Key Of Giraffe got for their ticket money this weekend - class all the way.
Anybody can put on a show, serve up a beer along with it and call it Cabaret, but to a more discerning audience, a lot more elements need to be present for a production to be defined as being a true cabaret experience and producers of Red Giraffe Theatre, Joel Bow and T

Our Boys

By Jonathan Lewis. Adelaide Repertory Theatre Company. Arts Theatre Adelaide. 31st Aug-9th Sept 2017

They say ‘War is hell’, ‘It’s not a game’.

In this wonderfully clever production, Our Boys, Dave Simms has masterfully opened a window into the effect of the horror of war on five veterans.

This is probably one of the best productions I have seen from Adelaide Repertory Theatre Company for multiple reasons - the talent and presence of the actors, skilful directing and a moving insightful story.

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