Reviews

Nunsense

By Dan Goggin. Camden Musical Society. The Old St Thomas Chapel, Narellan. Nov 8 – 12, 2023

Could anything be any more perfect than staging Nunsense in a church? Camden Musical Society nailed venue choice with their latest offering, and they’ve done fabulously with the show itself. Nunsense is an hilarious and heart-warming musical comedy that combines wit, charm, and a touch of irreverence. Written by Dan Goggin, the play follows the misadventures of six nuns from the Little Sisters of Hoboken who find themselves in a fundraising predicament after a tragic cooking accident wipes out most of their convent.

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare. Roleystone Theatre. Directed by Paul Treasure. Araluen Botanic Park, Roleystone, WA. Nov 4-12, 2023

Roleystone Theatre’s annual Shakespeare in the Park has become an entrenched tradition within a few short years. Once again directed by Paul Treasure, As You Like It plays in Araluen’s gorgeous amphitheatre, using both the stage and what would be considered the “audience area” to create a truly immersive experience.

The Music Man

Book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson. Story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey. Normanhurst Uniting Church Musical Society. November 3 – 18, 2023.

In writing one of those ‘perfect’ musicals from Broadway’s Golden Age, composer / lyricist Meredith Willson drew his inspiration for The Music Man from his own musical career, including his time in the 1920s as a member of ‘The March King’ John Philip Soussa’s band - not one of those 76 trombonists, though, but a flute and piccolo virtuoso.

Gaslight

By Patrick Hamilton. Pymble Players. Nov 1 – 26, 2023

I have now seen and reviewed several performances by the Pymble Players and I am usually always impressed by the attention to detail with regards to the set decoration. This play, however, is entirely different with a noticeably minimal and dark set used to great affect by director Joy Sweeney.  The stark surroundings serve to amplify the lonely and loveless existence of the leading lady and also mirror the dreadful intentions of the monstrous leading man. 

Summer of the 17th Doll

By Ray Lawler. Noosa Arts Theatre. November 2 – 18, 2023

What is theatre? Theatre is the ability to tell a story on a stage.

What is great theatre? Great theatre is the ability to totally engage an audience while telling a story on stage.

Noosa Arts production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is a piece of great theatre.

The Wharf Revue: Pride in Prejudice.

By Jonathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe. Musical direction by Andrew Worboys. The Playhouse, Canberra. 24 October – 5 November, 2023 and touring nationally.

What is it about some politicians that lends them so deliciously to satire?  Is it merely the high visibility of their individual quirks?  Is it their unshakeable certainties or invulnerable egos?  Is it the space their public personas fill in the political arena?

However their troubles arise, you can be sure that The Wharf Revue will seize the opportunity to capitalise on them.

Little Shop of Horrors

Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman. Music by Alan Menken. Marie Clark Musical Theatre. Star Theatres. November 3 – 10, 2023

Little Shop of Horrors, currently being presented by Marie Clark Musical Theatre (MCMT), was first seen off-Broadway in 1982, as an adaption of the 1960 film of the same name. Many people first discovered it in 1986 when it was made into a film, directed by Muppets legendary puppeteer, Frank Oz.

Damage

A film by Madeline Blackwell. In cinemas from November 9, 2023.

Damage is a unique film in many ways. It is filmed in Adelaide with a pair of novice-actors – one the director’s own mother, the other an Iraqi asylum seeker.

It is entirely self-funded, was written in one night, and stars the director/writer Madeline Blackwell’s own mother (Imelda Bourke) who was 87 when the filming began.

It also stars Ali Al Jenabi, an actual Iraqi asylum seeker who had a hand in making the dialogue more believable.

Launch 2023

Various writer and directors. Hayman Theatre Company. Hayman Theatre, Curtin University, Bentley, WA Nov 2-3, 2023

Launch 2023 was billed as a “collection of works from the newest kids on the block” and featured six original productions. Playing for a very short season, it was a showcase of new works from Curtin’s graduating students.

Love Letters

By A. R. Gurney. The Guild Theatre, Walz St, Rockdale, NSW. Nov 3 – Dec 2, 20023

Two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, share a stage, reading their correspondence spanning the ups and downs of the mostly remote relationship they’ve shared over nearly half a century. A. R. Gurney’s play, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, doesn’t necessarily require the actors to learn their lines, so nightly or weekly cast turnarounds, mix’n’match seasons and limited engagement celebrity pairings have been common.

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