Reviews

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare. Bard on the Beach 2017. Balmoral Beach Rotunda - Jan 20 - Feb 19, 2017; Dunbar Park, Avalon - Feb 24 - Mar 5; Gunnamatta Park, Cronulla - March 10 – 12: The Greek Theatre, Marrickville - Mar 31 - Apr 8, Watsons Bay – Apr 13 – 23.

‘Tis no mean feat to perform under the stars at any time, but imagine competing against very gusty sea breezes, the high-pitched chattering of a colony of bats and the possibility of summer rain! Despite such unpredictable conditions, the energetic cast and crew of this year’s Bard on the Beach productions are bringing Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, and the hilarious characters of The Merry Wives of Windsor to various outdoor locations across Sydney and a short indoor season at The Greek Theatre at Marrickville.

‘Night, Mother

By Marsha Norman. Javeenbah Theatre, Nerang, Gold Coast. Director: Barry Gibson. January 27th to February 11th, 2017

This compelling one act, two-hander is a great start for Javeenbah’s 2017 season.

Sensitively directed by Barry Gibson, the story of the relationship between a possessive Mother, (Del Halpin) and her epileptic, divorced daughter (Amy McDonald) is brought to life in a drama that is more common than we know of or care to acknowledge.

Both ladies bring comedy and pathos to their finely tuned characters which held the audience’s attention on the “roller coaster” ride of the entire play.

Still Life

By Dimitris Papaioannou. Sydney Festival. Carriageworks. Jan 27 – 29, 2017

Still Life is an appropriate closer of the Sydney Festival – part arts installation, part physical theatre, a wordless echo of Samuel Beckett.

Greek artist-performer Dimitris Papaioannou is best known for his opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Here his inspiration is the myth of Sisyphus, forever doomed to carry a boulder to the mountain top, watch it roll to the bottom and then repeat the action for eternity. 

The One

Written and directed by Jeffrey Jay Fowler. Whiskey & Boots / Fringe World. The Blue Room Studio, Northbridge, WA. 24-28 Jan, 2017

The One, written and directed by Jeffrey Jay Fowler, is both a romance and an anti-romance, a well-told story of a relationship where finding ‘the one’ may not be enough.

Strongly acted by Georgia King and Mark Storen, we follow a couple through the ups and downs of a relationship. Set on an almost bare stage, the only decoration is a wedding dress - proverbially and literally hanging over them as either a promise or a warning.

Jasper Jones

Based on the novel by Craig Silvey, adapted by Kate Mulvany. Belvoir (Sydney). January 25 to February 19, 2017, then on tour.

What is it about Western Australian writers that produces such cracking stories? Transfixed during this production my mind cast back to Cloudstreet; with Jasper Jones it shares buckets of humour, suspense, and life and death struggles with an air of authenticity you can almost taste.

Babe, the Sheep-Pig

By David Wood, based on the novel by Dick King-Smith. Victorian Youth Theatre. Southbank Theatre, The Lawler (Melbourne CBD). 19-28 January 2017.

Grown-ups will be familiar with this sweet story, either from Dick King-Smith’s 1983 novel, The Sheep-Pig, or the award-winning movie, Babe (Chris Noonan 1995), but this 1998 stage adaptation by David Wood, running just on an hour, works a treat for the small fry.  My companion – granddaughter, age 6 – sat entranced and smiling throughout, with total concentration.

Onstage Dating

By Bron Batten. Directed by Gary Abrahams. The Shambles, Fringe World, Perth, WA. 20-25 January 2017

In preparation for her show Onstage Dating, Bron Batten went on over 50 dates. After a surprise start, the show embarks on a re-cap of some of the more unique experiences in this experiment, and a chat about the worst dating experiences of the audience as well as courtship rituals through history.

Salty

By Shannan Lim, Jayde Harding and Tye Norman. Normal Children / Fringe World. Theatre Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA. 20-25 January 2017

Salty is rooted in Singapore-Malay mythology, with the title based on the Singaporean belief that salt is the currency of the afterlife.

Written and performed mostly by Shannan Lim (Jayde Harding and Tye Norman are co-writers), Salty is a play cycle based on folk tales – given a modern context and personal twist.

In “Toyal”, a lonely widower keeps a stillborn baby – but Toyal can move and think and just wants to be loved. Shannan Lim plays the baby with energy and verve.

Springsteen

Written and directed by Gabriel Bergmoser. Bitten By Productions. At Tuxedo Cat Melbourne. January 25 – February 4 2017.

Bitten By Productions presents Springsteen, only in part a biography of a living legend of Rock’n’Roll, Bruce Springsteen. Writer and director Gabriel Bergmoser didn’t set out to capture the life of one of our most celebrated musicians in it’s entirety; to do so would be impossible. Instead he cleverly constructed a play with a series of six vignettes, each one capturing a moment in time before the release of six major Springsteen albums spanning many decades.

Four in Fifty: A Mini Musical Marathon

By Nick Choo. Directed by Justin Crossley. Hand in Hand Theatre. FringeWorld. The Laneway Lounge, Perth WA. 24-28 Jan 2017

Malaysian composer Nick Choo makes his FringeWorld debut with this classy little show featuring four very short musicals in concert form.

Accompanied by the personable Nick Choo himself, who gives a little background to each piece, extra musical depth is added by Emily Gelineu on violin.

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