Reviews

It would seem a rather risky exercise to create a contemporary adaptation of a Chekhov play. His texts are weighted by emotive characters and impassioned speeches and seem so unlikely to be relevant in a 21stcentury context. Surprisingly, this play lends itself to being transplanted into the suburban badlands of Putin’s homophobic Russia much more easily than expected. This is what makes this version of The Seagull quite radical and the concept is, on the whole, carried with confidence, charm and wit.

Sense and Spontaneity may very well be the sweetest show at the 2016 Fringe World Festival. With beautiful manners, and lovely costuming this warm hug of an improvised show is overwhelmingly "nice".

Esther Longhurst and Jessica Messenger have an obvious love for the novels of Jane Austen and at the performance I viewed, the real life romance of audience member Isabelle was given an Austen makeover and was presented as a long-lost Jane Austen manuscript.

The title alludes to historical figures who use this idiom to refer to spiritual and moral standards that define a man’s place in the world. Roach is no less probing in his deliberations on what it means to be a gay man in contemporary society. This performance is an extremely personal journey, which provides a frank account of the insecurities, longings, and compulsions that plague the protagonist. Roach’s character is alluring and the explicit nature of his revelations is a fascinating journey into a psyche that is rarely given such detailed attention.

Writer’s Block tells of the struggle between Writer, Jane (Libby Bancroft) and her characters to create a story line where everyone is happy with the plot; not an easy situation when the characters are self opinionated and determined to get the outcomes that they believe are rightfully theirs.