Reviews

Thank heavens for community theatre companies like Fab Nobs, who bring us musicals that we otherwise would never see, since they are deemed to be too non-commercial for the main stage. The problem is that, because these musicals are largely unseen, the potential audiences are unfamiliar with the scores and assume that they’ve never heard of the musical because it’s no good. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Ash Flanders and Stephen Nicolazzo have a significant following in Melbourne.  They are, together and individually, unique voices in the contemporary Melbourne theatre scene.  I think it is fair to say their refined yet bright and bold, very visual approach to theatre, flair and irreverence has garnered significant respect from audiences.  

Who would have thought learning about the 1622 Dutch invasion of Portugese Macau would be a delightful night at the Melbourne Comedy Festival! Laurence Rosier Staines, Michael Richardson and Ciaran Magee introduce us to the main protagonists of this slice of history as they search for a new viceroy and cope with a Dutch invasion, and keep it on track by the gloriously simple solution of changing hats.

Acclaimed playwright Ronald Harwood (The Dresser) wrote this little gem in 1999; inspired after watching a documentary about the opera. Some may be familiar with the Dustin Hoffman directed 2012 film of the same name. The play centres on the lives of four retired opera singers who live in an English retirement village. You could be mistaken for thinking the subject matter might only appeal to the grey set, but you could not be more wrong. Entertaining from beginning to end, directors Sue Wylie and Ian Rigney have done a fine job in breathing life into an already fertile script.