Reviews

The return of Homophonic! in full swing is a sheer delight. The celebration and promotion of queer music and composers has been a long-time quest brought forward by Miranda Hill. The Consort of Melbourne, led by Steven Hodgson, work in collaboration with Hill to produce an outstanding program of original music and performances. The overall effect is a combination of the sweetest melodies, bright impish tunes as well as other more introverted and reflective pieces.

First time director Tui Clark and her cast have handled Christie’s text with ease, adapting it to suit a modern stylised representation, set in 1920s London. 

Clark examines the domestic abuse between Bruce Lovell (Sam Walter) and his new bride Cecily (Emilia Kriketos) as he sweeps her off her feet in a whirlwind romance and whisks her off to the country. Meanwhile, the audience pat themselves on the back for working out who the killer so obviously is … but is that a red herring? Has everyone remembered this is an Agatha Christie offering? 

THRIVE: Queer Voices, Out Loud is a vivid exploration of true stories from LGBTQIA+ community across rural Victoria, conceived and directed by Cheyney Caddy, co-founder and artistic director of Black Apple, a Castlemaine based theatre company.

A thoughtful and considered theatrical interpretation of interviews conducted by Caddy, who has meticulously carved out a historical and contemporary analysis of six colourful personalities across a generation, reflects on change within an evolving awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community in a contemporary setting.

With a nod towards Brecht and myth of Icarus, the writer/director presents a complex, layered play which uses spoken word, dance, movement, song, sound and lighting to lay bare some of the treacherous and challenging aspects of relationships and life.