Reviews

Charles Manson and the Subtle Art of Radicalisation

By Scott Welsh, La Mama, EXPLORATIONS. 205 Faraday Street, Carlton. October 29, 30 & 31, 2015.

Cicero's Circle Theatre Company’s production provides an extremely penetrative insight into Manson’s hallucinogenic, schizophrenic and deeply delusional discourse. The troubling part is that his language is expertly constructed and alarmingly seductive. This is a very tight script that fully explores the process of radicalisation; an issue that has emerged as one of the more significant concerns in contemporary society. Scott Welsh is terrifying as Manson and the menacing presence he is able to convey on stage could be more fully exploited.

re:Loaded 2015

Choreographed by Raewyn Hill, Larissa McGowan, Gavin Webber Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, Perth, WA 28 October - 1 November, 2015

re:Loaded 2015 is the debut production from Co3, Western Australia's new contemporary dance company. Co3 is the result of an amalgamation of Buzz Dance Theatre and STEPS Youth Dance Company, and in addition to producing contemporary dance performance, Co3 aims to engage with education, youth and the community at large. Their first production shows that this is a fresh and exciting dance company.

Eurydice

By Sarah Ruhl. Directed by Yasmin Gurreeboo. Plant One, Corner Park Tce & Fifth St, Bowden. 27 October-7 November, 2015

The stark industrial surrounds of a warehouse floor are transformed into the stage for a surreal journey into a mystical underworld, for Foul Play Theatre Co’s intriguingly quirky production of Eurydice. Sarah Ruhl’s 2003 play is a modernised, absurdist take on the ancient Greek legend of Orpheus, the virtuoso musician whose love for the fair Eurydice is so strong, that when she dies he ventures into the underworld to retrieve her.

Little Black Bastard

Written and Performed by Noel Tovey. Directed by Robina Beard. La Mama Courthouse, Carlton. October 29 – November 1, 2015.

I had no idea who Noel Tovey was when I went to see Little Black Bastard at La Mama Courthouse, but by the time his almost two-hour one-man show had concluded, I felt as though I knew him personally. With startling courage and admirable dignity, he opened himself up to the audience, presenting the most intimate details of his childhood and adolescence. These ran the gamut from tawdry and disturbing to utterly heartbreaking, all delivered with a heartfelt sincerity and emotional depth.

Legally Blonde

Music & lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin. Book by Heather Hach. Directed by Cat Baxter. Koorliny Arts Centre, Kwinana, WA. 22-31 October, 2015

Nine Lives Theatrical Production Company bumped into Koorliny Arts Centre to present this fun and upbeat musical.

Annika Kononen, a tall, striking natural blonde was a picture-perfect Elle Woods who revelled in the central role. She was nicely paired with Jethro Pitt, making a stirling West Australian debut, as a loveable and convincing Emmet, with a lovely voice.

Foreign Bodies

Written by Andy Harmsen. Directed by Chris Baldock. Sly Rat Theatre Co. The Owl and Cat Theatre, Richmond. October 22 – 31, 2015.

A high profile American female porn star with a long list of credits, who's recently written a tell-all autobiography, is in Mumbai ostensibly to play the goddess Kali in a 'serious' movie role, where she's interviewed by a male journalist from Sydney for the culture section of a magazine.

Monkey… Journey to the West.

Kim Carpenter’s Theatre of Image. Melbourne Festival at Geelong Performing Arts Centre, The Playhouse. 22-24 October 2015.

Monkey… or How To Tell an Epic Tale from Another Culture of an Epic Journey With Not Much Money But With Energy, Jokes, Puppets, Acrobats and Loads of Imagination.

The Boy From Oz

Music and Lyrics by Peter Allen (and others), book by Nick Enright. Spotlight Theatre, Benowa, Gold Coast. Director: Tony Alcock. Oct 23 – Nov 14, 2015.

Spotlight’s final production for their 60th Anniversary Year was The Boy From Oz. Under the baton of Matt Pearson, the 15 piece orchestra brought all the music to life with a wonderful sound worthy of the calibre of Peter Allen.

Mary Poppins

Music and Lyrics by The Sherman Brothers 
(additional lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe) with script by Julian Fellowes. Gosford Musical Society. Director: Chris King. Musical Director: Christopher Hochkins. Choreographer: Lauren Miller. Laycock Street Theatre. October 23-November 14, 2015

Everyone has their personal history with this fantastical heroine and those annoyingly catchy songs. For me it wasn't the book, nor the film but of one of those read-along books that came with an accompanying vinyl record. It featured narration, songs and sound-bites from the film and a tinkling bell to prompt pre-school me to turn the page. I'd all but forgotten about it until a recent viewing of Saving Mr Banks reminded me of just how huge Mary Poppins was back then. 

The Sleeping Beauty

Ballet by Tchaikovsky. Choreographer: Greg Horsman after Marius Petipa. Queensland Ballet with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Nigel Gaynor. Lyric Theatre, QPAC. 23 – 31 Oct 2015

High on the adrenaline rush of acclaim they received at London’s Coliseum Theatre in August, Queensland Ballet is dancing better than ever. Greg Horsman’s reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece The Sleeping Beauty is a sumptuous evening of classical ballet and a feast for the eye. Originally produced by Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2011, this is the Australian premiere.

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