Reviews

Scrooge the Musical

By James Leisy, adapted from the 1970 film Scrooge. Directed by Justin Friend. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, WA. 2 - 16 December 2016

This was the second stage-version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol that I saw within days. Although family-friendly, this was not a production that shied away fro the darker themes, while still allowing for light and fun.

Barry Park was an excellent choice in the title role. Strangely likeable, even when being mean and miserly, he was an excellent protagonist who trod this character tight-rope beautifully.

bare

By John Hartmere and Damian Intrabartolo. Supply Evolution. Director / Choreographer: Hannah Barn. Musical Director: Matt Reid. The Depot Theatre, Marrickville. Nov 30 – Dec 17, 2016.

bare goes boldly where most other high school musicals fear to go; it’s a thought-provoking piece dealing truthfully and edgily with gay sexual identity in a co-ed Catholic boarding school, throwing body image issues, peer pressure and bullying into the mix for good measure.

Teenage rites of passage play out in tandem with rehearsals for a musical version of Romeo and Juliet, balancing the angst, hormones and emotional drama with lighter moments. The predominantly rock score integrates rap, soul and Broadway-style ballads effectively.

#She: a celebration of women

Promise Adelaide. Scotch College Chapel. 3-4 December, 2016

I am always in awe of anyone who 'walks the walk' rather than just 'talks the talk'. Ben Francis is to be congratulated for creating and directing the Promise Adelaide group. This young man, recently awarded the ‘Minister for Education and Child Development’ award has built over the last three years, a promise to Adelaide of hope for the future.

The Tempest

By William Shakespeare. Presented by Melbourne Shakespeare Company, St. Kilda Botanical Gardens, 2-11 December, 2016.

The outdoor setting allows for a fresh and playful approach to the staging of this play. The performers take command of the large open space, even if the scale of the demand is sometimes apparent. The characters and speeches are all approached with novel ideas and raw musical talent combined with a highly fluid and delicate choreography of movement.

Circus 1903

Works Entertainment Group. Canberra Theatre 1–11 December 2016 and touring to Sydney and Melbourne.

Modern circus productions, increasingly resting on an overarching narrative, have been an interesting innovation in indoor theatre, where the seats and atmosphere are usually more comfortable than a tent can provide.  But there’s something to be said for the feel of old-circus, with its simple performances by a circus art’s most spectacular exponents; its unpredictability; the obvious hazards in performance height and the presence of carnivorous animals.  (The danger of falling, though muted by falling mats, is real; in the show’s first two days, two a

The Last Five Years

Written and Composed by Jason Robert Brown. Vic Theatre Company. Directed by Chris Parker fortyfivedownstairs. Nov 25 - Dec 11, 2016.

Sitting in the front row watching Verity Hunt-Ballard (Cathy) and Josh Piterman (Jamie) go hammer and tongs was an electrifying experience.

I felt like, not a member of an audience, but, a voyeur inside their bedroom watching their relationship finish, start then middle.  

The episodes of their relationship drag across each other like tides going in opposite directions on the beach. One is a successful Jewish writer surrounded by temptation, the other a struggling actress.

Matilda – The Musical

Music & Lyrics: Tim Minchin. Book: Dennis Kelly. Director: Matthew Warchus. Musical Director: Peter Rutherford. Choreographer: Peter Darling. RSC & Louise Withers, Michael Coppel & Michael Watt Production. Lyric Theatre, QPAC. From 25 Nov 2016.

Brisbane’s drought has finally broken; after two years of constant revivals we at last have a major new musical to celebrate, and it’s well-worth celebrating.

F.

By Morgan Rose, with the collaboration of director Katrina Cornwell and the performers. Riot Stage. Poppy Seed Theatre Festival. Trades Hall, New Ballroom. 30 November – 11 December 2016.

A show purportedly about teenagers and sex – or how they learn about sex from random sources – that (according to the program notes) ‘springboards from Frank Wedekind’s 1891 classic Spring Awakening’. 

Scrooge the Panto

Darlington Theatre Players. Directed by Amanda Minutello and Sally Ketteringham. Marloo Theatre, Darlington, WA. 18 Nov - 10 Dec 2016

You couldn’t accuse Darlington Theatre Players of being Scrooge-like with their presentation of Scrooge the Panto, with a generous cast of 33, hundreds of lavish costumes and 24 songs, this is a show of abundance - and even includes lollies for the kids.

Koraly: “I say the wrong things all the time”.

Created, written and performed by Koraly Dimitriadis. La Mama Courthouse. Directed by Olga Aristodemou. Sound design by Christian Bianco and Koraly Dimitriadis. Lighting design by Helen Papadomanolakis. Nov 30th to Dec 11th 2016.

La Mama presents Koraly: “I say the wrong things all the time”, a theatre debut for Koraly Dimitriadis, and she is surely bursting with enthusiasm.  Predominantly it’s her story, the daughter of migrants, growing up in a family culture that has strict expectations of how a good Cyprian girls’ life should pan out. But it also speaks of many issues; broken dreams, non-conformity, disengaging from family, sexism and sex.

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.