Reviews

The first performance of The Seven Stages of Grieving, thirty years ago, was seen as a landmark production for Aboriginal Theatre. This acclaimed play has been added to Drama and English curriculums, as its complex writing and multiple themes allow for excellent discussion and unpacking, This brand new production from Yirra Yaakin marks the first time this play has been performed by an Aboriginal Theatre company, and is a beautiful, heartfelt production.

Some shows are so funny, so frenetically fun, so joyfully absurd that you leave the theatre with cheeks that ache from all the laughing and grinning. Dog Man: The Musical is one of those shows. Featuring a vibrant cast, zingy songs, and a stage bursting with colour, chaos, and comic book flair, this musical is a riotous delight for kids and a hilarious wink-fest for the grown-ups.

Christopher Samuel Carrol’s play is set in 1977, but it is just as much – if not more so – about now.  As we pay close attention as Carroll’s tight, articulate, verbally dextrous dialogue, we may feel an increasingly chilling dismay.  Smokescreen is about survival in business, about clever manipulation, blatant lying and a compliant, blinkered public.

One of the greatest love stories of all time is Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac – a complex look at amour versus enchantment, identity, and vanity. It tells the story of Cyrano, a tragically disfigured yet brilliant wordsmith, and his love for Roxanne. Cyrano, feeling unworthy of love, helps another seduce her. Upon being caught, Roxanne and Cyrano share one tender moment together… before everyone dies – because it’s French and we can’t have nice things.