Reviews

Urinetown (The Musical)

Book and lyrics by Greg Kotis. Music and lyrics by Mark Hollman. Mosman Musical Society. Zenith Theatre, Chatswood. September 15 – 23, 2017

Think anarchic, post-apocalyptic, dystopian satire … then think musical …

Urinetown The Musical takes audiences to a near-future world where water is scarce, and everyone has to pay a corrupt corporate monopoly to pee.

The Night Alive

By Conor McPherson. O’Punksky’s Theatre in association with Red Line Productions. Old Fitz Theatre. Sep 13 – Oct 14, 2017

In the tradition of contemporary Irish theatre, Conor McPherson mixes humour and the macabre in this gritty black comedy. His characters are as graphically realistic as the cluttered, shabby room in which they meet – and under the direction of Maeliosa Stafford, they meet with the rhythm and cadence that make them uncompromisingly Irish in a play that moves frighteningly quickly at times – and just a bit slowly at others.

Sweet Charity

Book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields. OCPAC(Vic). Sept 15 – 23, 2017

OCPAC’s Sweet Charity is a slick piece of theatre. This group of young theatre makers have created a show with lots of polish and energy.

Dinner

By Moira Buffini. Sydney Theatre Company. Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. September 11 – October 28, 2017

There are surely more plays and films set around dinner tables than we’ve all had hot dinners. Almost. Dinner parties of course are highly theatrical affairs and Moira Buffini really lets hers rip in her 2002 play, Dinner.

Set in an English country manor, bitch hostess Paige supervises a surreal menu to mark the publication of her husband’s hit philosophical opus.  A former stockbroker, Lars’ book is some Nietzschean ode to righteously selfish action, and the dinner guests match its values …. 

Take a Chance on Me

By Roger Hall. Spotlight Basement Theatre, Benowa, Gold Coast. Director: Helen Maden. September 15th – October 1st, 2017

Speed Dating: ever tried it? Well, if this show is any indication, it involves jumping through hoops for little reward.

Kiwi playwright Roger Hall has written an hilarious script unravelling the mysteries of this popular (?) pastime.

Director Helen Maden has delivered another production that is sure to bring back memories for past, present and future speed daters and it does so without the use of SPEED!

Too Ready Mirror

By Jamaica Zuanetti. Darebin Arts. Directed by Rachel Baring and presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy and Melbourne Fringe Festival. Studio 2, Northcote Town Hall, Melbourne. 15-28 September, 2017.

Jamaica Zuanetti’s play is inspired by Simone de Beauvoir’s observation: “It is, again, one of the loving woman’s misfortunes to find that her very love disfigures her, destroys her, she is nothing more than this slave, this servant, this too ready mirror, this too faithful echo.”

I Remember You

Javeenbah Theatre, Nerang, Gold Coast. Created and Directed by Gai Byrne. September 15th – 30th, 2017

I Remember You is a musical stroll down memory lane featuring the hits of the 50’s and 60’s, brought to you via that ‘modern medium’ Television.

With a cast of 17 plus “Monty” (pictured), Gai and her Vocal Director Lynn Campbell (who appeared on TV shows like In Melbourne Tonight and Showcase 65 & 66) have captured the ‘buzz’ of the variety show – popular in the early days of television.

Erotic Intelligence for Dummies

Written and performed by Helen Cassidy. Pretend Productions and Wilde Applause. Melbourne Fringe Festival. Fringe Hub: Arts House – Underground, North Melbourne. 15-22 September 2017

A polished, funny show about sex.  But wittily risqué rather than ‘shocking’ – naughty but nice, surprising and funny all the way through.  Helen Cassidy comes on as the cliché librarian with the glasses and the under-control hair –except that the hair is red, the heels are a little too high and the skirt is a little too tight and too short.  Within minutes she’s perched on a mound of soft toys, reading us a story from a nice, illustrated picture book about her first sexual experiences with a fluffy koala… who then gets to te

Diving for Pearls

By Katherine Thomson. Griffin Theatre Co. SBW Stables Theatre. September 8 – October 28, 2017.

With our technology revolution and global anxieties its easy to think no other generation faced worries as big as ours. 

Kath Thomson’s play takes us back to 1991, to those stranded in a coastal industrial city as manufacturing is closed down, and recession and economic rationalism rolls in.  This classic play is in fact crisply contemporary, very back to the future.

Hello, Dolly!

Book by Michael Stewart. Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman. Based on the play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder. Miranda Musical Society. Sutherland Entertainment Centre. September 13 – 17, 2017.

“Hello, Dolly! Well, Hello Dolly! It's so nice to have you back where you belong” – on stage, at Sutherland Entertainment Centre.

Classic 1960s musical Hello, Dolly! has an infectious score and a witty, engaging script which stands up well. Even the odd moment of political incorrectness feels like it was written tongue-in-cheek, and it’s certainly delivered that way. It’s a show brimming with humanity and heart.

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