Reviews

Pop Goes the 80s was QPAC Choir’s annual concert which took a trip back to the eighties, the era that gave us leg-warmers, Rubik’s Cube and the Walkman. It was also the era in music which saw the rise of synth-pop and superstars Madonna and Michael Jackson. They were all represented in this showcase that featured 180 voices, guest artists from the Griffith University Musical Theatre course, and a nine-piece band.

It can be a little harrowing to take on the task of directing such a well-loved and oft’ produced play, but first-time director Trudy Ritchie has obviously approached the challenge with dedicated zeal – and the support of an experienced and creative team of designers. Her production of Earnest captures the elegance and wit of Wilde’s writing as well as the ‘modish’ manners and style of the time. It moves quickly and efficiently without losing the impact of the ripostes and repartee or the hypocrisies that Wilde cleverly exposed.

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Tryingobviously had many people trying their utmost to make this show a success, A tight and fun version of this 1961 musical (based on Shepherd Meed’s 1952 book of the same name), it was engaging throughout.

Celebrating its twenty year anniversary, The Production Company decided to repriseOklahoma! This was the musical which changed the face of music theatre in the middle of the last century, introducing a dark character, and a feisty woman who didn’t like to be taken for granted.