Reviews

Sailing South

Written by Judith Prior. Directed by Kath Kunde. Presented by Mates Theatre Genesis. The Redland Museum, 25 January – 7 February, 2021

Mates Theatre Genesis is back with another of their annual Australia Day plays, which have been performed at The Redland Museum for over a decade. This year’s offering is Sailing South, a delightfully tongue-in-cheek tale of an inexperienced captain and a crew of prisoners bound for Botany Bay in the 1850s.

What Now? A Double Feature

By Sean Wcislo. Modicum Theatre. Fringe World. Directed by Andrea Kendrick. Cookery, The Girls School, East Perth, WA. Jan 26-30, 2021

Modicum Theatre ran a rather unique short season in Cookery at the Girls School. A sort of two-for-the-price-of-one offer, What Now? A Double Feature consisted of two short plays by award winning writer Sean Wcislo, Chance and Surviving Aisle 7.

Next Stop: Reality

Written and Directed by Madelaine Page. Fringe World. Room 2:04 Girls School, East Perth, WA. Jan 30-Feb 14, 2021

Harriet braves her first trip on the London Underground as she travels to an interview for her dream job. This one-woman play about life, decisions, and the perils of public transport, will hopefully return to its Fringe World season post Perth lockdown.

Written, directed and expertly performed by Madelaine Page, this is a dynamic, pacy play with a loveable heroine, who makes us part of her perilous journey on the tube. Cleverly written and nicely traversing time, space and reality, we get to know the delightful Harriet and become very invested in her success.  

How to Drown a Fish

By Sophie Minissale. University Dramatic Society. Fringe World. Directed by Megan Rundle. The Briefing Room, Girls School, East Perth, WA. Jan 30- Feb 7, 2021

Set poolside at a community swim centre, How to Drown a Fish is a gorgeous little late-night rom-com produced by University Dramatic Society for Fringe World. After a successful opening night, Perth’s lockdown has paused performances of this feel-good show, but hopefully they will be able to resume for the last 3 shows of their run.

The Witch and the Goat

Written and directed by Bello Benischauer. Art in Process and Existence Theatre. Fringe World. Old Customs House, Fremantle, WA. Jan 15-30, 2021

The Witch and the Goat is a mesmerising, impactful and highly emotional piece of physical theatre, presented by Art in Process and Existence Theatre at Old Customs House, Fremantle as part of Fringe World.

With Fire in Her Heart: The Edith Cowan Story

By Trevor Todd. Fringe World. Directed by Gabrielle Metcalf. Biology or Home Economics, The Girls School, East Perth, WA. Jan 27-Feb 7, 2021 (pre Covid Shutdown dates)

Most Western Australians are at least vaguely familiar with Edith Cowan, the first woman elected to any Australian Parliament - 100 years ago this year. She is remembered on the $50 note, through Edith Cowan University and the seat of Cowan, and now with this new play, presented by Gabrielle Metcalf for Fringe World.

Love Letters

By AR Gurney. IpSkip Productions. Parks Theatre, SA. 29 January 2021.

Written by AR Gurney in 1988, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Love Letters appears deceptively simple. By calling for a pair of actors to read from scripts on an otherwise bare stage, it could sound like one notch up from a radio play.

Burn This

By Lanford Wilson. 16th ST Actors Studio. Fortyfive downstairs, Flinders Lane, Melbourne. 28 January – 7 February 2021

Burn This, a psychodrama by esteemed American playwright Lanford Wilson is given a powerful and engrossing production here by a focussed cast, completely inside their characters and given nuanced and detailed direction by Ian Sinclair.  

As You Like Hamlet

Written by Tully Jones (and William Shakespeare. Directed by Tully Jones. Fringe World. DADAA, 92 Adelaide St, Fremantle WA 28 Jan - 7 Feb, 2021

As You Like Hamlet is a slightly irreverent Shakespeare tribute, performed as part of Fringe World by a talented troupe of young actors. Modernised, funny and clever, it still contains much of what we love from the original texts.

Club Cremorne

At the Cremorne Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane. 28 January to 6 March 2021.

Conceived by QPAC last year to reunite eager artists and enthusiastic audiences after the too-long closure of theatres, Club Cremorne is back by popular demand – the debut season in 2020 was a block of sold-out shows. This snazzy showcase of local, world-class talent is a welcome way to get back to the theatre and have some fun. With club-style table seating and a bar open throughout the performance, Club Cremorne provides excellent date-night or friends-out-together fun – a little bit cheeky and a whole lot entertaining.

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