Reviews

The end of Act One of Jason Robert Brown's now quite legendary song cycle concludes with the words "you don't know me, but you will"—somewhat rather prophetic int the sense of the young performers from all over the world whose careers have been shaped and changed by performing in this glorious night of deeply challenging and engaging material. I would not be surprised if all of the six performers in this Sydney version of the show (there is a Melbourne version about to open as well) find career success in the next few years.

When Pride and Prejudice was written by Jane Austen 250 years ago it launched a critique of the savage social norms and arrangements which meant women’s security almost entirely depended on their marital status. Bloomshed has taken Austen’s narrative about a family with five daughters and some of her scintillating dialogue as a starting point and cloaked them in a vibrant verbal and physical romp backed up by excellent staging, costumes and sound and lighting design.

The coldest, bleak winter night came alive at the premiere of the 70-minute State Theatre Company South Australia and Queensland Theatre production of Dear Son. Based on the book by Thomas Mayo and adapted by Isaac Drandic and John Harvey, it is a creative compilation of letters and reflections from 12 invited First Nation fathers and sons.  This groundbreaking celebration of manhood, healing, love and different perspectives is told through real and skilfully creative songs and stories, and delivered by five passionate and proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.

Christopher Durang’s Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a delightful mash-up of Chekhovian melancholy and modern absurdity — and this production captures its eccentric heart with warmth, wit, and comic precision.