Reviews

Dusty The Musical

Songs recorded by Dusty Springfield, book by John-Michael Howson, David Mitchell and Melvyn Morrow. The Production Company. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 31 December- 22 January 2017

After the sadness of recent 2016 events, it was sheer joy to attend the opening night of Dusty, The Musical. This new reincarnation of the 2006 show, starring Amy Lehpamer, is vibrant, sassy and swinging. A wonderful way to usher in the New Year!

Lehpamer inhabits Dusty Springfield - every move, gesture, note and swish of amazingly bouffant wig, brings back this amazing lady. She is a multi-talented performer; mimicking Springfield’s physicality to perfection and with a belting, resonant sound that brings shivers.

Wicked

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Winnie Holzman. PLOS. Directed by Danny Ginsberg. Frankston Arts Centre. December 31, 2016 until January 7, 2017

There can’t be anyone who doesn’t know Wicked’s story of the alternate view of Oz and the two witches at its centre, or who hasn’t heard at least one of Stephen Schwartz’s great show tunes. So it takes a special company to make the musical fresh and full of surprises.

Fawlty Towers – Live

By John Cleese & Connie Booth.Stage Adaptation: John Cleese. Director: Caroline Jay Ranger. Michael Coppel, Phil McIntyre, Louise Withers production. Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane. December 28, 2016 to January 22,

Putting TV comedy series on stage is fraught with danger and in the case of the iconic Fawlty Towers even more so. In this world premiere production John Cleese, wearing his writer’s hat, has cobbled together the scripts from three of his favourite episodes, The Germans, The Hotel Inspectors and Communication Problems, to create a typical West End farce.

The Spirit of Christmas

With David Harris, Amanda Harrison, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, conductor Simon Kenway, QPAC Choir, Brisbane Chorale, Resonance of Biralee, Brisbane Biralee Voices. Director: Sean Mee. Concert Hall, QPAC, Brisbane. 23-24 December 2016

I doubt the Queensland Symphony Orchestra have had as much fun letting their hair down since Queensland Ballet’s Strictly Gershwin earlier in the year.With maestro Simon Kenway waving the baton, they raced through this annual pot-pourri of Christmas songs, carols and religious works with musical flair and enthusiastic abandon.

 

Club Swizzle

The Studio, Sydney Opera House. December 9 2016 to January 29, 2017.

We marveled at the acrobatic champagne fountain, but the fun bubbled along all night at Club Swizzle. No surprise that this show attracted a champagne sponsor.

Cabaret with a dash of burlesque and a liberal splash circus, you can savor this lively cocktail of variety entertainment while sipping on one of the alcoholic variety.

Pride & Prejudice – A New Musical

Script by Carl Lawton, adapted from the novel by Jane Austen. Music by Louella Jury, lyrics by Carl Lawton. Huon Valley Theatre Inc. The Stonehouse, Huonville 10 Dec 2016 & Playhouse Theatre Hobart 14 – 17 December 2016

Huon Valley Theatre Inc. has presented a wonderful version of the Jane Austen classic – “Pride & Prejudice – A New Musical”, and taken it to a broader audience. This musical version of the classic story, a collaboration between Carl Lawton and Louella Jury, was a vehicle for showcasing the skills and talents of the Huon Youth Theatre group, giving the young performers a chance to experience performing in venues outside their home territory. 

Babes in the Woods:
 Australian Purity Defil'd

Written by Phil Rouse, based on the good work of Tom Wright. Old Fitz Theatre, Woolloomooloo. 13 Dec, 2016 until 21 Jan, 2017.

This is the theatrical equivalent of a wicked Christmas trifle with lots of brandy in it. A delicious dessert that might look like it’s kid friendly on the outside, but is most definitely only for the consumption of grown ups.

There were lots of bright colours and different flavours to taste in this pantomime, best sampled one at time rather than mixing them up on the same plate.

Santa, Baby

By various authors. Budding Theatre. Canberra Theatre courtyard. 16–17 December 2016

Santa, Baby is a two-night season of a collection of eight ten-minute skits inspired by Christmas songs (few of which appear in the production), following hard on the heels (by an hour) of Budding Theatre’s most recent production, The Night Before Christmas.

 

For performances mostly using actors of limited experience to stage scripts developed on a shoestring and staged on a short production schedule, on the whole the skits showed surprising ability to rouse laughter from a willing audience.

The Nutcracker

Ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, based on ETA Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816). Choreographer: Ben Stevenson. Queensland Ballet / Queensland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nigel Gaynor / St Peters Lutheran Church College Choir. Playhouse, QPAC. 9-23 December 2016

Although The Nutcracker was first produced by the Imperial Ballet at the Marinsky Theatre in Russia in 1892, its popular staging at Christmas dates from when the New York City Ballet mounted a lavish production of it in 1954. Since then it has become an annual tradition throughout major American ballet companies who use the proceeds of this reliable blockbuster to subsidize the rest of the season.

The Night Before Christmas

By Kirsty Budding. Budding Theatre, Directed by Kirsty Budding. Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre. 13–17 December 2016

Relatively new playwright Kirsty Budding has turned out a few full-length stage plays in the past couple of years, and many shorter ones.  Her latest to hit the boards is an hour-long tale… of Christmas tales for children.  Jaded teenagers whose only exposure to life has been via their gadgets find themselves welcoming an opportunity to hear some stories, the entry point for Budding’s modernised retelling — or rather rewriting for the stage — of several classic Christmas tales.  With story piling upon story, I lost all track of how many cas

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