Reviews

Ibsen, that most modern (for his time) playwright of poetic perfection, is somehow made to seem outdated and melodramatic in this poorly realised production full of altered text and linguistic anachronisms.

A powerful businessman bribing a corrupt politician for control of water resources; no it’s not the latest ICAC song and dance, it’s Urinetown The Musical.

Urinetown is a Broadway musical so satirical that it even sends up its own rather dodgy title, as it tells the story of how a long-lasting drought leads to pay-per-pee public toilets controlled by a corrupt monopoly.

Six fairy tales are transplanted into modern Australia, reimagined from the points of view of female bit parts, Rosencranz and Gildenstern are Dead style, who are bad, ugly, or overlooked in the originals. Fairy tales make wonderful fodder for exploration of assumptions built in to cultures – you can tell a lot from who is baddy, who is the goody, whose story is told and who is left behind. There’s that mix of magic, morality tale and the grotesque, reawakening images and fears from childhood.

Australians have long been fascinated by their country’s dynasties and the way these families’ personal interests often collide with their business pursuits. So it was little surprise that The Young Tycoons, about the efforts of two heirs to follow in their fathers’ footsteps, was a huge success in 2005, and sold out on return in 2006.