Reviews

Billy Elliot The Musical

Music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall. Sydney Lyric Theatre, The Star. Opening Night: October 18, 2019

Billy Elliot The Musical returns to Sydney in a creatively designed production that captures the hope and ambition of a twelve-year old boy caught up in a political situation that almost brought Britain to civil war.

When Margaret Thatcher won power in 1983, she was determined to privatise the coal mining industry and bring down the powerful National Union of Mine Workers. The result of her policies led to a year-long strike and horrific clashes between miners and police – and a despair that spread across the nation.

The Marriage of Figaro

By Mozart. Opera Australia. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. October 21 – November 2, 2019

This is a welcome revival of Sir David McVicar’s magnificently dramatized and designed 2015 production for Opera Australia.

Many of the original, international cast superbly reprise their roles, notably Ukraine’s Andrei Bondarenko as the autocratic and lustful Count, Russia’s Ekaterina Sadovnikova as his anguished wife and Italian bass Paolo Bordogna as his scheming servant Figaro.

Les Misérables

Based on the Novel by Victor Hugo. Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg. Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Original French text byAlain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. Additional Material by James Fenton. Adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. Gosford Musical Society. Laycock Street Theatre, October 18-Nov 9, 2019.

There is far too much to say about this production without getting bogged down in plot synopsis. Any theatre nerd worth their popcorn already has a reasonable, if not firm grasp of the plot, even if the actual historical setting of the story is often misconstrued - but I'll let you ponder all that with the aid of Google. This review focuses on the show's mystique. 

Fiddler on the Roof

Music: Jerry Bock. Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick. Book: Joseph Stein. Director: Andrew Benson. Musical Director: Matthew Herne. Choreographer: Steph Edmonds. Willoughby Theatre Company. The Concourse Willoughby. October 18 – 27, 2019.

Willoughby’s Fiddler on the Roof is all life, joy and heart. There’s a zest and warmth in this show that makes it feel fresh and engaging, instead of the respected museum piece it’s usually treated as. After years of watching (enduring?) too many Fiddlers I prepared myself for a plodding ordeal. How wrong I was. The Willoughby Fiddler had me wanting to move to a Russian village and become Jewish.

£¥€$ (Lies)

Ontroerend Goed. OzAsia Festival. The Space, Adelaide Festival Centre. October 19-22, 2019

Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed have returned to Adelaide with £¥€$, an interactive and immersive theatre experience for the 2019 OzAsia Festival.  Since its premiere in 2017 £¥€$ has been travelling the globe and immersing audiences in Moscow, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong and Shanghai plus staging a French-speaking version as an official selection for this year’s prestigious Festival d’Avignon.

Three Amigos

Queensland Pops Orchestra. Adam Lopez, Nathan Kneen and Gregory Moore. Voices of Birralee. QUT Creative Industries Dancers. Concert Hall, QPAC. 19 October 2019

On the anniversary of their last show with the Pops Orchestra, Queensland’s Three Tenors, Adam Lopez, Nathan Kneen and Gregory Moore, were back for more of the same to the delight of a capacity audience. Singing solos, duets and trios made famous by the original three tenors (Domingo/Carreras/Pavarotti), plus putting their own spin on some recent tenor standards, and with the orchestra in top form, it was a fitting finale concert to a year of outstanding work by the Pops.

Techno Circus

SIRO-A. OzAsia Festival. Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide. 18th – 20th October 2019

Japan’s SIRO-A brings Techno Circus to Adelaide for this year’s OzAsia Festival. It’s an hour of human agility and ability interacting with state-of-the-art technology, all choreographed to a thumping techno soundtrack. Techno Circus in many ways defies classification despite the show’s title. It has elements of dance, acrobatics, physical theatre, puppetry, clowning, mime, shadow play, sleight of hand and magic, all combined with mind-boggling visual effects.

Explain Normal

By Daniele Constance and AHA Ensemble & PHLUXUS2 Dance Collective/ Metro Arts, Brisbane. 17-26 October 2019

How would you explain ‘normal’? This collaborative show tackles the subject through movement, dance, comedy and music. Explain Normal is a collaboration between director, Daniele Constance, the Aha Ensemble and the Phluxus2 Dance Collective – groups that work with artists who identify as having a disability. Explain Normal looks at very personal experiences as the artists define ‘normal’ through their own eyes.

Talking Heads

By Alan Bennett. Villanova Players. Ron Hurley Theatre, Brisbane. 16-19 October 2019

Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologues – written in the 1980s for BBC TV – put faces and names to Thoreau’s ‘lives of quiet desperation’. They are superbly written character pieces and, incredibley, are showing no signs of age. The two short and sharp pieces chosen by Brisbane’s Villanova Players give Jane Binstead and Jean Spencer a chance to polish and show off their comic skills.

Gender Euphoria

Melbourne International Arts Festival. October 15 – 20, 2019

Gender Euphoria is back with a powerful new multi-talented variety line-up of trans and gender diverse artists from across Australia. After a successful run at Midsummer, it has earned a well-deserved guernsey at the Spiegeltent for the Melbourne International Arts Festival.

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