Reviews

Living on the other side of town, I haven’t encountered an MLOC production for some time, but this was the best. The direction was tight, the chorus energetic and the drama confronting.

In the title role Ben Paine had the open, happy face that made him ideal for this role. The fact that he could sing and do the pathos as well was a bonus. The whisper quiet opening to “Gethsemane” was imbued with impending tragedy.

Someone Like Thomas Banks is a wonderful unique opportunity to be offered insight into the complex life of an earnest, intelligent and astute young man with Cerebral Palsy.  It is a moving and joyful work that celebrates difference and highlights the need for more disability friendly Theatre.

It may be a bit tricky to understand exactly what Thomas Banks is saying, at times, when he is talking, but he kindly suggests that we don’t worry too much because most of what he is trying to communicate will be made clear - and it is.

If only Australian plays were revived more often. This production of Good Works, written by Nick Enright in 1995, proves the value of our own storytelling on stage. It’s not the most powerful play in dramatic terms but it resonates strongly. The story is completely engaging throughout, even though it’s complicated, fast and sometimes difficult to follow.

A Taste of Tinseltown is the second of two nightclub-style pilot productions by Free-Rain Theatre in two weeks, hot on the heels of its comic play The Art of Teaching Nothing.  Whereas the last production featured songs from Broadway stage productions, this production's numbers come from Hollywood films.  Although on this occasion several of the performers were probably better actors than singers, the singing was, as in the Nightclub's previous production, Buzzing Broadway,  by and large very good; and some was outstanding.  Again