Reviews

Louisa’s Dawn

By James Howard. Directed & produced by Ann Chadwick. La Mama Courthouse, Carlton. 3 – 14 August 2022

Louisa Lawson was a formidable woman who came from Gulgong near Mudgee – and then from a hut on the goldfields.  She came to Sydney in 1882, a widowed single mother of four children, into a hostile, patriarchal environment.  She was a fearless, possibly bullying, indomitable feminist, suffragette, poet, author, and publisher and editor of The Dawn, a monthly newspaper produced entirely by women.  She should certainly be known as rather more than merely Henry Lawson’s mother.

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare. Canberra Repertory, directed by Kelly Roberts and Christopher Zuber. Canberra Repertory Theatre, Acton, A.C.T. 28 July – 13 August 2022.

If some of his punning is overworked by modern standards, nonetheless Shakespeare can hardly be faulted in observing and showing the eternal difficulties of humans in society — an eternality that has made relatively easy the translation of his plays’ settings into other times and places.

Under the Paris Sky

Created and performed by Georgia Darcy. The Butterfly Club, Melbourne. 1 - 6 August 2022

A treat for lovers of Paris and all things French, Georgia Darcy is simply charmante in her latest cabaret show, Under the Paris Sky. Sharing her favourite French chansons, peppered with philosophy, heartfelt reflections and comedic surprises, “Under the Paris Sky” makes a fantastique night out.

The Ghost Train

By Arnold Ridley. Directed by Lori Anders. Murray Music and Drama Club. Pinjarra Civic Centre, WA. Jul 29-Aug 6, 2022

The Murray Music and Drama Club have really turned on the atmosphere for their production of the comic thriller The Ghost Train, combining expertly created stage effects and setting with perfect weather conditions - with the current wet and cold conditions matching the show beautifully.

Twenty Minutes with The Devil

Written by Luis Gómez Romero and Desmond Manderson. World Premiere: 18 June 2022. Directed by Caroline Stacey. The Street Theatre, Canberra. 18 June – 25 June, 2022

How is it possible to enforce the law in a land so corrupt that cartels and police work hand in hand? What if doing the right thing will likely get you killed, and probably won’t make any difference anyway?

Blanc de Blanc Encore

By Strut and Fret. Brisbane Festival. Twilight Electric Spiegeltent, Hamilton. 27 July to 18 September 2022.

Pop the champagne and indulge in a fun-filled evening of entertainment in one of the first offerings in this year’s Brisbane Festival. But first, a word of warning: for audiences enticed by the fabulous Spiegeltent venue with its family-friendly atmosphere, Blanc de Blanc Encore is not a family show: there is some nudity and risqué humour from the get-go. Second word of warning: despite the show’s glitzy billboards and promise of high-class ‘vintage French flair’, the show is not the Moulin Rouge.

School of Rock

By Andrew Lloyd Webber, Mike White, Julian Fellowes and Glen Slater. Gosford Musical Society. Laycock Street Theatre, Wyoming. July 29 – August 13, 2022

Advocating the punkification of a group of high achieving tween academics is not something I would traditionally equate with the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber or the creator of Downtown Abbey, Julian Fellowes. Yet Lloyd Webber’s composition, and Fellowes’ book, embrace the disestablishment with the same fervour with which the lead character, Dewey Finn, worships his gods of rock; and doesn’t local talent, Isaac Ledingham, personify fervour with perfection. 

Albion

By Mike Bartlett. Secret House, New Ghosts Theatre Company and Seymour Centre. July 29 – Aug 13, 2022.

Mike Bartlett’s hit play revolves around a country house of characters whose stories are slowly revealed across four acts, against the undertow theme of a post-Brexit Britain.

London businesswomen Audrey, with her reluctant daughter, Zara (Rhiaan Marquez)  and happily ineffectual second husband (Charles Mayer), has big plans to restore the old house and its once magnificent gardens – especially when the ashes of her soldier son are buried there, along with past war dead.

Maya Drive

By Milton. La Mama HQ. July 27 – Aug 7, 2022

Maya Drive is a magical realist story on grief and loss, written by Milton and directed by J Shaw. Grief is a personal experience that can steer people into other dimensions. Ben the main character (Cassiel Garward) reaches out to the tales of Gilgamesh (an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia) to find solace and understanding while caught in a dream; he travels in his own time under the faithful guidance of his Maya (means good mother in Greek) who appears as a guardian angel (Lily Thomson).

Coming of Age in Australia: An Anthology of Australian Theatre

Flinders Drama Centre. Flinders University. July 26th- 29th, 2022

Australian playwrights have provided leading voices in the development of Australia’s cultural

identity, and this year Flinders University Drama Centre’s nine graduating actors have, under the direction of renowned Australian Director, Wayne Harrison AM, examined the impact of these works with an anthology performance of landmark coming-of-age stories in Australian theatre in a purpose written piece called Coming of Age in Australia.

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