Reviews

Chicago

Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Music by John Kander. Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. John Frost for Crossroads Live, Jones Theatrical Group in association with Barry and Fran Weissler. Festival Theatre, Adelaide. 8-31 August 2024 (and then to Canberra from 7 September)

‘Give ‘em the old razzle dazzle,’ sings Billy Flynn, and it’s an apt song to describe this visually stunning production of the Bob Fosse musical. It’s a visual spectacle of dance and song that tells the story of killer women who take shameless advantage of their celebrity status in the hope that it will relaunch their flagging careers – oh, and get them acquitted by an adoring jury.

Arlington

By Enda Walsh. Empress Theatre and Seymour Centre. Director Anna Houston. Seymour Centre. 2 - 24 August, 2024

To many the word “Arlington” evokes pictures of the thousands of white headstones guarding thousands of American souls lost to wars since 1861. It’s a dark picture – and Enda Walsh’s play of that name is similarly dark. He conjures a dystopian society beyond 1984 or Brave New World or Severance that interrogates its citizens and leaves them empty of their dreams in locked rooms in high tower blocks with open windows tempting their will to live.

Snow White

By the Brothers Grimm, adapted by Georgia Turner. Stray Cats. Directed by Karen Francis. The Fishtrap Theatre, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, WA. Jul 25-28, 2024

As I child I found Snow White the most terrifying of the fairy tales, with the Disney film the scariest in the Disney stable. This version from Stray Cats leans into the darkness of this classic story, in a stylish production aimed at an adult audience.

Breaker Morant

By Kenneth G. Ross. Directed by Garry Lawrence. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, WA. Aug 2-17, 2024

It has been over two decades since we have seen Breaker Morant on stage in Perth, with the last incarnation also directed by Garry Lawrence, that time for Playlovers. Not easy to cast, with over a dozen men needed, this historical drama is both historical documentary and a courtroom drama. 

The Questions

By Van Badham (Book & Lyrics) And Richard Wise (Music & Lyrics). State Theatre Company of South Australia. Space Theatre. July 26th – August 17th, 2024

A 1997 study by professor of psychology Arthur Aron at New York State University, looked at intimacy between two strangers. As a result of his study, he developed 36 questions that could potentially lead to love. This promise of intimacy lead writers and lyricists Van Badham and Richard Wise to collaborate on this latest production for State Theatre Company.

Present Laughter

National Theatre Live filmed performance. Sharmill Films. Encore screenings in cinemas nationally from August 8, 2024

Noël Coward once said, “If you’re a star, you should behave like one. I always have.”

Present Laughter is arguably one of the pinnacles of Coward’s work. Written in 1939, The story concerns a famous stage star Garry Essendine, styled on Coward himself. While planning a tour of a play in Africa, he has affairs with a debutante and his producer's boyfriend, meets with an insane playwright, deals with his secretary's demands as well as those of his ex-wife.

The Girl on the Train

By Rachel Wagstaff, Duncan Abel, and Paula Hawkins. Murray Music and Drama. Directed Jacinta Gordon. Pinjarra Civic Centre, WA. Jul 26 - Aug 3, 2024

The Girl on the Train is a modern thriller that was presented by Murray Music and Drama, cabaret style, at the Pinjarra Civic Centre. Well-acted, and presented in an interesting way, this is a good stage version of the popular novel and film.

Classical Music Flourishing in Annual Competition

Gala Concerts, Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition, Townsville. 19 & 21 July, 2024. Townsville Civic Theatre.

THE AUSTRALIAN Concerto and Vocal Competition once again proved to be the quiet achievers on the Townsville event calendar, with a total of 59 performers competing over a period of five days for a total prize purse of $14,000.

Boots & All: A folk-inspired journey around the world

Ensemble Q. Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane. 4 August 2024

To encourage the toe-tapping that usually goes along with folk music, Ensemble Q called their latest gig Boots & All, and attired themselves in lumberjack shirts, village green frocks, lederhosen, and stomping boots! And it was a pleasure to see musicians at the top of their game, taking obvious delight in presenting some old and new works to spotlight the folk tradition that has imbued many a composition – classical and modern.

The Woman in Black

By Stephen Mallatratt and Susan Hill. PW Productions, Woodward Productions and Neil Gooding Productions. Theatre Royal, Sydney. July 3 - Aug 18, 2024

The Woman in Black, adapted from Susan Hill’s novel, is a theatrical experience that has gripped audiences worldwide, and it’s easy to see why. The current staging at Theatre Royal Sydney, directed by Robin Herford (Associate Director, Antony Eden), featuring John Waters and Daniel MacPherson, is no exception to this spellbinding tradition. 

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