Reviews

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall

By Mark Kilmurry and Jamie Oxenbould. Richmond Players, NSW. Richmond School of Arts. Aug 2 – 23, 2025

Murder mysteries are a dime a dozen, but Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall, penned by the imaginative duo, skilfully carves out its niche in the genre with a sharp mix of suspense, humour and theatrical flair. In what could only be described as a metaphor for the unpredictable nature of theatre life, The Richmond Players tackle the farce and score a home run.

Once On This Island

Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. Music by Stephen Flaherty. Curveball Creative in Association with Hayes Theatre Co. August 2 – 31, 2025.

19-year-old Thalia Osegueda Santas was plucked out of 300 odd video auditions to score the lead role of Ti Moune in this joyous musical, and with a spin and twirl of her long locks dazzled the opening night audience.

In a node to The Little Mermaid, Ti Moune is found washed up on a beach, and raised by a poor family in the French West Indies.

The Last Five Years

By Jason Robert Brown. Parker Productions. Director: Parker Productions Team. Musical Direction and Accompanist: Andrew Morrisby. Lighting design: Jason James. Set: Mel Ransley. Sound Design: Eric Amani. The Hidden Theatre, Hobart. 5-9 August 2025

Team Cathy? Or Team Jamie? Parker Productions has merch you can buy. There is also Team Moz. I am definitely team Moz.

Team Moz is a reference to beloved Hobart Musician Andrew Morrisby. Morrisby is on stage during this two-hander, effectively making it a three-hander. The piano is swathed in black and Morrisby does not interact with the cast but for those who love this rich score, Morrisby is as integral as Jamie and Cathy.

What’s Yours

By Keziah Warner. Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre. 26 July – 24 August 2025

Once, years ago, Jo (Christina O’Neill) and Lia (Carissa Lee) were best friends.  And Jo and Simon (Kevin Hofbauer) were an item.  But Jo and Simon broke up – not because of Lia - and Lia started dating Simon – which caused a breach between Jo and Lia.  Now, Lia is with Simon and desperate to have a baby, but nothing’s working – well, her eggs aren’t working.  Who is determinedly single and not using her eggs?  Jo...

Amy Lehpamer Sings Cole Porter

Performed by Amy Lehpamer & Steve Russell. Opera Queensland’s Studio Series Presented by Kawai. Opera Queensland Studio. 1 – 2 August, 2025

There’s something deliciously right about hearing Cole Porter’s music in an intimate setting where the walls themselves are humming with harmony. Opera Queensland’s Studio, adorned with warm festoon lighting and candlelit cabaret-style seating, offered the perfect mood for such an affair. It was like stepping into a dream, or perhaps a well-heeled supper club in 1940s Manhattan, only with better acoustics and considerably less cigarette smoke.

The Canterbury Tales

Adapted by Lindsay Price from Chaucer. Directed by Gail Lusted. Garrick Theatre, Guildford, WA. Aug 1-16, 2025

Once a year, Garrick Theatre’s youth group known as TAG for Teens at Garrick joins with experienced older performers for a Mainstage production. This year it is an adaptation of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.

In this version, the pilgrims bound for Canterbury who “tell” the original tales meet up with a troupe of actors in a tavern (and in Act II in another tavern), and the actors help to act out each of the stories. With one exception, the pilgrims are played by adult actors with the teenage performers forming the acting troupe.

La Bohème

By Puccini. Opera Australia. The Events Centre, Caloundra. 2 August 2025

Presented by Opera Australia and The Events Centre, Caloundra, this new staging of Puccini's La Bohème breathes fresh life into a classic with a fun, energetic pace and style. This wonderful show makes you slow down and believe in romance again after a long week of workdays, schedules and deadlines with the sweet courtship including delicate moments of gentle intimacy and cheeky flirting. The audience around me was smiling, giggling and laughing along with the antics and theatrical flair of the unfolding story. 

Miss Julie

After August Strindberg. Company 16 in association with Liminal Space. At fortyfivedownstairs. 31 July – 17 August 2025

There’s probably little to be gained from comparing this updated, relocated version of Miss Julie with Strindberg’s original text – or with the many, many other adaptations different mediums - that have been made since its premiere in 1888.  A more interesting question is why this play is performed, revived and adapted over and over. 

Electric Fields with Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Conducted by Vanessa Scammell. Presented by QPAC as part of Clancestry. Concert Hall, QPAC. 2 August, 2025

In a night that pulsed with power and poetry, Electric Fields joined forces with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Vanessa Scammell for a truly extraordinary performance at QPAC’s Concert Hall. As part of ‘Clancestry’ (QPAC’s celebration of First Nations culture) this genre-bending collaboration wasn’t just a concert; it was an invocation, a celebration, a spiritual electro-symphonic dance party.

Javier Perianes Performs Saint-Saens

Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. July 30 – August 1, 2025

This concert of the last major works by Rossini, Camille Saint-Saen and Shostakovich offers a peek into their final musical journeys over two centuries.

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