Knowing where we came from and understanding what shaped the lives of our descendants can be confronting. In the context of Indigenous Australians, whose history stretches back eons, understanding is even more complex as it involves the disturbing events of post-European settlement. One woman’s story of discovery and understanding is told in A Letter for…
If Shakespeare had the vision of Nostradamus, he may well have foreseen The Merry Wives of Windsor being set in a 1980s Australian backyard. Nonetheless, director Viktor Kalka has made the geographic transition and it is an interesting concept, to say the least. Inspired by “The Bard’s” intention to make the play contemporaneous, Kalka creates one…
It’s always a treat to see a David Williamson play. But with Nearer the Gods, set in England in 1684, there is not a vulgar Australian joke to be heard, nor a can of beer to be seen. In fact, the only reference to a “pot” is in Isaac Newton’s chamber. Instead, using the backdrop…
It’s astonishing to think that Bob Dylan unwittingly worked on creating the music and lyrics for Girl from the North Country for more than four decades. For most of his career this vibrant and touching musical lay hidden within his many albums. Finally, in 2013, the creative genius of writer/director Conor McPherson imagined the plot,…
The main event which steers the story in The Lovely Bones is horrific and spine-chilling. And yet, it is not a tale of fear. Quite the opposite. Hope, peace and solace are recurring themes. While not uplifting, the play provides an understanding of human failings and frailties. The Lovely Bones centres around 14-year-old Susie Salmon…
Whoever coined the phrase “the more things change, the more things stay the same” may well have been referring to the plot of Home Chat. Almost 100 years since Noel Coward wrote and presented this play in London, its underlying themes of feminism and empowerment continue to resonate in society. The main character Janet Ebony…
E M Forster’s A Passage to India is a mighty epic tale set in the politically turbulent British colonial India of the 1920s. To adapt it to the stage is an equally mighty undertaking. To its credit, Genesian Theatre has delivered an engrossing production of Martin Sherman’s adaptation of the classic novel. Much of the…
“There’s nothing original about the skeleton of Honour, the play” says its writer Joanna Murray-Smith. I would agree. Its subject has been tackled over and over – in film, theatre and book form – for centuries. It goes like this: Ageing male in long term marriage is seduced by young and exciting vixen. He leaves…
It’s not often that a dramatic play comes along that so generously pays out the trifecta to the audience. The New Theatre’s production of The Removalists does this in spades. With an outstanding script, flawless acting and incisive direction, the audience virtually has no choice but to return home fully satisfied! Written by David Williamson…
Man, was David Mamet angry or what when he wrote Glengarry Glen Ross? From the opening scene to the epilogue, this dialogue-packed production is full of the most colourful and lewd insults you are likely to hear. Did I feel intimidated? A little. Was I surprised by some of the language? Yes. Were the characters,…
