War Horse stands as a case study of the perfect theatrical experience. In all departments, whether it’s the plot, script, acting, lighting, sound, direction, costumes or set design, standards are exemplary. Be aware though, sentimental heartstrings will be pulled, stretched and battered as the story of Joey the War Horse unfolds. Based on the novel written by Michael Morpurgo and…
One attends The Underpants with some trepidation. The title alone could be a turnoff for some as it’s not a garment widely discussed in finer circles. But then you discover the masterful Hollywood comic Steve Martin has adapted and etched his own style of wit into a German play from early last century called Die Hose, written…
It was a great rite of passage that many of us born before 1965 went through and remember fondly. The annual six-week school holiday casual job at a city department store. It was often our first foray into the world of retail and, at 16 or 17 years of age, it gave us a glimpse…
There’s a lot going on in the household of Archie Lee Meighan. But there’s a lot more going on in his own mind. Archie’s attempts to run a successful cotton gin business in the Mississippi gets closer to failure with every sip he takes from his whisky hip flask. Up to his eyeballs in debt, all…
King Henry VIII certainly had a way with the ladies! After all, he had six marriages, all to varying degrees of success. But it was his last wife, Catherine Parr (Kate), who had a way with the king. The Last Wife by Kate Hennig is a faintly historical drama/comedy set in a contemporary context. The…
The Grapes of Wrath is an adaptation of the great American novel by John Steinbeck. Written by Frank Galati, it tells the story of the impoverished Joad family from Oklahoma during the Great Depression. The opening scene could be viewed as a summary of the themes built up during the play. It shows the local…
It’s amazing to think that only 400 years ago, common thought was that the Earth was the centre of the universe and that the planets and stars went around us. Despite all the scientific knowledge amassed since then, it’s a pity that some people still regard themselves as the centre of the universe! You may…
If tables could talk, I think most of us would want them to shut up pretty quickly. They just sit there watching, year after year, recording all the great events that take place around them, on them and, apparently, under them. In Tanya Ronder’s Table, secrets of the Best family are aired publicly and without…
My 1953 edition of Webster’s Dictionary provides this definition of diplomacy: “dexterity; skill; tact; shrewdness in managing affairs of any kind”. And these are exactly the qualities which writer Cyril Gély has so cleverly enshrined in his masterpiece play Diplomacy. Originally written in French, the translation and adapted version by Julie Rose I’m sure has…
We mainly know Mark Kilmurry as the artistic director of the Ensemble Theatre at Kirribilli. In Murder on the Wireless, Mark’s theatrical abilities are well on display as he has written, directed and acts in the production. A courageous undertaking but one successfully carried out, I’m pleased to report. Murder on the Wireless is a…
