Youth drug culture may not sound like the material to make a short but compelling musical out of, but the reality is quite the opposite in 21 Chump Street. Firstly, the story is not only relevant, but it reflects upon a scourge of our age. Secondly, the way it has been written and is performed gives it…
This is quite an amazing play; I certainly place it among the funniest plays ever written. It was first produced in 1982 and in various forms and rewrites has been performed regularly ever since on stages around the world. It is the classic farce that has dateless characters, hilarious dialogue, and a sequence of slapstick…
What a hoot! Who ever believed the disco ball was dead? Clearly they hadn’t seen VELVET, an ode to all that was great about the ‘70s and early ‘80s. Mostly that was about the music, but in this show – which claimed “Pick of the Fringe (Festival)” and “Best of The Fringe” awards – it concerns the “look…
It is April 1984. Comrade 6079, Winston Smith (Tom Conroy), has a thought, starts a diary and falls in love, but Big Brother is watching his every move. You see, he is not allowed to think for himself. He has to tow the party line at all times and subversives are outed and disciplined for thought…
Released in 1975, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was arguably the most searing and memorable motion picture of my youth. The film starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, helmed by Milos Forman shone a light on mental illness and claimed five Oscars in the process. With a title drawn from a nursery rhyme, Ken Kesey’s…
In story, Swallow is about when strangers cross paths. Thematically, however, the work gives audiences so much more to contemplate. And the result is a challenging but rewarding experience thanks to the excellent execution by all involved in the production. Hermitted in her home, Anna (Elise Greig) is in need to focus, frenetically completing self-decided…
The Ham Funeral is a first play by Patrick White, written in 1947 in post war, blitzed-out London. Set in 1919 it was inspired by the painting by William Dobell known as ‘The Dead Landlord’ and on a story of Dobell’s experience in one of those great crumbling houses in Pimlico. This play begins with…
With a spotlit cabaret seating section and shadowed stage, the pre-show aesthetic of Lady Beatle is of Liverpudlian grey, like through the eyes of a ladybird. This is the Lonely Hearts Club, soon to be coloured with the music of the Beatles as Naomi Price bursts forth with the penultimate Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club…
Wonderful music, a kaleidoscope of colourful costumes, warmth and good humour permeate the Playhouse in a showcase of talent that is Hello, Dolly! circa 2017. Lyrics and music are by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart. The show is based on Thornton Wilder‘s 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The…
An intense study of vulnerability, heartache, anger and loss, Shrine packs punch. Written by Tim Winton – the only author to have won the Miles Franklin Award four times – the play is directed by Marcel Dorney. 19-year-old Jack Mansfield (Christian Taylor) has died in an early morning car crash. He was in the vehicle with…
