There is a chill in the air of the Cremorne Theatre as Jane Eyre begins. It’s an affair that befits the terror of Charlotte Bronte’s sophisticated 1847 novel (originally published under the male pseudonym Currer Bell), represented in the stage’s steely blue aesthetic. Not only does it capture the miserable dampness of the northern English…
A haunted mansion in the middle of suburban Melbourne. Who knew that was a thing in this town? The perfect venue for a creep show where things go bump in the night. It is about broken love and apparitions. There is a back story, given to us by a narrator (Mike Snell) in the hallway…
Courtney Love (Rebeka Hill) meets Lindy Chamberlain (Dana Miltins) – two women who have suffered loss and are feeling guilty because of it. The deaths that affected them happened 13 and a half years apart, one in August 1980 and the other in April 1994. A dingo took Chamberlain’s nine-week-old baby daughter Azaria, while Love’s…
A fascinating, at times most humorous insight into a dystopian future, what is in play here is a power struggle. Ultimately, Control is about attempting to subvert a dehumanising system and allowing natural instincts to dictate the way forward. The play – a world premiere work written by Keziah Warner – is divided into three…
Melbourne International Arts Festival was first staged in 1986 under a different name – Spoleto Melbourne – and has carried several other names since. Covering dance, theatre, music, visual arts and multimedia, as well as free and outdoor events, it is held every October. The 2019 Festival runs from the 2nd to the 20th of…
Black is the New White, not to be confused with the television series Orange is the New Black, is about racism, class and identity. Humour is the principle vehicle used to highlight inequity, but perhaps not as you might have expected it. Charlotte Gibson (Miranda Tapsell) is a hot shot young aboriginal lawyer who has…
What does it mean to be Australian … to live in this country? What expectations do you have of others’ behaviour towards you … and what is the harsh reality? Who is exploiting who? Who is taking advantage and how significant is the social, class, gender, racial and cultural divide? These are some of the…
Life can be cruel at any age, but especially when it comes to the elderly. How does one grow old with dignity? What happens when your mind starts going or when you can no longer take care of yourself?What about the burden that places on those nearest and dearest to you? The subject is ripe for evocative…
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical begins with a ‘Sunshine State of Mind’ Porpoise Spit burst of hyper colour and brashly bright lighting that sets the tone for the joy of its satirical stage experience. What follows is an explosion of high energy, full of colour and movement to brighten any adult day. The affectionate stage realisation…
Just as all families are unique, it’s safe to say that all have their own individual issues and, accordingly, suburban family life has long been fodder for theatrical works. In the case of From Darkness Steven Oliver’s take comes with humour but so much more; the darkly funny drama is, at its core, about bigger…
