In 1929, Virginia Woolf reflected on the treatment of women in general and female authors in particular. Her searing essay, A Room of One’s Own, has now been adapted for the stage. Woolf didn’t hold back. She laid it on the line, pointing out what theatrical adapter and director Peta Hanrahan calls “the profound inconsistencies,…
What a magnificent feel good show. Come From Away restores your faith in humanity. Moving, energetic and melodic, I defy anyone not to be in raptures … because it really is that good. The story is set in Newfoundland, an island off the northeast coast of Canada, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. For…
Grim storytelling at its nasty best, the dystopian thriller Pomona set me back on my heels. Ollie’s (Mona Mina Leon) sister has disappeared and she’s desperate to find her. But because her sister was involved in some shady goings-on, Ollie doesn’t want to call the police. Instead, she’s referred to a driver, Zeppo (Dion Mills),…
I had an absolutely fabulous time watching this musical. It’s one of the best I’ve seen and while School of Rock was performed in a theatre, you could be forgiven for thinking you were at an AC/DC rock concert. It was full on rock ‘n roll: loud, energetic and loads of fun. Zack (Zane Blumeris)…
Lively, colourful and at times exhilarating, Bring It On, The Musical focuses on the competitive world of cheerleading. With music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics by Amanda Green and Miranda and book by Jeff Whitty, the Tony Award-nominated musical was inspired by the 2000 film of the same. On her last day of…
Imagine you’re the last person alive and all Earth’s resources have been depleted. Autocannibal explores this premise in a confronting one-person play created and performed by the highly talented Mitch Jones. It’s performance art mashed with circus skills and clowning. Jones is agile, powerful and bold. His character adopts a survival-at-any-cost mentality, with options fast…
Early into Meyne Wyatt’s semi-autographical play City of Gold, feisty activist Carina (Shari Sebbens) speaks at a press conference following a protest in Kalgoorlie, condemning vigilantism and demanding justice. We need to wake up and listen in order to heal, she tells the unseen media and also the show’s audience. It’s a call to attention…
Through the centuries, mankind’s tendency has been towards total control. Malthouse Theatre explores that tendency in the sci-fi drama Solaris. The play is a theatrical adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s philosophical novel about extraterrestrial intelligence. Movie adaptations followed in 1968, 1972 and 2002. Drs Snow (Fode Simbo) and Sartorius (Jade Ogugua) have been on a space…
Yank was a weekly magazine published by the United States military for its servicemen from 1942 – 1945. It’s the magazine where an awkward young man called Stu (Andy Johnston) partners with photographer Artie (Eli Cooper), who is also ‘light in the loafers’, to report stories. After Stu’s call-up, before he goes off to join…
A mashed-up musical genre is making a bit of splash at the moment – the arena show. Think traditional scripts, scores and costumes – then multiply it by a stadium-size stage and a cast of hundreds! Harvest Rain Theatre company are championing the way for this new theatrical movement, producing Hairspray and Grease in this…
