Massive wealth is hidden to thwart gold diggers in pursuit of true love in the captivating comedy Thoroughly Modern Millie. A second narrative thread concerns a ruthless hotelier who cashes in on vulnerable young women looking to become actresses. The Production Company has done an outstanding job bringing to life the subterfuge and hijinks, ensuring…
This Wide Night deals with the trials and tribulations of a couple of ex-cons – former cell mates – from English playwright Chloë Moss. Marie (Claire Sara) looks to have it all together. She’s finally extracted herself from an abusive relationship with a bloke who is still on the gear. She has a job at…
Slapstick humour and pantomime feature in MTC’s version of Shakespeare in Love. Adapted for the stage by Lee Hall, with music by Paddy Cunneen, this Australian premiere is based on the 1998 film of the same name. More specifically, it’s based Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s screenplay for that movie. In the MTC’s production, laughs…
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),…
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…
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…
Over the years, a number of well-known names – like John Hurt and Harold Pinter – have performed Samuel Beckett’s one-person, one-act play, Krapp’s Last Tape. Now the indefatigable Max Gillies joins them I’m a Gillies fan. He certainly doesn’t let you down as he takes on the persona of a 69-year-old man who looks…
