Rainbow’s End is a play by Jane Harrison, author of Stolen (1998). Both of these plays have become part of the school HSC syllabus. Rainbow’s End, written in 2005, is an evocation of the lives of three generations of First Nation’s women: the Yorta Yorta nation, in the 1950’s, in the northern Victoria region of…
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…
This production of A View from the Bridge was first presented at the Old Fitz Theatre in Woolloomooloo, in 2017. There has been some major casting changes with Anthony Gooley now playing Eddie Carbone and Scott Lee essaying the antagonist, Rodolfo. Otherwise, Giles Gartrell-Miles (Louis), David Lynch (Alfieri) David Soncin (Marco) Zoe Terakes (Catherine) and…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Apparently, Joseph Stalin was an enthusiastic reader and loved the theatre. Of course, he was also acutely paranoid and one of the most evil dictators in history. In Collaborators, writer John Hodge portrays an almost-likable Stalin (or ‘JS’ as he was affectionately known by the secret police) as a contrast to the monster he is…
