My Dearworthy Darling from feminist theatre mavericks THE RABBLE is an esoteric mix of past and present. In modern day Australia, the marriage of a middle-aged couple is in real trouble. They are being pulled apart by mistrust, paranoia and violence. The woman is left scared and scarred. She’s trapped in a very unhappy situation….
Surviving the hardships inflicted by the Nazis on Jewish ghettos during the Holocaust was a perilous proposition at best. Some played music and staged plays while interned to maintain a level of normality. The Ghetto Cabaret pays tribute to the fighting spirit of the Jews in those turbulent times. Galit Klas (who is also one…
When The Little Red Theatre Company first bought Lady Beatle to La Boite, the show soon became one of my favourites of 2017. And from the moment Naomi Price bursts forth with “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” it’s clear the tradition will continue with its return to Brisbane. Her appropriate dress of military-style jacket,…
What do you do when the cards you’ve been dealt aren’t enough? In Jessie Cates’ (Esther van Doornum) case, she calmly takes the ultimate step. Jessie is the single mother of a troubled child, who has left. She lives with her own widowed mother Thelma (Caroline Lee). She tells Thelma she’s about to take her…
Colin Thiele’s cherished 1964 novel Storm Boy is part of Australian folklore. The poignant story is of 11-year-old Mike, the titular Storm Boy (Conor Lowe) – named after being seen wandering the Coorong dunes during a dangerous storm – and his gruff reclusive hermit father, ‘Hideaway’ Tom (John Batchelor). Their lives are altered when Storm…
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…
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…
Marriage is hard work. How often have you heard that? Well, the subject is given a working-over in American playwright Michael Weller’s drama Fifty Words. Adam (Daniel Schepisi) is an architect who works a long way from home. Jan (Katharine Innes) is a former dancer turned businesswoman. They have a love/hate relationship. Their child (who…
Slingsby’s production of Oscar Wilde’s The Young King (adapted for the stage by Nicki Bloom) is a deceptively simple but lusciously layered show. That is once the acclaimed Adelaide theatre company’s show actually starts as before the audience makes it into the theatre space, things begin with an immersive entry process through the Cremorne Theatre…
The Curators’ homage to great Norwegian playwright Henrick Ibsen’s controversial Ghosts is innovative from even the initial moments. Smoke haze meets the audience on entering the Vintage Pop-Up Theatre in Red Hill’s St Barnabas Hall. In opening, characters emerge to move forward towards us from behind a makeshift plastic scrim screen. A menacing soundtrack signals…
