Joan of Arc – was she a saint or a sinner? She was an illiterate peasant girl who believed she was acting under divine guidance when she guided the French army to victory in 1429. What she did was, indeed, momentous. She effectively stymied an attempt by the English to conquer France during the Hundred Years’…
Katzenmusik is a German word that translates as caterwaul, the shrill howling or wailing noise of a cat. And this is a story about the slaughter of 85 moggies, the end result of exploitation by greedy landlords. It is a disturbing, darkly comedic yarn about social divide from British playwright Tom Fowler, revealed in extraordinary…
The theatre makers have thrown the veritable kitchen sink at this one. Narrative, poetry, well-choreographed movements, puppetry, crowd interaction and breaking the fourth wall – it is all there. So much work has gone into the look and sound of the piece, and the result is spectacular. I refer to the set, props, costuming, make-up,…
Masterful and highly imaginative comes this trans-formative piece of theatre making. From the get go, I was intrigued and stimulated. Entering the theatre space felt like stepping onto the set of a high budget science fiction movie. It was visually arresting. Eerie, otherworldly music was playing. Tinged in green was shiny black scaffolding that constituted…
A pathological hatred and disdain for women is brought into sharp focus in a searing production from Vixen Theatre Company. Frankly, what is depicted on screen behind the actors disgusted me. And what makes it more appalling is that every word of it is true. Welcome to the domain of incels (involuntary celibates) and “manosphere”…
With technology continuing to advance at a rapid rate, Now deals with a new take on reality post COVID-19. A middle-aged mother, X, played by Helene Tardif, is environmentally responsible, aware of her carbon footprint and climate change. Her husband, Y (Marc Opitz), who has spent 25 years in advertising, is frustrated that he can’t…
Stars are falling from the sky, but why? Clearly, it is a portent of things to come. The end of the world is nigh. When? No-one can say, but it is happening. Nevertheless, it is just another nightshift for former schoolmates Sam (Ally Taueki-Gatt) and Frankie (Finn Corr). The pair works casually in a grocery…
Bittersweet, comes this slapstick, but poignant tale of sisters looking to escape from their mundane small-town (Dumfordton, population 340 and falling) existence. To do so, with her school dropout, songwriting little sister Shannon’s (Alana Louise) undying support, 25-year-old Jodi (Sarah Palmieri) has her heart set on winning Simon Cowell’s the X-Factor. Shannon has a history…
It is December 1999. With the imminent threat of Y2K (the millennium bug) hanging over participants in this drama with comedic elements, the main focus is on cross generational relationships. Lucinda (Tahlia Moffatt) is a 24-year-old goth who walks into an op shop operated by Rose (Janine McGrath). Lucinda, who works in a café, is…
Poppycock and balderdash. That sums up the theatre of the absurd production that is Bladderwrack at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory. It is errant nonsense – a fruit loop pantomime with a few operatic interludes. Inspirations include Spike Milligan and The Goon Show, so we shouldn’t be surprised. Bladderwrack starts with some light-hearted banter and audience…
