{"id":171844,"date":"2026-09-24T08:37:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T22:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=171844"},"modified":"2026-09-24T08:43:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T22:43:04","slug":"the-eternally-hopeful-at-theatre-works-explosives-factory-song-cycle-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-eternally-hopeful-at-theatre-works-explosives-factory-song-cycle-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Eternally Hopeful, at Theatre Works\u2019 Explosives Factory – song cycle review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sensitivity and soul permeate a fresh song cycle about life and its vicissitudes from first time writer and director Isabelle Davis, which strikes a chord. Emotionally resonant throughout, The Eternally Hopeful features four talented performers from their teens to their thirties who pour their hearts into the material.<\/p>\n

I speak of Jacqui Dwyer, billed as Hopeful 1, Kate Allnut as Hopeful 2, Hamish Pattenden, at the tender age of 16, as Hopeful 3 and Luke Leong-Tay as Hopeful 4. They weaponise their youth disposition to grand effect across 13 tunes that are hopeful, sorrowful, yearning and needy. The four can, indeed, warble with alacrity and polish.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photos by Alec Farrow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With mood lighting from Cale Dennis and sound design by Christopher Wiseman, I paid close attention to the lyrics, which were most impactful. After an overture played by musical director John Mondelo on keys and Luke Leong-Tay on guitar, an ever-expressive mezzo soprano Jacqui races onto the stage for I Wait. The song expresses fears about what the future will hold.<\/p>\n

Tenor Hamish\u2019s What Kind of Man Do I Want to Be? poses the question whether he wants to follow in his angry father\u2019s footsteps. Hope is the Thing with Feathers turns Emily Dickinson\u2019s poem into song in the context of a funeral. Tenor Luke plays a man who has lost his wife. Alto, Kate, his wife\u2019s sister, has just delivered the eulogy. They are joined by Luke\u2019s son, Hamish.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In One More Chapter, Jacqui reads books to escape the realities of the world. Kate learns to set boundaries in The Power of No. Luke, as a schoolteacher, is frustrated by a student he desperately wants to help in Murray Gets Angry. Magic sees Hamish as a very young father overwhelmed when his girlfriend falls pregnant.<\/p>\n

Princess and the Knight is fun and fanciful, as parents Luke and Kate sing a bedtime story to their children. The terror and excitement of discovering who you are is the theme of I Think I Know Who I Am, sung by Jacqui. The Witch, performed by Kate, sees a woman on trial for witchcraft. It is a commentary on the difficulties that women face.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Luke\u2019s wife has dementia and he knows he has lost her, even though she is still alive. That is the subject of the heart-wrenching Gone From Me. A young boy \u2013 in this case Hamish \u2013 is totally overwhelmed by life in Nananananana, before Luke sees to him. The show closes with Jacqui and Kate holding hands performing Eternally Hopeful. It sees Kate, terminally ill, coming to terms with her death, with Jacqui farewelling her.<\/p>\n

The material is moving and melodic. This is a show that exhibits great maturity and foresight from a young woman who only graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2019. Singer\/songwriter Isabelle Davis wrote The Eternally Hopeful after spending a lot of time early last year worrying that, perhaps, being hopeful was terribly selfish. Doing so enabled her to explore this fear.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She has a big future, if this offering is anything to go by. So too the rich array of talent she has assembled with no place to hide \u2013 just a bare stage, save for a couple of pot plants and some books. Fifty minutes without interval, The Eternally Hopeful is on at Theatre Works\u2019 Explosives Factory until 26th September, 2026.<\/p>\n

Alex First<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sensitivity and soul permeate a fresh song cycle about life and its vicissitudes from first time writer and director Isabelle Davis, which strikes a chord. Emotionally resonant throughout, The Eternally Hopeful features four talented performers from their teens to their thirties who pour their hearts into the material. I speak of Jacqui Dwyer, billed as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":171846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[804,801],"tags":[10150,11758,9293],"class_list":["post-171844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-theatre","tag-isabelle-davis","tag-the-eternally-hopeful","tag-theatre-works-explosives-factory"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Eternally Hopeful, at Theatre Works\u2019 Explosives Factory - song cycle review -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-eternally-hopeful-at-theatre-works-explosives-factory-song-cycle-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Eternally Hopeful, at Theatre Works\u2019 Explosives Factory - song cycle review -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sensitivity and soul permeate a fresh song cycle about life and its vicissitudes from first time writer and director Isabelle Davis, which strikes a chord. 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What she did was, indeed, momentous.\u00a0She effectively stymied an attempt by the English to conquer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rsz_itz05525_hr.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rsz_itz05525_hr.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rsz_itz05525_hr.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/rsz_itz05525_hr.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":169993,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/beasts-persona-collective-at-theatre-works-explosives-factory-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":171844,"position":2},"title":"BEASTS (Persona Collective), at Theatre Works\u2019 Explosives Factory – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"May 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The theatre makers have thrown the veritable kitchen sink at this one. 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I refer to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rsz_1beasts-personacollective-66.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rsz_1beasts-personacollective-66.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rsz_1beasts-personacollective-66.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rsz_1beasts-personacollective-66.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":167930,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/bladderwrack-theatre-works-explosives-factory-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":171844,"position":3},"title":"Bladderwrack (Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"November 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Poppycock and balderdash. That sums up the theatre of the absurd production that is Bladderwrack at Theatre Works\u2019 Explosives Factory. It is errant nonsense \u2013 a fruit loop pantomime with a few operatic interludes. Inspirations include Spike Milligan and The Goon Show, so we shouldn\u2019t be surprised. Bladderwrack starts with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rsz_bladderwrack_production_image_5_1.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rsz_bladderwrack_production_image_5_1.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rsz_bladderwrack_production_image_5_1.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/rsz_bladderwrack_production_image_5_1.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":165737,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/shadow-boxing-theatre-works-explosives-factory-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":171844,"position":4},"title":"Shadow Boxing (Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"May 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A pugilist\u2019s confessional, Shadow Boxing is tough, gritty and unrelenting. Samuel Addison features as the boxer, whose father, Errol Sebastian Flynn (who we never meet), also put on the gloves. His 47 fights produced only eight wins and his son recalls the vitriol directed at his dad as he lay\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/rsz_shadow_boxing_-_production-7.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/rsz_shadow_boxing_-_production-7.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/rsz_shadow_boxing_-_production-7.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/rsz_shadow_boxing_-_production-7.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":149807,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/turn-turn-turn-theatre-works-explosives-factory-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":171844,"position":5},"title":"Turn, Turn, Turn (Theatre Works\u2019 Explosives Factory) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"September 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It is the future and Earth Seven is becoming uninhabitable. Too many people, too few resources.\u00a0It is time to get out, but the opportunity is not there for everyone.\u00a0In fact, even amongst \u201cthe chosen\u201d, everything has to be just right \u2026 and it isn\u2019t for Hon, otherwise known as Panther\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rsz_dsc05096.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rsz_dsc05096.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rsz_dsc05096.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/rsz_dsc05096.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}