Reviews

Michael Paynter, in his professional musical theatre debut, almost blew the lid off the Capitol Theatre with his soaring high tenor rendition of the aria ‘Gethsemane’.

With spotlights circling the heavens, beaten and whipped, facing imminent crucifixion, he scaled notes with such clarity and passion that he scored an unheard of two mid-performance standing ovations. The rock singer has not been in a musical since he was in high school – what a debut!

Top mage: The full line up of performers standing on stage.

Conceived from the intriguing premise of a man hosting his own wake, Richmond Players’ production of Milo’s Wake unravels into a vivid exploration of the Irish migrant experience with deep roots in personal narratives.

Milo (Sean Duff), who has spent many years in Australia, has chosen to celebrate his life in a rather unconventional manner. Although, initially, I perceived this as an impressive platform for the actor playing Milo, and it is, each character plays a significant role exploring themes of legacy, family dynamics, and personal growth.

Kate Mulvany’s The Seed is not locally written but has extensive ties to Western Australia. This bitter-sweet examination of family, heritage and inter-generational trauma has been re-written for Black Swan’s 2024 Season.