Reviews

Here is an intense family drama, first produced in 2009, which confirmed twenty-two-year-old Polly Stenham’s reputation as the playwright to watch.  It’s about three ‘poor little rich kids’, abandoned it seems by their feckless mother and waiting – and waiting – for her return in a partly furnished London flat.

Embarrassingly in the profound ‘deafening’ silence after the close of Wake in Fright I turned to my plus one and uttered ‘Oh My Goodness’.  This was a reflex response to a remarkable refined and intensely focused work.

Declan Greene and Zahra Newman’s Wake in Fright is a superbly crafted piece with all creative artists working in rarefied and finely tuned synchronicity.  It is frightening.  And yes it does identify and express much of the essence of Kenneth Cook’s masterpiece.

Although the stage was awash with testosterone and male bodies it was prima ballerinaOlga Smirnova who was the star of the Bolshoi Ballet’s return visit to Brisbane for this year’s International series. As the predatory Aegina she captivated, especially in the third-act, with her astonishing technique and flawless lines. She absolutely bristled with charisma in a performance that had gold-standard stamped all over it.

Static Drive’s See You Next Tuesday was originally developed as part of Barking Gecko and the Australian Theatre for Young People’s Fresh Ink writing development process. Billed as “Hormones, smart phones, and really big feelings”, it is a coming of age story featuring 17 year old Evie, as she comes to terms with her sense of self, her sexuality and her sense of responsibility. Writing with a huge amount of potential, it is well presented in this premiere at the Blue Room.