Reviews

Popstars - The 90s Musical

By Nicholas Christo and Neil Gooding, Musical Arrangements by Isaac Howard. Art in Motion Theatre Company. Directed by Lys Tickner and Ruby Voss. City of Gosnells Don Russell Performing Arts Centre, Thornlie, WA. Aug 4-7, 2022

Watching Art in Motion Theatre Company’s vibrant and fun production of Popstars - The 90s Musical, it is easy to see why this show has been one of the most frequently performed shows in Australian high schools, with its fun relatable characters, lots of great roles for young women, and familiar 1990s songs. Strangely this trend has not spread to the west, with only a smattering of school shows this side of the black stump, and this being the community theatre premiere in WA.

Terrain

Bangarra Dance Theatre. Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). 5–13 August 2022

Bangarra Dance Theatre are a rare and precious jewel in the Australian cultural landscape – they are the only First Nations dance company in the world. And if you’ve never seen this inspirational group perform, then Terrain is a wonderful starting point. Even though I am totally enthralled by modern dance, it can sometimes feel a little intimidating, but the Bangarra style is unique – powerfully contemporary and warmly accessible, combining indigenous inspiration with classical moves to create a style you won’t see anywhere else.

 

Radiant Vermin

By Philip Ridley. Chippen St Theatre, Chippendale, NSW. Jul 29 – Aug 6, 2022

With its biting topical satire, minimal props and staging, Radiant Vermin seems a perfect threesome for a modest company – as long as the actors bring depth and quicksilver skills to its simple Gothic story.

Ollie and Jill, who’s pregnant, worry about getting on the property ladder, until the mysterious, all-knowing Miss Dee offers them a Dream Home for absolutely nothing.  Of course, this Faustian bargain requires a bloody return.  

Louisa’s Dawn

By James Howard. Directed & produced by Ann Chadwick. La Mama Courthouse, Carlton. 3 – 14 August 2022

Louisa Lawson was a formidable woman who came from Gulgong near Mudgee – and then from a hut on the goldfields.  She came to Sydney in 1882, a widowed single mother of four children, into a hostile, patriarchal environment.  She was a fearless, possibly bullying, indomitable feminist, suffragette, poet, author, and publisher and editor of The Dawn, a monthly newspaper produced entirely by women.  She should certainly be known as rather more than merely Henry Lawson’s mother.

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare. Canberra Repertory, directed by Kelly Roberts and Christopher Zuber. Canberra Repertory Theatre, Acton, A.C.T. 28 July – 13 August 2022.

If some of his punning is overworked by modern standards, nonetheless Shakespeare can hardly be faulted in observing and showing the eternal difficulties of humans in society — an eternality that has made relatively easy the translation of his plays’ settings into other times and places.

Under the Paris Sky

Created and performed by Georgia Darcy. The Butterfly Club, Melbourne. 1 - 6 August 2022

A treat for lovers of Paris and all things French, Georgia Darcy is simply charmante in her latest cabaret show, Under the Paris Sky. Sharing her favourite French chansons, peppered with philosophy, heartfelt reflections and comedic surprises, “Under the Paris Sky” makes a fantastique night out.

The Ghost Train

By Arnold Ridley. Directed by Lori Anders. Murray Music and Drama Club. Pinjarra Civic Centre, WA. Jul 29-Aug 6, 2022

The Murray Music and Drama Club have really turned on the atmosphere for their production of the comic thriller The Ghost Train, combining expertly created stage effects and setting with perfect weather conditions - with the current wet and cold conditions matching the show beautifully.

Twenty Minutes with The Devil

Written by Luis Gómez Romero and Desmond Manderson. World Premiere: 18 June 2022. Directed by Caroline Stacey. The Street Theatre, Canberra. 18 June – 25 June, 2022

How is it possible to enforce the law in a land so corrupt that cartels and police work hand in hand? What if doing the right thing will likely get you killed, and probably won’t make any difference anyway?

Blanc de Blanc Encore

By Strut and Fret. Brisbane Festival. Twilight Electric Spiegeltent, Hamilton. 27 July to 18 September 2022.

Pop the champagne and indulge in a fun-filled evening of entertainment in one of the first offerings in this year’s Brisbane Festival. But first, a word of warning: for audiences enticed by the fabulous Spiegeltent venue with its family-friendly atmosphere, Blanc de Blanc Encore is not a family show: there is some nudity and risqué humour from the get-go. Second word of warning: despite the show’s glitzy billboards and promise of high-class ‘vintage French flair’, the show is not the Moulin Rouge.

School of Rock

By Andrew Lloyd Webber, Mike White, Julian Fellowes and Glen Slater. Gosford Musical Society. Laycock Street Theatre, Wyoming. July 29 – August 13, 2022

Advocating the punkification of a group of high achieving tween academics is not something I would traditionally equate with the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber or the creator of Downtown Abbey, Julian Fellowes. Yet Lloyd Webber’s composition, and Fellowes’ book, embrace the disestablishment with the same fervour with which the lead character, Dewey Finn, worships his gods of rock; and doesn’t local talent, Isaac Ledingham, personify fervour with perfection. 

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