Reviews

Amongst the Trees

Daphne - Composed by Josh Van Konkelenberg, libretto by Fleur Kilpatrick and performed by Bethany Hill - World Premiere and Erwartung - by Arnold Schoenberg, performed by Bethany Hill. Co-Opera. Woolshed – Adelaide Showgrounds. September 29, 2019

Amongst the Trees was an intense and sometimes challenging evening. Its intensity came from both the subject matter and the style of music. This was a departure from the usual style of operatic offerings from Co-Opera, which usually chooses more traditional and ‘audience-friendly’ operatic offerings.

Amongst the Trees demanded close attention from the audience. The Schoenberg in particular is rarely performed and lacked the melodies, and for me, the moments of transcendent beauty that come from arias in the more well-known operas.

The Farndale Avenue Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery

By David McGillvray and Walter Zerlin. Directed by Caitlin Jones and David Jones. Mousetrap Theatre, Redcliffe. Playing September 27 – October 13, 2019.

Within the grand halls of Checkmate Manor, murder is rampant and each of the chess pieces that fall is inevitably connected to another character’s grisly demise. Well, that is the play being performed by the passionate, but relatively hopeless, members of the Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society. The audience has the challenge of solving the crimes and determining who is the murderer, while laughing continuously at this passionate debacle.

John and Jen

By Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald. Stirling Players. Directed by Tyler Eldridge. Stirling Theatre, Morris Pl, Innaloo, WA. Sep 20 - Oct 5, 2019

Stirling Players’ John and Jen may be this year’s best kept secret. This beautifully produced two-hander may not be getting the audiences that it deserves (a little known show and the small cast make it a little hard to sell), but those that do catch this little gem will appreciate this excellent production.

The Campervan Tales

By James Forte. Directed by Jarrod Buttery. Rigby’s Bar, Perth and Garrick Theatre, Guildford. Sep 27-28, 2019

The Campervan Tales is a collection of short plays by local author James Forte. Six plays, all under 15 minutes, and telling a variety of stories, there is probably something to appeal to all tastes in the compilation.

Playing in two different venues over the very short (two night) season, the sets are necessarily simple, but this allows the acting and storytelling to shine.

On Our Beach

By Peta Murray. Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, Short St, Fremantle WA.. Directed by Phillip Mitchell. Sep 28 - Oct 12, 2019.

On Our Beach, a World Premiere production by Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, is a delightful romp that is part traditional puppetry, part promenade theatre, with a huge amount of audience participation and a whole lot of surprises.

The Opening Night audience, which had a few more grown-ups than will be expected at most performances, showed that it really is a show that will be appreciated by parents as much as their children, which makes this a particularly attractive holiday option for families.

Daddy Long Legs

Music & Lyrics: Paul Gordon. Book: John Caird. Based on the novel by Jean Webster. Passion Productions. Director: Connor Clarke. Musical Director: Sean Fagan. Movement Director: George Canham. Brisbane Powerhouse. 26 September to 5 October, 2019

Jean Webster’s 1912 novel set in turn-of-the-century New England has been musicalised before. Hugh Martin wrote a hit West End adaptation of it called Love From Judy in 1952 and three years later Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron turned the story into a very successful Hollywood musical, Daddy Long Legs. But there’s no splashy song-and-dance numbers in this version, which is written for a cast of two.

Flamenco Fire’s Veinte Años (20 Years).

Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Brisbane Festival. World Premiere. 26 September 2019.

Flamenco Fire – Australia’s only national flamenco company – have been performing their unique mix of traditional and contemporary Spanish Flamenco with international and interstate musicians and dancers since 1999. To celebrate their vibrant 20 years together, they premiered their new show – Veinte Años – at the Brisbane Festival.

Facing Medea

By François Cervantes. Directed by Jenny Kemp. Melbourne Fringe, La Mama Courthouse, 49 Drummond Street, Carlton. 25 September - 6 October, 2019.

François Cervantes takes a very lateral approach to this myth and explores the reaction of three women who are trying to make sense of the atrocities committed by Medea. The set design creates a great sense of a story unfolding on a blank page. The stark white background made of up what looks like large scrolls of paper is a fantastic backdrop for this gruesome narrative.

Brilliant Traces

By Cindy Lou Johnson. Joh Hartog Productions. Bakehouse Theatre. September 25th – October 5th, 2019

Written by Cindy Lou Johnson, Brilliant Traces is a two hander, performed very ably by Krystal Brock as Rosannah DeLuce and Brendan Cooney as Henrey Harry.

The Kick Inside

By Kerensa Diball. Melbourne Fringe. Fringe Hub: Trades Hall, Carlton. September 21 – 29, 2019

The Kick Inside by Kerensa Diball is a feisty piece of feminist performance art addressing issues related to motherhood. Whether speaking to the past or the   present female generations, she is adamant about breaking down the barrier for the “barren spinsters”, ”frigid witches” and the eccentric “Aunt Frenzies” who did not experience the three trimesters and get to feel that “kick inside”.

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