Reviews

28 Grams

Written and directed by Ella Randle. Fringe World. Hayman Theatre, Curtin University, WA. Jan 20-30, 2022

Presented by Ella Randle as part of the Hayman Theatre Season for Fringe World, 28 Grams is a one woman show that deals with a multitude of issues - most notably with living with an eating disorder.

Compellingly written and well directed by Ella Randle, this hour-long play features Grace, a young person who hates her cafe job, enjoys some casual drug use, hangs out with her friends and tries to find her place in the world. In a life that feels somewhat out of her control, she finds herself becoming addicted to controlling her weight.

The Big Shot

Fringe World. The Actors Hub, Kensington St., East Perth, WA. Jan 21-28, 2022

The Big Shot is presented as part of the Actors Hub’s Naughty Nights at Nine series for Fringe World. Playing at 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights Naughty Nights at Nine plays after the 4x4x4 Season offering and is a great chance for patrons to catch a second show in the same venue. The 9pm shows are a little more unpredictable than the 7pm shows and include “Who Dunnit?”  Murder Mysteries on the Friday nights.

Elliot’s Big Nose and the Snot that it Grows

By Elise Wilson. Fringe World. Directed by Christopher Moro. Rehearsal Room 1, State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth WA. Jan 24-29, 2022

Elliot’s Big Nose and the Snot that it Grows is both gross and gorgeous, a little treasure of a show for kids, presented by Elise Wilson and Christopher Moro, as part of State of Play for Fringe World. A wonderful blend of puppetry and live action, it keeps its young audience engaged and giggling throughout.

Touching the Void

Based on the book by Joe Simpson. Adapted by David Greig. Melbourne Theatre Company. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. 17 January – 19 February 2022

Touching the Void is an amazing true story, set in the Peruvian Andes. It has been a book, a successful documentary film and now the theatre play we see here.

The Aussie Way

Written and directed by Amanda Crewes. Fringe World. The Actors Hub, Kensington St, East Perth, WA. Jan 21-Feb 10, 2022

The Aussie Way is presented by The Actors Hub, as part of the 4x4x4 Season at Fringe World. This unique season, which has become a tradition over the last few years, features 4 plays, played once a week on a rotating schedule, over four weeks of Fringe World. The Aussie Way is a very well-presented verbatim theatre piece that features a strong ensemble cast, exploring what it means to be Australian in 2022.

Spencer

By Katy Warner. Serial Productions. Directed by Rob Warner. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, WA. Jan 21 - Feb 5, 2022

Serial Productions specialise in comedies - usually of the lighter variety. Their latest production, Spencer, is very funny, but also packs quite a serious punch, with its slice of life family drama, written by Western Australian export - Katy Warner.

Dreams of a Lonely Planet

Written and directed by Estelle Brown and Izzy Leclezio. Flying Bicycle Collective. Fringe World. Rehearsal Room 1, State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth WA. Jan 20-22, 2022

Flying Bicycle Collective’s Dreams of a Lonely Planet is a gentle blend of contemporary dance, shadow puppetry and storytelling with live music composition to tell an abstract story of Boy’s journey to the lonely planet. 

The season included a relaxed performance which is the show I reviewed - and I am assuming that there may have been some accommodations to make this a less confronting experience for people with sensory needs. Wonderful to see relaxed performances - especially during a short run.

Deafinite Connection

Written and Directed by Peter Blockey. Fringe World. Home Economics, The Girls School, East Perth WA. Jan 15 - 23, 2022

Deafinite Connection is a moving and important production which features three deaf and three hearing performers, in a production aimed at deaf and hearing audiences. It shares some of the experiences of our local deaf community and aims to strengthen relationships between the deaf and wider communities.

The Construct

aXis Ensemble and Circus Monoxide. Sydney Festival. Church St Parramatta. 22nd January and 23rd, 2022

Six fearless Australian performers tumble, dance and contort their way through and around a unique steel sculpture standing on a vinyl mat spread over part of the new light rail on Church Street Parramatta. Their performance, titled The Construct, is part of the free, outside entertainment of this year’s Sydney Festival. They attract a crowd of about two hundred – some dedicated Sydney Festival followers, some simply passers-by, others sitting, sipping outside the cafes that line this precinct of Parramatta commonly known as ‘Eat Street’.  

Into the Woods

Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Lapine. Watch This. Meat Market – Flat Floor Pavilion, North Melbourne. 15 – 23 January 2022

‘Once upon a time…’  Into the Woods reworks and combines and subverts old and familiar ‘fairy tales: Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and – a central thread – a Baker and his Wife who long for a child. It has all the hallmarks of Sondheim and Lapine’s work: the distinctive music, the clever, pointed lyrics with their internal rhymes, puns and character revelation, the instant switches in the storytelling from pathos to comedy, from bubbling joy to the deepest sadness, and a confronting moral ambiguity.

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