Reviews

A Night with the Villains

Concept by Elodie Boal and Trent Sellars. Presented by Mira Ball Productions, Our Yakka, and Salad Bowl Collective. Ron Hurley Theatre, 29 – 31 October 2024

A Night with the Villains is a hilarious, sexy, spooky cabaret show packed full of great singing, lively dancing, and comedic acting. The mood is set from the start with a sign above the entrance in bloody lettering warning you to ‘Enter if you Dare’. The staircases inside the theatre are lined with black candles and cobwebs, and tombstones flank the stage. The show features some of the best of the worst characters from history and fiction, singing beloved musical numbers with a twist. In many cases the lyrics are cleverly re-written or tweaked to suit the character.

SIX

By Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Linda Bewick, by arrangement with Kenny Wax, Wendy and Andy Barnes and George Styles. Theatre Royal, Sydney. Opening Night: 30 October, 2024

It’s easy to see – and hear – why Six, its queens and their Ladies in Waiting have been wowing audiences around the world since its debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 2017! How clever of Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss to turn history around and write about the wives of Henry VIII rather than their errant husband!

The Wharf Revue: The End of the Wharf as We Know It!!!

By Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe, and Phillip Scott. Jonathan Biggins, Mandy Bishop, Drew Forsythe, Phillip Scott, and David Whitney, directed by Jonathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe, with musical direction by Phillip Scott. Canberra Theatre, 25 October to 2 November 2024, and touring to Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Brisbane, and more.

 

Billy Hughes P.M. – “Dirty Little Rat”

Written by Kevin Summers. Devised by Dennis Coard and Summers. La Mama Courthouse. Oct 26 & 27, 2024

Ex - Prime Minister Billy Hughes at the age of 84 performs as himself in the movie Smithy (Ken G Hall,1946), based on Aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (1897- 1935). History recalls Hughes rejecting Smith’s application back in 1919 to compete for  a ten-thousand-pound prize in the first England to Australia flight. Nevertheless Kingsford- Smith went on to become a national hero and now celebrated forever on the twenty dollar note.

Criollo

NUDO Dance Company, presented by Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre (BEMAC). Talbot Theatre, Thomas Dixon Centre, Brisbane. 26 October 2024.

NUDO Dance Company is relatively new on the Brisbane performing arts scene, and they certainly made their presence felt with their new show Criollo. ‘Nudo’ means ‘knot’ in Spanish, and that perfectly reflects the tone of the group – tethered lovingly to their Hispanic roots but not so tightly as to exclude modern and hybrid dance influences from the creative mix. There is a small but strong community of people in Brisbane of Spanish descent, and it was a very tightknit community who turned out to a completely sold-out show at the Talbot Theatre.

Sing Sing Sing

Presented by Opera Queensland. Opera Queensland Studio. Saturday 26 October, 2024

Opera Queensland’s is embracing the modern appetite for immersive, participatory experiences that transcend traditional spectatorship with Sing Sing Sing. This monthly event, hosted in Opera Queensland’s Studio at South Brisbane, invites attendees to become part of the art, led by the charismatic Jason Barry-Smith, a vocalist whose talent is matched by his infectious enthusiasm.

Fairytales

Alex Raineri (piano). Brisbane Music Festival. FourthWall Arts, Brisbane. 27 October 2024.

Busy Artistic Director for the Brisbane Music Festival (BMF), Alex Raineri, was back in his creative place at the Kawai grand piano for a delightful mix of the magical and mystical in a weekend performance to get us in a Halloween mood. A world premiere of new work by Brisbane-born composer, Ian Whitney, was succinctly wedged between two longer pieces, all based on fairytales.

Reds

Back2Back Short Show Festival. Star Theatres, Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Hilton, SA. Oct 20 and 27, 2024

Bronwyn James (known affectionately as ‘Bronnie’) is one of the joys of Adelaide theatre!

Her one woman show Reds is a celebration and exploration of redheads, famous and infamous. More importantly, it is a lesson in the realisation of what is important in life and how to strive to be an original person.

James has performed this show in-between her portrayal of Judy Garland in The Boy from Oz to critical acclaim. Her energy seems boundless!

The Fifth Elephant

By Sir Terry Pratchett. Adapted by Stephen Briggs. Directed by Sarah Drew. Brisbane Arts Theatre, Petrie Terrace, Brisbane. 19 Oct – 2 Nov, 2024.

In the strange world of Discworld, a huge flat disc rests on the backs of four enormous elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle swimming through space; Uberwald is a mountainous kingdom of warring factions of dwarfs, vampires and werewolves. Legend has is that the fifth elephant fell from the turtle shell onto the Disc to form the mountains they now call home. The mountains have valuables that they all want and so the differences become more exaggerated.

Piano Room

Music by Corrina Bonshek with Roger Cui (piano). Brisbane Music Festival. FourthWall Arts, Brisbane, 26 October 2024.

Queensland-based composer Corrina Bonshek aims to create uplifting musical experiences that connect people to nature. Piano Room is a new piece (it premiered at Redlands Performing Arts Centre earlier this year) and is a brilliant way to start the weekend in an intimate early morning performance for Brisbane Music Festival. Corrina created the concept and sound design, and mixes the sonic soundscape live on stage.

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