Reviews

What a positive choice to bring Packemin’s loyal audience packing back in to Riverside! Despite QR and Vaccination-checking queues and compulsory masks, Mamma Mia’s  opening night crowd filled the theatre with joyous anticipation – and directors Jordan Vassallo and Courtney Cassar and their very talented and energetic cast rose to their expectations! The production is bright, tight, colourful and makes the very most of the comedy and optimism that infuses the plot and the many ABBA hits.

The Almost Completely Terrible Tale of Felicity Footin has one of the brightest posters at Fringe World. Resplendent in bright yellow, pink, and purple, it looks more like a children’s show with its happy, bright feel. 

The Complete Show of Water Skiing is a wildly unlikely tale, but a beautifully told story, well presented and acted.

When Jenwin finds a book entitled The Complete Book of Water Skiing amongst her recently departed grandfather’s possessions she decides to honour his memory by learning to water ski. Enthusiastically supported by her two best friends, the trio find themselves entered in a competition, despite their lack of experience and equipment.

The cultural importance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle cannot be underestimated, and staging this work is always an admirable exercise. Melbourne Opera has approached this production with grandeur and on most accounts succeeds in conveying the magnificence of this work. The stage combines a modernist brutalist set design which also houses a naturalistic looking Ash tree. This seems at odds with the scenery and is an example of some of the less cohesive aspects of the directorial vision.