Reviews

Mamma Mia!

Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Book by Catherine Johnson. Willoughby Theatre Company. Concourse Theatre, Chatswood. until October 8 to 23, 2022.

Occasionally Stage Whispers gets complaints for not mentioning the sound of a musical in our reviews.

So let me redress any past deficiencies by describing the extraordinary audio experience the Willoughby Theatre Company provided its audience during Mamma Mia!

The mixing of on-stage performers sometimes engaged in fierce choreography, pit singers, spare cast members in their own backstage ‘studio’ and a touch of electronic embellishments was at times as sharp as a highly produced album listened to with headphones.

Mastress of Ceremonies

Written & performed by Heather Valentine. Melbourne Fringe Festival. The Motley Bauhaus, Carlton. 10 - 16 October 2022

The premise (and it’s a good one) is that Nicole and Alex’s wedding is a litany of disasters, from the church ceremony (at which two flower girls threw up - one on the bride) to the reception.  Michelle (Heather Valentine), dressed in a truly awful green bridesmaid’s dress, gamely steps in - in the absence of anyone else - but certainly not Nicole’s first choice - to be ‘Mastress of Ceremonies’. 

Tattletales

Creator/Storyteller - Davey Seagle. Produced by Ponydog Productions. Melbourne Fringe Festival. Bard’s Apothecary – Crossley Street. 7 – 15 October, 2022.

For the ten unique performances of Tattletales, Ponydog Productions have chosen an excellent venue in The Bard’s Apothecary in Crossley Street of the top end of Bourke Street. This great friendly little ‘watering hole’ serves cocktails and has an interesting wine list and a comfortable small performance space down stairs.

A show based on Tarot! Mysterious? Edgy? Risky? Do not let any trepidation about the possibility of being put on the spot hold you back from this is truly engaging, masterfully managed and fun evening.

Casanova: More than just a lover.

Digital Melbourne Fringe until the 23rd of October, 2022.

To be labelled a “Casanova” means you are a notorious seducer and or lover with multiple partners, but the real Casanova was more than just your average libertine.

Writer and performer Loucas Loizou, in his new one man show, offers a unique tale of this real to life character Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) - a legendary adventurer, philosopher who gained notoriety as a womaniser and gambler, who was born in Venice, and died in Dux, Bohemia (now known as Czech Republic).

The Mousetrap

By Agatha Christie. John Frost for Crossroads Live. Directed by Robyn Nevin. Theatre Royal Sydney until October 30, 2022; Playhouse QPAC, Nov 4 – 20; Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, Dec 31 until Jan 15; Comedy Theatre, Melb, Feb 17 until March 26..

Watching The Mousetrap is an experience dripping in nostalgia, both for 1950s England, when you could cut wires to disconnect a phone connection, when people listened to the wireless, and personal reflections on making the pilgrimage to see the play on the West End.

Afterwards I almost felt like I should be walking back from the theatre and onto the London Tube, as I did one night after seeing the Mousetrap in the mid 1980’s.

The Theatre Royal airconditioning was even turned up to give the feeling of an English winter chill.

Why Young Men Run at 2am

Written and directed by Pierce Gordon. Ad Astra, Brisbane. 6 - 22 October, 2022

This play’s title sounds a lot more serious than the actual play. Created as part of Ad Astra’s talent pipeline ‘Astra Nova’ youth and scriptwriting programme, Why Young Men Run at 2am was written by local award-winning writer-director-actor, Pierce Gordon, after a sojourn to his local Pawn Broker’s shop.

Just Super

Written & performed by Eddie Pattinson. Melbourne Fringe Festival. Trades Hall, The Boardroom. 7 – 14 October 2022

Two things – no three - about Eddie Pattinson.  First, they are ‘non-binary’ (something we are told in the first few minutes and a member of the audience is recruited to hold up a sign, when signalled, reading NOT A WOMAN).  Second, they are small, slight, and endearing with hair of brilliant green, a nose piercing and one beaded earing with a cross on it and when they use their face or body to illustrate or counterpoint an idea, we see a fine comedian.  Third, they can deliver very dense, complex material in fully formed sentences at rocket speed without tr

The Yeomen of the Guard

By William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. GSOV. Director/Choreographer: Ron Pidcock OAM. Musical Director/Conductor: Trevor Henley. Lighting Design: Jason Bovaird. Alexander Theatre, Melbourne, October 6-8, 2022 and regional Victoria tour concluding with a concert performance at Corinella Public Hall, October 15, 2022.

Critically acclaimed as one of Australia's leading light opera companies, Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Victoria present The Yeomen of the Guard. For over 87 years this group has been performing and advancing the appreciation and study of all things Gilbert & Sullivan.  Incredibly, in 2022 alone, this busy company will produce three operas (The Gondoliers, The Yeomen of the Guard and Thespis).  

Jersey Boys

Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice. Music by Bob Gaudio. Lyrics by Bob Crewe. Northern Light Theatre Company. The Shedley Theatre, Elizabeth, SA. Oct 7 – 22, 2022

Jersey Boys has racked up 57 major awards – including London’s Olivier for Best New Musical, along with Broadway’s Tony and Australia’s Helpmann for Best Musical. So, it is a great choice to end 2022 for Northern Light Musical Theatre Company!

Jersey Boys is a bio-musical inspired by the lives of four band members: Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi. Together, the quartet were Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Donor

Written and Performed by Julia Grace. Director: Emily O’Brien Brown. The Motley Bauhaus, Carlton. 3rd – 9th October, 2022

In her solo show, Julia Grace gives a masterclass in storytelling, characterisation, audience engagement, timing, transitions, and the use of silence, space and props. With these finely honed tools she explores how people make meaning in the face of life’s challenges by following the central character, Wren, from her ‘failure’ in her Chicago advertising job, to making the decision to donate part of her liver to Kate, her best friend.

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