Reviews

The Exquisite Corpse… shall drink the new wine

Script & Original Music by Faye Bendrups. La Mama Courthouse. 25 - 30 October 2022

Faye Bendrups’ program note says Greg Carroll’s set design could be ‘a dream or a reality… a boudoir or an insane asylum.’  Whatever it is, it’s a brightly lit space of dazzling white.  There are three lovely women of a certain age (writer and composer Faye Bendrups herself, Alison Richards, and Julie Dawson) all in 1920s white, seated at a table, and having a girls’ night out and a fine old time, drinking, laughing, reminiscing, winking at us, and mixing some sort of punch.  Lesley Gore sings You Don’t Own Me from the

You’re So Brave

By Georgi Ivers. Directed by Joe Paradise Lui. The Blue Room Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre, WA. Oct 18-29, 2022

Presented by The Blue Room and Georgi Ivers, You’re So Brave is the autobiographical story of lead creative Georgi Ivers. Diagnosed with multiple chronic illnesses (Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia and Chron’s Disease) between the ages of 17 and 26, the show chronicles Georgi’s battles with health issues, her move to Hong Kong as a young woman, and her decision on her return to Perth, to begin pole dancing.

Suites and Treats

Barrier Reef Orchestra conducted by Warwick Potter and Rachel Cairns. Townsville Civic Theatre, 23 October 2022. One performance only.

TODAY the key to success in the arts is collaboration and nowhere was this more apparent than at Sunday’s Barrier Reef Orchestra concert, which saw two of Townsville’s major musical forces combine for a concert that had the audience craving more.

Stokes Nicholson Big Band

Carlton Theatre, Carlyle Gardens. Townsville Brass, presented by the Townsville Community Music Centre. Sunday 17 October 2022

FROM THE FIRST evocative chords of any big band performance, you are somehow transported back to an earlier – and gentler – time.

Movie soundtracks use this ploy significantly well, and when they want to take you back to the 1940s, you are instantly “there” with only a few key chords from a big band.

The Stokes Nicholson Big Band was formed in Townsville 32 years ago specifically to perform that beloved music of a bygone era, but - as this performance more than demonstrated - the repertoire has definitely not been frozen in time.

Hunters

By Katherine Chloe Atkins. Bitten By Productions. The Butterfly Club, Melbourne CBD. 24 - 29 October 2022

A man in a grey suit rehearses a triumphant acceptance speech: he has been elected Prime Minister.  He promises to be a leader.  It’s the usual - if very well written - rhetorical cliché.

The Producers

Music & Lyrics: Mel Brooks. Book: Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan. Queensland Musical Theatre. Twelfth Night Theatre. October 21 – 30, 2022

Mel Brooks’ The Producers (the musical which won the most Tony Awards of all time) is a super-polished, pristine and delightful affair brimming with A-List performances and production values only a long-standing behemoth like QMT and director Nathaniel Currie can achieve.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Adapted from the film by Latent Image/Specific Film Productions, written by Stephan Elliot & Adam Scott. Adapted for the stage and originally directed by Simon Phillips. Presented by Gosford Musical Society. Directed by Daryl Kirknes.; Musical Direction by Dianne Gardiner. Choreography by Maddi Xuereb; assisted by Darren Disney. Costumes design & Co-ordination Jamie McKenzie. Laycock St Theatre, Wyoming. Oct 21-Nov 12 2022

The 1994 film The Adventures of Pricilla Queen of the Desert was notable not only for introducing international audiences to versatile, homegrown stars Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce; it also showcased a hitherto hidden Australian archetype. This one being neither 'ugly' nor 'rugged': the bawdy, b*tchy, warm, loving and heroically QUEER Aussie – albeit within the parameters of the Drag community. It's worth reminding folx that the film's huge box office success was NOT anticipated.

Swan Lake

United Ukranian Ballet. Melbourne Convention Centre, Oct 20 to 23, 2022, then touring.

The story of the formation of the United Ukrainian Ballet is one of sadness and tremendous grit. The company is only 6 months old. Many of the dancers escaped the war in Ukraine and have been living in The Hague as refugees.  The female dancers came first.

A Practical Guide to Self Defence

By Hung-Yen Yang. National Theatre of Parramatta. Director Dom Mercer. Riverside Theatre. 20 – 29 October, 2022, then Illawarra Performing Arts Centre from November 9 - 12.

A Practical Guide to Self Defence is another piece of theatre that realises National Theatre of Parramatta’s aim to produce work that “reflects the diversity of Australia today through contemporary and bold performances”. The play does all of that. It’s autobiographical and reflects the experience of many kids growing up in Australia’s multicultural society. It’s very contemporary, and it’s certainly bold. How often do you see martial arts in Sydney theatres? It’s also very funny!

How Long Is A Piece Of String

Performers and Co-creators: Keir Aitken, Poppy Alice, Louie Dalzell, Shan Dante, Erin Perrey. Melbourne Fringe. Theatre Works. 18-22 October, 2022

Attending this play is an opportunity to engage in an expressive, innovative meditation on life. It is an episodic collection of theatre games and character explorations held together with string and a guitar.

The playful mood is set with the four actors engaging in childhood games using string. This segues into a lecture on String Theory and diverges from there. Space, time and distance and their relationships are foregrounded.

There is a strong movement element which adds perspective to the mime and word-based episodes.

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