Reviews

Chido Mwat came to Australia from Zimbabwe in 2015 to study medicine. She’s now a junior doctor with Western Health.  But what happened on the way through – from then to now?  Studying, of course, but part-time jobs and – because she knew there were stories to tell – learning improv, sketch comedy and film making.  But there were also the doubts, fears, racist discrimination, stupid questions, and assumptions suffered by many immigrants.

My jaw dropped when I entered the theatre – what, 17 musicians in this tiny space? I read that in the promotional material but assumed it was a joke – how does an independent theatre manage such an extravaganza?

Up the road the Hayes Theatre typically squeezes a handful of players in their 111-seat theatre – but the old Fitz fits just 58. So, this is like trying to break the world record for fitting the most people into a Mini Minor. 

Susan Bamford Caleo offers a heart wrenching performance as the scorned woman in her strikingly dramatic interpretation of Euripides tragic play Medea in Unravel Reckoning. She has reunited with musician Elissa Goodrich, with whom she brought us the much-heralded Fragments at LA Mama in 2017, returning post Covid with a powerful new show.

There’s every chance that if you look up entertainment in the dictionary, you will find Rhonda Burchmore’s name in the definition.

Celebrating 40 years as a STAwaRt of our industry, Rhonda was never going to let a little thing like a pandemic get in her way. Like most born entertainers, she needs to connect with an audience. It’s her very reason for living, her life’s blood, and she does it brilliantly. So, if the big shows aren’t happening for her, Rhonda simply creates her own.