Reviews

The Glitz

Produced/directed by Sue Porret. Pink Flamingo Spiegelclub, Gold Coast. From April 2022.

When the Pink Flamingo opened in 2019, it brought back a style and mode of entertainment which hadn’t been seen in more than 50 years. Swanky, sophisticated and classy, it showed us a glimpse of the nightclubs of old, when people dressed in their finest clothes, drank the finest bubbles, and watched cabaret whose excellence was never in question. It was a bold move by Susan Porret and her business partner Tony Rigas, and some questioned whether this kind of entertainment, once the domain of the casinos and supper-clubs, had any place in the 21st Century.

SLAP. BANG. KISS.

By Don Giovannoni. Melbourne Theatre Company Next Stage Original, MTC Education Program. Southbank Theatre, The Lawler. 19-30 April 2022 (Regional Tour 3-10 May 2022)

Three very talented, focused young performers seamlessly play multiple characters and make SLAP. BANG. KISS an edge-of-the-seat rollercoaster ride.  Text and direction mesh perfectly as three distinct storylines interweave across three time frames and multiple locations.  Playwright Don Giovannoni’s choice of detail to evoke emotion, place, and action is finely precise.  He reckoned that the best way to hear the characters’ stories is for them to tell us directly – and so they do, as well as interacting with others.

The Deb

Story and lyrics by Hannah Reilly. Music, lyrics and story by Megan Washington. Australian Theatre for Young People and Camp Sugar Productions. The Rebel Theatre, Sydney. Opening Night – April 22, 2022. Playing until May 22.

The Deb burst onto the stage like a meteorite, igniting excitement at the humour, warm complex characters and exciting tunes – all in a brand-new theatre on Sydney Harbour.

There was even an after-show party (I’d forgotten what those were) with guest of honour Rebel Wilson – an alumnus of ATYP, who shelled out a million dollars to help build the company’s new 196 seat theatre and financed the musical.

I’ll Be Back Before Midnight!

By Peter Colley. Tea Tree Players Theatre. Tea Tree Players Theatre, Surrey Downs. April 20 to April 30, 2022

I’ll Be Back Before Midnight has been described by the Toronto Globe & Mail as the most widely produced stage play in Canadian history!  It has been produced in 30 countries, broken numerous box office records and has been made into a Hollywood feature film starring Heather Locklear, Ned Beatty, Robert Carradine, and Susannah York.  

Originally staged in 1985, it still sets an audience thinking, though with the advent of blockbuster movies and CGI some of the gruesome moments have lost their ability to terrify.

Leap

Neil Gooding Productions. Choreographer: Amy Campbell. Riverside Parramatta - 22-24, April 2022 – then touring NSW and Queensland

It is Amy Campbell’s aim to make “art that entertains, enthrals and is accessible”. Leap is all of that and more. With Neil Gooding’s support, Campbell has ‘leapt’ into her imagination to create an exciting new production that surely achieves her aspiration.

Light Shining in Buckinghamshire

By Caryl Churchill. Belvoir Street Theatre. April 7 – May 26, 2022

British historians often skipped over the so-called Interregnum decade, between the beheading of Charles I in 1649 and the restoration of merry Charles II.  Cromwell’s period seemed more a puritan aberration than what it was – a brief spark of British liberty and revolutionary equality, before the property-holders brought it all down.

And so the monarchy was restored with more powers and resources than before the Civil War. (And my fervent Welsh ancestor was one of the first to be executed for signing the royal death warrant).

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

By Stephen Adly Guirgis. Irish Theatre Players. Directed by Brendan Ellis. Irish Club, Townshend St, Subiaco, WA. April 21-30, 2022

The Irish Theatre Players’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is an interesting production with strong performances and much food for thought. Although its title and subject matter mean it may struggle to find an audience, this is a worthy watch for the serious theatre-goer and is a well-produced production.

Staged by award-winning director Brendan Ellis on a traverse stage, this is a highly intimate production and a crowd of about 30 on opening night, meant the auditorium felt quite full. 

The Adventures of Peter Rabbit

By Joseph Robinette. Hobart Repertory Theatre Company. Shauna-Lee Ward (Director). Rogan Brown (Set and Lighting Design). Helen Cronin (Creative Director). The Playhouse Hobart. 20 April – 1 May 2022

A good children’s show should appeal to adults as well. Parents can be assured the The Adventures of Peter Rabbit is no twee re-enactment of earnest and culturally anachronistic stories by overzealous actors in pantomime make-up. This Robinette adaptation, directed by Shauna-Lee Ward, is delightful.

Peepshow

Circa. Theatre Royal, Sydney. 20-24 April, 2022

Photographer: Andy Phillipson

Circa continues to extend circus beyond the ‘big top’. The thrills are still there – the amazing feats, the incredible strength and control – but Circa extends them and turns them into theatre. With this production it goes a little step further because Peepshow, as its name suggests, is just a little bit naughty and even quite cheeky! It’s cabaret on the move … and up in the air!

Emil and The Detectives

A play based on the 1929 novella by Erich Kästner. Slingsby Theatre Company. Director: Andy Packer. Playwright: Nicki Bloom. Lighting Design: Geoff Cobham & Chris Petridis. Composer & Sound Design: Quincy Grant. Designer: Wendy Todd & Ailsa Paterson. Gasworks Theatre, Melbourne. April 20 & 21, 2022.

After seeing this production I can see why it was winner of the 2018 Helpmann Award for Best Presentation for Children. Even before the lights went down, the audience, confronted with a sign saying 'Do Not Press' was instantly drawn into what wonder and mischief is about to conspire. For the next 70 minutes you could hear a pin drop!

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.