Reviews

This show had a lot of hype to live up to and I am happy to say that it exceeded all expectations. A distinctive vaudeville vibe was created by a house-band, rich costumes and an eclectic lighting display. What sets this show apart from many in the same genre is the pair of hosts who know how to work a crowd. Full of naughty but nice banter, this duo had chemistry and were the glue that held the performance together.

Henry Lawson and Mary Gilmore’s life-long love was an epic tragedy of desires thwarted by social expectation and circumstance. Writer Anne Brooksbank came across this beautiful story while researching Gilmore’s memoirs and has done a creditable job reproducing these characters on stage.

Verbatim theatre, by definition, is confronting and challenging for the audience, for the theatre maker … but especially for those who are prepared to share their personal stories and experiences. When those stories are told by the very many, varied – and mostly unsung – carers in our community, the challenges become greater. Why? Because often the experiences they share are tinged, unnecessarily, with guilt, self-reproach and regret, and therefore expose raw edges and fraying self esteem.

It is not very often we see someone’s love affair with coffee interpreted in such an imaginative way. Coffee has become the 21st century’s drug of choice with no defining demographic. Missy brings her diverse skills to the stage in her first solo show. Her ambition to perform by herself at the Adelaide Fringe is one she claims she can now cross off her bucket list.