Reviews

Follies

Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim. Book: James Goldman. Director: Stuart Maunder. Choreographer: Yvette Lee. Musical Director: Phoebe Briggs. Victorian Opera. Palais Theatre, Melbourne. February 1 – 6, 2025.

Victorian Opera presents lucky Melbourne theatregoers to the first fully staged, professional production of this Sondheim masterpiece. Before A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd or Into the Woods were even a glimmer, Follies (originally titled The Girls Upstairs) was a substantial hit! The original 1971 Broadway version (one of the most costly productions for its time), garnered 7 Tony Awards and ran for 522 performances.

Peter and the Starcatcher

Play by Rick Elice, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Music by Wayne Barker. Produced by Dead Puppet Society, Glass Half Full Productions, Jones Theatrical Group. Directed by David Morton. Capitol Theatre Sydney, 31 January – 9 February, 2025, and touring to Brisbane.

Australian premieres of Broadway or West End musicals are often carbon copies of the original seasons, with local Directors forced to follow instructions scene by scene from the northern hemisphere. So, what is most refreshing about this production is that the Brisbane based Dead Puppet Society was able to take a fresh look at the work which won Tony Awards when it premiered in 2012.

Labyrinth

Composed by Evan J Lawson. Libretto by Daniel Szesiong Todd. Produced by Forest Collective, co-presented by Midsumma Festival and Abbotsford Convent. Director: Cathy Hunt. Industrial School and Magdalen Laundry, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford. 31 January – 8 February 2025.

Labyrinth is an original work which explores the dramatic and traumatic ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur. This is a story that addresses the themes of lust, love, shame and mystery in its deepest and darkest corners. Lawson and Szesiong Todd invoke this sphere via an evocative and moving immersive experience. This is a production which employs dance, movement, opera, and piano concerto. These are all given equal weight and attention allowing the unique artistry of each discipline to contribute to creating a moody and sombre atmosphere.

Shirley Valentine

By Willy Russell. Neil Gooding Productions & Woodward Productions. Atheneum Theatre, Collins Street, Melbourne. 31 January – 16 February 2025

Willy Russell’s play – revived many times and filmed (1989) with Pauline Collins and Tom Conti – is the story of a 42-y-o working class woman from the north of England who breaks out and escapes to recover her true self.  It is such a story of hope and possibility that audiences have responded to it since its first performance in 1986.

Fate: A New Musical

Orchestration and Composition by Stella Byrne, Lyrics by Lilly Peterwood, Book by Alexa Bevilacqua, Sophie Boyland, Benedict Evans, Saoirse Gerrish, Edie Gifford, Jessica Hill, Thu Nguyen, Xavier Robert, Lia Shiloh, Erin Tansey, Evelyn Ward. Revisions by Brittany Isaia, Orchestral Revisions by Mathew Leak. Morai Productions / Fringe World. Directed by Brittany Isaia. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth WA. Jan 31 - Feb 1, 2025

Fate: A New Musical makes its public debut as part of Fringe World 25. Presented by Morai Productions, it plays for a very short season, well directed and nicely performed.

Old Mill Theatre has embraced Fringe World with additional seating in the foyer and Front of House staff adding hot pink to their usual black attire. This short season is well attended, and I hope that this venture will bring new people to the usual residents.

The Hanky Code

Written and directed by Jarryd Prain. Fringe World. Ground Floor Comedy at the Terrarium, 99 St George’s Terrace Perth, WA. Jan 28- Feb 1, 2025

The Hanky Code is a one-man stand-up show that educates as well as entertains. Presented by Jarryd Prain, it tells us of the hank code, a code that developed in the 1970s, as a way for gay men to subtly signal their sexual preferences.

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

Written by Nick & Matt Lang with music & lyrics by Jeff Blim. Funk Soul Productions – Originally produced by Star Kid Productions. Goodwood Theatre and Studios, Goodwood. Jan 31 – Feb 8, 2025

Last year Adelaide saw the SA Premiere of Twisted, the year before Firebringer and now another SA premiere, presented by Funk Soul Productions, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, all devised by Starkid Productions.

StarKid Productions, also known as Team StarKid, is an American musical theatre company founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan by Darren Criss, Brian Holden, Nick Lang and Matt Lang.

Evil Dead: The Musical

Ghostlight Theatre Co. EvilCorp Horror Maze, Brisbane. 31 January to 9 March 2025

Ghostlight Theatre’s Queensland premiere production of Evil Dead: The Musical is a cult hit and has already sold out its full production run! That is probably because the team that brought you Exorcist: The Musical, directors, Yasmin Elahi and Benjamin Oxley, prove that they don’t shy away from challenging and entertaining musical productions. Plus their ability to choose outstanding cast members is on full display in this wacky homage to B-grade Drive-In Horror flicks and quirky musical styles.

Penn & Teller 50th Anniversary Tour

QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane. Jan 29 - Feb 7, 2025

Fun and frivolity graced the Brisbane concert hall last night with a night of wacky magic tricks, illusion and lots of audience participation from the ever-popular magicians and entertainers Penn & Teller, particularly well-known for their television programs featuring international guest artists as well as snippets from their own live shows.

This is Our Youth

By Kenneth Lonergan. Marked Studios. Part of Subilicious for Fringe World. Directed by Noirit Seal. The Studio, Subiaco Arts Centre, WA. Jan 30- Feb 1, 2025

Kenneth Lonergan’s This is Our Youth is a well-known coming of age play, set in New York’s Upper East Side at the beginning of the Reagan era. Set over 48 hours it tells of three lost souls - ,Warren Straub a 19-year-old who has stolen $15 thousand dollars from his business tycoon father, Dennis, his drug dealer friend, and Warren’s love interest, Jessica. This incarnation is presented by Marked Studios, for a very short production as part of Subilicious for Fringe World.

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