Reviews

Joan Lindsay's Picnic at Hanging Rock was first published in 1967. Whether a true story or not, the eery tale of a group of three girls and their teacher from Appleyard College who go on a picnic to the local beauty spot is etched into Australian lore.  The Peter Weir film adaptation in 1975 told with much beauty the haunting, ethereal story about the doomed Valentine’s Day trip in 1900.

Four Go Wild in Wellies does what is says on the box, as four adorable actor-dancers go wild in Wellington boots and bobble beanies in a 30 minute warm hug of a show aimed at 3-5 year olds and their families. I am not 3 to 5 years of age, but I also fell in love with this charmer of a production.

The deep and dark ‘rooms’ of the Spring Hill Reservoir make a fitting location for a mosaic of soliloquies, dialogues real and imagined, and complete mash-ups of speeches by some of Shakespeare’s most loved characters – all of them women. Macbeth’s three witches set the tone with their opening chant and lead us in to hear from Juliet, Queen Gertrude, the Nurse, Cleopatra, Desdemona and Lady Macbeth, to name but a few who contribute to the hurly burly of action.

The dark underground caverns of the Spring Hill Reservoir are the perfect location for this new interpretation of Julius Caesar – the ultimate cautionary conspiracy tale. Presented by Brisbane-based, indie company, heartBeast Theatre, this is a streamlined version of one of Shakespeare’s most famous pieces dealing with the corrupting forces of power.