Reviews

Sunny Tribe District is a 2018 ensemble piece by writer/director/performer/choreographer, Patrick Mu’a, a graduate of TAFE Queensland’s Acting and Performance course. Collaborator, Robert the Cat, is a collective whose aim is to provide a showcase for performance students at TAFE Queensland – and the main strength of this production is that it does give its cast a chance to show their talents – in comedy and drama – and dance! There are some very funny rap acts and comedy sequences that give each performer a chance to shine.

The Sunshine Club is essential viewing – foremost for the joyous musical talent of its cast, but also for its story of local history and optimistic message of community strength in diversity. The story centres around the Doyle and Morris families in post-war Brisbane. As Rose Morris takes up a singing gig at the glamorous Cloudland Ballroom, her neighbourhood friend, Frank Doyle, has returned from active war service just in time to see her perform.

Producer Matt Ward has a mission – to bring full scale musicals to the Gold Coast where so many Main Stage A1 musicals never play. After a stunning production of Mamma Mia! last year, he is succeeding beyond all expectations. Priscilla is a triumph in entertainment.

For anyone who has been living in a cave since the last century, the story is of three friends, two drag queens and a trans gender woman, who take a road trip on a battered bus named Priscilla, to perform their show in Alice Springs, where one has a “secret” wife and son.

Barrister Tessa (Jodie Comer) in wig, gown, jabot, and tailored suit is alone on stage -  a stylised barrister’s chambers, mahogany furniture, green shade desk lamps – but dominated on all sides by towering shelves of files – hundreds and hundreds of white ring binder files of past cases, files of current cases – some won, some lost.