Reviews

Emil and the Detectives is about a group of kids who band together to help a boy recover his stolen goods and get justice. It’s the first and quintessential story of the genre, later personified by Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five. Based on Erich Kästner’s novella, Emil und die Detektive, first published in 1929, it has never been out-of-print. And Slingsby’s production, directed by Andy Packer, and adapted by Nicki Bloom, looks like setting its own record having toured Australia, USA, India, China and the UK.

Opera Queensland this year celebrates its 40th Anniversary, and what better way to celebrate it than a sparkling new production of an opera that is considered a cornerstone of the repertoire, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. The story of the servants Figaro and Susanna and their efforts to get married and foil the efforts of their philandering employer, Count Almavira to seduce Susanna, is the classic infidelity plot enjoyed throughout the years in everything from Upstairs Downstairs to Downton Abbey.

True West is not a piece of theatre to be taken lightly. It is confronting, powerful, and at times very uncomfortable to watch. The audience rides a bronco throughout this play - it bucks and jolts and throws us to the ground on many occasions. Unlike a bronco ride, however, which is jarring and fairly mindless, True West is confrontational and thought-provoking.

Twisted is an unconventional look at the Aladdin story, playing at Darlington Theatre Players’ Marloo Theatre. High satire, with ripe language and some adult concepts, this is not for all audiences, but this strong directorial debut from Brittany Isaia is well performed, with excellent production values and is clearly impressing its capacity audiences.