Reviews

The Little Mermaid

Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Salter. Book by Doug Wright. Townsville Choral Society. Directed by D’Arcy Mullamphy and Andrew Higgins. Musical Direction Rianta Belford. Vocal Director Claire Davies. Choreography by Chris Davis. Townsville Civic Theatre. 20 - 30 January 2021.

THERE WAS a little bit of undersea magic at the Townsville Civic Theatre last night for the (long-awaited) opening of this production of The Little Mermaid, which has been in the pipeline for some time.

This was a bright and lively production which sparkled in many places. It was carried by an enthusiastic cast, appropriately eccentric performances, colourful and imaginative costuming (the illusion of the movement underwater was very clever) and an outstanding orchestra.

Whitenoise: 12 Ghosts

Written & performed by Kathleen Mary Fallon. Produced & directed by Maryanne Lynch. Theatre Works at Explosives Factory, St Kilda. 14, 15 & 16 January 2002

WHITENOISE: 12 GHOSTS is a collection of three apparently different performance pieces.  The thread which joins them is perception – that is, how things are seen – or how we are led to see them – by the media, by our own prejudices, by our own fear and paranoia.  Kathleen Mary Fallon is alone on stage.

The Wedding Singer

Music by Matthew Sklar. Lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. David Venn Productions. State Theatre, Sydney, January 15 – 30, 2022; State Theatre, Arts Centre, Melbourne, February 5 – 20; and His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth from February 25.

It hasn’t happened for a long time, but Sydney has four large professional musicals going at once, and The Wedding Singer, which has a short season at the State Theatre before returning to Melbourne and then Perth, is the best date night out of those on stage now.

The romantic comedy from 1998 starred Adam Sandler as the wedding singer who fell in love with a waitress played by Drew Barrymore.

Whilst the movie was filled with classic hits from the 1980s, the musical, which ran for nine months on Broadway, has an original score.

The Little Good Wolf

UWA Panto Society. Fringe World. Directed by Charlie Macgregor. Rubix Bar, Murray St, Perth, WA. Jan 15-23, 2022

Presented by UWA Panto Society for Fringe World, The Little Good Wolf is a sweet and funny little production with a lovely message.

While not a pantomime, this little play has quite a bit of audience interaction, and while firmly aimed at Primary School aged little people, there are some lovely jokes aimed at their grown-up companions. This is also one of the shortest shows around, so great for littlies with short attention spans – running at just 30 minutes.

Sugar and Ice

By Saskia Glass. Directed by Lily Jones and Saskia Glass. Sugarglass Entertainment. Fringe World. Royale Theatre, Lake St, Northbridge WA. Jan 19-23, 2022

Sugarglass Entertainment’s World Premiere musical, Sugar and Ice is a high energy, unapologetically feminine tale, of a young entertainer in the world of bubble-gum-pop.

When Camilla Moore’s X Factor Winning, girl-group Starburst breaks up, she attempts to make it on her own, facing the pressure of social media, unscrupulous management and demanding fans.

Green Park

By Elias Jamieson Brown. Griffin Theatre Company / Sydney Festival. Green Park, Darlinghurst. January 19 – 30, 2022

There’s something very equalitarian about casual gay sex. Total strangers often cross so many borders of class, nationality, background, generations and wealth to negotiate one moment of ecstasy. 

Writer Elias Jamieson Brown takes us on a Grindr date to show us how it’s done. 

Killing Katie: Confessions of a Book Club

By Tracey Trinder. Director: Francesca Savige. Ensemble Theatre, Kirribilli. 9 January – 26 February, 2022

Tracey Trinder’s characters have graced the small screen for many years. Killing Katie: Confessions of a Book Club is her first stage play – and it’s a winner. The writing is clever, economic, perceptive, witty. The characters are tellingly recognisable yet lovably warm. The dialogue demands astute direction and fast, adroit delivery. It’s a director’s play and actors’ play rolled into one …

Wudjang: Not the Past

By Stephen Page and Alana Valentine. Bangarra / Sydney Theatre Company / Sydney Festival. Roslyn Packer Theatre. January 17 – February 12, 2022, then Hobart and Adelaide.

Stephen Page’s magnificent, largest ever and probably last production after decades as artistic director of Bangarra blends his choreography with more theatrical forms and collaborators than ever.

Page calls it a “contemporary ceremony”; Wudjang mixes opera and musical melodies and ditties, with live musicians, singers and actors working in both English and Stephen’s ancestral dialect of Mununjali of Yugambeh country (south east Queensland).  And seventeen remarkable dancers.

The Odyssey: The Epic Tale of Odysseus on his Super Long Journey Home

Black Martini Productions. Fringe World. The Library, The Girls School, Perth, WA. Jan 14-23, 2022

After the success of Black Martini’s Troy Story in last year’s FringeWorld (available on YouTube if you need a primer), the team return to continue Odysseus’ journey, as he battles monsters who are trying to eat him, revengeful Gods, witches, storms, whirlpools and drugs on a ten-year journey home.

I Like Bananas

By Jessie Gordon and Libby Hamer. Fringe World. Ellington Jazz Club, Beaufort St, Perth WA. Jan 17-20, 2022

I Like Bananas is a celebration of British Music Hall jazz. Fronted by Libby Hamer and Jessie Gordon with six-piece jazz band, the Hounds, this is slightly naughty, a little bit bawdy, old fashioned and funny.

Dressed in suits and straw hats, the music hall style is nicely established, and Jessie Gordon and Libby Hamer sing beautifully and entertain with style.

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