Reviews

There’s a white door on stage – no frame, no wall: just the door. That and a dress-up box behind it are all that Neil Frost needs to paint a picture of his early life with his grandparents, growing up in eighties England.

The door is the backdrop for photos from his childhood – and for each image we see projected onto it, Frost recreates the costume on stage for us to enjoy.

Set in Sydney in the 1980s, the deputy mayor of Sydney, Charley Brooks and his wife Vivienne are hosting a 10th anniversary party. Unfortunately, Charley, now bed bound, has gone and shot himself in the ear and Vivienne has disappeared. As the well-healed professional guests arrive, they each try to distance themselves from events, spinning unlikely tales as to what really happened to their hosts.

Australian actor and writer Rob Carlton has brought his one-man show to his first ever Adelaide Fringe. Both humble and inviting, he welcomes the audience in for an old-fashioned night of storytelling. Directed by Darren Gilshenan, this no-frills production feels like catching up with an old friend.

Idomeneo was the first grand opera composed by Mozart at the age of 24 and is also believed the be one of the last written for a principal singer who was castrated.

The supply of male singers (who had made the prescribed sacrifice as children) was drying up and so the high-pitched leading role of Idamante was adapted by Mozart for a tenor, and these days is played by a mezzo-soprano.

This part is only one of the challenges of the opera, which has a sweeping story involving Greek Gods, a huge storm, a sea monster and the booming presence of King Neptune.