Reviews

Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange

Adapted for the stage by Connor Carlyle and Sarah Christiner. Life on Hold Productions. Directed by Sarah Christiner. The Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park, WA. October 17 - Nov 2, 2018

Life on Hold Productions’ adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange is very much a passion project for director Sarah Christiner, who has loved the novel for over half her life. This production, which launches the new company, features a script, co-adapted by Christiner and featuring a large cast, with many familiar faces.

Xenides

By Clare Watson and Collaborators. Black Swan. Directed by Clare Watson. Musical Direction by Xani Kolac. Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA. 25 Oct - 11 Nov, 2018

The World Premiere of Xenides is a homage to Wheel of Fortune Hostess Adriana Xenides, a former model who co-hosted Australia’s Wheel of Fortune for eighteen years. It looks at her immigrant childhood, her tumultuous love life and her health issues both physical and mental, as well as examining the way she has been remembered. This devised musical also looks at the lives of the four women selected to play Adriana and the various ways that they relate to this icon of Australian television.

Beethoven’s Heroic Symphony

Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Alondra de la Parra. Double Bass: Edicson Ruiz. Concert Hall, QPAC. 25 October 2018

At the beginning of this year QSO promised audiences a “newly invigorated and re-imagined” orchestra and that’s what we got - exciting and passionate programs with a wonderful mix of the old and the new. Under Alondra de la Parra’s leadership there’s no doubt the orchestra has gone from strength to strength, audiences are bigger and every concert is now recorded for broadcast on ABC FM.

Stage and Screen

Barrier Reef Orchestra. Townsville Civic Theatre, Townsville. Conductor: Richard Davis. 27 October 2018.

With all the indications of a Royal Albert Hall Prom Night, the Barrier Reef Orchestra under the baton of Richard Davis was a triumphant evening of delight on Saturday evening for the concert entitled Stage and Screen.

Heathers: The Musical

By Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy. GJ Productions. Directed by Jack Wilkinson with Musical Direction by Peter Verhagen. St Martins Theatre, 28 St Martins Lane, South Yarra. 26 October- 3 November, 2018.

GJ Productions expertly manages the combination of musical elements with black comedy to maintain the original spirit of the 1988 film. The casting evokes the characters with accuracy while allowing the performers to bring their own style to the parts. The milieu of a typical US high school is meticulously reproduced. The attention to detail in the costumes, staging and accents, combined with the incredible enthusiasm of the performers, produces a vivid and vibrant performance.  

We Will Rock You

By Queen and Ben Elton. Spotlight Theatre, Benowa, Gold Coast. Director: Clay English. 26th October to 17th November, 2018

I was aware of the music of Freddie Mercury and Queen but never took much notice until last night’s opening of Spotlight’s final musical for the year. It was a memorable event!

Pre performance, the Artistic Director announced that the leading man had had an accident and the role of Galileo would be played by Jackson Brash – with only 4 hours rehearsal. (Jackson had just returned from overseas.)

Henry V

By William Shakespeare. Henry V. Blak Yak. Directed by Paul Treasure. Shenton Park Community Centre.18 - 27 October, 2018

There can be no better day to see Henry V than St Crispin’s Day, the date of which is central to the action of Shakespeare’s play. Blak Yak celebrated the occasion with free crisps for their patrons, and there was a sense of celebration in watching the St Crispin’s Day speech on the 603rd anniversary of its inspiration.

Guru of Chai

By Jacob Rajan. Indian Ink Theatre Company. Oz Asia Festival. Space Theatre, Adelaide. October 25 – 27, 2018

Guru of Chai was story telling at its very best. One man, a simple stage, a story that twisted and turned, a few special effects, live music and sound effects, a little bit of magic and some shadow puppetry.

The result was more than a dozen characters and a story that tugged at our hearts, made us laugh and filled us with gratitude, both for being able to sit entranced for one and a half hours and for our own lives.

Lines

By Pamela Carter. Theatre Republic. Bakehouse Theatre. October 24-November 10th 2018

Theatre Republic is a company that has been created to provoke, to move and present fearless stories that are of our time and our complex world, and through the medium of courageous drama, to capture the essence and complexity of what it means to be human.

Giving Up the Ghost

Written and directed by Rivka Hartman. Pop Up Theatre Production at Limelight on Oxford, 231 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, 17 October to 3 November 2018

It is an exciting thing to attend an opening night, even more so a world premiere of an Australian comedy, in a brand-new venue. 

The ground level of Limelight on Oxford had a warm inviting feel, with tasteful but fun décor, including an upright piano.  This level serves food and drinks, and operates as a café during the day.  It is wheelchair accessible, with a wheelchair-accessible bathroom.

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