Reviews

Prehysterical

Written and Performed by Head First Acrobats. Runway Festival Park, The Vault. 8th -23rd October, 2022

Head First Acrobats - Chelsea Angell, Alex Caulfield and Anthony Saltalamacchia - have highly developed circus skills which they showcase in a fable of neanderthal life for children. The characters go on a journey looking for food. They go over a river, almost work out how to share insufficient food, are ‘magically’ given fire to keep warm and they also manage to keep away from loud threatening beasts.

Chicago

Book by Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb. Presented by CLOC Musical Theatre. Co-directed by Lynette White and Chris White. Musical Director: Malcolm Huddle. The National Theatre Melbourne, 20 Carlisle St, St Kilda. October 7 – 22, 2022

CLOC has created an extraordinarily exuberant and vivacious production of Chicago that captures the sizzling nature of the era and story that the show depicts. The very strong cast is led by Emily McKenzie as Roxie Hart, Melanie Ott as Velma Kelly and Will Hanley as Billy Flynn. The power of their vocal performances enhances the emotional impact of the characters (and their bizarre circumstances) and generates a wondrous atmosphere of fun and impish playfulness.

RENT

By Jonathan Larson. Preachrs Productions and The Lot Theatre. The Queen’s Theatre, Giles Arcade, Adelaide. Oct 7-15, 2022.

Jonathan Larson is the Stephen Sondheim of the rock opera set and RENT is his crowning glory.

RENT is a rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson, loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan's East Village in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

The Pirates of Penzance

Book and lyrics by WS Gilbert. Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Sydney. Smith Auditorium, Shore School, North Sydney. Oct 7- 9, 2022.

A whopping 34-piece orchestra under the baton of Rod Mounjed set the tone with a lush ten-minute overture that featured a crashing symbol and piercing brass, which refreshed the audience like a gentle wave of surf at a beach near Penzance.

This was a night of comic opera in a production style of the work as originally written in 1879 with all the trimmings.

Anatomy of a Suicide

By Alice Birch. Sugary Rum Productions, Chopt Logic and Seymour Centre. Directed by Shane Anthony. Reginald Theatre at the Seymour Centre, Sydney. 6th – 29th October 2022

There are three leading women in Alice Birch’s amazing play - Carol, Anna and Bonnie - and we learn pretty soon that they are related: mother, daughter and granddaughter. Thanks to a brilliant setting, they co-exist in three different time zones and we follow key events in their lives simultaneously.

Alice Birch brings complete authority to this scrambled time zone, and we pick and make sense of it all.

Lucky Stiff

By Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Primadonna Productions. Directed by Carole Dhu. The Fishtrap Theatre, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, WA. Oct 7-9, 2022

Primadonna Productions’ Lucky Stiff, is, as per its subtitle, “a Dead Funny Musical”. In possibly the WA premiere of this manic little musical, eleven actors work their socks off to present a pacey show that delights its audience and has laughs at every corner.

After All This

By Marcel Dorney. Rumpus Theatre, Bowden. 4-16 October 2022

Image: Caitlin Ellen Moore (Producer) and Nate Troisi (Director).

All That Fall

By Samuel Beckett. Directed by Melanie Beddie. La Mama HQ. 5-16 October, 2022

All That Fall was written by Samuel Beckett as a radio play. The director, Melanie Beddie, has neatly woven together Beckett’s words, excellent ensemble acting, the physical presence of artisan ‘foley’ sound effects, and a few simple props to stay true to its origin.

Hostage

By Cerise Gelder. Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Directed by Elizabeth Walley. Gasworks Art Park. 4- 8 October, 2022

Cerise Gelder places her five strongly drawn characters into the pressured situation of being held hostage during a bank robbery with the threat of imminent death to explore relationships, personal intersections and the secrets which can be lived with but are of such importance they need to be revealed before death.

Each character faces their fears, shares their secrets, finds the importance of the others and, until there are just two left, is taken off to face death. The final two engage the robbers and capture one. This leads to the final denouement with a semi-happy ending.

Kinky Boots

North Queensland Opera and Music Theatre. Book by Harvey Fierstein. Music by Cyndi Lauper. Based on the Miramax Motion Picture Kinky Boots. Directed by Michelle Higgins. Vocal Direction Tony Woodhouse. Choreography by Lynda Tama. Music Direction Mark Smith. Townsville Civic Theatre. 5-15 October 2022.

IT WAS third time lucky for this production to finally open at the Townsville Civic Theatre. The floods of 2019 forced the cancellation of the original production and just one week before it was due to open in 2020, COVID forced the second production to be postponed indefinitely.

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