Reviews

The Pirates of Penzance

By Gilbert and Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan Society of WA. Directed by Alan Needham. Dolphin Theatre, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA. June 2-12, 2021

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of WA celebrates its 70th Anniversary in 2021, and what better way to celebrate than by reviving what is Gilbert and Sullivan’s most well-known work. This sold out production is a very traditional incarnation, with excellent singing and great use of humour.

Void

Writer and Director: Chamkau Gill. Wild Dreamer Productions. H.O.T.A., Gold Coast. June 3 – 5, 2021

Wild Dreamer Productions is a recent addition to the Gold Coast Theatre scene and their production of Void tells a story of the loss of an abducted child from both the mother and father’s points of view.

The scene is a local park where the mother used to take her 4-year-old daughter to play and on the child’s 4th birthday the little girl was kidnapped while her mother was checking her phone messages.

Deathtrap

By Ira Levin. New Farm Nash Theatre, Queensland. Directed by Jason Nash. May 21 – June 12, 2021.

Written in 1978, Deathtrap has many plot twists and basically references itself as a play within a play. It was the longest running comedy thriller on Broadway and, from this production, it is clear why it was so successful. With a cast of only five and the one set, Nash Theatre made a sensible choice for this production and the end product verifies their choice.

The Time is Now

Young Artist Company, La Boite. Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane. 24 May to 5 June 2021

Presented as an ensemble piece in the style of La Boite's 2020 The Neighbourhood, The Time is Now is a 70-minute one-act show, with a cast of 10 young people aged 13 to 17, from a diverse mix of backgrounds: 8 young women and 2 young men.

Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard. Harbour Theatre. Directed by Barry Park. Camelot Theatre, Lochee St, Mosman Park, WA. May 28-Jun 13, 2021

It seems a long time since we have seen Arcadia in Perth, but Harbour Theatre’s production, ably directed by Barry Park brings back this Tom Stoppard show with grace and elegance.

Mozart and Brahms

Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Alexander Briger. Soloist: Diana Doherty (oboe). Concert Hall, QPAC. 28-29 May, 2021. Repeated on ABC Classic 5 June at 1pm.

Australian-born, but Paris-based, conductor Alexander Briger quipped it had taken him 50 years to finally conduct the QSO and then proceeded to show what we had been missing. He’s conducted all of the Australian state orchestras, but this was his Queensland debut. And what a showcase it was, two pieces from the central repertoire that never fail to please, Mozart’s Oboe Concerto in C, and Brahms’ Symphony No.2 in D.

New Voices

Devised and performed by WAAPA 3rd Year Acting. Downstairs at the Maj, His Majesty’s Theatre, Hay St, Perth, WA. May 27-29, 2021

New Voices is a new project in which 3rd Year Actors from WAAPA are given the opportunity to devise and perform their own works. This is the second season, the first being in March, and each showcases different members of this final year cohort.

This part features six short works that are original, varied, sharp and exciting. All very well acted, the variety is good and the performance felt much shorter than it actually was - credit to good pace and nicely curated performances.

Zombie Thoughts

By Jennifer Kokai and Oliver Kokai-Means. Riverside's National Theatre of Parramatta. Riverside Theatres Parramatta. Director: Warwick Doddrell. May 29 – June 5, 2021

Surveys tell us that more and more kids suffer from anxiety – and that the pandemic and its associated problems haven’t helped. When co-writer Oliver Kokai-Means was 9 he suffered so badly from anxiety that he couldn’t go to school. No one, including his teachers, understood how sad and alone he felt. He, and his playwright mother, Jennifer Kokai, decided to write a play to try and help people understand what it feels like to be so anxious when you are young – and to suggest some ways to cope with that feeling.

Kinky Boots

By Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper. Arise Productions. Directed by David Gray. Regal Theatre, Hay St, Subiaco, WA. May 27-30, 2021

National Musical Theatre tours may not have been touring Western Australia lately, but we certainly haven’t been starved for large-scale musical theatre. The latest show to hit our stages, brought to us from new company Arise Productions, is Kinky Boots, which delighted a very vocal opening night audience.

Tons of enthusiasm on stage was clearly contagious, as the audience response showed that they were rapt in this fun and vibrant show.

The Little Prince

Adapted from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s book. Choreography and Direction: Anne Tournié. Adaptation and Co-direction: Chris Mouron. Original Music: Terry Truck. Presented by the Sydney Opera House in association with Broadway Entertainment Group. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. May 26 – June 6, 2021

The Little Prince, first published in 1943, tells the tale of an aviator who descends from the sky into the middle of a desert, where he meets a little prince who introduces him to a strange collection of characters and emotions. Writer and pioneer aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery based the story on the days he spent in the Libyan desert after his monoplane failed in 1935!

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.