Reviews

What better performance than a version of Winnie the Poohas my first theatrical “Grandma duty” adventure with a three–year old grandson? This version ofWinnie the Pooh by Hamley Productions at Pear Ridge Gardens Margate, Tasmania, was a delight on so many levels. A good way to see a children’s classic come to life is in the company of and through the eyes of a child. Pooh Bear and friends glowed as stage characters in this adapted work written by British playwright Glyn Robbins.

Opening with extraordinary multi-media projections on scrims, Joan by The Rabble, is a work of high art.  It is riveting, hypnotic, haunting and sometimes deeply shocking. But at all times uncompromisingly designed to insightfully explore a deep feminist response to the now canonized, illiterate peasant, who was ‘the virgin from Orleans.’ Joan of Arc who, in The Middle Ages, led the French into battle with the English, who ultimately burned her at the stake thrice, is the subject of this production.

There are some things that give me a feeling of dread: big hairy spiders, snakes, cold tea, and getting an invitation to my high school reunion…

My hands became cold and clammy as I was handed my nametag in the foyer before the show. It really felt like a high school reunion was about to begin. However, I felt instantly comfortable and gratifyingly overwhelmed during the opening number. ‘The Kids Inside’ was incredibly performed by the cast, note perfect and arranged by Stephen Amos, a flawless way to start the show.

C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters is an exchange between two Demons, uncle and nephew, about the best way to corrupt a man’s soul. Possession of the soul is a common theme in the works of C. S. Lewis, including The Narnia Chronicles.

Clock & Spiel Productions’ adaptation, written and directed by Hailey McQueen, is delightful – if at times a little confusing.