Reviews

Perth's final community theatre show for 2021 is a sweet little Christmas treat, that is great fun. A world premiere production, Cinderella (The Slightly Deviated Version) was written by local writer Yvette Wall for the Irish Theatre Players, and despite its local origins, this is a show very much in the British tradition. Playing to packed houses, it is being received with joy and laughter. 

This brief return season follows up on a successful season in October and it is obvious why it needed to return. Obviously there are differing opinions of what are the best of Broadway but the selection offered here is great. The tunes come from hit shows including Les Misérables, Funny Girl, Carousel, Annie Get Your Gun and The Wizard of Oz, featuring songs from most of the Broadway greats. How was this done?

If you did ballet as a kid, or aerobics as an adult, if you had a sister who was an acting student or a cousin who was a dancer, your life has crossed paths with the leotard – that innocuous plain-colour or sequined-enhanced theatrical costume that, due to its versatility, has survived the decades. When performers Bridget Boyle and Neridah Waters stockpiled a collection of leotards to develop a new show, the nametags lovingly stitched into each hand-me-down piece got them thinking about the women who wore those items.

The Australian Ballet is back, but not as we’ve known it. And this is not a bad thing. I have long bemoaned the seeming inability of the Corps de Ballet to dance in unison. After all ,the purpose for the members of the Corps should be to blend in, not to stand out. The sloppy nature of the Corps for the last several years has driven many away from The Australian Ballet, as the Principals improved and those in the Corp lost their way.