Reviews

In only its third  staging, following London and New York, the gargantuan show that is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has finally arrived in Melbourne in an extraordinary production which certainly lives up to the hype.

Spring Awakeninghas all the disparate parts of a gawky adolescent. This enraged and piteous monster is stitched together from Frank Wedekind’s play of 1891 and with C21st folk-rock score. It is costumed for the C19th yet actors use hand microphones as props. Despite the anachronisms, this show still has something significant to communicate. Adults are still failing their children. What was once a failure to inform the young, continues to be a failure to protect. Childhood is frequently sacrificed to sexualised media and education still perpetuates the demands of the economy.

If you want a rootin-tootin’ night of cowboy fun, packed full of acrobatics, circus acts and just a touch of good healthy man to man sexual innuendo, then Railed is the show for you!

Circus acts are always crowd pleasers, but when a connecting narrative is added, the whole show springs to life and allows each performer to develop their own characters.

It is narrative circus at its best, set in a saloon bar into which burst 4 cowboys having just robbed a train and who are ready to celebrate big time.

By a Thread is a glorious mix of circus and modern dance. With special attention being made to the theatrical element of the performance, it showcases itself as an individual piece of storytelling.

Circus is not always performed in the traditional sense. In this production the focus is not only on the skills of the troupe, but on the relationships between the performers and this is precisely why the show is so special.