Reviews

Tim Ferguson - A Fast Life on Wheels

Adelaide Fringe. The Box. Garden of Unearthly Delights. 14-23 February, 2020

Having followed the exploits of Tim Ferguson for many years it was my pleasure to assist backstage fifteen years ago on an Adelaide performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in which Tim vivaciously played ‘Pharaoh’. As this was an MS Society fundraiser, I pondered at the time, why he had chosen to take this role. It soon became very evident as we learned that he had been affected by this insidious disability.

Showstopper: An Interactive Murder Mystery

Written and directed by Rachel Keys and Kier Shoosmith. Back Door Productions. Fringe World. Connections Nightclub, James St, Northbridge, WA. Feb 12-15, 2020

Set in the nightclub Buenos Tiempos, we witness the lead-up to the show and the first part of the performance for the evening. When star of the show Scarlet Serenade dies in mysterious circumstances, the audience split into teams to search for clues, interrogate suspects and solve the mystery.

The poor victim, Scarlet Serenade, is nicely played by Jocelyn Campbell, and although we don’t spend a great deal of time with Scarlett, we do get to see her perform.

Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum with Expats

Adelaide Fringe Festival. Holden Street Theatres. February 11 - March 15, 2020

Presented by UK improv and performance artists Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit, Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum with Expats harnesses sharp-edged political sassiness with irreverent humour to create 90 minutes of compelling, engaging, intriguing and confronting theatre.

Emerald City

By David Williamson. Queensland Theatre. Director: Sam Strong. Playhouse, QPAC. 8-29 February 2020

Queensland Theatre’s first production for 2020 celebrates 50 years of seasons for the company, and also 50 years of plays by Australia’s greatest living playwright David Williamson.

Emerald City is one of Williamson’s most successful plays. Premiering in 1987, it was a rip-roaring satire on the Melbourne and Sydney arts rivalry and the film and television industries.

Aurelia

By Robert Thomas. Tugun Theatre Company, Gold Coast. Director: Darren Campbell. February 13th to 29th, 2020

Set in a ‘well-to-do’ home in a small English village, Aurelia has more twists than Chubby Checker!

Aurelia (Gai Byrne) and her husband (Jon Turley) are out to swindle the elderly Lady Chalmont (Tracy Carroll) of all her worldly possessions – including her life. Caught up along the way are innocent bystanders: the maid, Vera (Maria Thompson) and a dear neighbour, Isabel (Rianna Hartley-Smith). Enter the unsavoury Mercer (Noel Thompson) menacing everyone in sight and you have the makings of an entertaining drama!

The Campaign

By Campion Decent. White Box Theatre. 2020 Sydney Mardi Gras Festival. Seymour Centre, Chippendale. February 11 – 28, 2020

The arrest in 1988 of 100 gay rights protesters at Hobart’s Salamanca markets was

a touchstone not unlike the Mardi Gras arrests in Sydney a decade earlier.

Campaign Decent’s largely verbatim, thoroughly researched play charts the surprisingly complex strategy of activism and brave confrontation which lead to Tasmania’s gay law reform a full nine years later.  Until 1997, gay sex could get you imprisoned for 21 years. 

Star Power

Directed by Mitch Whelan. Fringe World. The Studio, The Blue Room, James St, Northbridge, WA. Feb 11-15, 2020

Mercury is in Retrograde and it's going to be bad, so April has invited us all to Simon’s Uncle’s holiday house, to have a party and ride it out.

This collaboratively written show sometimes doesn’t quite seem to know where it is going, but it has such lovely intentions, that the audience just give up expecting things to make sense and settle in to enjoy the ride, as we share cheezles, lament the loss of nachos and try to guess each other’s star sign - something that isn’t easy for beginners Olive!

You’ve Got Mail

By Ang Collins. Sotto Theatre Company. Fringe World. Directed by Sarah Hadley. The Studio, The Blue Room, James St, Perth Cultural Centre, WA. Feb 11-15, 2020

We have reached a time where a story about the early days of the internet is definitely a “period piece” and is decidedly and quaintly retro. Sotto Theatre Company’s You’ve Got Mail, which is tribute to the 1998 film of the same time, is a tongue in cheek look at the film, and at the time.

The Neighbourhood

By Todd MacDonald, Aleea Monsour and Ari Palani. Presented by La Boite Theatre Company, Multicultural Australia and Empire Theatre. Roundhouse Theatre, Brisbane. 8 to 29 February, 2020

The universe needs more productions like The Neighbourhood. In a world premiere for La Boite and Empire Theatres, this show’s positive tone and sparky creativity is a welcome antidote to negativity and fear in discussions around immigration and racism. Here, the headlines are real people. The talented cast welcome everyone in, and draw on their own very personal truths to add humanity to the equation. Complex and painful stories are not shied away from, but The Neighbourhood is an excellent entry point for some to start a positive and meaningful conversation.

Viagara Falls and the 70 Year Old Virgin

By Janet Findlay & Alan Youngson. Sunnybank Theatre Group, Sunnybank, Qld. Director: Alan Youngson. 14-29 February 2020

Farce is one of the staples of community theatre and this new title, which premiered last year at Ipswich, follows the rules of the genre; a set with plenty of doors to slam, a convoluted story involving sex, cross-dressing, and characters with funny accents. Viagara Falls ticks all the boxes. Aimed at the seniors market, there are enough giggles and laughs to satisfy undemanding audiences who just want a good night out.

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