Reviews

Wagner’s comic opera, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, made a triumphant return to the Arts Centre last night. The sweep of the music and the power of the production kept the audience enthralled at a very long night at the opera.

Orchestra Victoria was in fine form, and there was added interest when some brass and percussion took up positions in the boxes at the side. The chorus singing was thrilling.

Constantly revived, August Strindberg’s portrait of a murderously unhappy marriage on their silver anniversary, has been a honey pot for star actors for decades.  

Star actor herself, Judy Davis here turns again to directing her husband, Colin Friels, matched with the celebrated Pamela Rabe.  Living in an old Swedish island fortress, Edgar is a retired captain of uncertain health and Alice a former, probably bad, actress plotting his end. 

The literary Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, has also been heralded as the most successful female playwright of all time – with nearly 30 stage plays to her name. The Mousetrap holds the record as the longest-running, continuously performed show in London’s West End, and CTG’s Kurt A Lerps directed the Community Theatre premiere of that play. Now he tackles Christie’s Towards Zero – apparently blocked to community production for some years – with ardour and aplomb.

A popular choice for The Players final offering for 2018 is The Boy from Oz, last presented in 2009.

As Peter Allen, Brian Pamphilon carried the production with competence and pizzazz - accompanying himself on the white piano for many of the hit tunes. He held the audience from the start and they couldn’t get enough of this multi-faceted performer.