Reviews

Merciless Gods

By Don Giovannoni, based on the novel Merciless Gods by Christos Tsiolkas. Cherry Bomb Theatre Company. The Motley Bauhaus, Elgin Street, Carlton. 23 – 31 May 2024

With a cast of just six, the Cherry Bomb Theatre Company takes on a text that is in itself confronting and difficult, but this cast between them also present twenty characters of varied ages, ethnicity, social class and sexual orientation.  Given the source material – the novel by Christos Tsiolkas – playwright/adapter Don Giovannoni has opted to utilise a number of dramatic forms.  There is no obvious narrative line that runs through the eight segments: some are standard naturalistic scenes, others heightened or poetic reality in vignette or tableau form, others again

The Guilty Feminist Podcast Live

Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne. May 25, 2024

When I saw The Guilty Feminist podcast was going to do a live show at the Arts Centre I thought ‘that’s interesting, I’ll go’ since most of the time, I feel like a guilty feminist. I’ve never listened to the podcast because as a single mum, I have so many stresses and pressures in my brain I do not have the room to inject any podcasts. If I’m going to unwind, it has to be to something that completely transports me away from my work as a feminist poet, writer and performer.

Done to Death

By Fred Carmichael. Directed by Christine Ellis. Roxy Lane Theatre, Maylands WA. May 24 - Jun 9,

Done to Death is a whodunnit featuring a group of famous mystery writers collaborating on a whodunnit. Consciously theatrical and slightly campy, it is being presented by Roxy Lane Theatre.

Tosca

Composed by Giacomo Puccini, libretto by Luigi Illica & Giuseppe Giacosa. Presented by Opera Australia in collaboration with Opera North. Directed by Edward Dick, Orchestra Victoria conducted by Garry Walker. Margaret Court Arena, Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne. 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, & 30 May 2024.

The remarkable transformation of MCA into a grand opera house truly exceeds expectations. This large-scale production successfully manages to create a quality intimate theatrical experience in this vast space. There is a surprising positioning of the orchestra on an elevated platform behind the singers on stage. This facilitates the magnificent acoustics and provides delightfully unusual glimpses of the orchestra.

The Odd Couple

By Neil Simon. John Frost for Crossroads Live. Comedy Theatre, Melbourne. 23 May - 23 June, 2024, then Theatre Royal, Sydney.

With its progress from stage play to movie and then a long running television series, the term ‘odd couple’ has passed into the language, and we all know what it means: a mismatched pair somehow living together.  In this iteration, the odd couple – divorcees Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar – one an incorrigible slob, the other a pernickety hypochondriac, are Shane Jacobson and Todd McKenny. 

Candide

Music by Leonard Bernstein. Book by Hugh Wheeler after Voltaire. Lyrics by Richard Wilbur with additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellmann, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein. Orchestrations by Leonard Bernstein and Hershy Kay; Musical Continuity and Additional Orchestrations by John Mauceri. State Theatre Company SA and State Opera SA. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide. 23-25 May, 2024.

Candide is a spectacularly crazy show and the audience on opening night lapped up every note, nuance and movement with gusto. Everyone was along for the ride - and what a ride! We travel from Westphalia to Lisbon at the time of the 1755 earthquake to the Spanish Inquisition to Montevideo to Eldorado, and finally Constantinople through a whimsical set of polka dots and fabulously flamboyant costumes!

Oklahoma!

By Rodgers and Hammerstein. The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of S.A. The Arts Theatre. May 23 - June 1, 2024

Respected, award-winning director, Richard Trevaskis is known for his flair and innovation in musical theatre. For this Gilbert and Sullivan (G&S) production of Oklahoma!, Trevaskis has unashamedly embraced the pared back 2015 Daniel Fish production style whilst making few changes to the 1943 script. What impact does this have? It casts Oklahoma! into a very different light from the feel-good euphoric musical that usually characterises this piece.

The Trip to Bountiful

By Horton Foote. Presented by Red Phoenix Theatre and Holden Street Theatres. The Studio at Holden Street Theatres. 23 May to 1 June 2024

Carrie Watts longs to escape the two-room apartment she shares with her son Ludie, and self-centred daughter-in-law Jessie Mae. She wants to return to her home town of Bountiful – and her illness makes her wish more urgent. Jessie Mae’s dominance over mother and son – and her reliance on that regular pension cheque - makes that trip even more challenging to take.

Symphony Fantastic

Queensland Symphony Orchestra. QPAC. May 17 & 18, 2024

The latest concert in Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s 2024 season was Symphony Fantastic, three French works that explore the themes of death in a macabre but entertaining evening of classical musical. Conductor Umberto Clerici was joined by Hungarian violinist Jozsef Lendvay. Credited as being one of the most brilliant violin soloists in the world, he joined the orchestra for the first of the three works.

The Spook

By Melissa Reeves. Pymble Players. May 15 – June 8, 2024

Inspired by a true story, this play is set in small-town Australia in 1965.  There are references to Menzies and Vietnam to give us some historical context, and meetings held for the South Bendigo branch of the Communist Party of Australia to give us a grounding in suburbian Victoria.  Apparently the Cold War fear-mongering, unfortunate friendships and betrayal which are highlighted in this play were alive and well in regional Australia in the 1960’s, and that is both interesting and disappointing.

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