Reviews

Eucalyptus - The Opera

Composed by Jonathan Mills. Libretto by Meredith Oakes based on the novel by Murray Bail. Presented by Brisbane Festival, QPAC and QSO in association with Victorian Opera. QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane. 4-5 September, 2024

With an all-Australian theme, cast and creatives alike, this ominous story and production is a intriguing look at the relationship between a father and daughter through the eyes of the locals in a small outback country town, an interpretation conceived by acclaimed Director Michael Gow. From the very first notes played, there is a sense of foreboding eventually developing into a story full of symbolism reflecting mother-nature herself intertwined with the intricacies of the human condition.

Murder by the Book

By Duncan Greenwood and Robert King. Hunters Hill Theatre Company. Director: Margaret Olive. Club Ryde. 30 Aug – 15 September, 2024

A pedantic novelist/book reviewer, his estranged wife and his publisher are pitted against each other in a tricky plot in this slightly different murder mystery, that does, as director Margaret Olive suggests, “keep the audience grinning and squirming”. Add an attractive secretary, a strange neighbour, locked doors, a gun and poison and the possibilities might seem endless … as they are!

Grimm

Shake and Stir Theatre Company. Presented by QPAC and the Brisbane Festival. Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane. 31 August - 6th October, 2024

There have been many versions and interpretations of the folklore the famous German Grimm Brothers published in the 19th century, having compiled hundreds of stories and edited them in various ways to make them more palatable for the general reader. So many adaptations have surfaced over the years in theatre, film, animation, opera, ballet, you name it, but this version by the illustrious Shake & Stir Theatre Company is quite unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Guys and Dolls

Based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon. Music by Frank Loesser. Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Presented by Ipswich Musical Theatre Company. Directed by Robbie Parkin. Ipswich Civic Centre. 7 – 15 September 2024.

When it comes to musical theatre, the action is hot out in Ipswich – you can bet all your lettuce on that! The latest production of the award-winning classic, Guys and Dolls is bold and bright, and beautifully realised with an all singing, all dancing, all acting cast backed by a big live band.

Nora: A Doll’s House

By Stef Smith after Henrik Ibsen. WAAPA Third Year Acting Students. Directed by Sonya Suares. The Roundhouse, WAAPA, Edith Cowan University, Mt Lawley. Sep 5-12, 2024

Nora: A Doll’s House has been described as “a radical reinterpretation” of Ibsen’s original play. Performed by WAAPA Third Year Acting Students, and designed, built and crewed by WAAPA Production and Design Students, this version features a much larger cast than the West End Production, whose 2020 run was unfortunately cut short by the Covid Pandemic.

You’re The Man

By Paul Mitchell. Presented by La Mama, Monstrous Theatre and Paul Mitchell. La Mama Carlton Courthouse, Vic. Sep 4 – 14, 2024

In this biting, aggressive tale about a broken family, two people fall in love and yet just don’t seem to be able to get it right to lead a happy life . You’re The Man is a cutting-edge dramatized experience on domestic violence written by actor/writer Paul Mitchell and directed by Theresa Borg from Monstrous Theatre productions.

Away

By Michael Gow. Canberra Repertory. Directed by Lainie Hart. Theatre 3, Acton. 5–21 September 2024.

It’s 1967, and three families, whose only connection is their relationship to the local school, meet after the performance of the school’s Christmas play.  Roy (Jim Adamik), the school’s principal, makes his end-of-year speech and wishes all a happy Christmas before greeting individual family members.  Roy’s embarrassingly aloof and strange wife, Coral (Andrea Close), floats unsociably in the background, attracting unfavourable comments.

August: Osage County

By Tracy Letts. Free-Rain, directed by Cate Clelland. Australian Capital Theatre Hub, Kingston, 5–15 September 2024.

At the opening of Tracy Letts’s classic 2008 family drama August: Osage County, the Weston family’s head, Beverley Weston, welcomes to the family home a young woman he has hired to help around the house.  We learn that his wife, Violet, accepts his drinking habit and that he accepts her pill habit, and that the help is for her in her unpredictability.  Beverley’s disappearance shortly thereafter brings his daughters and their families to the home to support Violet; everyone hopes that he has gone on a bender and will soon return.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone

By Sarah Ruhl. Directed by Phil Bedworth. KADS Town Square Theatre, Kalamunda, WA. Sep 6 - 21, 2025

KADS’ Dead Man’s Cell Phone is a cosy little drama with a difference, playing at Kalamunda. Directed with thought by Phil Bedworth, it features a talented cast and was well received by the opening night audience, who were invariably describing it as “surprising” and “different”. 

Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show

Written and Directed by Jean Paul Gaultier. Presented by Brisbane Festival, Tourism and Events Queensland, Brisbane Economic Development Agency, South Bank Corporation in Association with Ts3, RGM Productions, and Avex Entertainment. Southbank Piazza, 30 August – 15 September 2024.

Fashionistas, freaks, and freaky fashionistas are devouring a delightfully French sweet treat courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier's Fashion Freak Show. It’s the jewel in the crown of this year's Brisbane Festival, staged in the massive South Bank Piazza venue.  

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