Reviews

Jesus Christ Superstar

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics by Tim Rice. Platinum Entertainment. Directed by Trevor Patient. Musical Direction by Frank La Cava. Quarry Amphitheatre, City Beach, WA. Oct 31 - Nov 4, 2018

Platinum Entertainment’s Jesus Christ Superstar is set at the Superstar Music Festival, which features the headline acts, Jesus, Judas and Simon Peter. Set in the present day with the set and props including mobile phones, social media references and uber eats, the extended metaphor continues throughout the show without messing with the original script, as the priests become the executives at Priest Records, Pilate is a festival producer and Herod a talent agent. It is a fresh interpretation which adds extra interest for those familiar with the production.

Neon Tiger

By Julia-Rose Lewis. Music Composed by Gillian Cosgriff. Co-Created by Julia-Rose Lewis, Gillian Cosgriff and Kat Henry. Directed by Kat Henry. Presented by La Boite Theatre in association with Brisbane Powerhouse. Theatre, 27 October – 17 November, 2018

Brisbane theatre creatives are kicking some impressive goals this year and the trend continues with Neon Tiger. This relatable romantic comedy is packed with great songs, witty dialogue and thought-provoking messages. It’s a two-hander, beautifully performed by Lisa Hanley (The Leftovers -- HBO) and Courtney Stewart (Single Asian Female -- La Boite and Belvoir).

While I Was Waiting

OzAsia Festival. Dunstan Playhouse. 30th and 31st October 2018.

Performed in Arabic, with English surtitles, the Australian premiere of While I Was Waiting is a unique opportunity to gain insight into the very real lives of families caught up in the current Syrian turmoil. Syrian playwright Mohammad Al Attar and director Omar Abusaada powerfully humanise a political situation, giving the audience the chance to interact with the trauma that besets families, by being invited into their living, loving and grieving.

Salt

By Eko Supriyanto. OzAsia Festival 2018. Odeon Theatre. October 30-31, 2018

Salt is a mesmerising solo dance performance by leading Indonesian choreographer Eko Supriyanto. His fascinatingly different choreography is accompanied by music by Dimawan Krisnowo Adji- a blend of traditional gamelan and synthesised music. This music, which at times was disturbingly staccato and jarring, was integrated perfectly by Supriyanto to create a sense of unease and rapt attention by the audience.

Baling

Five Arts Centre (Malaysia). Oz-Asia Festival. Nexus Arts, Lion Arts Centre, Adelaide. 31 October -2 November, 2018

This unusual and informative work of political theatre from Malaysia’s Five Arts Centre is about differing interpretations of history, events and people. It focuses on an important political meeting in Malaysia in December 1955 known as the ‘Baling Talks’, and in particular Chin Peng, the enigmatic leader of the outlawed Malaysian Communist Party.

Orphée / Iphigénie

By Christoph Willibald Gluck. BK Opera. Director: Kate Millett. Musical Director: James Penn. Studio 1 Northcote Town Hall (Vic). October 31 – November 4, 2018

As one of the few amateur opera companies in Melbourne, BK Opera is also one of the busiest, their latest offering being less than two months after the previous one.

Calendar Girls

By Tim Firth. Hobart Repertory Theatre Society. Directed by Nicholas Lahey. The Playhouse. October 26-November 10 2018

Calendar Girls takes place within the timeframe of the gestation of a sunflower. As John observes: The flowers of Yorkshire are like the women of Yorkshire. Every stage of their growth has its own beauty, but the last phase is always the most glorious. Then very quickly they all go to seed.

King Lear

By William Shakespeare. Chichester Festival Theatre. National Theatre Live. Nova, Carlton and participating cinemas nationally. 3 November 2018 onwards.

Sir Ian McKellen inhabits his Lear from the start as an old man afraid he is losing his mind – even while he makes arbitrary and foolish decisions.  Sir Ian’s emphasis on that fear of madness makes it, when it overtakes him, all the more ironic in that Lear begins to see the world as it really is.

Chinese Music Day

Oz Asia Festival. Elder Hall, The University of Adelaide. 28th October 2018

Chinese Music Day is an opportunity to combine age-old traditional Chinese music with contemporary influences. In recent years it has become a welcome part of the OzAsia Festival program and also provides an opportunity to showcase local talent and the work of a number of local performers.

The War of the Worlds Anniversary Broadcast

Presented by Innes Lloyd. The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne. 29 October 2018.

The comedy duo David Innes & Rob Lloyd, accompanied by the musical talents of Caleb Garfinkel, pay homage to the classic sci-fi novel War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. There is more than a passing interest in this story and the show centres around how the text has impacted their lives and entered our cultural imagination.

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