Reviews

I almost felt like giving the cast a round of applause as soon as the curtained opened, for the herculean achievement of making it to the stage.

Covid-19 has paused rehearsals and performances in Sydney and performing arts productions with large casts have been particularly vulnerable. Gaps in the audience were noticeable and the odd cough made me a little nervous.

But by and large for the vaccinated in the theatre, which was three quarters full, there was great appreciation that the show had gone on.

Imaginaria is a sound and light show in a darkened space inside a giant white bubble. The multimedia exhibition promises to be 'an immersive play experience from the future' so, on top of the excellent visual displays, I was expecting a little bit more interactivity. You enter the space like any other exhibition, check your ticket, take off your shoes, don some supplied socks and enter a room full of tic-tac-like seats and a circular screen. Once your eyes have adjusted to the dark, you are in a sort of stargazing planetarium. How long you stay is up to you.

Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals is a gorgeous suite of music, which Spare Parts Puppet Theatre uses as the inspiration and accompaniment for this excellent show. Set in Perth and telling a story that focuses on humanity, this show uses the original music, played on two pianos, an Australian narration written by Nick Enright, two strong actors and of course a bevy of beautiful puppets to create a 50-minute dreamscape that will delight both children and adults.

You always know Christmas is just around the corner when Queensland Ballet’s popular production of this revered classical ballet takes to the stage. This is the ninth Christmas season of the ballet since QB first produced it in 2013, originally in the Playhouse but now a permanent fixture in the Lyric to accommodate the larger audiences it attracts.