Reviews

A literal translation of Shan Gao Shui Chang is “Mountain high, water field”. This immersive production features dance, sound, and visual arts and has an all too short season of two nights. I was lucky enough to catch the opening night.

Awarded the Adelaide Fringe Fund, this work returns after its highly acclaimed Melbourne debut.

Black Swan State Theatre Company’s August: Osage County is presented as part of Perth Festival. A co-production with Belvoir Street Theatre, this large cast production about a family in crisis is a well-acted well-presented story.

A cabaret performer, Joanie, arrives at the Afterlife, and is asked what she has learnt? This takes the audience on a journey with Joanie to understand the choices she made and their consequences. Her spirit guide Pam reveals more than Joanie knew about the reaction of another woman, Eva, following a chance meeting after one of Joanie’s shows. Through myriad other characters, we discover there are still opportunities for redemption, with renewed purpose.

The title, One Day We’ll Understand, suggests hope – hope that, in the future, we will find the truth – all of it – and then we’ll understand.  But what this dazzling and moving presentation shows us is how hard a task that is.  The ‘truth’ depends on the teller and on what is left behind. It is twisted, hidden, erased, covered, lost in dusty archives, and the witnesses who remain are fearful or ashamed...  And even then, were all to be revealed, would we understand?