Reviews

StageArt’s production of The Full Monty was a high energy affair. The story, familiar to audience members from the film, had been moved to America. With the local factory having been closed, Jerry is struggling to pay maintenance to his ex-wife and faces losing access to his son, Nathan. So he enlists some mates in a get rich quick scheme to produce a male strip show.

Initially we encounter the wives attending a strip show, enjoying themselves enormously and complaining about their husbands. Sophie Weiss is particularly strong as Georgie.

With all the hype that surrounds the ever-popular exercise industry; from the wardrobe essentials of active wear to the gym memberships, the fitness tracking accessories, and mass-produced elite gym equipment, Confessions of an Aerobics Instructor delves into the minds of the super humans that work in this business.

A dramatic monologue can be a confronting and/or emotional experience for both the actor and the audience. The Executioner at the Bas3ment falls short on both counts. One of the first rules of theatre is to engage. This script is a 50 minute rant of random thoughts going through the character's head, and this reviewer was not engaged.

The story of one of the ABC’s most distinguished journalists - and how he received a kidney donation from an incredibly unlikely source - is a very unusual one for the stage. But Australian theatre has matured so much in recent years that these types of challenges are embarked upon with gusto. The results are fine indeed.