Reviews

Jane Austen’s Emma

Adapted and directed by Simon James. CIty of Gosnells, Don Russell Performing Arts Centre, WA. May 3-11. 2024

Arena Theatre Productions’ season of Jane Austen’s Emma is an original adaptation that is faithful to the novel and true to its subtitle of being “a classic tale of love and life and love”. The first “big” production of this recreated company, it augers well for a bright future.

12 Angry Jurors

Adapted by Sherman L. Sergel from the original “Twelve Angry Men” by Reginald Rose. Directed by Catherine Radbourne. Sandgate Theatre. Playing May 3 – May 19, 2024.

This adaption of the well-known Twelve Angry Men has been brought to life at Sandgate Theatre using a very simple setting, as expected, with the audience semi in the round to bring them closer to the action. Never having served on any jury panel, I found this almost as much a learning exercise as an evening of entertainment. The twelve jurors have to determine if the person charged was guilty of murder. The audience members became very aware of the pressure on each member of the panel as it would in real life.

Potted Potter – The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody.

Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide. 10-12 May, 2024

To use a Harry Potter pun, this show is a HOOT!

None of Us

DUTI Dance Company. Director /Choreographer Mathew Mizyed. FORM Dance. Riverside Theatres Parramatta. 10-11 May, 2024

The sands of time sift gently and fluidly through this story in dance. Desert colours swirl as the dancers narrate in elegant movement a history that Mathew Mizyed has choreographed as a tribute his father’s homeland and the vast Wadi Rum desert.

In interpretative movements he suggests the long passage of time and the generations that have “walked the land before” – in good times and bad.

Cock

By Mike Bartlett. Boys Like Me Productions. Flightpath Theatre Marrickville. May 8 – 18, 2024

For those of us still workshopping it, there’s now a big alphabetical range from which to label your sexuality. You can identify yourself from the ever-expanding LGBTQQIP2SAA or, perhaps ideally, just sleep and love between the definitions, with whoever takes you.

The choice once seemed more limited – gay or straight – and is so in Mike Bartlett’s play from 2008, Cock, a witty title using a very icon of gay (male) identity.

Lung

By Kate Herbert. La Mama HQ, Carlton. 7 – 19 May 2024

In this thoroughly engaging story of a lung transplant, wry comedy mixes with fear and frustration.  Death hovers, but there’s still space for temper tantrums, marital discord, surprising and funny reactions, interfering if well-meaning parents, bickering, and of course cold or insouciant doctors and specialists. 

Lucia di Lammermoor

Composed by Gaetano Donizetti with libretto by Salvatore Cammarano. Presented by Melbourne Opera. Directed by Suzanne Chaundy, conducted by Raymond Lawrence and Greg Hocking AM. Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, Melbourne. 8, 14, 16 & 18 May 2024.

This superb production of Lucia di Lammermoor exalts the tale that has been transformed into a highly dramatic and stirring opera.

Carrie: The Musical

Music by Michael Gore. Lyrics by Dean Pitchford. Book by Lawrence D. Cohen. Phoenix Ensemble, Qld. May 3 – 25, 2024.

In the heart of community theatre, there lies a unique alchemy of passion, dedication, and collaboration. It’s not just about the performance; it’s about the collective effort, the shared enthusiasm, and the transformative power of storytelling. Phoenix Ensemble’s production of Carrie: The Musical embodies this spirit of community theatre in a gripping, raw, and emotionally charged performance that captivates from start to finish.

Isolde & Tristan

By Esther Vilar. Translated by Udo Bogert and Laura Ginters. Sport for Jove. Old Fitz Theatre. May 3 – Jun 1, 2024.

This legend of an Irish princess escorted across the sea by a hero knight to marry a Cornish king is as old as William the Conqueror.  This modern, translated version by German playwright Esther Williams, short and sharp-edged, follows innumerable tellings of this tale of adulterous and unquenchable love, of potions and murder.  

Flabbergasters

Devised and Performed by Pete Booth and Joel Fenton. Presented by Act React. Switch Room, Brisbane Powerhouse Theatre. 4 – 5 May, 2024.

One of Brisbane’s favourite production companies, Act React has delivered big time on the family friendly entertainment with Flabbergasters. It can often be a challenge to find a show that’s equally as engaging and uplifting for grandma as it is for the kids, especially when it comes to comedy festival programming. That’s why it is such a delight to see shows like this one finding a space in the Brisbane Comedy Festival at the Powerhouse.

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