Reviews

Wry laughs and pathos abound in NUTS production of the cult tear-jerker The Last Five Years. This is a bare bones, tiny budget show, hinging on the sheer energy of Jamie (Colin Balog), the unworldliness of Cathy (Alessa Kron) and Erica Chen’s excellent piano rendition of the fabulous score.

Its makers describe Velvet as a party ("with an exhilarating disco soundtrack"), and as a show bursting with disco, cabaret, dance, glamour, and circus.  The show opens, continues, and closes with soundtracks to which performers dance or sing or perform aerial acrobatics.  It's certainly an unusual mix, though in fact I saw no cabaret.

Having watched it, I'm still unclear what Velvet is.  The only evident connection between all the performances was the set they all appeared on.

The new Kings Cross Theatre is a tiny space up four steep flights of stairs in a building that overlooks the Cross’s famous Coca Cola sign. For this production the acting area cuts the audience into two and as many old chairs as possible have been crammed together. No problem – except it's one act running for 105 minutes and the only possible exit for 50% of the audience is via the stage. Oh, the joys of the fringe!

Penrith Musical and Comedy Company are first NSW company to present the brilliant Kander and Ebb musical Chicago on its return to the circuit this year, with lots of excitement and expectation as other societies follow suit during the year. Choosing to perform in the smaller concert hall instead of the larger theatre was a good decision. With a very minimal set design, the space worked to their advantage and nothing got lost.