Reviews

Wunderage

Circus Oz and Company2. Meat Market, North Melbourne. June 20 – 30, 2019

At the revamped Victorian Meat Market (built in 1880) in North Melbourne, a promenade circus performance takes place in the cobblestone pavilion.  Wunderage is a spectacle-circus collaborative show directed by Circus Oz’s Rob Tannion and Company 2’s Chelsea McGuffin.

Chapter Two

By Neil Simon. Directed by Pam Cooper. Presented by Sunnybank Theatre Group in association with ORiGiN Theatrical Pty Ltd. Sunnybank Theatre. 14 - 29 June, 2019

Neil Simon plays regularly deliver on the laughs and Chapter Two certainly packs a comedic punch. The romantic comedy takes a cynical view of fidelity and marriage in many respects, while still giving us the anticipated happy ending.

August: Osage County

By Tracy Letts. Playlovers. Directed by Barry Park. Latvian Centre Theatre, Belmont, WA. June 21 - July 6, 2019

When Beverly Weston disappears, his family returns to their home in rural Oklahoma. Pulitzer Prize winning play August: Osage County is being performed for the first time in Western Australia by Playlovers, at the Latvian Theatre in Belmont, as the company is still waiting to return to their home at Hackett Hall, Floreat.

Seven Little Australians

Adapted from Ethel Turner’s novel by Joan Leslie and Di Mason. Hills Youth Theatre, Stirling Community Theatre, South Australia. 21-30 June 2019

Seven Little Australians is a novel more than a hundred years old and has been continuously in print ever since it first told distinctly Australian stories of the seven children in the family of Captain Woolcot and his second wife Esther.

This stage adaptation by Joan Leslie, and the director Di Mason, is a revival of its original staging eighteen years ago and is a marvellous showcase of the talents of Hills Youth Theatre and its many students.

Rockwiz Salutes the Rock Musical

Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Thebarton Theatre. June 21st, 2019

Rockwiz has become an Australian institution, since premiering at ‘The Espy’, Melbourne in 2005. This rock trivia cabaret powerhouse is written and co-hosted by comedian/actor Brian Nankervis and Adelaide Cabaret Festival’s artistic director, Julia Zemiro.

A packed Thebarton Theatre was held captive by the hilarious cast, gifted band and special musical guests. Nankervis warmed the crowd up with his exuberant personality and staged a mini-quiz before the official opening to choose two lucky audience members to join the cast on stage.

The Astral Plane

Written and Directed by Charlie Garber. Produced by Rebecca Blake and Jessica Pantano as part of the 25A Initiative. Belvoir Street Downstairs Theatre. 14-29 June, 2019

This review is going to be problematic. I'm going to overthink it. It will end up being all about me. Because I'm a navel gazer. A deep thinker. A writer. And an actor. And a flipping director. And a wannabe world saver. And I'm deep. So deep. Are you drowning yet? That's how deep I am.

Well Shut My Mouth

By Brenton H Whittle. Adelaide Repertory Theatre. Arts Theatre. June 20-29, 2019

Every now and then a theatre critic can feel a little conflicted after attending a play review. As I left the Arts Theatre I was still not sure what to make of Brenton H Whittle’s brand new work.

Modern Maori Quartet – Two Worlds

Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Space Theatre. 21st-22nd June 2019

The Modern Maori Quartet return to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival after their successful debut in 2018.  Looking dapper in their red and black outfits they could cut it with the ‘rat pack’ but their roots are firmly in the Maori tradition of singalong parties.

They bring us a tale ‘between two worlds’, a story of four men in a kind of purgatory waiting between death and the eternal afterlife. The booming female god-like voice requests each of them tell their story, to end their waiting.

The Crossing

Conceived and performed by Kayah Guenther and Gavin Webber. Additional creatives Ben Ely and Chloe Ogilvie of The Farm. HOTA Gold Coast. 22nd-23rd June, 2019. Then Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

If you haven’t experienced the magic and originality of The Farm, or the extraordinary charisma of Gavin Webber, then you haven’t fully experienced theatre.

Beachside Stories

Melbourne Writers' Theatre. Directed by Elizabeth Walley. Studio Theatre, Gasworks Arts Park, 21 Graham St, Albert Park. 13th –22nd June, 2019.

This is a delightful collection of stories of five key figures in the City of Port Phillip. Each person is a kind of local star or celebrity in their own right and this project acknowledges their outstanding contribution to their community.

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.