Reviews

The Mystery of Irma Vep - A Penny Dreadful

By Charles Ludlam. Castle Hill Players. Pavilion Theatre, Castle Hill. March 18 – April 9, 2022

It was a full moon on Friday 18th of March and it rained at the beginning of Act 2.  What better atmospheric conditions for the opening night of Irma Vep at the Pavilion Theatre?

Chase

By Carly Sheppard (concept & performer). Directed by Kamarra Bell-Wykes. Presented by Malthouse Theatre, in association with HotHouse Theatre. The Tower, The Malthouse, Melbourne. 16-20 March, 2022.

Chase is a character that is close to Carly Sheppard’s heart and could even be seen as a kind of alter ego; the uninhibited part of ourselves that makes us confront the more troubling aspects of our existence. Chase is an eclectic collection of contemporary social identities ranging from the bogan to the superficial social media influencer. The ease with which Sheppard transitions between these various personas elicits a sense of madness or schizophrenia. The performance is undoubtedly chaotic in a carnivalesque and subversive manner.

We Will Rock You

Music and lyrics by Queen, story and script by Ben Elton, by arrangement with David Spicer Productions. Empire Theatre Toowoomba. 18 to 26 March 2022

Fire in the Head

By R. Johns. La Mama, at La Mama Courthouse, Carlton. 16 – 27 March 2022

Fire in the Head tells the story of Kate Kelly, sister of Ned.  Her story has been overshadowed by his – ignored by ‘history’.  The play is a combination of research and imaginative speculation.  It is beautifully written and it’s fascinating because it takes us into the unknown life of an historical figure.  Kate’s story, as remembered and told by her, is one of police persecutions suffered by her family (to which she attributes Ned’s crimes) and the varied routes and careers she took to escape hardship and poverty – ho

North by Northwest

Adapted by Carolyn Burns, from the Alfred Hitchcock film. Directed by Simon Phillips. Sydney Lyric Theatre. March 16 – April 3, 2022.

A movie can do drunken car rides and a crop duster zooming over a lone figure on an empty road then crashing into a truck, no problem! But to do it on the stage? Sounds a bit far-fetched doesn’t it? Anyone who remembers Cary Grant racing across America dodging villains in the movie North by Northwest would probably say “No way! In your dreams!”

Yentl

By Gary Abrahams, Galit Klas & Elise Hearst, based on the original Yiddish short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Yentl the Yeshiva Boy. Developed by Evelyn Krape, Gary Abrahams and Galit Klas. Kadimah Yiddish Theatre. Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio. 12 – 26 March 2022

A marvellous, funny, moving, and very theatrical version of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s story.  For many people, Yentl is a story made famous by Barbra Streisand’s 1983 movie – which, by the way, Bashevis Singer hated.  That movie’s simpler feminist message, its pretence of the reconciliation of opposites, and the heroine’s escape to the holy land (i.e., America) was Streisand’s Hollywood version for her time.  

Calendar Girls

Written by Tim Firth. The Spotlight Theatre, Gold Coast. Directed by Helen Maden. 11th March -2nd April, 2022.

There is a good reason why Spotlight is largely considered the premier community theatre on the Gold Coast. It’s their total commitment to the connection between audience and production, and the quality of what they do.

Sense & Sensibility - The Musical

Director/Writer: Sharmini Kumar. Composer/Musical Director: Daniel Hernandez. 24 Carrot Productions. Gasworks Theatre, Melbourne. Choreographer: Jenny Patrone. Assistant Director: Madalyn McCandless. March 16 - 20, 2022.

The classic Jane Austen story comes to life in a new, homegrown Australian musical. Composer Daniel Hernandez and Director/Writer Sharmini Kumar have captured the essence of the Regency period of the late 1700's - set in South West England, London and Essex - that millions of Austen fans have come to love so dearly.  

You’re All Invited to My Son Samuel’s Fourth Birthday Party

Adelaide Fringe. Presented by Paper Mouth Theatre. Breakout at the Mill. 15-20 March 2022

As the audience is still taking its seats, a mother and father are manic in the detail of their preparations for their son’s fourth birthday. The mother (Mary Angley) barks at the father (Yoz Mensch) to move the cake table into the perfect position.

Autoeulogy

By Lucy Haas-Hennessy. Adelaide Fringe. Breakout at the Mill.15-20 March 2022

‘Everyone is dead and there’s nothing left but chickpeas’ sobs the last surviving woman on the planet, who has been alone in a bunker for a very long time. She makes a daily broadcast to the unknown – sharing her musings on the world: how it got to this apocalyptic event, debating how much of her science knowledge was derived from Star Trek, and surviving on tins of the beige  legumes. Alone, that is, until she involves us, the audience, in curating her bunker-cast.

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