Reviews

A Festival of W.S. Gilbert Plays: Creatures of Impulse, Comedy and Tragedy, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, The Hooligan

By W.S. Gilbert. Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Victoria. The Malvern Theatre, East Malvern. 21 – 24 November 2024

This collection of four plays (or playlets) by W.S. Gilbert has perhaps more historical or biographical interest than artistic merit, but they are quite likely a revelation for lovers of the comic operas written with Arthur Sullivan. 

Blanc de Blanc Encore

Devised and Directed by Scott Maidment. Presented by Strut & Fret. The West End Electric. 14 November, 2024 – 16 February, 2025

Blanc de Blanc Encore is an effervescent delight—a bubbly, bright, and delicious concoction that leaves its audience utterly intoxicated with joy. The brainchild of visionary creative director Scott Maidment, this cabaret variety show is packed to the brim with hilarity, jaw-dropping spectacle, and an irresistibly cheeky sense of fun. Naughty jokes and burlesque numbers brimming with tongue-in-cheek humour create a playful atmosphere that strikes the perfect balance between sensuality and satire. 

Julius Caesar

Music by George Frideric Handel. Libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym. Pinchgut Opera. Directed by Neil Armfield. Conducted by Erin Helyard. City Recital Hall, Sydney. November 21 – 27, 2024

A golden translucent pyramid adorned the stage, crowning the orchestra like a cake cover, which was appropriate for the ravishing music feast they provided, that perfectly balanced singing and players.

When Handel penned the opera, Castrati were all the rage, but even with his tools intact, the counter-tenor lead  Tim Mead had a falsetto that was crystal clear. The melodies and vibrato floated out of him like an energetic bubble machine.

An Ideal Husband

By Oscar Wilde. Presented by Heidelberg Theatre Company. Directed by Tim Scott. Heidelberg Theatre Company, 6 Turnham Ave, Rosanna, Melbourne. 15-30 November 2024.

Late 19th century London is beautifully and elegantly conjured in this highly refined production of An Ideal Husband. HTC has paid meticulous attention to both sets and costuming and has created a visually sumptuous environment. The quality of the staging is very impressive and fully exploits the spacious nature of the HTC venue to create pomp and grandeur.

People Will Think You Don’t Love Me

By Joanna Erskine. LITTLE TROJAN in association with bAKEHOUSE THEATRE CO. Directed by Jules Billington. At KXT On Broadway, Sydney. 15 – 30 November, 2024

LITTLE TROJAN do a great job dressing up their new play for its opening performance. The theatre looks good, the play is solidly set and lit on the two-sided stage, and there’s a fine program to be read, the first time in years that a small theatre has offered such an important ingredient.

Treasure Island

By Ben Crocker. Malanda Theatre Company. 29th November -8th December, 2024.

In the program it states that this pantomime is loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel. That in itself is an understatement. But out of this jumbled script has emerged an absorbing theatrical production, full of colour, dance, song and mad comedy.

Umberto & Natsuko

Queensland Symphony Orchestra. QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane. 15-16 November 2024

Resident Conductor Umberto Clerici and Concertmaster Natsuko Yoshimoto were in the spotlight for the last of the Maestro series for 2024 with a performance of Brahms' Double Concerto in A minor for Violin and Cello. It was quite a treat to see a conductor playing his own chosen instrument, a switch of roles, and in this instance, the transfer of emotion from baton to cello, perhaps the perfect instrument of choice for such a passionate personality as Maestro Clerici; and in true Italian style.

Ready or Not

Written and performed by Ainslee Palmer. A JUTE Theatre Company project for DARTS (Driving and Activating the Regional Theatre Sector). A White Rabbit Theatre production (on tour). Directed by Lisa Smith. Lux Noir Theatre, Townsville. 19 November 2024

A SOLO WORK can live or die by a combination of two crucial things – the acting and the writing.

Thankfully, both performance and writing in this case was in the safe hands of talented actor-writer Ainslee Palmer in her debut solo work. We explore the confronting world of trauma and how we handle it- usually by presenting the veneer of a public “everything’s-fine” face when clearly it is not.

Black Medea

By Wesley Enoch adapted from Euripides. WAAPA Aboriginal Acting Students. Directed by Rick Brayford. The Enright Studio, WAAPA, Edith Cowan University, Mt Lawley, WA. Nov 7-13, 2024

Black Medea was performed by WAAPA Aboriginal Acting Students, as the culmination of their yearlong course and crewed, built and designed by WAAPA Production and Design students.

An adaptation of Euripides classic tale, this version, by Wesley Enoch, blends Ancient Greek and Australian indigenous culture. Medea sacrifices her connection to country and family links to pursue love - a disastrous decision.

Mary Poppins

Music & Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. Book by Julian Fellowes from the novel by P.L. Travers. Additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Presented by Queensland Musical Theatre based on the original Broadway and London production. Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane. 15-24 November 2024

Community theatre is generally the perfect avenue for people of all ages and theatrical talents to get together, and what better a vehicle than this ever-popular family show. Based loosely on the original movie, the Cameron Mackintosh version is somewhat different in presentation, being adapted for the stage whilst still incorporating the characters originally found in P.L Travers’ novel and selections from the original film score.

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