By Neil Simon. John Frost for Crossroads Live. Comedy Theatre, Melbourne. 23 May - 23 June, 2024, then Theatre Royal, Sydney.
With its progress from stage play to movie and then a long running television series, the term ‘odd couple’ has passed into the language, and we all know what it means: a mismatched pair somehow living together. In this iteration, the odd couple – divorcees Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar – one an incorrigible slob, the other a pernickety hypochondriac, are Shane Jacobson and Todd McKenny.
Music by Leonard Bernstein. Book by Hugh Wheeler after Voltaire. Lyrics by Richard Wilbur with additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellmann, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein. Orchestrations by Leonard Bernstein and Hershy Kay; Musical Continuity and Additional Orchestrations by John Mauceri. State Theatre Company SA and State Opera SA. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide. 23-25 May, 2024.
Candide is a spectacularly crazy show and the audience on opening night lapped up every note, nuance and movement with gusto. Everyone was along for the ride - and what a ride! We travel from Westphalia to Lisbon at the time of the 1755 earthquake to the Spanish Inquisition to Montevideo to Eldorado, and finally Constantinople through a whimsical set of polka dots and fabulously flamboyant costumes!
By Rodgers and Hammerstein. The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of S.A. The Arts Theatre. May 23 - June 1, 2024
Respected, award-winning director, Richard Trevaskis is known for his flair and innovation in musical theatre. For this Gilbert and Sullivan (G&S) production of Oklahoma!, Trevaskis has unashamedly embraced the pared back 2015 Daniel Fish production style whilst making few changes to the 1943 script. What impact does this have? It casts Oklahoma! into a very different light from the feel-good euphoric musical that usually characterises this piece.
By Horton Foote. Presented by Red Phoenix Theatre and Holden Street Theatres. The Studio at Holden Street Theatres. 23 May to 1 June 2024
Carrie Watts longs to escape the two-room apartment she shares with her son Ludie, and self-centred daughter-in-law Jessie Mae. She wants to return to her home town of Bountiful – and her illness makes her wish more urgent. Jessie Mae’s dominance over mother and son – and her reliance on that regular pension cheque - makes that trip even more challenging to take.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra. QPAC. May 17 & 18, 2024
The latest concert in Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s 2024 season was Symphony Fantastic, three French works that explore the themes of death in a macabre but entertaining evening of classical musical. Conductor Umberto Clerici was joined by Hungarian violinist Jozsef Lendvay. Credited as being one of the most brilliant violin soloists in the world, he joined the orchestra for the first of the three works.
By Melissa Reeves. Pymble Players. May 15 – June 8, 2024
Inspired by a true story, this play is set in small-town Australia in 1965. There are references to Menzies and Vietnam to give us some historical context, and meetings held for the South Bendigo branch of the Communist Party of Australia to give us a grounding in suburbian Victoria. Apparently the Cold War fear-mongering, unfortunate friendships and betrayal which are highlighted in this play were alive and well in regional Australia in the 1960’s, and that is both interesting and disappointing.
By Robert Hewett. The Guild Theatre, Rockdale, NSW. Director: Susan Stapleton. 17 May - 9 June, 2024
Aching humanity, laced with bittersweet, wry wit flows through Susan Stapleton’s moving production of Robert Hewett’s Gulls.
In the space of a handful of productions, the Guild Theatre has now staged two powerful Australian plays featuring carers, in this case a sister caring for her brother.
By Duncan Greenwood and Robert King. Tea Tree Players. Cnr Yatala Vale Road and Hancock Road Surrey Downs, SA. May 22 – June 1, 2024
Masochism – “gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others, especially the tendency to seek this form of gratification.”
St Martin’s Youth Theatre. Writer and Co-creators: Michele Lee, Michael Carmody, Nadja Kostitch and ensemble. Writing Intern: Spike Angwin. Director: Nadja Kostich. Directing Intern: Clea Carney. Choreographic Artist: Bridget Fiske. Composer and Sound Designer: Allara Briggs Pattison. Lighting Designer: Richard Vabre. Set and Costume Designer: Matilda Woodroofe. 17-26 May, 2024
This amalgam of disciplined movement, enlivening songs, rich soundscape and thoughtful words set in ambiguous spaces examines the difficulties and wonders of words.
By Samuel Bailey. The Substation, Qtopia, Taylor Square, Sydney. Directed by Emma Whitehead. 16 May – 5 June 2024
The venue is supposed to be at 136 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, but I’ve run out of numbers. ‘Excuse me,’ I say to the girl guarding what looks like an underground toilet, ‘I’m looking for Shook’. ‘Yes, you’ve found us’, she says, ‘but we’re not quite ready yet.’ Returning in a bit, I squeeze under the entrance, descend the steep stairs and find myself in a tiny theatre.
