Reviews

Heart is a Wasteland begins as a sort of rom com that becomes a road trip - with some noir thrown in – of four days and nights up the Stuart Highway - from Cooper Pedy to Alice Springs.  But this ill-matched indigenous couple, Raye and Dan, carry the heavy burdens of their own pasts - and the pasts of their indigenous people: poverty, child removal, addiction, land theft, and despair.    

 “… a love that is the heartbeat of the entire universe …”

Not only a love story, director Sarah Giles has placed feminine strength and individuality at the fore of this stunning production of Verdi’s La Traviata, “the fallen woman”.  The opera was not well received in 1853 at Teatro La Fenice in Venice as the contemporary, risqué themes, and portrayal of an independent and openly sexual woman did not distract and entertain the audience in the way more regal and fantastic operas did.

This show is a part of a project aimed at preserving an ancient form of Persian storytelling called Naghali. It explores stories through specific codified gestures and movement which culminate in a very stylised corporeal expression. The performance has an elegance and beauty that is seen in both the action and the overall design. There is a magnificence in the cohesion of the set and the intriguing atmosphere this creates.

The best yet? If not, it’s certainly in the running! With host Andrew Denton in sparkling red sequinned tails, co-host Josie O’Reilly in glittering gold and black and Music Man Benny Davis in shining silver, this annual theatrical treat was everything a charity impro event should be. The hosts were hyped, the teams were primed – and as usual the audience, warmed up by the inimitable Ewan Campbell, was ready for anything.

But the hype wasn’t just about improvisation.