Reviews

Ladylike: A Modern Guide to Etiquette.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The Butterfly Club, Melbourne 16-22 April, 2018.

Taste the sensational comedy routines of Louise Beuvink!

Her Australian debut show is here to embrace our shores with her unique feminist-satirical blend of cabaret and stand up. After a complete sell out national tour of her New Zealand homeland, she is assured we will dig her rhythm.

This show is a soda stream blend of fizzy concoctions of domestic and social situations parodying women of all demographics.

Dr Frankenstein

Written by Selma Dimitrijevic. Canberra Rep. Directed by Jordan Best. Theatre 3, Acton, Canberra ACT. April 5 – 20, 2018

What a fascinating choice of play for Canberra Rep’s “Power and Passion” season. Rather than the masculine-based original novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, this new re-telling has changed Victor into Victoria. This play premiered in England last year and it is good to see recent reinterpretations, especially one as well-structured and eloquent as this.

The Riddle of Washpool Gully

By David Morton. Terrapin. Directed by David Morton. The Backspace Theatre Royal, Hobart April 13-21, 2018

The Riddle of Washpool Gully is a stunning piece of theatre which will appeal to young and old. 

This show is a seamless hybrid of puppetry and live action. The skill, teamwork and concentration required of Guy Hooper, Mel King and Drew Wilson are extraordinary as they transition between intricately expressive operations of the manipulated characters and the dramatized scenes. All of this is expertly sequenced to an evocative soundtrack by Heath Brown and superb lighting by Jason James. 

Rock Of Ages

Music & Lyrics: Various. Book: Chris D’Arienzo. Pannic Productions. Director: Andrew Panda Haden. Musical Director: Grace Cockburn. Choreographer: Ashley Rae Little. Redcliffe Cultural Centre, 13-15 April 2018

Pannic Productions burst on the local community theatre scene last year with an impressive audio-visual heavy production of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. This year they’re back bringing a lot of glam-rock to the Redcliffe Peninsula with everybody’s favourite 80s jukebox musical Rock of Ages.

Annie

Book by Thomas Meehan, Music by Charles Strouse and Lyrics by Martin Charnin. Holroyd Musical and Dramatic Society. The Red Gum Centre, Wentworthville. April 13 - 21, 2018

HMDS's production of the classic Depression themed musical Annie was a great retelling of the well-known story about the red-headed optimistic, orphan and her chance adoption by the Billionaire Oliver Warbucks.

Director Olivia Linas and her cast gave a very well gelled and polished Opening Night performance.

The show opened with an action sequenced overture, which was a delight to see and gave the audience an immediate insight to the title character Annie, played on opening night by Sami Dinnerville.

An Emotional Rollercoaster

Debussy: Prelude a “l’apres-midi d’un faune” (Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun), Ginastera: Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra, op.28, Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98. Queensland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Prior. Piano: Sergio Tiempo. Concert Hall, QPAC, 14-15 April 2018

It has often been stated that Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera was arguably the finest composer South America ever produced and after listening to fellow Latin,Sergio Tiempo playing his Concerto No. 1 you would get no argument from me. This atonal work built on a twelve-tone scale is theatrically dramatic, bold and passionate with moments of underlying rage and volcanic power, and in Tiempo’s dazzling hands a bravura showpiece.

Billionaire Boy

By Maryam Master, based on the novel by David Walliams. Presented by Sydney Opera House and CDP Kids. Sydney Opera House (Playhouse). 14 – 29 April 2018.

After his Dad made eleventy squillion dollars inventing Bumfresh toilet wipes, 12 year old Joe has everything a boy could ever want including a golden underwater Ferrari, his own bowling alley and cinema, or so you would think, but all he really wants is a friend.

The world premiere Australian adaptation of David Walliams’ book, Billionaire Boy, is chucklesome, entertaining and appealing to all ages.

Electric Butterflies

Kuah Jenhan. Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Mantra On Russell. March 29 – April 22, 2018

Kuah Jenhan has returned to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2018 with his brand new show - Electric Butterflies.

One of Malaysia’s brightest comedy talents, with sellout shows cross Asia, Jenhan is back with his unique Asian induced flavors to tantalize our exotic taste buds.

Electric Butterflies is a romantic comedy in sixty minutes. He doesn’t get the girl but he finds true love in true screwball comedy style.

Josephine Wants to Dance

Adapted by Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge and Tim McGarry, from the book by Jackie French. Music and lyrics by Phil Scott. monkey baa theatre company. Lendlease Darling Quarter Theatre, Sydney. April 14 – 24, 2018

This delightful adaptation, by monkey baa’s Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge and Tim McGarry, entertains children and adults alike. It’s fun, lively and realises the deeper message to kids in Jackie French’s story … that if you really believe in yourself, your dreams can come true.

The Little Mermaid

Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright. Birdie Productions. Bryan Brown Theatre (Bankstown). 13 – 22 April 2018.

A heroine, a loyal sidekick, a villain, love, sacrifice and a happy ending are some of the key ingredients of a Disney movie, but when you put that on a stage, add stunning costumes and sets, strong vocals and an impressive orchestra, you have a fantastic show. Birdie’s production of the Little Mermaid is all this and more.

About four months ago, I was talking to Executive Producer, Rodney Bertram about his crew’s plans for the show and he told me how they wanted to bring the “Disney magic” to the stage. They certainly achieved this!

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