Reviews

It’s official. The Gold Coast has been conquered by the show with the weird name. How good is Come from Away, you ask? Well, imagine not one, not two or three, but FOUR standing ovations at the end of the opening night. And this was not a usual first night. Covid ravaged the cast, and the official opening had to be cancelled and moved to Saturday. Media and dignitaries had to be squeezed in with the Saturday night audience. We didn’t care. By the end of the evening, we all felt that we wanted to hug each other.

Here is a sensitive – and skilful – adaptation of this famous and much-loved 1847 novel.  Christine Davey has selected events, but more importantly, the emotions of this story of Jane Eyre – and turned them into theatre.  The novel is a first-person account of Jane’s life - from harassed and bullied orphan to romantic heroine and finally mother of her own children – and so in this adaptation, our heroine Jane (Tess Parker) herself is our narrator. 

Opera Australia’s La Traviata returns to Sydney once again, playing to a captive audience at the magnificent Sydney Opera House. Upon entering the theatre, it is the first notes of the violins that set the tone for this much celebrated opera. La Traviata, meaning ‘The Fallen Woman’, is a tragic tale about a Parisian courtesan, Violetta, who yearns to leave her party-girl lifestyle behind her in favour of true love. But beneath her beautiful, vibrant exterior lies a dark secret.

David Williamson is our most prolific playwright and (arguably) our most entertaining. Charitable Intent is part of a trilogy and basically covers a mediation conference between the staff and CEO of a leading charity. It’s rife with satirical quips, subtext, and even poignancy. Its downside is that it can be very static …just eight people on chairs in a conference room, and can sometimes end up as just “Talking heads” or a live radio play, so it needs a good director with fine sensibilities in both drama and comedy.