Reviews

2015 Broadway musical It Shoulda Been You often feels like pure musical comedy, yet it’s also a snappy marital musical farce, with frequent nods to vaudeville. While there’s a lot that’s old-fashioned about this show, especially many of the gags, it also has a joyous and contemporary take on families and marriage. The maternal wrangling over an inter-religion Catholic / Jewish marriage is one fairly obvious plot twist among many, though I’m loathe to discuss plot any further and risk the minefield of potential spoilers.

Squeaky Clean Comedy includes a culturally diverse line-up of award-winning comedians. This show is specifically designed as a family friendly event keeping the humour suitable for all ages. The humour is never watered down and the innuendo remains in a diplomatic and tasteful sphere. Michael Connell is a masterful MC and he keeps the show going at a cracking and hilarious pace. The individual acts provide a fabulous opportunity to see a variety of performers currently participating in the Comedy Festival and provides a real showcase of Australian and NZ talent.

For some in the audience it possibly takes a while to ‘get’ this production because it’s really a ‘play within a play’.

The Play That Goes Wrong  is a title that covers what in fact is a horribly bad production of a murder mystery put on by amateurs, who themselves are played by The Play That Goes Wrong’s supremely skilled professional actors. These professionals demonstrate some of the best physical comedy you’re ever likely to see.

The dark aspects of the play give limited scope for a more light-hearted approach. Yet, while still exploring the descent into evil that Macbeth (Andy Delves) undergoes, OZ ACT manages to keep the play in a relatively unthreatening sphere. Delves makes the spiralling descent from decency to depravity an interesting journey.