Reviews

The World Premiere of Taylor Broadley’s musical, a boy wanted to, is dedicated to the 609 victims of school shootings in the United States. In the aftermath of a school shooting, six teenage survivors hold a sit-in protest against school violence and to call for gun reform. Holed up in their bedrooms, they live stream their lives as they call for people to listen and understand.

There was a special air of anticipation at the opening night of Kenny at the Ensemble. More than a normal opening night. Even more than the opening night of a new season. The before show buzz was louder, more excited – even with QR codes, masks, social distancing, hand sanitiser and a team of COVID captains taking temperatures and religiously cleaning and re-cleaning every handrail and counter.

Kerosene is a love story told to us as a monologue by Millie (Izabella Yena), a girl from the outskirts of Melbourne.  It’s not a romantic love story, not a sexual love story, not a bluff, matey love story.  It is the story of the deep bond of friendship between two schoolgirls that endures unbreakable through vicissitudes and separations into adulthood.  It is, if you like, initially an attraction of opposites.  Millie, the storyteller, is the misfit, the tough guy, the sporty ‘take no shit’ one.  Her friend Annie is the ‘pretty one

Australia only has a few them – theatrical royalty - performers whose dazzling talent has given them unique insights into the leading creatives of our times, after being handpicked to be in world premiere productions. 

Philip Quast is one of them. In a recent radio interview he revealed that his son was “christened” by Stephen Sondheim. (Well sort of.) The composer was holding his baby son and was so overcome by the beautiful sight, that a tear fell from his eye onto the child’s cheek.