Reviews

Journey to The Centre of The Earth

By Jules Verne, adapted by David Innes and Robert Lloyd. The Butterfly Club, Melbourne. Sep 28 – 30, 2023

In this fabulous revue we see two rambunctious local comedians, David Innes and Robert Lloyd, offer a plethora of sci-fi adventures extracted from the Jules Verne classic Journey to The Centre of The Earth, first published in French in 1864.

Men At Arms

Based on the Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs. Directed by Aaminah Khan, assisted by MIchael Ruhl. Townsville Little Theatre (TLT). Pimpac Performing Arts Centre, Townsville. September 27-30, 2023.

THERE IS always an inherent challenge in adapting a book into a play, and particularly in re-creating the vivid and comical Discworld of Terry Pratchett on to the stage.

I fully acknowledge that there are strings of devotees of the Pratchett series of 41 novels about this fantasy dystopian world of assassins, trolls, dwarfs and clowns, but I must also acknowledge that (a) these completely passed me by - and will probably continue to do so - and (b) that this was my first experience of a dramatic adaptation of Pratchett.

Claire Della and the Moon

By Ella Graham and Jamie Hornsby. AWESOME Festival. Rehearsal Room, State Theatre Centre of WA Sep 26-30, 2023

This gentle little production playing in the Rehearsal Room at the State Theatre may be a good AWESOME Festival choice for quiet or anxious children that are averse to the chaos and loud nature of many children’s shows.

Banging Denmark

By Van Badham. Director Madeleine Withington. New Theatre, Newtown, NSW. 20 – 30 September, 2023

New Theatre spices up Sydney Fringe with Van Badham’s feisty feminist comedy Banging Denmark.

Grug and the Rainbow

Adapted from the book by Ted Prior. Windmill Theatre / AWESOME Festival. Directed by Sam Haren, Studio Underground State Theatre Centre of WA, Perth WA. Sep 27-30, 2023

Windmill Theatre is in Perth for the AWESOME Festival, and I was lucky enough to join a capacity audience - mostly aged under 10 - for this warm and exciting retelling of this popular book.

All the Things I Couldn’t Say

RUMPUS Theatre and Deus Ex Femina. Flinders Drama Centre – Flinders University, Bedford Park (Adelaide). Sept 26 to Oct 1, 2023

How many times have we all wished we had phrased a comment differently, or, worse still, said something that for many reasons we chose not to say?

This is the premise of RUMPUS Theatre and Deus Ex Femina’s latest production All The Things I Couldn’t Say. Written and directed by Katherine Sortini, inspired by the poignant confessions on the website The Unsent Project (definitely worth a look), this multi-disciplinary vignette show brings together the raw emotions and untold stories from anonymous individuals across the globe.

Dr AudioYO’s Giant Adventure

By Holly Austin. Directed by Miles O’Neill. Rehearsal Room State Theatre Centre of WA. Sep 26-30, 2023

Playing as part of the AWESOME International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things, Dr AudioYO’s Giant Adventure is a fascinating one woman show that captivated its audience and had them hanging on every …. sound.

Banging Denmark

By Van Badham. Harbour Theatre. Directed by Melissa Merchant. Camelot Performing Arts, Mosman Park, WA. Sep 15-Oct 1, 2023

Banging Denmark is a spicier play than we are used to seeing from Harbour Theatre, but is also a very strong production that deserves to be seen. This relatively new Australian play is being performed by several companies across Australia at the moment, so obviously has something to say in our present climate.

Biographica

Composer Mary Finsterer. Libretto Tom Wright. Lyric Opera of Melbourne and Theatre Works. Theatre Works, St Kilda. 22 September – 1 October 2023

This magnificent, moving, almost magical production tells the story of Renaissance polymath Gerolamo Cardano (1501 – 1576) – a nexus of human tragedy, science, religion, medicine, superstition and memory.  Why should we be interested – and indeed touched and gripped by Cardano?  Because this is an intensely human story about the juxtaposition of great achievement against human frailty and loss.

It takes us inside the mind of this troubled genius via a wondrous combination of music, voices, images and poetic rhetoric.

Stylebender

In cinemas nationally from September 28, 2023.

I must confess to knowing little about kickboxing, but the combination of kickboxing and dancing was too much to resist. I was not let down, Stylebender is a compelling documentary that follows kickboxer Israel Adesanya through the ups and downs of his childhood and career, tapping into masculinity, bullying, mental health and the art of fighting and dance.

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