Reviews

Box and Cox: Married and Settled!

Adelaide Fringe 2019. Maniacal Arts. Don Pyatt Room, Norwood Concert Hall. 15-23 February 2019

This Victorian-era farce was first performed in 1852, a sequel to the successful Box and Cox written five years earlier. That was a story of Mr Box and Mr Cox unknowingly sharing a room; this is a reuniting of the two, each now with a wife and child.

It’s a light and uncomplicated tale, a little slapstick, overstated Englishness in its dialogue and physicality barely stained by the quickly dismissed suggestion of impropriety.  

FLIGHT

Adelaide Fringe Festival 2019. Realscape Productions in association with DARKSIDE (GB). The Garden Of Unearthly Delights - Rundle Park / Kadlitpina. 15 February-17 March, 2019

FLIGHT is an all encompassing experience about what could happen when flying in a passenger plane should a disaster occur.

The Ides of March

By Kieran Bullock. Adelaide Fringe 2019. Elwood Social Club Productions. The Cabinet Room, Treasury 1860. 15 – 17 February 2019

A time travelling Shakespeare goes to Ancient Rome to witness Caesar’s murder, so he can adapt the events for his new play. This fast-paced, wonderfully silly comedy doesn’t require the audience to be overly familiar with the playwright’s works – though you’ll smile more if you do.

The Gentleman Magician - A Magical Soirée

The Sir Stamford Hotel at Circular Quay. 93 Macquarie Street, Sydney. Every Friday and Saturday evening at 7.30pm

Bruce Glen, the Gentleman Magician, is a consummate performer who recreates the elegant ambiance of the nineteenth century drawing room salon gatherings in the beautiful, heritage listed Sir Stamford Hotel.

Eleanor’s Story: Home is the Stranger

By Ingrid Garner. Fringe World. Caso Mondo, Yagan Square, Perth. Feb 12-17, 2019

The continuation or sequel to Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany shows a teenaged Eleanor return to the United States to find that she doesn’t feel that she belongs.

Death of a Salesman

By Arthur Miller. Queensland Theatre. Director: Jason Klarwein. Playhouse, QPAC, 14 February 2019

Audiences have been recognising themselves in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman for the past 70 years. A Pulitzer Prize winner and widely regarded as one of the greatest plays of the 20th century, Willy Loman’s travelling salesman still resonates in the IT age in this wonderful production by Jason Klarwein.

Andrews Sisters Performed by the Swing Sisters With Oz Big Band

Fringe World. Downstairs at the Maj, His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth. Feb 12 -16, 2019

Andrews Sisters Performed by the Swing Sisters With Oz Big Band pairs two Perth Acts for a fabulously slick, great sounding show that is delighting its capacity crowds.

The Swing Sisters regularly perform songs in the style of The Andrews Sisters, and this show showcases them in the style of the original band, supported by a 16 piece big band, a pairing rarely seen.

Swing That Music

With Tom Burlinson and Emma Pask. Musical arrangements by Ed Wilson. QPAC Concert Hall, South Bank. Friday, February 8, 2019

Jazz sensation Emma Pask was five when Tom Burlinson rode into the heart of the nation in the 1982 movie The Man From Snowy River.

The launch of their singing careers was more closely aligned, with Burlinson debuting in 1990, and Pask being discovered by Jazz legend James Morrison in 1994.

At the QPAC Concert Hall on Friday night, the pair collaborated for only the second time on stage in Swing That Music, after recording an album and premiering it at Sydney’s State Theatre last year.

The Sapphires

Written and Directed by Tony Briggs. Presented by Christine Harris and HIT Productions. The Q - Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, Crawford Street, Queanbeyan.13 – 18 February 2019 and touring

The Sapphires needs no introduction, thanks to the marvellous movie of the same name directed by Wayne Blair. This play is where it all began. Written by Tony Briggs and based loosely on the story of a group of four Indigenous soul singers who toured Vietnam to entertain troups during the war, one of whom was his mother, the story differs significantly from the movie, and this production is rawer than earlier versions. It is wonderful to see the breadth of First Nations talent on show here.

Ron and Isobel

By Anna Lall. La Mama Courthouse, Carlton VIC. 13 – 17 February 2019

On the way to the tram stop after the opening night of Ron and Isobel, we were stopped at traffic lights and joined by a couple of fellow audience members.  They were still smiling, and the woman said to us, ‘Wasn’t it good?’  They were La Mama first timers; they’d picked this show as a bit of an experiment, they’d had a great time and they’d be going back to La Mama for more.  And why not?  Although we did say – tentatively - that Ron and Isobel is not exactly your usual La Mama show… 

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