Reviews

Celebration Gala Melbourne

The Australian Ballet, with Orchestra Victoria. State Theatre Melbourne. 9th – 18th December, 2021

The Australian Ballet is back, but not as we’ve known it. And this is not a bad thing. I have long bemoaned the seeming inability of the Corps de Ballet to dance in unison. After all ,the purpose for the members of the Corps should be to blend in, not to stand out. The sloppy nature of the Corps for the last several years has driven many away from The Australian Ballet, as the Principals improved and those in the Corp lost their way.

Bumming With Jane

By Tahli Corin. The Studio, Holden St Theatres, Adelaide. 9 – 11 December 2021

Written by Tahli Corin (actor-trained in Adelaide), Bumming With Jane had its debut in 2008 at Belvoir St Downstairs, Sydney.  The work is inspired by the poem of the same name by German/American underground writer Charles Bukowski but doesn’t quite attain the sense of depravity Bukowski might approve of with his infamous, nothing-to-lose truthful approach to writing.

Imogen Says Nothing

By Aditi Kapil. Modicum Theatre Directed by Anna Quercia-Thomas. Melville Theatre, WA. Dec 9-11, 2021

Modicum Theatre presents Imogen Says Nothing at Melville Theatre. Inspired by a ghost character in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and set backstage with Shakespeare’s theatre company, it comes hot on the heels of Melville Theatre Company’s William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play, accidentally giving Shakespeare fans a mini season of Shakespeare inspired work.

Death of a Salesman

By Arthur Miller. Sydney Theatre Company. Director: Paige Rattray. Roslyn Packer Theatre. 3rd to 22nd December, 2021

Death of a Salesman is a ‘modern tragedy’ that follows all the traditions of Greek tragedy –   except that Arthur Miller’s tragic hero, Willy Loman, is not a ‘noble’. He is just a ‘common man’ who has realised he has no chance of achieving the American Dream – namely that “life can be better for every person if he or she has the opportunity and willingness to work hard— regardless of their background or social class”.

S.S. Metaphor

By Ash Flanders. Directed by Sarah Giles. The Malthouse Outdoor Stage, 113 Sturt St, Southbank Melbourne. 5 - 19 December, 2021

This show has all the components of a very promising cabaret show. Four talented performers, many of whom are almost veterans of the genre, a strong concept and a very inviting venue. S.S. Metaphor is set on a cruise ship which, from the outset, has a bizarre sense of doom lurking in the background. It parodies the cheesy atmosphere that is often associated with cruise ship culture, starting with the ‘has been’ entertainers singing a medley of equally cheesy melodies that are supposedly designed to encourage “Love Boat” style romance.

Jagged Little Pill

Music and lyrics by Alanis Morissette and others. Book by Diablo Cody. Trafalgar Theatre Productions and GWB Entertainment. Theatre Royal Sydney – Opening Night, December 9, 2022. Comedy Theatre, Melbourne from January 3, 2022. Crown Theatre, Perth from May 14. Sydney Return season at Theatre Royal from July 9.

It was a rolled gold night in the theatre. Just like driving a new car, the audience loved the experience of strolling into a refreshed venue – circling into the foyer around the sparkling Charles O. Perry sculpture, down the stairs, past the sparkling fresh gold paint into the plush new seats.

To celebrate the saving of a Sydney Theatre from the sledgehammer, the cast rose to the occasion delivering one powerhouse performance after another.

Hamlet in the Other Room

By Good Company Theatre. Rumpus Theatre, Bowden, SA. Nov 30 – Dec 12, 2021

‘Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t’. An apt quote by Polonius from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to describe this brilliant piece of theatre from Good Company Theatre. The setting is the final night of an all-female, non-binary production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The cast decide that the play no longer serves them, so they seek to destroy it - to create something that does.

Little Women

Book by Allan Knee. Music by Jason Howland. Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein. Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. Directed by Neroli Sweetman. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, WA. Dec 3-18, 2021

Old Mill Theatre’s Little Women is a beautiful coming of age story, of family and love, set in the 1860s. Presented with fine acting and beautiful polish, it is charming capacity audiences.

Reviewers can be reluctant to describe shows as “gentle”, as it can often be a euphemism for slow or boring, but gentle is the perfect description for this well paced, and at moments quite exciting show. It is lovely, in that there are no real villains, and it touches the heart, bringing both tears and genuine laughter.

Annie Live!

Music: Charles Strouse. Lyrics: Martin Charnin. Book: Thomas Meehan based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. Director: Lear deBessonet, Alex Rudinski. Musical Supervisor: Stephen Oremus . Choreographer: Sergio Trujillo. Telecast NBC, USA. 2 Dec 2021

Who knew ‘Cookie’ could sing? Taraji P. Henson, better known as ‘Cookie’ in the TV drama series Empire, was one of the brightest things about NBC’s ‘Live’ holiday offering, back again after a Covid absence last year.

Lost in Space or A Space Oddity

By Cheap and Dodgy Productions. Directed by Carole Dhu. Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, WA. Dec 5-7, 2021.

Cheap and Dodgy’s production at Mandurah Performing Arts Centre is a much-anticipated annual event that attracts sell-out crowds (despite being staged Sunday to Tuesday) - and the excitement in the audience is palpable. A themed variety show that includes an overall story (of sorts), songs and sketch comedy, this year’s space themed show has the audience travelling on the good ship Venus Probe, with the mission of inhabiting and populating a new planet.

Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.