Reviews

Sidesault at the Melba 2019: A Festival of Experimental Circus.

Circus OZ, Melba Speigeltent, 35 Johnston St, Collingwood. 7-17 November, 2019.

The festival comprises of six performances showcasing both individual and group shows. Mutating Roots, Subjective Spectacle and Common Dissonance are three shows which can be seen from 14-17 November. The shows offer very different perspectives on similar themes. They all have a very meditative and reflective approach which draws heavily on dance, movement and performance art and the slow, introspective pace is often disarming.

I’m With Her

Director & Lead Writer Victoria Midwinter Pitt. Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Sydney. Nov 9 - Dec 1, 2019

After some criticism a number of years ago, Sydney’s Darlinghurst Theatre Company has focused on increasing the number of women’s voices on stage. This new Australian play does that with full force - it’s created solely by women and is entirely about women. It hits the mark too.

Flight Memory

Music by Sandra France. Text by Alana Valentine. World Premiere. Directed by Caroline Stacey. The Street Theatre, Canberra. 14 – 17 November 2019

How extraordinarily poignant is the black box? Unable to save the people it records, it holds the last moments of people’s lives in the hope of preventing future deaths. For families of crash victims, it provides the most meagre of solaces: the answer to the question “why”. Based on a biography of David Warren, the Australian inventor of the black box, Alana Valentine’s latest project Flight Memory is a tale of sadness, persistence, guts, loss and triumph, underpinned by that poignancy.

Matrix

Expressions Dance Company & BeijingDance/LDTX. Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). 13-16 November 2019

If a matrix is something ‘from which another originates’ then this absolutely defines the creative collaboration between Queensland-based Expressions Dance Company (EDC) and Beijing’s LDTX dance companies. This box-fresh creation is part of a unique five-year dance exchange programme between Australia and China, and the second joint creation of EDC and LDTX.

Scarborough

By Fiona Evans. The Burrow, Fitzroy. 12 – 17 November 2019

Two different, separate couples go for a clandestine (‘dirty’) weekend at Scarborough – a beach resort sort of place.  I guess Fiona Evans called her play ‘Scarborough’, because a beach resort evokes the idea of the temporary escape – either from ‘real life’ or even reality itself.

Nunsense A-Men!

Book, Music and Lyrics by Dan Goggin. Matt Byrne Media. Holden Street Theatres, Hindmarsh. 7-30 November, 2019.

The Nunsense franchise has been reliably entertaining all manner of audiences from a wide range of countries, for a good many years now - and in a variety of formats, not merely on the stage.

It’s difficult to argue with such widespread and sustained success, especially given that comic taste is such a personal and subjective matter – but there is surely cause to wonder whether this particular show might be due for retirement, or at least an overhaul of sorts.

Nunsense

Book, music and lyrics by Dan Goggin. Directed by Jean Bowra. Redcliffe Musical Theatre, 25 October – 10 November, 2019

The Little Sisters of Hoboken need help. Their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God has accidentally killed the majority of the nuns in the convent with her tainted vichyssoise and the convent can’t afford to bury all the dearly departed. Now it’s up to some of the remaining Sisters to raise the funeral funds with a talent show.

Madwomen Monologues

The Butterfly Club, Melbourne. November 11 – 23, 2019

Madwomen Monologues is back for another season of scintillating new short plays by local women writers. Launched in 2011 by the creative team at Baggage Productions, the growing support and submissions they receive each year have been astonishing. One act plays with one-act performers makes this annual event unique and compelling. They are currently running two programs of six plays at The Butterfly Club.

Assassins

By Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman. Hills Musical Company. Stirling Community Theatre. 8-23 November 2019

Assassins by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman is a delightful and provocative piece of American musical political satire. Its subject matter is the respective ‘assassins’, or would be ‘assassins’, of certain Presidents of the United States of America. This ranges from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, with others who were inspired by and followed Booth and Oswald in their egoistic drive to achieve some form of fame and importance, to be remembered, and to have a place in history.

Wicked

Music by Stephen Schwartz. Book: Winnie Holzman. Ballina Players. Director: Jacquie McCalman. Players Theatre, Ballina. November 8 – December 1, 2019

Finishing the year with flare, the Players are presenting Wicked in a bright, refreshing telling of the goings on leading up to The Wizard of Oz.

The vocally demanding role of Galinda/Glinda is shared by Ella Jackowski and Tammy Dundon, and likewise Elphaba by Justine Guttridge and Liz van Eck. The supporting cast includes Melanie Dorien, Luke Hogan, Jacinta Hunter, Liam Gatt, Carl Moore and Rod Ramsey.

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