Reviews

After 50 years of bashing out best-selling plays, David Williamson announced his retirement in 2020. ‘I haven’t missed it one little bit,’ he announced on the eve of his final play Crunch Time at the Ensemble Theatre, venue for nearly half his output. 

But, wait, there’s more! Four years later, at 82, he’s written no less than three new plays. And here’s the first of them, received by the Ensemble faithful with all due honour, big laughs included.

Graduate Dramatic Society’s annual Shakespeare in the New Fortune is an end of summer tradition that is a mainstay of the Perth theatre season, and this week’s Opening Night garnered a very impressive sized audience. This modern dress and almost uncut production features a mix of new and familiar faces.

KADS’ open their theatrical year with the first of two plays by Australian playwright Sean Guy. Set over a single evening, three seemingly disparate stories become increasingly entwined, as we add a supernatural element in the form of the personified character of Death. A show that frequently breaks the fourth wall and is aware that it is a play - it makes for interesting viewing.

OOL, our solo performer Max Barton tells us, is the result of eight years’ work with theatre collaborators from all over the world. Using the wealth of knowledge from the collaborators, scientists, and great thinkers, we will see life-changing theatre as we explore OOL-the Origins of Life, as part of simultaneous performances all around the world.

But the collaborative has made some changes and Max isn’t happy about them.