Reviews

How utterly delightful to revisit this musical in 2022, not quite a year after the death of Stephen Sondheim.  To make it even better, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of SA has assembled a talented cast and crew to do justice to this landmark musical, entertaining us since its San Diego premiere in 1986.

Let me start by saying that this play is quite an undertaking.  Twenty-five different scenes that convey a combination of Gerry's childhood memories, the sometimes chaotic family dynamic and the various Durrell family interactions with the locals.  It certainly is a rich tapestry and the Genesian Theatre Company has tackled it head on.

It is a well-known aphorism that children and tattoos are both permanent.  Both get under your skin, as does this wonderful play by Alison Mann. Tasmanian playwright Mann, already much awarded, was recently shortlisted for the prestigious Queensland Premier’s drama award. For good reason.

Amy is 42-year-old free-spirited tattoo artist who altruistically donated her eggs as a 20-year-old.  The action unfolds when she meets her son, a young adult who wants a tattoo.  The marks on the skin of both go much deeper and an immediate connection is formed.

Hunters Hill’s production of Australia Day waited patiently during two years of restrictions to make its funny and irreverent appearance in this 2022 season. Funny because of playwright Jonathan Biggins’ ability to satirise everyday characters and situations; irreverent because his satire is, in the words of director Jasper Kyle, “highly provocative” – as satire usually is! In the well-known Wharf Revue, Biggins and his co-writers Drew Forsythe and Phil Scott lampoon politics and politicians, local and international.