Reviews

Mel & Sam SHIT-WRECKED

Written, choreographed & performed by Mel O’Brien & Samantha Andrew. Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The Toff in Town. 31 March – 10 April 2022

Last time we saw Mel O’Brien and Samantha Andrew they were being primary schoolgirls in their terrific, fast-moving, hilarious, and award-winning No Hat, No Play!  The Cabaret. 

What SHIT-WRECKED has in common with No Hat – apart from acid wit, original music, and in-sync-but-faux-desperate choreography – is that it’s a series of sketches rendered as songs, with dancing that is as expressive as the words – and a kind of grumpy resentment of authority and of life’s disappointments in general. 

Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins & Mahagonny Songspiel

Red Line Productions. Directed By Constantine Costi. Old Fitz Theatre, NSW. March 31 - April 23, 2022

My jaw dropped when I entered the theatre – what, 17 musicians in this tiny space? I read that in the promotional material but assumed it was a joke – how does an independent theatre manage such an extravaganza?

Up the road the Hayes Theatre typically squeezes a handful of players in their 111-seat theatre – but the old Fitz fits just 58. So, this is like trying to break the world record for fitting the most people into a Mini Minor. 

Judith Lucy & Denise Scott, Still Here.

Directed by Stephen Nicolazzo. Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse. 31 March - 24 April 2022.

Unravel Reckoning

By Susan Bamford Caleo and Elissa Goodrich. La Mama Courthouse. Mar 29 – Apr 3, 2022.

Susan Bamford Caleo offers a heart wrenching performance as the scorned woman in her strikingly dramatic interpretation of Euripides tragic play Medea in Unravel Reckoning. She has reunited with musician Elissa Goodrich, with whom she brought us the much-heralded Fragments at LA Mama in 2017, returning post Covid with a powerful new show.

The People’s Dance Party

Bring a Plate Dance Company. New Benner Theatre, Metro Arts, Brisbane. 2 April 2022

Immersive theatre could not get more smile-inducing than The People’s Dance Party by Bring a Plate inclusive dance company. Their show is just over an hour of pure fun for all ages. The format is straightforward: the audience stand in the round and do a pre-show warm-up with DJ/MC and dance instructors. Then six dance artists demonstrate their individual styles from different cultures and eras in a showcase performance, and then invite the crowd to join them in copying and showing off their moves.

Glamazonia

Written and Directed by Rhonda Burchmore. HOTA Gold Coast. April 1, 2022, and touring (dates below).

There’s every chance that if you look up entertainment in the dictionary, you will find Rhonda Burchmore’s name in the definition.

Celebrating 40 years as a STAwaRt of our industry, Rhonda was never going to let a little thing like a pandemic get in her way. Like most born entertainers, she needs to connect with an audience. It’s her very reason for living, her life’s blood, and she does it brilliantly. So, if the big shows aren’t happening for her, Rhonda simply creates her own.

Heathers: The Musical

Book, Music and Lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe. Based on the film written by Daniel Waters. Millennial Productions (Qld). Director: Kade O’Rourke. Choreographer: Lauren Bensted. Musical Director: Caitlin Wall. Ron Hurley Theatre. April 1 – 10, 2022

It was clear from the number of raised eyebrows, dropped jaws and thunderous applause after the opening number, that Millennial Productions hit their debut musical out of the park!

Side Show

By Bill Russell, Henry Krieger and Bill Condon. WAAPA Third Year Music Theatre. Directed by Michael McCall. Geoff Gibbs Theatre, WAAPA, Edith Cowan University, Mt Lawley, WA. April 1-7, 2022

Side Show, not seen in Perth for over a decade, is a gritty and emotive musical, expertly presented by WAAPA’s Third Year Music Theatre students, and designed built and crewed by WAAPA Production and Design students.

Constellations

By Nick Payne. STARC Productions. The Bakehouse Theatre, SA. March 30th – April 9th, 2022

The Bakehouse Theatre has become an iconic cornerstone of Adelaide theatre history, and tributes are flooding in, both lamenting the loss of this unique black box theatre space, and reminiscing about the often ground breaking productions that have become treasured pieces of not just local theatre culture.

Stage Kiss

By Sarah Ruhl. Galleon Theatre Group. Domain Theatre, Marion Cultural Centre. March 31 - April 9, 2022

Established in 1967, originally located in an unimposing hall in Seacombe Gardens, Galleon Theatre Group is a proud and well established community theatre group. Now housed in Marion Council’s new Domain Theatre, it is a well-regarded and recognized Adelaide theatre group. Having multiple theatre awards and nominations, it holds an important place as a group that has consistently welcomed people who love theatre, valuing their enthusiasm, and often providing mentoring and opportunities for less experienced actors and production teams alike.

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