Reviews

The One

By Vanessa Bates. Ensemble Theatre. Directed by Darren Yap. July 22 - August 27, 2022

Like a Yum Cha with every possible flavour on offer, this comedy is a feast which left the audience with their bellies full of laughs.

Walking into the brilliant set designed by Nick Fry, we were immediately transported into a Chinese restaurant that felt so authentic you almost taste the prawn cracker.

Lucia di Lammermoor

By Gaetano Donizetti. Librettist Salvatore Cammarano. Metropolitan Opera, New York City. Sharmill Films. Playing in cinemas across Australia from August 6, 2022

Lucia di Lammermoor is one of the staples of most large opera companies. It contains some of Gaetano Donizetti’s most famous music, including of course the famous mad scene, immortalised by Sarah Coburn, Lily Pons, Maria Callas, Nellie Melba and the legendary Joan Sutherland among others!

Unsolicited Male

By Ron Elisha. Q44 Theatre. Chapel off Chapel. 26 July – 7 August 2022

Q44 is one of Melbourne’s most interesting and bold independent theatre companies.  After lockdowns that meant they were closed for over two years, they now return at a changed venue and with a revival of one of their most successful productions to kick things off. 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

By C.S. Lewis adapted by Glyn Robbins. Stray Cats Theatre Company. Directed by Karin Francis. The Fishtrap Theatre, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, WA. Jul 20-25, 2022

Stray Cats Theatre Company’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe played to enthusiastic, capacity family audiences during its brief run. A well-acted, visually fulfilling production, this incarnation was faithful to the book.

Little Shop Of Horrors

Music by Alan Menken. Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman. The Spotlight Theatrical Company, Gold Coast. Directed and choreographed by Jamie Watt. July 22nd – August 20th, 2022

2022 hasn’t been the best year for most theatre companies…. community or otherwise. But it has been a triumph for Spotlight, with hit after hit in its current season. The latest is the quirky cult classic Little Shop of Horrors, a favourite since its debut in 1982.

Sunny Tribe District

By Patrick Mu’a, presented by Robert the Cat and Metro Arts. New Benner Theatre, Brisbane. 23 to 30 July 2022

Sunny Tribe District is a 2018 ensemble piece by writer/director/performer/choreographer, Patrick Mu’a, a graduate of TAFE Queensland’s Acting and Performance course. Collaborator, Robert the Cat, is a collective whose aim is to provide a showcase for performance students at TAFE Queensland – and the main strength of this production is that it does give its cast a chance to show their talents – in comedy and drama – and dance! There are some very funny rap acts and comedy sequences that give each performer a chance to shine.

Somebody to Love

By Tory Kendrick. Connections Nightclub, Northbridge, WA. Jul 22-23, 2022

Somebody to Love is a vibrant and sexy cabaret, starring Musical Theatre performer Tory Kendrick. It has just finished a short season at Connections, performing to a highly enthusiastic, noisy and appreciative audience.

Twenty-one-year-old Tory takes her audience on an exploration of modern dating, which Tory equates to living through the five stages of grief, over and over again.

The Sunshine Club

By Wesley Enoch and John Rodgers. Presented by Queensland Theatre. Playhouse Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane. 9 to 30 July 2022

The Sunshine Club is essential viewing – foremost for the joyous musical talent of its cast, but also for its story of local history and optimistic message of community strength in diversity. The story centres around the Doyle and Morris families in post-war Brisbane. As Rose Morris takes up a singing gig at the glamorous Cloudland Ballroom, her neighbourhood friend, Frank Doyle, has returned from active war service just in time to see her perform.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

By Dale Wasserman. Directed by Chris McRae. Marloo Theatre, Greenmount WA. Jul 8-31, 2022

If you are only going to see one play this year, a very good choice would be Darlington Theatre Players’ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - a new Australian adaptation of the play by David Wasserman, based on the novel off Ken Kasey. This production is clever, innovative, and superbly performed.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott. Musical Arrangements and Orchestrations by Stephen ‘Spud’ Murphy. Produced by Matt Ward Entertainment, Directed by Trevor Ashley. Star Casino Theatre – Gold Coast. 16th July -7th August, 2022

Producer Matt Ward has a mission – to bring full scale musicals to the Gold Coast where so many Main Stage A1 musicals never play. After a stunning production of Mamma Mia! last year, he is succeeding beyond all expectations. Priscilla is a triumph in entertainment.

For anyone who has been living in a cave since the last century, the story is of three friends, two drag queens and a trans gender woman, who take a road trip on a battered bus named Priscilla, to perform their show in Alice Springs, where one has a “secret” wife and son.

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