Reviews

Manon

Choreography by Sir Kenneth MacMillan. Queensland Ballet Lyric Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane. 28 September to 8 October 2022

Once again the Brisbane cultural scene proves that you don’t have to visit the Paris Opera or the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to experience international-quality dance and musical entertainment.

Creation Creation

Created by Rosemary Myers, Fleur Elise Noble, Roslyn Oades and Johnathon Oxlade. Windmill Theatre. Directed by Rosemary Myers. Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA. Sep 27 - Oct 1, 2022

Awesome Festival CEO and Artistic Director Jenny Simpson introduced the Opening Night of Creation Creation by stating that this very different and exciting show defies description - and in many ways she is right. Bearing this in mind, I will attempt to provide a review of this flagship production of this year’s Awesome Festival.

Dreams of A Lonely Planet

By Estelle Brown and Izzy Leclezio. Flying Bicycle Collective. Directed by Yvan Karlsson. The Blue Room Studio, Perth Cultural Centre, WA. Sep 23 - Oct 1, 2022

Dreams of A Lonely Planet is presented by Flying Bicycle Collective and the Blue Room Theatre as part of the Awesome Arts Festival. First presented as part of Fringe World earlier this year, this incarnation is an expanded and more fully realised production, but continues to be a gentle, warm hug of a theatrical experience that will appeal to imaginative children.

Past the Shallows

By Julian Larnach. ATYP and Archipelago Productions. Ben Winspear – Director. Glenn Richards - Sound Designer. Jason James – Lighting. Keerthi Subramanyam – Set. Nema Adel – AV design. 14 - 24 September 2022 (The Peacock Theatre, Hobart) and 12th October – 9th November (Sydney).

How do you adapt an award-winning Tasmanian novel for the stage, especially when most of that novel takes place on a boat in the dark Southern Ocean?

Instruments of Dance

The Australian Ballet. Arts Centre Melbourne. 23 September – 1st October, 2022.

Instruments of Dance is a mixed bag contemporary program put together for the Australian Ballet. Three choreographers tell different stories through music and dance in this program, The Royal Ballet’s resident choreographer Wayne McGregor, NYC Ballet’s Justin Peck and our own Alice Topp.

Anne of Green Gables

By Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman. Stirling Players. Directed by Fran Gordon. Stirling Theatre, Morris Place, Innaloo, WA. Sep 16 -Oct 1, 2022

Stirling Players youth musical is a lovely adaptation of the original novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Well-directed and crafted, this is a sweet treat with appeal to audiences of all ages.

Siegfried in Concert

Melbourne Opera presents part three of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle: Siegfried. Directed by Suzanne Chaundy and conducted by Anthony Negus. Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre, 31 Sturt St, Southbank. Sunday 25 September 2022.

The concert production of Siegfried is an absolute treat. This major opera is full of intense drama and explores themes such as hunger for power and world domination. These themes are fully indulged as each character’s lust for power becomes a destructive or fiery force in their lives.

Curtains - School Edition

Book by Robert Holmes. Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Mousetrap Theatre at John Nauman Hall, Deception Bay, Qld. Sept. 23 - Oct 9, 2022.

This musical reflects, in many ways, what goes on behind the scenes in productions, particularly when the curtain is about to fall unless changes are made to the cast. Never would it get to the stage of disruption as shown here but conflicts and various ambitions sometimes come into conflict. The worst possible aspects are the feature of this musical as the curtain is soon to fall. This production had the added challenge of being a youth production with cast members developing their talent by actually performing in front of an audience.

Class of 2022 Acting and Musical Theatre Showcase

Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium. Performing Arts and Musical Theatre graduates. Burke Street Studio Theatre, Brisbane. 24 September 2022

After signing up to their courses of study just before the pandemic hit, 16 Bachelor of Acting students and 22 Bachelor of Musical Theatre students from Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium presented their graduating showcase on the weekend. This Class of 2022 have certainly earned their degrees, having forged ahead through online classes, Zoom rehearsals and – finally – face-to-face but COVID-restricted practice.

Into The Woods

By Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. Gilbert & Sullivan Society of SA Inc. 85th Anniversary Concert. The Arts Theatre Adelaide. September 22 - October 1, 2022

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.

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