Reviews

Troy Kinne

Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 21 – 23 April 2017

A cheeky, witty, relatable performance that lives up to its subtitle #nofilter.

Kinne shows mastery of his craft in a performance worthy of inclusion among the high calibre of comedians at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The show moves quickly with constant laughs. He’s straight to the point, recounting hilarious real-life stories without the boring details.

Three Little Words

By Joanna Murray-Smith. Melbourne Theatre Company. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. 18 April to 27 May 2017

The ‘three little words’ of the title are not, as you might think, those of the popular 1930 song.  On the contrary.  After twenty years, Tess (Catherine McClements) and Curtis (Peter Houghton) have decided to separate.  The ‘three little words’ here are: ‘We’re splitting up.’  And when Tess says those words, it’s not just their best friends Annie (Kate Atkinson) and Bonnie (Katherine Tonkin) who are stunned and incredulous.  The audience has a sharp intake of breath and goes very still.

Creature: An Adaptation of Dot and the Kangaroo

A Stalker Theatre and Out of the Box production. Sydney Opera House Studio. Wednesday 19 April – Tuesday 25 April 2017

Aerial acrobatics, dance, music and interactive, digital projections come together in this visually striking adaptation of the Australian children’s classic Dot and the Kangaroo.

Written by Ethel Pedley 112 years ago, this timeless classic tells the tale of Dot, who is lost in the bush and rescued by a kangaroo. Giving Dot magical berries to help her understand the animals around her, Mrs Kangaroo guides her home with the help of some quirky and loveable creatures.

Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical

A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film. Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. Book by Julian Fellowes. New songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Co-created by Cameron Mackintosh. Originally Produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher for Disney. The Australian School of the Arts. Redland Performing Arts Centre (QLD). April 21-29, 2017.

It’s a brave director that decides to stage a musical such as Mary Poppins. Darren Harvey is clearly one who understands the gravity of bringing P.L. Travers’ heroine to an audience that know her intimately.

Mary Poppins The Broadway Musicalwas a testament to The Australian School of the Arts’ audition based ‘professional’ arts excellence program. The show was packed with performers, stage hands, lighting, sound and costuming that you’d expect from an internationally touring musical commanding triple-figure ticket prices.

Before The Party

By Rodney Ackland. Based on a short story by Somerset Maugham. Independent Theatre. The Goodwood Theatre. April 21-29, 2017.

Considering the brilliance of the structure and writing in Rodney Ackland’s multi-layered and bitingly honest comedy Before the Party, one wonders just how it could be that the late playwright remains a relative unknown among his peers. Perhaps his savage brand of truth may have cut a little too close to the bone for many in the upper middle class echelons of 1930’s and post-war Britain.

Winnie The Pooh

By Glyn Robbins, adapted from the A.A. Milne classics. Hamley Productions. Directed by: Chris Hamley. Pear Ridge Gardens, Margate. 19th April – Sunday 30th April 2017.

What better performance than a version of Winnie the Poohas my first theatrical “Grandma duty” adventure with a three–year old grandson? This version ofWinnie the Pooh by Hamley Productions at Pear Ridge Gardens Margate, Tasmania, was a delight on so many levels. A good way to see a children’s classic come to life is in the company of and through the eyes of a child. Pooh Bear and friends glowed as stage characters in this adapted work written by British playwright Glyn Robbins.

Big Fish

Book by John August. Music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. RPG Productions. Directed by Tyran Parke. Hayes Theatre, Sydney. 21 April - 14 May, 2017

There are many shows - both plays and musicals - that are unlikely to make it to the Australian stage. They’re Broadway or West End productions we hear little about; they’re not massive hits and have little commercial potential. And some of them are gems.

JOAN

Co-creators Kate Davis and Emma Valente. THE RABBLE and Theatre Works. Theatre Works, St Kilda. April 20 – 30, 2017.

Opening with extraordinary multi-media projections on scrims, Joan by The Rabble, is a work of high art.  It is riveting, hypnotic, haunting and sometimes deeply shocking. But at all times uncompromisingly designed to insightfully explore a deep feminist response to the now canonized, illiterate peasant, who was ‘the virgin from Orleans.’ Joan of Arc who, in The Middle Ages, led the French into battle with the English, who ultimately burned her at the stake thrice, is the subject of this production.

Swan Lake

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Shanghai Ballet. Presented by Andrew Guild and Simon Bryce. Directed by Derek Deane. Regent’s Theatre, 191 Collins St, Melbourne. 20 -24 April, 2017.

British choreographer Derek Deane brings a very lavish approach to the Shanghai Ballet’s Swan Lake. This production features 48 swans to help tell the tragic tale of the love between Prince Siegfried (WU Husheng) and the Swan Princess Odette (Ako Kondo). The result is a masterful performance with an imposing set design.

Is There Life After High School?

Book by Jeffrey Kindley. Music and Lyrics by Craig Carnelia. Suggested by the book of the same title by Ralph Keyes. PEP Productions. Doncaster Playhouse. April 20 to 29 April 2017

There are some things that give me a feeling of dread: big hairy spiders, snakes, cold tea, and getting an invitation to my high school reunion…

My hands became cold and clammy as I was handed my nametag in the foyer before the show. It really felt like a high school reunion was about to begin. However, I felt instantly comfortable and gratifyingly overwhelmed during the opening number. ‘The Kids Inside’ was incredibly performed by the cast, note perfect and arranged by Stephen Amos, a flawless way to start the show.

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