Reviews

The temptation to laugh at or with Ivor Azzanego (Andrew Hondromatidis) is often difficult to resist in this play, even though it is dealing with some serious issues that are essentially no laughing matter. The play does not make light of these problems and the text provides an accurate depiction of the daily hypocrisy practiced by people when their attitudes and beliefs regarding gender, sexuality and race are challenged.

Pardon my indulgence, but I felt a connection to Captain von Trapp. Recently, due to my family ancestry, I became an Austrian citizen and like Georg I too received a stern letter from the military attempting to call me up for active service.  Thankfully I did not have to climb a mountain to avoid conscription.  

This production of The Sound of Music based on the Lloyd Webber London Palladium revival runs with military precision. It is tight, tuneful and barrels of fun.

I had the pleasure of attending the final performance of the STAGE KEY Company's Musical Theatre Class - end of year production, a pantomime version of Peter Pan, presented by students aged 7 to 16.

This was classic British Pantomime, with most of the young performers demonstrating an excellent understanding of the genre, working well with the audience, who joined in with the fun.

The show opened with a direct address to the audience from Tinkerbell played by Cadence Smythe - an eight year old with confidence, style and poise.

Remembering can be a tricky exercise; selective memory, burying memories, preserving memories, provide insight into the psyche and daily activities around remembering can be both a source of frustration and immense joy. All of these themes are explored in this play by deliberately and playfully forgetting the basic rules of theatre. The boundaries between performer and spectator are explored in a new and interesting mode, and linear narrative, memorising lines, traditional staging, focal points and character development are all dispensed with and replaced with spontaneous improvisation.