Reviews

Romeo & Juliet

By William Shakespeare. Presented by The Australian Shakespeare Company. Rippon Lea House and Gardens, 192 Hotham St, Elsternwick. 4 - 21 March, 2019.

This is an ambitious project which shows great vision in terms of how Shakespeare should be approached in outdoor locations. The production uses the historic home as an exceptional backdrop and makes good use of some staging and lighting techniques to capture the mood of the play and to highlight the magnificence of the location. The balcony scene was particularly impressive and allowed unusual aspects of the text to be drawn out. This made the scene larger than the life while retaining its intimacy.

Judas

World Premiere. Adelaide Fringe. STARC Productions in association with Smokescreen. Mainstage at Bakehouse. March 5-16, 2019

It is no coincidence that this production of Judas is supporting Amnesty International Australia. The play’s message is as old as the biblical times that inspired it; that of individuals whose rights and very being are destroyed in times of war and political unrest. Holding up a mirror to our world and times, we see the biblical parable, the story of Christ, paralleled with our modern world and times.

Wellness

By Ella Arendelle. The Butterfly Club, Melbourne. March 4 – 9, 2019.

Wellness is part of the One Act Play Festival currently on at the Butterfly Club.

Ella Arendelle along with her fellow cast members offer a series of comical vignettes that explore body image. The stories appear improvised and centre on fragments of daily life where polite people are confronted by situations that cause them to behave in ways, so as to not appear offensive.   

A Man of Good Hope

2019 Adelaide Festival. Young Vic and Isango Ensemble. Royalty Theatre, Adelaide. 5-11 March, 2019.

Another wonderful night at the theatre at the 2019 Adelaide Festival with the musical adaptation of Jonny Steinberg’s biographical A Man of Good Hope. This modern African musical sometimes felt like an opera, mainly due to the sheer majestic power, range and depth of the beautiful and glorious singers and performers from the Isnago Ensemble, South Africa.

Scotland!

Adelaide Fringe. The Latebloomers. The Gallery, National Wine Centre. March 4-17, 2019

Having Scottish ancestry and a deep love of that wild country, I arrived at The National Wine Centre not knowing exactly what to expect. What did happen was just over an hour of guffawing, tears rolling down my face!

Baba Yaga

Windmill Theatre Company and Imaginate production presented in association with the Adelaide Festival. Queen’s Theatre. February 26th – March 6th, 2019.

An old Russian folktale is the inspiration for the creative, vibrant and wickedly funny new show from Windmill Theatre Company, Baba Yaga. Known for its high standards in creating contemporary theatre for children and young adults, the company’s latest offering is nothing short of sublime.

Three wonderfully talented women, Christine Johnston, Shona Reppe and director Rosemary Myers, have joined forces to create a tale of self-discovery. They have started with an old folktale and given it a modern twist.

Twelfth Night

By William Shakespeare. Presented by Melbourne Shakespeare Company. Central Park Malvern, 148 Burke Rd, Malvern East. 2-17 March, 2019.

This is a comedy based on numerous misunderstandings, misapprehensions and mockery. The Melbourne Shakespeare Company takes all of these elements and creates a dynamic and often hysterical interpretation of Shakespeare’s masterful play with words, disguise and deception. After surviving a shipwreck, Viola (Meg McKibbin) disguises herself as Cesario and enters the courtly world of Duke Orsino (Sami Obama). This triggers a series events that ultimately lead to most of the characters finding true love, but not before creating some mayhem.

Counting and Cracking

By S. Shakthidharan (Aust.). Adelaide Festival. Belvoir & Co-Curious. 2019 Adelaide Festival. Ridley Centre, Adelaide Showgrounds. 2 – 9 March 2019

Two of our reviewers, Anthony Vawser and Tony Knight, caught one of the hightlights of this year's Adelaide Festival.

When nearly-three-hours of stage time simply flies past, you know that a play has been faultlessly crafted. When its concluding passages culminate in an image that is so perfect you are left breathless with admiration, we’re talking about a theatrical experience that is truly special, perhaps even deserving of being described as a must-see.

Pussy Riot – Riot Days

Adelaide Fringe 2019. The Attic, RCC, 27 February – 3 March 2019

The Russian punk-collective delivers an angry, defiant and powerful message to the enthusiastic crowd in the comfortable surroundings of the University of Adelaide, in stark contrast to their reception in their own country.

The five performers shout, play brass and rap their story to the backdrop of video footage of their political performances in Moscow, and the subsequent trial and imprisonment. The English surtitles are stirring enough, but the passion in their voices, percussion, trumpet and saxophone resonates with your core.

Flood

By Chris Isaacs. Adelaide Fringe 2019. Presented by Cabbages and Kings Collective. Noel Lothian Hall. 2-17 March 2019

Six young friends reunite for a New Year’s trip to the outback, driving to the middle of nowhere, where they find a perfect waterhole, re-discover old friendships and desires, and struggle with the consequences of an impulsive act.

Chris Isaacs’ play drops these six white, middle class teenagers into the systemic racism and ignorance towards indigenous Australians, and whilst the perspective is solely that of the naïve friends, it’s not a cultural misappropriation.

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