Reviews

The Hidden Theatre, in the KickStart Arts Centre, has become the venue for new small companies. True West by Jacob Golding and Sam Tooker (2022) , The Wasp by Crying Chair Theatre are examples of high-quality innovative theatre (2023) that chose this venue for its intimacy and comfort.

Andrew Upton’s translation of The Seagull for the Sydney Theatre Company he once ran seems more radical, more flamboyant, than Benedict Andrews’ translation a decade ago which he also memorably directed.

That Belvoir production was set outside a south coast fibro holiday retreat; Upton’s is also somewhere Australian, in about 2000, on a now decrepit lakeside farming estate.

Red Stitch have created a cracking theatrical coup with this production of Edward Albee’s most famous play. The attention to detail and the highly refined performances produces a level of excellence that has made this a sell-out show. Albee’s acerbic and astute observation of the way married life perpetuates a patriarchal system that promotes misogyny, materialism, and dog-eat-dog ambition is confronting. The play was written in 1962 and reflects the society of its time and despite the faithfulness of this production, it still resonates for a contemporary audience.

The supreme theatricality of this Old Vic production sweeps the audience along with it into a state of giddy happiness.  Above the stage and into the theatre there are hundreds of lights, the glittering lanterns and flickering candles of London streets.  On stage, the whole cast – some of whom are musicians too – all in Victorian dress of long black coats and dresses, top hats and bonnets – sing and create patterns and dances charged with energy.  Chris Nightingale’s music is familiar, a touch nostalgic, but just that bit different – and it conne