Reviews

Chloe Finlay is a busy young lady with a great future ahead of her. Last week she was starring in Legally Blonde Jnr for the National Academy of Performing Arts and now takes on the role of 9 year old Lizzie Gael in Wolf Lullaby. Her portrayal of the young girl was convincing; carrying the action for most of the play.

Sue Belsham makes a welcome return directing this Irish Farce; full of blarney and shillelaghs and not a leprechaun in sight!

With acceptable Irish accents (which easily rolled of their tongues) the cast of Brook Lacy, Daniel Richards, Jaime Sheehan, Mike Sheenhan, Carl Moore, Mechelle Anderson and Mike Harris brought the Gaelic humour to life.

This was my second encounter with OCPAC and I was again blown away by the professionalism of the production.

Though I hadn’t seen the film, I was aware of Catch Me If You Can the Musical and pleasantly surprised to see how well it adapted to the stage. The music was strongly influenced by jazz, which was very suitable for the subject matter.

The bare stage had a walkway at the back, allowing for different levels, and various pieces of furniture were moved on and off as appropriate, allowing the action to flow. The lighting was excellent.

Tom Davis’s The Faithful Servant is a beautifully crafted, thrilling play, with a fascinating story which questions the sometimes ambiguous morality of providing aid in third-world countries. Set over 51 years, the story follows Dr Raymond Gerard (PJ Williams), a surgeon who single-handedly set up a hospital in Mozambique and an aid organisation with the wonderfully vague name Australians for Hope. Gerard has complex and shifting relationships with his adopted Mozambiquean daughter Caroline and his second-in-charge, Mozambique native Coetano Perreira (Dorian Nkono).