Reviews

Self-proclaiming “three-time Helpmann Award-winner” Mitchell Butel is here the vessel through which God steps down to revise with us his now musty Ten Commandments. 

It’s a God, of course, more queenly than godly, an acidic, point scoring showman who, while correcting many of our biblical misunderstandings, ends a little conflicted about his values.

Can a musical be simultaneously indefensible and irresistible? Why, yes it can. Witness Xanadu, the outlandishly enjoyable stage spoof of the outrageously bad movie from 1980 about a painter and his muse who find love at a roller disco in Los Angeles. The plot, for those unfamiliar with the film, concerns Clio, the Muse of History and leader of the muses who comes down to earth in 1980, abetted by her six raucous sister Muses, to inspire an artistic achievement, a roller disco. An artist has drawn a mural of the Muses that conveniently serves as their gateway to earth.

Children Are Stinkyis a “highly factual” show which sets out to prove that children are scared, lazy, have no co-ordination, are bad spellers, have no imagination and are most of all - stinky!

Light in Her Eye, written by Louise Helfgott, directed by Susie Conte and performed by Ana Ika, for Tempest Theatre, is a mesmerising monologue that gives a unique perspective on identity.

Anoush, a young woman born in Iran of Armenian heritage, is trying to find the perfect costume to reflect her inner self for a fancy dress party. Trying burquas, hijab, saris, traditional Armenian dress and what may pass as ‘Australian’, she attempts to find the real Anoush.