Reviews

Koorliny Arts Centre’s production of Come From Away, the WA Amateur Premier of this very popular show, has created quite a buzz, and the full, very theatrical crowd on Opening Night can testify that this production is very much worthy of the hype.

This story of the town of Gander, whose residents cared for thousands of people from stranded airplanes following September 11, has quickly become a modern classic.

The second major production by The Great Indian Theatre Company, Crimson Gully, played for a short season to sold out houses at the Nexus Theatre. Starting each show with reminders of theatre etiquette, and a front of house member who felt the need to explain that A row was at the front, and that the seats followed the alphabet back from there, it is clear that they are bringing new audiences to theatre, and that is a great thing to celebrate.

Mother and Son is an iconic Australian television series from the 1980s which I, and I’m sure thousands of other Australians cherished. We revelled in the naughty, difficult, absent-minded Maggie, and her long-suffering son, Arthur’s exploits. Coming to this reboot of Mother and Son, directed by Jude Hines, I felt hesitation about how this would translate across decades and likewise, if anyone could carry off these much-loved characters. I was captivated from curtain up!

When you have Natasha Herbert – an actor of such intense presence, vitality and beauty - as ‘Tup’, a grandmother with Alzheimer’s, it breaks your heart.  The sense of waste and loss is all the keener.  The Hall doesn’t soften her condition.  She scarcely recognises her daughter Emma (Emmanuelle Mattana), now her principal longsuffering but loving carer, or her non-binary (they/them) teenage grandchild, Billie (Brooke Lee).