Reviews

This year La Boite Theatre in Brisbane marks a major milestone – a century of “opening hearts and opening minds”. To celebrate, the company has programmed play readings of 10 of their most iconic productions in a series of Encores. It’s a lovely idea and audiences agree – the theatre was almost full and the crowd very enthusiastic for the one-night-only performance. Tonight’s show was writer/director Sue Rider’s The Matilda Women, which premiered in 1988 for the Bicentennial, which also happened to coincide with Expo ’88.

Stirling Players’ production of Newsies is highly energized, and packed to the brim with talented young people giving their all.

Teenage misfits don’t come much more extreme than Carrie White. Based on the classic horror book (and 1976 film) by Stephen King, and the screenplay by Lawrence D Cohen (who also wrote the book for the musical), this Carrie is all-singing, all-dancing – all-horror. The 1988 script doesn’t hit all the usual musical high notes – despite being coproduced with the Royal Shakespeare Company, with choreography by the legendary Debbie Allen, the original Broadway production famously tanked but gained a cult status.

Galleon Theatre Group are based in the Domain Theatre in Marion. This intimate space suits their latest offering perfectly. The action takes place in one room for the entirety of the play. A hospital room, designed by Rosie Aust, Kym Clayton and Michael Ralph and dressed by Elaine Latcham, provides a large performing space for the action to follow.