Reviews

Opera Q’s first staging in Australia of Michael Grandage’s acclaimed production of Puccini’s masterpiece Madama Butterfly is exquisitely beautiful on many levels. Its production design by Christopher Oram is sparse, delicate and artful, his costumes detailed and stylish, Grandage’s direction is lean and true to the text, whilst the singing by the principals could not have been more assured.

This locally written World Premiere, presented by Stirling Players, and directed by the author Peter Flanigan with Jann Rutherford, is being very well received. Gentle and funny, it deals with love and marriage in its various stages.

Experiencing an unfamiliar play should feel like an adventure; in the case of a comedic play, ideally a fun-filled adventure. For the most part, debut directors Gary George & Angela Short have crafted a successful Shakespearean entertainment out of material that is somewhat challenging.

The rapid-fire delivery of dialogue in the opening scene demands concentration, but also starts the show off on an encouragingly confident high that the first act manages to sustain. Moments of bawdy humour are staged with impressive vigour.

Darylin Raymondo is a fine director, and her reputation was made with her stunning production of Next To Normal in 2014. It wowed audiences at both Geelong and The Hayes in Sydney. It is only natural that expectations would be high for her anticipated production of Dogfight – a 2012 off-Broadway musical based on a 90s film. The cast is mostly excellent, the music is entertaining if not especially memorable, and there is a strong – if predictable – book.