Reviews

Henry Naylor’s writing career began in comedy. He honed his skills as a writer for British comedy giants such as Griff Rhys Jones, Lenny Henry and Hale and Pace, as well as the satire classic Spitting Image. In 2002, rocked by events in a post 9/11 world, Naylor turned his attention to playwriting. Now an accomplished playwright, and winner of at least a dozen Fringe Awards, Naylor returns to Adelaide to perform in the World Premiere of his latest work, Afghanistan is Not Funny.

The scene is set at Pymble Players with builders' equipment strewn around the entrance to the theatre. This theme is continued with debris on the stage and two bricklayers who seem to be rather lackadaisical in their work. Indeed Mark (Andrew Cougle), and especially Piper (Curtis Harrild), spend probably half of the production having tea breaks and eating an extraordinary amount of biscuits. This explains, in part, why the homeowners are endlessly waiting for their extension to be finished.

In Breaking the Code, playwright Hugh Whitemore used his skill with words to craft the poignant story of Alan Turing, a man forced to hide his real self as clandestinely as he had to hide the secret work he did for his government during World War II. It is an ill-fated story and one Whitemore told with caring honesty and understanding candour.

Director Anthony Skuse embraces that caring and understanding in his incredibly creative and sensitive production of Whitemore’s play.

Artistic Directors and Producers everywhere take note. If you’d like an excellent example of programming that’s going to appeal to wide demographics, Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) has been doing it right for years. 2022 is no exception, with the talented musicians treating us to our favourite orchestral works from their past performances. In preparing the program, which ranged from Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 to the theme from Star Wars, QSO asked audiences to vote for the ones we loved most.