Reviews

All Boys

By Xavier Hazard. every other theatre company. Directed by Cezara Critti Schnaars. The Studio, The Blue Room Theatre, Aug 6-24, 2024

Testosterone filled new play All Boys, from every other theatre company, tells of ten boys attending an all-boys Catholic school in Sydney, between 2009 and 2014. Set during the time of the Royal Commission into Institutional Sexual Abuse, it looks at that issue as well as bullying, hyper-masculinity, generational and institutional privilege, and what boys will do when they believe that they are immune from consequences.

King Lear

By William Shakespeare. Presented by University of Adelaide Theatre Guild. Little Theatre, Adelaide. 16-25 August 2024

Shakespeare’s epic tragedy is reset to a post-apocalyptic world that has reverted to medieval power through monarchies, but this production from the University of Adelaide’s Theatre Guild retains the power, language and universal themes of its origins.

The Offering

By Omar Musa and Mariel Roberts Musa. Presented by Q The Locals. The Q: Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. 8 August 2024

Reading Omar Musa’s bio will not prepare you for the transporting experience of his performance art piece The Offering. The only real clue is that the Queanbeyan local Musa seems to have a restless creativity, inspiring him to create poetry, novels, four hip-hop albums and latterly woodcut prints. The Offering is hard to fit to any one genre, which is equally the contribution of his partner on stage and new wife, avant garde virtuoso cellist and composer Mariel Roberts Musa.

Three Magpies Perched in a Tree

Written, Performed & Directed by Glenn Shea. Associate Director Kirsty Reilly; dramaturgy by Julian Meyrick. La Mama & MPAC present a Storyteller Production. La Mama Courthouse, Carlton. 14 – 25 August 2024

As we wait for Glenn Shea to come on stage, we range over Meg White’s resonant, evocative design.  There is a bare, dead tree, stark against what would be the sky.  There are outcrops of rock, some spread with skins – possum or kangaroo.  One outcrop holds a small pool of water – a sink for travellers.  Another a circular dish of whitefellas’ flour.  Upstage, a sort of battered, derelict structure of aluminium frame, cyclone wire mesh and missing panels. 

Pride & Prejudice in Words and Music

A musical reading featuring Nadine Garner with Madeleine Easton and Melvyn Tan. Presented by Spiritworks & Theatre Tours International. Directed by Tyran Parke. The Playhouse, Sydney Opera House. 14 August – 1 September 2024, then Fairfax Studio - Arts Centre Melbourne, September 27 - October 6.

Jane Austen’s classic story, Pride and Prejudice (written in 1796/97, two-and-a-third centuries ago), tells the story of the unlikely courtship of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Despite what Austen called its ‘light and bright and sparkling‘ surface, it explores ever-present issues related to money and matrimony, rank and social class, morality and manners.

The Marvelous Wondrettes

By Roger Bean. Star Rae Productions. Australian Italian Club Prospect, Tasmania. Jan Gluszyk (Director). Kellie Cutler (Musical Director). 9-17 August 2024

The Marvelous Wondrettes is a jukebox musical which premiered for Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 1999. Devised for a cast of four in an intimate setting, the show uses songs from the 50s and 60s in two acts. Act One takes place at the 1958 High School prom and Act Two at the reunion ten years later. The small stage at the Italian Club in Prospect was the right choice of venue.

Studio ‘24: A Disco Choir Experience

QPAC Chamber Choir. Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane. 13 August 2024

The magic that happens when human voices harmonise is one of life’s great mysteries and thrills. Combine that with classic Disco tunes and you have a very special musical treat. QPAC’s Chamber Choir of more than 50 voices have been busy channelling the spirit of New York’s infamous Studio 54 to create a fabulous night of entertainment in their Studio ‘24 celebration of Disco – the music that gets mirror balls spinning and toes tapping.

Jersey Boys

Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice. Music by Bob Gaudio. Lyrics by Bob Crewe. Therry Theatre. Arts Theatre, Adelaide. August 8th – 17th, 2024

If you think you know the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, then think again. This jukebox musical does more than highlight the group’s back catalogue of hits. It delves into the origins of the band, relationships, family, personal tragedy, and the hoops they had to jump through to make it in the music industry. It is a human story about four talented lads from Jersey, who left petty crime behind to land on the world stage – and boy did the world listen!

Steel Magnolias

By Robert Harling. Directed by Lynne Devenish. Garrick Theatre, Guildford, WA. Aug 1-17, 2025

Steel Magnolias, Robert Harling’s dramatic tribute to the strength of women in the Southern United States, is somewhat of a modern classic. Garrick Theatre’s latest production is a warm, feel-good production, with a lovely ensemble cast.

The Cherry Orchard

By Gary Owen. Secret House. Director Anthony Skuse. Old Fitz Theatre. Aug 8 – 24, 2024

Welsh playwright Gary Owen sets his compelling version of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in his homeland, in a crumbling family home and orchard looking out over the Atlantic.  It’s 1982 and back in London Margaret Thatcher’s neo-liberal government is riding high on the nationalistic fervour of snatching back the Falklands.

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