Reviews

The Disappearance

Adapted by Les Solomon from an original story by Kin Platt. Chippen Street Theatre, NSW. October 10 - 22, 2023.

The stage was set with sheets suspended from the ceiling, an allegory for the notion of hanging someone out to dry. In this case the person being treated unfairly or exposed to the elements is Roger Baxter, a 15-year-old boy who suffers from a speech impediment and emotional issues. 

The production had a reading at the New Theatre and has been transferred to an elegant and ambitious production on the wide stage of the Chippen Street Theatre.

Class of 2023 Acting and Musical Theatre Showcase

Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University graduating students. Cremorne Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane. 6 & 7 October 2023

More than just a showcase, this year’s presentation by the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University Class of 2023 Acting and Musical Theatre students was a full show, with musical interludes in the dramatic pieces and dramatic interludes in the musical numbers.

Pining For Affection: A Tree Musical

Written and directed by Dylan Marshall and Earl Marrows. The Butterfly Club. 5 Carson Place, Melbourne. 9-15 October, 2023

A tree, a possum, a prince and a princess all live in the magic forest and then they follow their dreams and find their better selves. Pining For Affection is really, really funny, especially if you like puns, honest and bloody with a satisfactory number of deaths wrapped up and delivered in a series of songs complete with well executed (pun intended) physical accompaniments.

Billy Elliot the Musical

Book and Lyrics by Lee Hall. Music by Elton John. Based on the Universal Pictures/Studio Canal Film. The Very Popular Theatre Company. Director: Anna Kerrigan. Musical Director: Dan Wilson. Choreography restaging: Lauren Harvey. Civic Theatre Newcastle. October 7 to 21, 2023

You need binoculars to tell the difference between this performance and a fully professional one.

The Very Popular Theatre Company is now (arguably) the largest community theatre company in Australia (or more accurately pro-am), and has put together a production of the highest standard in every department.

Billy Elliot the Musical is a very challenging musical to perform, requiring excellence in dancing, music and staging.

Salted Pretzels

By Cezara Critti-Schnaars. APK Productions. Directed by Emily McLean. The Blue Room Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre, WA. Oct 3-21, 2023

The Blue Room is currently host to the World Premiere of APK Productions’ Salted Pretzels, a modern little romcom, with the message to be true to yourself while allowing others to be themselves.

Zaffé

Conceived and directed by Stéphanie Ghajar. Produced by Lara Week and Stéphanie Ghajar & Collaborators. Melbourne Fringe Festival. The Tower – Malthouse, 113 Sturt Street Southbank. 5-15 October 2023.

The tag line “You’re invited to a Middle Eastern wedding party like no other” captures this event in a very precise manner. Attending this performance is much more like attending a celebration and blends immersive and participatory theatre in a vibrant and extremely entertaining manner. Zaffé is a traditional ceremony that is hosted by Ghajar and her collaborators.

Swan Lake

The Australian Ballet. The Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre. Oct 7 – 14, 2023

Swan Lake is a dazzling jewel in the Australian Ballet’s repertoire and the culmination of their sixtieth year of being Australia’s premiere national ballet company!

I still have vivid memories of the famous production starring Marilyn Rowe as Odette and Lucette Aldous as Odile and thought I would never see a production so full of exquisite dancing, life and emotion, until now.

A Vicar of Dibley Christmas: The Second Coming

Adapted by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter from the TV series by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer. Tea Tree Players. Tea Tree Players Theatre, Surrey Downs, SA. Oct 4-14, 2023

Tea Tree Players presented The Vicar of Dibley last year with a sell out season, so it makes perfect sense to present its sequel, A Vicar of Dibley Christmas: The Second Coming this year, reprising the original cast.

The play is based on the episodes "Dibley Live" and "Winter", in which the villagers set up a radio station and put on a nativity play at Owen's farm.

Singin’ in the Rain

Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Northern Light Theatre Company. Shedley Theatre, Elizabeth SA. 6-21 October 2023

‘Be an actor, my son – but be a comical one’. More than just a line from the famous slapstick song ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’, this feels like the foundation of Northern Light’s bold production of Singin’ in the Rain.

Douglas Rintoul: Brave and Bold

Written by Douglas Rintoul. Melbourne Fringe. The Corner Store, Festival Hub, Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts Carlton, Vic. 4-8 October, 2023

What do you do when you have been to WAAPA and are a musical theatre tragic who is “relatable, charming and coy” but your pursuit of perfection and the auditions don’t quite go the way you want? Obvious- you make your own show which is ironic, thoughtful, a little bit cutting and most of all funny.

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