Reviews

Darlington Theatre Players’ One Act Season is very much a mixed bag, with four very different, but all very watchable shows combining to create a very entertaining evening.

The season is dedicated to Darlington Theatre stalwart and Life Member, and ITA Hall of Fame Gwyne Marshall who passed away last week, Overseer of the box office and constant feature of front of house for over thirty years, her presence will be greatly missed - with more than a few patrons shedding tears when they realised her absence on opening night.

The Pymble Players are journeying down the road on their way to the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood in 2025 and hopefully that will be a successful trip for the group.  The characters in Sweet Road however have somewhat challenging journeys that traverse city streets, unsealed country roads and a rollercoaster of uncomfortable emotions.

This World Premiere puppet musical, produced by Scott McArdle and Nick Pages-Oliver, is a full-length bittersweet production featuring a talented five-member cast and a three-piece live band. Clever and thoroughly entertaining, it had its audience entranced throughout.

There’s enough high decibel singing and gothic horror to rattle anyone’s fillings in this two-hour chamber opera that packs a punch and gives the audience a fabulous surround-sound experience.

It is described on stage as a curious story, and indeed the original Henry James tale about a young Governess entering a new home with children that are possessed by spirits is just that.

There are eight scenes in each act, and director Craig Baldwin and set designer Emma Vine ingeniously move the drama through the various episodes by rotating a few platforms.