Reviews

The Literati

By Justin Fleming after Molière’s Les Femmes Savantes. Griffin / Bell Shakespeare Company. SBW Stables Theatre. May 27 – July 16, 2016

Justin Fleming has a knack for this.  For the Australian stage, he’s translated and masterfully adapted Moliere’s Tartuffe and The School for Wives, and here reworks Moliere’s Les Femmes Savantes

Directed by Griffin’s Lee Lewis, it’s a co-production with the Bell Shakespeare Company, with five powering performances delightfully squeezed onto the modest Griffin stage.

The Cat and the Canary

Directed by Paul Treasure. Roleystone Theatre, WA. May 27 - Jun 4, 2015

Roleystone Theatre President and director of The Cat and the Canary Paul Treasure has some unusual passions. These include a love for classic film and film history and an interest in finding rarely performed plays which are in the public domain. With The Cat and the Canary, Paul takes the original play that has spawned multiple film adaptations and brings it to the stage as if it is an early film.

Recess! - The Musical

By Keith Jackson, Gerald Castle and Michael Vigilant. Directed by Jodie Innes. Phoenix Theatre at Memorial Hall, Hamilton Hill, WA. May 20-28, 2015

Recess! is essentially a string of "Teacher, Teacher!" jokes, with a fragment of storyline, turned into a musical. Presumably originally aimed at Middle America, it is an inoffensive, pleasant little comedy, intended to have broad appeal.

Phoenix's young cast consists of high school students from Years 7 to 12, who bring a broad range of experience to this show.

The Trolleys

By Sara West. Directed by Andie Holborn. Playlovers. Hackett Hall, Floreat, WA. May 20-29, 2016

Playlovers' The Trolleys is an alternate universe or possibly post-apocalyptic story, set in a world inhabited only by children. A gang of six, who call themselves The Trolleys, struggle to survive in a hostile world, but their lights are fading and nobody knows why…

The Herringbone Saga

Written and directed by Bob Charteris. KADS Theatre, Kalamunda, WA. 6-28 May, 2015

The Herringbone Saga is a locally written play and this production is a world premiere of the show as a full-length piece — directed by the author Bob Charteris.

The script began as one-act-play "At Home With the Herringbones" which was well received at DramaFest in 2014, winning a People's Choice Award. This play now forms the first act of the full length play. The second act (which could also be performed as the one Act play "The Curse of the Herringbones") is part sequel, part prequel and part sister production to the original play.

The Tragedy of King Richard III

By Marcel Dorney and Daniel Evans, based on Shakespeare's play. Directed by Daniel Evans. La Boite Theatre Company . The Roundhouse, Brisbane. 21 May - 11 June, 2016

This adaptation of Shakespeare's famous play has been designed to ask a lot of questions. Seemingly inspired by the excavation of King Richard's skeleton in a Leicestershire car park in 2012, the writers have abandoned the use of previous contemporary outlooks and have attempted to devise a new concept of theatre, viewing certain aspects from different angles whilst incorporating a little 'shake, rattle and roll' into the mix. Bones not included.

Mary Poppins

Music & Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, George Stiles, Anthony Drewe. Book: Julian Fellowes. Babirra Music Theatre. Director: Chris Bradke. Musical Director: Ben Hudson. Choreographer: Di Crough. Whitehorse Centre, Nanawading. May 28 – June 12, 2016.

Mary Poppins was originally a Disney film, based on a book, and the magic required for nannies to fly and make things appear and disappear was much easier to achieve in that medium. Transferring this to the stage presented challenges, but Babirra met them head on.

Strictly Gershwin

Ballet by Derek Deane. Music: George Gershwin. Lyrics: Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward. Queensland Ballet. With the Queensland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gareth Valentine. Lyric Theatre, QPAC. 27 May – 4 June 2016

Strictly Gershwin is flashy, brash, uninhibitedly vivacious and an obvious audience pleaser. Its association to classical ballet at best is peripheral but as a dance show it’s exhilarating. The combination of big orchestra, Gershwin tunes, and a ballet company letting their hair down with tap, Latin and ballroom is irresistible. Artistic director Li Cunxin’s pulse for the commercial has never been more acute and judging by the unabashedly bravura audience reaction he could have another annual Nutcracker on his hands if he chose to program it.

Communicating Doors

By Alan Ayckbourn. Javeenbah Theatre Company, Gold Coast. Director: Annie Lotoki. May 27 to June 10, 2016

Sir Alan Ayckbourn is recognised as one of Britain’s foremost playwrights having penned over 80 plays and movies and is also a director of note in the UK and Director Annie Lotoki in a great fan.

Catch Me If You Can

Book by Terrance McNally. Lyrics by Marc Shaiman. Music by Scott Whittman and Marc Shaiman. Presented by Dramatic Productions (ACT). Gungahlin College Theatre. 27 May - 11 Jun 2016

With a charismatic lead who looks frighteningly like Leonardo di Caprio and a cast including both novices and experienced performers, Dramatic Productions’ Catch Me If You Can is a lot of fun. Most readers will at least be aware of the film of the same name and the story of Frank Abagnale Jr, who between the ages of 16 and 21 was a confidence trickster who passed forged cheques to the tune of $2.5M and cadged countless free international air air flights before he was caught.