Reviews

Séance

Concept Development by Darkfield. Presented by Realscape Productions. Maritime Museum, South Brisbane. 3 October – 8 December 2024

Spooky season is upon us, so it’s the perfect time for a Séance. This one takes place in a 40-foot shipping container. The interior has been converted to appear like a Victorian era room containing one long table flanked by chairs. There isn't a Ouija board in sight however and most of the action takes place in the scariest location of all - the mind.

Flight

Concept Development by Darkfield. Presented by Realscape Productions. Maritime Museum, South Brisbane. 3 October – 8 December 2024

It is rare to experience a deeply visceral fear when attending a live performance. Flight is here to change that. Even the calmest aeroplane passenger out there is likely to feel a frisson of fear during this 22-minute experience.

Alice by Heart

Music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Stater, book by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson. Elder Conservatorium Music Theatre. Little Theatre, Adelaide, 10-13 October 2024

‘A story entered, a tiny key we turned’ sings Alice Spencer, on the platform of a London Underground station, shrinking from the sounds of the Blitz above her. It’s an escape, a safe place – or maybe not, because this is Wonderland.

Maho Magic Bar

Created, Directed and Designed by Kirsten Siddle. Presented by Broad Encounters Productions. Maho Magic Bar at Maritime Museum, South Brisbane. 3 October – 22 December 2024

Maho Magic Bar offers a wildly entertaining and immersive experience that pulls you into a neon-lit, Tokyo-inspired fever dream. The pop-up venue sets the tone with its vibrant, surreal atmosphere, providing the perfect backdrop for a night filled with magic, mischief, and mirth. Upon entering the bar, you're drawn into a world where a group of magicians and mixologists are determined to keep you thoroughly entertained—and perhaps a little inebriated, too.

Speed: The Movie, The Play

Written and Directed by Dan Beeston, Natalie Bochenski and Gregory Rowbotham. Act React. Melbourne Fringe. October 9 – 20, 2024

In the car park behind the Prahan Town Hall sits a big passenger bus; people are queueing up eager to jump on this theatrical joyride. Speed: The Movie, The Play, devised by the Brisbane based comedy theatre company Act React - they specialise in pop culture inspired performances and immersive theatre. Touring nationally across Australia, offering audiences a hard arse hour of unstoppable entertainment, they have now returned to Melbourne Fringe.

8 Women

Written by Robert Thomas. Translated by Céline Oudin.Directed by Chris Baldock. A Mockingbird Theatre Company Production. Belco Arts: The Belconnen Arts Centre. 10-19 October 2024

People trapped by deep snow in a country manor; phone lines and car fuel lines cut; one dead patriarch; so many classic Agatha Christie tropes are crammed into this show.  8 Women (originally Huit Femmes) by French actor and director Robert Thomas is a satirical take on the classic English whodunnit. It has been broadcast on French television twice and adapted into three movies, but only translated into English a smattering of times. The play makes fun of the 50s whodunnit genre, incorporating farce and slyly referencing class and sexual politics.

The 2024 Bachelor of Acting Showcase

Directed by Jacqui Somerville. Presented by Griffith University, Queensland Conservatorium. Ian Hanger Recital Hall. 10 – 12 October, 2024.

Surely there were a few nerves before the inaugural third-year industry showcase from the QLD Conservatorium Bachelor of Acting students. The 2024 graduating class certainly didn't let any trepidation show on stage. The talented young cast treated us to a wide variety of short excerpts from classical and modern works out of Australia, the US, and Europe. Consisting of comedy, drama and songs, the extracts were cleverly stitched together to create one gratifying work that allowed the performers to show versatility in playing a variety of roles.

Wife

By Samuel Adamson. New Theatre, Newtown, NSW. 8 October – 2 November, 2024

Samuel Adamson’s Wife is an artful, intriguing voyage through generations of gay and straight relationships, with a focus on controlling partners. It’s inspired by Ibsen’s heroine Nora as she finally slams the door on her husband and leaves A Doll’s House.

Grease the Musical

By Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. John Frost for Crossroads Live. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide. September 28th – October 26th, 2024

Many believe the musical Grease came to life in the hugely popular 1978 film starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, however writers and lyricists Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey first staged a version of the musical in Chicago in 1971, before diluting its content for Broadway release in 1972.

We Will Rock You

By Queen and Ben Elton. Directed by Karen Francis. Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, WA. Oct 2-6, 2024

The “big production” in WA’s accidental little Ben Elton festival (it ran concurrently with Arena’s production of Ben Elton’s Silly Cow), We Will Rock You had its audience rapt, as they laughed heartily, clapped, stamped their feet and sang along.

This futuristic Queen musical that doesn’t take itself very seriously, was performed with both excellence and a nod and a wink, as this huge cast wowed its audience.