Author: thedialogtheatreblog

A log of student theatre reviews at the University of Melbourne. A dialogue between theatre makers and audiences.
English

Harrowing and Inspired: The Theatrical Tapestry of Ormond College’s Spring Awakening

Reviewed by: Simon Brownjohn Ormond Drama’s rendition of Spring Awakening took the 21st century classic to the Union Theatre in an enthralling performance of rock and sadness. The show presents the lives of adolescents, each of whom uniquely come to terms with their burgeoning feelings of sexuality, against the backdrop of a repressive environment which shuns the characters into silence. The themes discussed encompass topics … Continue reading Harrowing and Inspired: The Theatrical Tapestry of Ormond College’s Spring Awakening

thedialogtheatreblog
English

UC’s Grease is the Word!

Reviewed by: Emma Parfitt Grease is the time, it’s the place, it’s the motion – it’s the musical that has thrived since the release of the hit movie starring John Travolta and the late Dame Olivia Newton-John in 1978. Nonetheless, its outrageous storyline and at time controversial characters make it a challenge to produce in a modern context: a challenge that University College rose to.  … Continue reading UC’s Grease is the Word!

thedialogtheatreblog
English

Divinity: A Demonstration of Flare’s Impressive Community

Hearing ushers detailing how they volunteered just to nab a ticket, and witnessing multiple wannabe audience members be gently turned away as they are informed the performance is sold out, it’s clear that Flare have built a passionate community that is united by a love of dance. Their mid-year showcase, Divinity, is an exciting re-introduction with a focus on developing emerging choreographers as they build … Continue reading Divinity: A Demonstration of Flare’s Impressive Community

thedialogtheatreblog
English

Dialog Spotlight: Short Straw Theatre Company – “The Effect”

Interview by: Oscar Lidgerwood Two weeks away from opening their debut production of “The Effect”, Short Straw committee members, Charlotte Rogers, Hazel Pigrum, and Freddie Carew-Reid meet with the Dialog to discuss the importance of student theatre, and open up about their experience starting their own company. Charlotte: We all met through Lord of the Flies with Four Letter Word last semester and decided to … Continue reading Dialog Spotlight: Short Straw Theatre Company – “The Effect”

thedialogtheatreblog
English

High Praise for Newman Theatre: The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon

Reviewed by: Ellie Dean In 2023, we have been blessed when it comes to fairy tale theatre. The premiere season of a new Australian take on the Cinderella story, Midnight, was lighting up the stage of the Comedy Theatre until just a few weeks ago, and is expected by many to announce a tour (or something even bigger) very soon. Even globally, crossing borders to … Continue reading High Praise for Newman Theatre: The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon

thedialogtheatreblog
English

LOVEMACHINE: A Striking Presentation of Modern Love

Reviewed by: Oscar Lidgerwood “My love for you was greater than my wisdom” To love is to hurt. It’s to break, and to heal. To love is knowing when it’s time to go. Through a striking blend of theatricality and a humane vulnerability, LOVEMACHINE finds a beautiful intimacy beneath the complexities of contemporary relationships, underpinning the timelessness of theatre. LOVEMACHINE delivers a nuanced mix of classic with a … Continue reading LOVEMACHINE: A Striking Presentation of Modern Love

thedialogtheatreblog
English

Dialog Spotlight: Benjamin Nichol

Interviewed by: Oscar Lidgerwood Ahead of his upcoming run of kerosene & SIRENS this August at fortyfivedownstairs, VCA graduate Benjamin Nichol sits down with The Dialog to discuss his creative process and grants us insight into his life as performer, writer, director, and true theatrical all-rounder. Right now, you’re really doing it all – writing, directing, and performing in the upcoming kerosene & SIRENS double … Continue reading Dialog Spotlight: Benjamin Nichol

thedialogtheatreblog
English

The Historical Hilarity of “Underneath Ms Archer”

Reviewed by: Molly Lidgerwood Editor: Sophia Zikic Louise Siversen and Peter Houghton’s time travel comedy Underneath Ms Archer intersects the complexities of the twenty-first century with the brutality of the Middle Ages, ultimately providing a hysterical, riotous, and dynamic 95-minute spectacle that is not to be missed. Set in contemporary London, the play depicts the consequences of Kelly Archer’s (Louise Siversen) controversial decision, as a … Continue reading The Historical Hilarity of “Underneath Ms Archer”

thedialogtheatreblog
English

Olivia Ruggiero: Down Under’s Own “Broadway Diva”

Reviewed by: Sophie King Editor: Oscar Lidgerwood The Wizard of Oz, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserable, Come From Away, West Side Story. A quick hour of heartbreak, hope, love, despair, laughter and grief that one could only receive from a one-woman cabaret. Directed by Carly Fisher, Broadway Diva is Olivia Ruggiero’s beautiful love letter to the drama and passion of musical theatre.  The eclectic, … Continue reading Olivia Ruggiero: Down Under’s Own “Broadway Diva”

thedialogtheatreblog
English

“Emotional, Gripping, and Cathartic”: MUSC’s Patroclus and Achilles

Reviewed by: Oscar Hales Editor: Sophia Zikic As an aspiring historian, I know too well the painful phenomenon of treating historical homosexual couples as “very good friends.” Given their ashes were mixed together so they could be together in death, it seems downright insane to treat Patroclus and Achilles as “roommates”. Yet this is just what Shakespeare did, not even mentioning it in Troilus and Cressida, his telling … Continue reading “Emotional, Gripping, and Cathartic”: MUSC’s Patroclus and Achilles

thedialogtheatreblog