Author: thedialogtheatreblog

A log of student theatre reviews at the University of Melbourne. A dialogue between theatre makers and audiences.
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Talking about Things We Should Talk About with Harriet Wallace-Mead and Mavin R Karunanidhy

Things We Should Talk About is a newly devised work directed by Xanthe Beesley. The show is a social commentary on why it is so difficult to talk about things that really matter. I sat down with assistant director Harriet Wallace-Mead and ensemble member Mavin R Karunanidhy to have a chat about the show and why they feel it’s an important work to see. To begin … Continue reading Talking about Things We Should Talk About with Harriet Wallace-Mead and Mavin R Karunanidhy

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Everything is Not Fine, But That’s Okay

Almost two years ago I auditioned for a Four Letter Word Theatre play and was knocked back. Since then, I have spent every day training my critical eye and plotting my elaborate revenge in the form of a lukewarm review. Two weeks ago, when fate gifted me the opportunity to review FLW’s Everything Is Fine, the animus within me awoke, poised and ready. It is … Continue reading Everything is Not Fine, But That’s Okay

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Tinder Tales: A Cabaret, A Melodrama, A Comedy

Tinder Tales: A New Musical follows the passionate and turbulent dating life of unlucky-in-love Abby (Eadie Testro-Girasole). A Tinder addict, Abby wants to find ‘love at first swipe’ and is constantly on the lookout for the perfect guy. Doubt (Aubrey Flood) and Insecurity (Mel O’Brian) are constant advisors, for better or for worse, on Abby’s every move. Encounters with a myriad of men and a … Continue reading Tinder Tales: A Cabaret, A Melodrama, A Comedy

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Mudcrabs Go Wild!: Or Do They?

Is sketch comedy a long dead artform, resigned only to occasional resurrection from its grave like a limp finger puppet? Or has the burgeoning revival we keep being told about finally taken glorious flight? According to Mudcrabs Go Wild!, the new show by the Mudcrabs (somehow short for the stolid sounding Melbourne University Comedy Revue Board), neither is correct. The sketches are delivered with such … Continue reading Mudcrabs Go Wild!: Or Do They?

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Talk of ‘Tinder Tales’ and Fails with Writer Mattie McLeod

Mattie McLeod seems to be the typical 24 year old, studying a bachelor of Film and Television at the VCA and in constant post-traumatic turmoil over her previous Tinder flings. Yet unlike most, she is also the writer of a new Australian musical comedy, Tinder Tales, premiering this month at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Recently, I sat down with her to discuss all things … Continue reading Talk of ‘Tinder Tales’ and Fails with Writer Mattie McLeod

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Never Have I Ever Been So Entertained

A tiny makeshift room, sectioned off by curtains and tucked away on the first floor of the Carlton Club, sets a cosy scene for Sam Garlepp’s Never Have I Ever. He greets all the early arrivals personally, and reassures us that there will be more people coming. Sure enough, a raucous crowd packs in and Garlepp makes his grand entrance, dancing in to his own … Continue reading Never Have I Ever Been So Entertained

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The Biggest Richard: Bollywood Blockbuster

Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students’ Association’s (MUSLSA) annual charity play, The Biggest Richard, felt much like watching a Bollywood movie in the theatre. With popcorn, brownies and drinks sold personally from seat-to-seat, this show brings forth nostalgic feels for any South Asian, anywhere. It wasn’t just the experience, though; The Biggest Richard had all the elements and characteristics found in a typical Indian Bollywood movie: a three … Continue reading The Biggest Richard: Bollywood Blockbuster

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Into the Abyss: Grab a Pool Noodle and Dive In

Into the Abyss might just be the funniest existential crisis you’ll ever have. Through a mixture of improv and sketch comedy, a series of sketches tumble from the minds of Jacob Sacher and Jack McGorlick. As Paul Noodle Phd. Candidate, the pair don hats, strainers and banana costumes to become surreal characters who populate the mind of a comatose boy. Sacher and McGorlick charm their … Continue reading Into the Abyss: Grab a Pool Noodle and Dive In

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Have You Herd: Power to the Sheeple

Have You Herd, an experimental take on dystopia set in the fictional land of Losheepa, delights in its audience’s discomfort. It follows the struggle of a young girl and boy, played by Cheryl Ho and Samuel Rowe respectively, in their struggle against the Whoves, a wealthy ruling class who have turned Losheepa into a warzone. The set is sparse, the lighting dark, and the audience … Continue reading Have You Herd: Power to the Sheeple

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The Twelve: The Jury’s In

CTG’s production of The Twelve is an adaptation of an adaptation, referencing both the classic 1954 play Twelve Angry Men and its 1991 Japanese film parody The Gentle Twelve. Following the deliberations of a jury who are largely too superficial and goodhearted to convict a beautiful young woman of murder, The Twelve presents a humorous and thoughtful piece of theatre. The production’s greatest strength lay … Continue reading The Twelve: The Jury’s In

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