Category: English

English

Fabio Motta’s Holy Fool Transforms Absurdist Comedy Into a Divine Experience

REVIEWED BY IVY KAYE EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER Directed by Giovanni Fusetti and performed at St. Kilda’s Explosives Factory, Holy Fool is a play that manages to take a person who died exactly 800 years ago and turn him into a message of hope for today, a reminder of the need for compassion in a time where selfishness and materialism runs rampant. It’s also a … Continue reading Fabio Motta’s Holy Fool Transforms Absurdist Comedy Into a Divine Experience

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How to Eat Rabbit asks us who gets to survive the end of the world

REVIEWED BY ALYSSA MCDONALD SMITH EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER Directed by Lilah Benetti and written by Jamila Main, How to Eat Rabbit took to the La Mama Courthouse theatre as part of the Hope Punk Climate festival. At first entrance to the theatre, my friends and I were offered a raffle ticket for the door prize, and whilst waiting we speculated that the prize may … Continue reading How to Eat Rabbit asks us who gets to survive the end of the world

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“Less faith in change” – In conversation with the director of Party, Andrew Sutherland

INTERVIEW BY ELIJAH VALERY SLAVINSKIS EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER As an incredibly sane person who was keeping religiously up to date with Farrago’s live blog of the UMSU elections I’ve been quite eager to learn more about Union House Theatre’s upcoming production of Party, taking place at the Guild Theatre from the 24th to the 26th of September. Party is a political satire written by … Continue reading “Less faith in change” – In conversation with the director of Party, Andrew Sutherland

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Gimme Gimme Gimme University College’s Mamma Mia

REVIEWED BY ALEX LAWRY EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER Bringing the sunny Greek islands to Melbourne’s winter, University College’s production of Mamma Mia was a refreshing change from the cold. The 1999 stage musical created by Catherine Johnson is built around music from the classic Swedish pop group, ABBA. Sophie (Catie Froelicher) was raised by her free-spirited mother, Donna (Luella Wyer) in an island taverna. On … Continue reading Gimme Gimme Gimme University College’s Mamma Mia

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Robbery, Vulnerability and a Chicken Burger Murder: the Unique Spectacle that is Cipta’s ‘In Hot Water’ Showcase

REVIEWED BY MIA SUTHERLAND EDITED BY AZMY Along with most of the audience sitting in the intimate Guild Theatre, I was excited and becoming restless, eager for it to tick over to 7:30 pm. We were (impatiently) waiting to watch the drama unfold across three student-written works for Cipta Theatre Company’s Semester Two comedy showcase, In Hot Water. For one hour, I was fully immersed … Continue reading Robbery, Vulnerability and a Chicken Burger Murder: the Unique Spectacle that is Cipta’s ‘In Hot Water’ Showcase

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A dose of disturbing dystopia in Little Hall’s Mr Burns

REVIEWED BY JESS PARKIN EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER For a relatively new Arts Society, Little Hall lured quite an impressive audience to their performance of Mr Burns, a post-electric play. Both the cast and crew of Mr Burns had been busy at work on their social media page, posting trendy and catchy reels that built the excitement of the community – what sort of wonders … Continue reading A dose of disturbing dystopia in Little Hall’s Mr Burns

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The immaculate conception of Big Religion

REVIEWED BY KIERA EDELSTEIN EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER Big Corporate wants you to work overtime with no pay. Big Lip-balm doesn’t want you to know that, secretly, it’s making your lips more chapped. Big Religion? Writer/Director Maddi Formosa seems to think it wants you to buy into its system of subservience and piety, of unquestioning devotion, with no questions asked. And yet, in this debut … Continue reading The immaculate conception of Big Religion

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Conditional forgiveness and a thirst for punishment in Asamina Theatre Company’s 12 Angry Actors

REVIEWED BY ELIJAH VALERY SLAVINSKIS EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER Boasting a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 4.6/5 on Letterboxd and a 9/10 on IMDB 12 Angry Men (1957) is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time. It also happens to be one of my personal favourites, so when I caught wind of Asamina Theatre Company’s 12 Angry Actors I was tentatively excited. How … Continue reading Conditional forgiveness and a thirst for punishment in Asamina Theatre Company’s 12 Angry Actors

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Waking a queen: Melbourne Shakespeare Company resurrects Cleopatra and Antony with fresh, intoxicating ferocity

REVIEWED BY LUCY SONNEMANN EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER On the stage of fortyfivedownstairs, the air thick with incense and anticipation, the cast of MSC’s Cleopatra and Antony sit around an imposing stone amphitheatre; all but one. In her absence, her supporting characters stare into the audience, their unflinching gazes demanding that we bear witness. This is the story of Cleopatra: Egypt’s last pharaoh, a woman … Continue reading Waking a queen: Melbourne Shakespeare Company resurrects Cleopatra and Antony with fresh, intoxicating ferocity

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Trying on the EDGES: Maybe, Almost, Could Be

REVIEWED BY ZENA WANG EDITED BY AZMY Directed by Eckard Becker, EDGES forms part of VCA’s 2026 Master of Theatre (Directing) Graduate Season. Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the contemporary song cycle brings together stories of growing up, romance, identity and human connection. Across the evening, five performers move rapidly between different characters and relationships, returning to the same question: standing at the … Continue reading Trying on the EDGES: Maybe, Almost, Could Be

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