Godspell is a musical about Jesus Christ teaching the word of God to a bunch of enthusiastic youths. But this Jesus? He’s ‘hip’. He’s ‘cool’. You may be able to tell that it’s not my favourite musical. It was an interesting choice for Newman to produce, as what seemed radical and refreshing in 1971 comes across as a bit cheesy today. Nonetheless, director Ryan Bentley worked … Continue reading Godspell: Dated but Energetic

With the usher holding one of my hands and my friend the other, I’m led, blindfolded into a room. With no idea what to expect, all I’m conscious of is that what I’m about to experience will be exactly that, an experience. Upon entering the performance space for The Apocalypse Tapes, you are given a blindfold each, and told you can take it off at … Continue reading The Apocalypse Tapes: Eyes Closed, Mind Open

Actor, director and playwright Adelaide Greig, talks about her upcoming Mudfest play, Adrift in My Ocean of Sugar Tears. Catchy Title! What is the significance of that image, being ‘Adrift in my Ocean of Sugar Tears’ for the play itself? I really struggled to settle on a name. ‘Adrift’ alludes to the hopelessness of Edna and Nora’s situation and sugar tears was inspired by my … Continue reading Talking Sugar Tears with Adelaide Greig

Exploding onto the stage in a flurry of cable knit sweaters, rockabilly dress, and vocal talent, Whitley Annual Residential Theatre Society’s (WARTS) production of Cry-Baby the Musical proved to be a fittingly jubilant and rabblerousing finale to the organised stage presence of Whitley College. Delivering a surplus of laughter, love, and catchy tunes, Cry-Baby both impressed and entertained. From the moment the curtains were drawn, … Continue reading Cry-Baby the Musical: Squeaky Clean

University College’s West Side Story is an ambitious production, taking on a musical that’s not just known for the tragedy of its finale, but also for its difficult dance sequences. While UC’s finished product may not be all that polished, it’s high in energy, and a largely enjoyable spectacle. Albert Elton was one of the show’s highlights as the male lead, Tony. Mixing boyish humour … Continue reading West Side Story: Energetically Tragic

I had forgotten about this play until the morning of. Realising that my schedule was already tightly packed, I was on the verge of asking that someone else take my reviewer’s ticket. But something stopped me; perhaps it was the lake calling. Pardon the cliché. Should I have ignored the ‘call’, I would have made a terrible mistake. Mirror’s Edge is a must see. No, … Continue reading Mirror’s Edge: The Sky’s the Limit

Tech Rehearsal. Two words that will instantly strike fear into the hearts of anyone who’s ever been in, involved with, an observer of, or heard about a theatre show. Their very utterance recalls long-repressed memories of focusing lights, looping sound effects, set pieces and costumes going horribly wrong, and stage managers on the precipice of aneurysms. It’s the stage in a show’s production that is … Continue reading 10 Out of 12: Carefully Constructed Chaos

Union House Theatre’s upcoming production, Mirror’s Edge, is a new work by Kim Ho, which has been revised in collaboration with the cast and creative team throughout the rehearsal process. I sat down with three of the cast members, Jo Chen, Eden Gonfond and Rebecca Poynton, to talk about the show. What drew you to this play or this role? Eden: I was part of an … Continue reading Interview with the Cast of Mirror’s Edge

DisColourNation的《并不只有罗密欧》不仅向原型的经典著作发起挑战，也向大多数作品里的同性爱人不能相守这一悲剧性的宿命提出质疑。该剧娱乐性和思考性并重，在主流价值观里描绘了一段同性之爱，引人深思。 剧本由Jean Tong和Margaret Tanjutco联手编写，本身有一定的代入感和洞察力，能够吸引读者，将自己沉浸在故事之中。情节紧凑，有一定幽默感的文笔在讽刺剧和闹剧间游走，保证观众在看到这出戏时可以开怀大笑。该剧的最终目的旨在尖锐地批判社会和媒体对同性的态度，以及或多或少，点到了种族主义的问题。作品在艺术范畴内探讨这一严肃性话题时，也在努力避免着整体上过于正经。但同其他新作品一样，剧里的有些部分较为零散。一些笑话的点没有给到位，显得平淡，又一定重复；一些地方力量感不够，无法引出故事里剩下的部分。同理，尽管演出本身采用了强有力的音乐作为结束曲，但是某种程度上，结尾处显得不够完整，女主人公的命运，与剧所想批判的仿佛被抛在了半空之中，缺乏一个落点。一些看似不可逾越的问题，实则可以通过进一步地挖掘以及表演得以解决。不过，看到经典故事以一种新的方式演绎，并且对艺术以及少数群体有所关注和深思，还是令人耳目一新。 整体上来说，演员的表现，就合作上演这样一出戏，并对高要求的角色有所投入，可圈可点。故事在唱歌、跳舞和不同的人物之间来回穿梭，并踩准了喜剧的笑点，在合适的时间内抖出包袱。不过这之中，Margaret Tanjutco饰演的朱丽叶尤其出色。她以充沛的能量，并运用一定的技巧让人物形象分明，在整部剧中也起到了挑大梁的作用。她的朱丽叶的度把控地很好，如此重要的角色经她演绎之后，多了一分有趣，但又不至于太夸张或者滥情。Eunice Chuang的表现同样值得一提，在剧里扮演的众多小角色里显露出天赋以及人物个性。 Adrian Cajili设计的舞台布景富有创意，连同像漫画里一样色彩斑斓的道具，一同构建了一个浮夸、怪诞又黑暗的世界。这些元素的意味本可以更加明显，然而在演出中道具和布景之间有些分离，直接导致了效果的削弱，而事实上，刚刚提到的这个世界本可以得到更强烈地展现。服装设计以上世纪50年代为主题，贴合人物性格，符合剧情。但有一些服装过于现代，譬如像未婚夫的装束，破坏了整体性。尽管如此，戏服以及舞台布景仍对演出成功起到了重要作用，我可以做个小小的预见，如果有更充足的预算，会呈现出更好的效果。 《并不只有罗密欧》在挑战经典以及为少数群体发声上，是部让人眼前一亮的作品。一群高质量又各有特色的演员，让作品本身的主旨实现了可视化，冲着这一点，它对艺术的贡献不容忽视。虽然剧本和设计上可以再完善一下，DisColourNation的剧仍旧让观众在愉悦的观赏中有所思考。 Matilda Millar-Carton Translated by Azalea Huang 翻译：Azalea Huang（墨尔本好戏连台翻译员） Continue reading Romeo is Not the Only Fruit: Well on the Way to Ripe 《并不只有罗密欧》——成熟进行时

MUCTG’s production of Room 648 takes on an adaptation of Ray Cooney’s 1990 British farce Out of Order. A simple affair between a government official and a secretary from the opposition grows more and more complicated with the appearance of spouses, the hotel manager, a nosy concierge and a corpse. This already complex plot is further convoluted by intricate set and props, physical comedy and constant costume changes, … Continue reading Room 648: Five Star Farce