This review contains spoilers of the show, so I’m going to get the synopsis/value judgement bits out of the way first. Urinetown is set in a dystopian world ravaged by global drought. Due to the water scarcity, the government has outlawed personal toilets, and citizens must pay for public facilities. These bathrooms are controlled by – cue groans – Urine Good Company, a corrupt corporation … Continue reading Putting the Pee in Privilege
The Culprit typifies what your grandparents think student theatre is: it’s low budget, weird and aims to make you think. It’s unlike conventional theatre but firmly within its own practice. As an audience member you are forced to take an active role within the performance, making everyone the culprit and the policing force of all other participants. Expect to be yelled at, to be asked … Continue reading The Culprit
The Melbourne University Shakespeare Company’s Henry IV.i was more of an experience than a production. Every aspect of the performance, from its powerful cast to its genius use of set design, allowed the audience to suspend their disbelief and enter a world where notions of honour and loyalty were challenged. For someone who hadn’t previously read the play, and can often struggle keeping up with … Continue reading Shakespeare Revived
Union House Theatre’s Megaphone Democracy is a provocative piece of original theatre that captivates the audience through masterful stagecraft. I wasn’t quite sure how this production was going to be presented but it definitely exceeded my expectations. When you walk into the Guild Theatre smoke encompasses the whole space so you can’t see the stage. The performance begins with horizontally spaced spotlights illuminating the choreography of … Continue reading A Thought-Provoking Piece of Theatre
ICAC’s undertaking of Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece Company is one that leaves you with a song in your head long after you’ve left the theatre. Taking on the challenge of Sondheim is an impressive gamble in and of itself, and Company is not only a musically complex show, but a confounding and almost plotless series of vignettes concerning love and married life in New York City. At the centre of … Continue reading Risk and Reward
Lady Macbeth is notorious as one of Shakespeare’s most powerful female characters, but her role is often secondary to that of her husband. Twelve Angry’s production of [Lady] Macbeth, directed by Fiona Spitzkowsky, seeks to challenge this, giving Lady Macbeth an equal role to that of her husband and creating ties between the female characters that bring new meaning to the play. The production’s primary … Continue reading Reclaiming Lady Macbeth
Performing Shakespeare’s plays presents any theatre maker with numerous obstacles: the language must be relatable, without losing the flavour of the original; the setting, if modern, must be unpretentious; and if traditional must still be meaningful to a modern audience. Ultimately, MUSC’s production of Henry IV Part 1, directed by James Christenson, manages to overcome these hurdles, and present a relevant modern adaption of Shakespeare’s … Continue reading Long Live the Queen
On Saturday 9th April 2016 Union House Theatre hosted a Piercing Examination of Student Theatre Symposium, this year held around the theme of ‘Back To The Future’. The event reviewed the current state of student theatre in Melbourne, comparing it to its past and gauging how far it has to go in the future. There were three panels scheduled in the event. Each panel was … Continue reading Do It Anyway
A mix of playfulness and passion characterised the Balloon Head Theatre Company’s inaugural production, Private Lives, taking the audience on one heck of an emotional rollercoaster. Noel Coward’s classic comedy of romance, with all its twists and turns, is encapsulated by the line ‘Chance rules my life’. The company carried this essence beautifully, with a truly endearing performance that managed to maintain a definite level of professionalism without ever … Continue reading Not-So-Private Lives
Enthusiasm and feeling permeate MUSLSA’s Annual Charity Play On Time, which follows the Fernando family as they move into a new neighbourhood, next door to notorious old grouch Bernie Wilson. Manjitha Wijesinghe skilfully portrays this character both as a spirited young man and a curmudgeonly seventy-year-old. Sharini Arachchige is delightful as the bubbly seven-year-old Lucy; and Ariana (Inushi Ilangamage), the unexpected hero, drew laughs in the second … Continue reading It’s Got Heart
The Dialog 