Heathers: The Musical has to be one of the balliest musical choices, not only for the challenge of casting performers able to sing its absolutely mammoth vocal score, but also for the fear of offending any unsuspecting audience members with its gratuitously crude, dark sense of humor. And so, when I first heard the announcement that University College would be producing such musical, I was a … Continue reading Heathers: How Very Indeed
At a time when natural disasters headline the news every other day, Lab Kelpie’s Oil Babies taps into modern anxieties about a seemingly inevitable apocalypse, and the apparent futility of individual attempts to ‘save the planet’. Written and directed by Petra Kalive, the play depicts a dystopia not at all far away from our own world. Apocalypse is imminent, with the human race on the precipice … Continue reading Oil Babies: Anxiety and Apocalypse
It’s a fair assumption that, both in nature and reputation, college productions aren’t exactly supposed to be taken too seriously. However, this was not the case for audiences of Ormond College’s recent production of Chicago. The audience were forced to leave any such presuppositions at home as the cast and crew tackled this raunch-fest with surprising professionalism, style and finesse. Chicago tells the tale of two … Continue reading Chicago: Foxy and Full of Heart
Premiering at Union Theatre House, Things We Should Talk About is an experimental play that asks us to consider heavy and difficult subjects like gender, climate change, race, equality and censorship, and the means through which these subjects are discussed and debated, if they are allowed to be discussed at all. It is not structured as a conventional play, with scenes within an act that tell … Continue reading Things We Should Talk About: A Conventional Review of an Unconventional Play
Clocking in at almost three hours, Melbourne University Chinese Theatre Group’s adaptation of an Agatha Christie tale feels a colossal undertaking that never breaks a sweat. Immediately setting a dark tone, the play strikes a noir chord with an eerie soundscape and darkened set, save for the few scattered candles and a probing torch. We are given glimpses of gothic set pieces and portentous blocking … Continue reading The Unexpected Guest: An Unexpected Delight
We have all grown up with fairytales, and been enthralled by the spell they cast over us. These stories have had several different interpretations over recent years, each with their own unique twists. ICAC’s Into the Woods does just that, incorporating the Grimm Brothers’ fairytales, like Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood, with the original story of a baker and his … Continue reading Into the Woods: After the Happily Ever After
MUSC’s Plastic Shakespeare presents two short plays based on the idea that Shakespeare can be on the one hand useful and malleable and on the other garish and opaque. The two very different works, Hamlet by the Pool and Engraft, equally enliven and update the bard while complicating our understanding of his modern-day relevance. Written and directed by Isobel Milne, Hamlet By The Pool is a punchy, pacey and … Continue reading Plastic Shakespeare: There’s Something Fresher in The State of Shakespeare
UMMTA has always strived to produce high-quality productions and stellar performances in some attempt to mend the stereotypical bridge between the ‘university musical’ and amateur theatre. This time, they have truly exceeded all expectations with their adaptation of ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’. If you’re unfamiliar, which I find highly doubtful considering the show’s popularity, the premise is that of the typical musical within a musical scenario: … Continue reading The Drowsy Chaperone: No Sleep for the Audience!
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
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
The Dialog 