Mudfest: The Inevitable Death of Cassie Summers
Rory Dempsey is brilliant. Incredibly natural, believable – you hurt with him. Deftly directed – a tight show, well-paced. Purposeful transitions. Christensen is sure of himself and his instincts. Strong cast and commitment to the themes and ideas explored. These people are hurting and there is no easy way out. Features poignant and compelling writing about mental illness. You’re torn between conflicting realities and uncomfortable … Continue reading Mudfest: The Inevitable Death of Cassie Summers
Mudfest: Relationsh*t
Relationsh*t is a show that you’ve definitely seen before. Two characters trapped in a space overnight, while being forced to confront each other on something that neither of them wants to talk about, is not by any measure a new concept, although it is a reliable one. This iteration of such a universal model however, is done in Melbourne University’s underground car park, and thus … Continue reading Mudfest: Relationsh*t
Mudfest: A Greek Tragedy
Steph Crowe is adorable. Charming. Utterly devoted to the task at hand. A Greek Tragedy is dumb in the most wonderful, glorious way. The absurdity provoked many laughs. I was expecting silly, but I didn’t expect to FEEL THINGS. I don’t think I’ve connected with an actor that much in a long time. It brought us joy, and then, sadness. Just like eating food. Kate … Continue reading Mudfest: A Greek Tragedy
Dogshrine: Spirituality and the Mind/Body Divide
Anthony Kuiper sits down with writer and director Jai Leeworthy to talk about his upcoming show, Dogshrine. So I know Dogshrine is religious but what exactly is it saying about religion? I wonder what that means, for it to be religious… Revolving around some sort of content that is in itself to do with theology and explaining our existence. I have done a lot of investigating … Continue reading Dogshrine: Spirituality and the Mind/Body Divide
Mudfest: Don’t Feed The Animals
Such homage, very burlesque. The influences are transparent, but look… why not celebrate them? A show with a good range of talent and a strong theme deserves a decent audience… Everything will be better in the night-time. Dance, circus and music are fabulous. Chloe Dallas Don’t Feed The Animals is playing in the Union Theatre as part of Mudfest from Friday 21st August until Sunday … Continue reading Mudfest: Don’t Feed The Animals
Joseph Kaymazing
To sum up Ormond Collage Drama Club’s 2015 production Joseph K in one word would be a difficult task in itself, but if it had to be done, I’d probably go with some synonym of impressive. From the moment you walk in, the swirling smoke, glowing red set, and ambient, ominous growls set a dark and tense mood. The first few minutes spent examining the … Continue reading Joseph Kaymazing
A Different Avenue
Avenue Q is an amusing and cleverly written musical that covers sex, unemployment and even race with wit and daring. University College’s production, however, failed to reach the full potential of the script, as the songs and comedy often fell flat and satire was stifled by crudity. The show opened with a stumble, in part due to sound issues that lingered throughout the performance. While … Continue reading A Different Avenue
Earnestly Entertaining
There’s nothing quite like the warm, supportive atmosphere of a college-majority crowd at a college play. The opening night audience of Newman’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest fed the energy of the performers, such that an already peppy play was bouncing off the walls in a way that was wonderful to watch. The most prominent stylistic choice in this production is the heavy … Continue reading Earnestly Entertaining
McDonagh Made New
Aotu Theatre’s The Pillowman J: The ease with which McDonagh’s vague police state in The Pillowman was re-contextualised into the setting of communist China was pretty startling, and probably one of the strongest choices made in Aotu Theatre’s production. A legitimate, contextually appropriate police state? Check. A history of police brutality, false accusations, and silencing of artistic expression? Check. Effective, culturally meaningful and politically … Continue reading McDonagh Made New
Cabaret
There were a few things running through my mind when I settled down to watch Cabaret on its third and final night of performance, in what appeared to be a full house at the Union Theatre. The Emcee (Jack Wright) jumped straight into a rendition of “Willkommen”: Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret. The first of these was the question: what makes … Continue reading Cabaret
The Dialog 