The Kinky Gay Masterpiece Of Jake Stewart’s Beauty And The Beast

REVIEW BY BRONTE LEMAIRE EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT Content warning: this review contains mentions of suicide and sexual abuse.  I’m not sure exactly what I expected when I walked into Theatre Works to see Beauty and the Beast. It looked kinky. It looked gay. So somehow, I didn’t see the 15-minute video of a man masturbating projected onto the back wall coming. It was very … Continue reading The Kinky Gay Masterpiece Of Jake Stewart’s Beauty And The Beast

SPRUIK! Is An Affirming Queer Rom-Com On Our Very Own Lygon Street 

REVIEW BY GRACE DWYER EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT Happy International Lesbian Day to those who celebrate. I certainly do, by taking snacks and a picnic blanket to Argyle Square. Music’s playing, we’re eating cheese and gluten free crackers, and we’re free to watch the cast and crew of SPRUIK! roam around, getting ready. I can’t think of a better start to my Wednesday evening.  SPRUIK! … Continue reading SPRUIK! Is An Affirming Queer Rom-Com On Our Very Own Lygon Street 

The Theatrics Of The Machine 

REVIEW BY TARAS SCURRY EDITED BY RACHEL THORNBY It was a consummate and well-executed display, a machine so to speak. It all started in a small and cosy theatre at the Meat Market as part of Melbourne’s Fringe Festival. Hyping up the diverse crowd of performatively dressed males and others, Brat blasted and then the lights dimmed turning a cool, nightclub-esque bluey-purple. And so, it … Continue reading The Theatrics Of The Machine 

Fantasy, Romance, And Political Drama: Moonflower Plays’ Other Gods Has It All

REVIEW BY GRACE DWYER EDITED BY RACHEL THORNBY I have a tumultuous relationship with the fantasy genre. As of late, I find certain fantasy and romance stories to be stuffed with clichéd narratives and barely indistinguishable aesthetics. But I return to the genre time and time again because there is nothing like being fully immersed in a rich, unique world and at their best, fantasies … Continue reading Fantasy, Romance, And Political Drama: Moonflower Plays’ Other Gods Has It All

Ivy And Sylvia: Ghosts Of Care And Community

REVIEW BY JESSIE WILLIAMS EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT Staged in the intimate confines of the Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre in Altona — a site rich with history, once housing the very hospital that inspires its narrative — Ivy and Sylvia offers a compelling, quietly radical exploration of women’s roles in early twentieth-century Melbourne healthcare. It’s written by Mia Boonen, directed by Azmy Azurite … Continue reading Ivy And Sylvia: Ghosts Of Care And Community

F*ck a Duck That’s Funny – The Importance of Being Earnest as Performed by Three F*cking Queens and a Duck 

REVIEW BY ELLA CALLOW-SUSSEX EDITED BY AZMY It is the first night of Fringe. On the way to Theatre Works I read out the blurb for The Importance of Being Earnest as Performed by Three F*cking Queens and a Duck to my guest so we could get a sense of what we were about to watch. The blurb proclaimed that “good taste and political correctness … Continue reading F*ck a Duck That’s Funny – The Importance of Being Earnest as Performed by Three F*cking Queens and a Duck 

Which Of Us Is The Changeling?

REVIEW BY CHARLOTTE FRASER EDITED BY OLIVIA DI GRAZIA We’ve all heard about changelings, haven’t we? The spooky old tales of fae, trolls or elves replacing human babies with ugly, wicked creatures pervade European tradition.  This is the myth that Charlie Simmons’ play Changeling draws upon and subverts, blending folklore and the fantastical in order to tell a profoundly important story about the dangers of … Continue reading Which Of Us Is The Changeling?