The Witches of Macbeth is a true example of a well-known play where just a slight shift in perspective brings a completely new story to life. It embodies what a great retelling should be; thought-provoking and respectful of the original work, yet able to stand proudly on its own two feet. Continue reading The Witches of Macbeth: A Comedic Behind-the-Scenes
Mudcrabs’ Inspector Sydney Catchlove was a show with potential that was unfortunately let down by its hit-or-miss comedy, production design and directorial choices. Weird is good. Silly is good. Nonsense is fantastic—so long as the jokes carry themselves. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Inspector Sydney Catchlove. Continue reading Inspector Sydney Catchlove: Mudcrabs Deliver Mediocre Sketch Comedy for MICF
Revenge Plot is pure comedy: it is fun, and it feels like an authentic reflection of friendship, of rivalry and heartbreak, and most importantly, petty drama—all things sorely missed. Continue reading Revenge Plot: A Love Letter to Petty Drama
After years of Covid-related delays, opening night for the long awaited UHT production of Nora: A Doll’s House draws near. It’s a bittersweet occasion as the final UHT production to be held in this famous theatre before it is relocated, but Nora will be both a farewell and a
celebration of the many happy memories made in this space. I spoke with James Madsen-Smith and Leah Bourne, two of the performers in Nora: A Doll’s House. Continue reading Interview with the Actors in UHT’s Nora: A Doll’s House
Inkling, directed by Ann-Marie Biagioni and Bronya Doyle, is Floor Work’s debut production, and what an exciting debut indeed! The piece is free of dialogue, relying predominantly on the cast’s physical work and the use of live music as story-telling devices. Inspired by Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight, the work delves into the concept of gaslighting via a cast of characters. Each character is defined by a … Continue reading Inkling: A Dark, Uneasy and Innovative Debut
Playing as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival, Our Father is a considerably dour effort that takes the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Abuse and turns it into a very human drama. Structured mostly as a series of police interviews of the family of an accused man, there is a simplicity to the narrative that brings the characters and their experiences to the forefront. The mother, in a desperate turn by Sandy Morrison, is a well-meaning denial-case; the daughter, played with aloofness by the writer, Lucy Holz, is too detached to let herself see the repercussions of her father’s actions; and the son, in a melodramatic performance by Will Hall, is angst-ridden and standoffish in his it-should-have-been-me complex. The family is divided and in crisis, brought together only by the police officer, played with warmth by Benji Groenewgan. Continue reading Our Father: Portrait of a Family in Crisis
Heathers: The Musical, based on the 1988 film of the same name, is not your typical high school musical. It is set at an educational institution, the fictional Westerburg High, and it does feature all your usual stereotypes; jocks, nerds, the popular girls and try-hard teachers. Murder, suicide, bombs and bullets however? Let’s just say it’s not exactly Grease or Hairspray… Continue reading Heathers: Bullets, Bombs and Beautiful Harmonies
The University of Melbourne Music Theatre Association’s (UMMTA) uncanny professionalism strikes once more in Parade as they deliver a double punch of authentic, gut-wrenching history neatly nestled amongst the razzmatazz fair audiences have come to expect of musical theatre. Parade sets the true story of Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew living in Georgia, against a cacophony of sound (otherwise known as Jason Robert Brown’s ingenious … Continue reading Parade: UMMTA Leads the March
Melbourne University Chinese Theatre Group’s production of A Party to Murder is a homage to possibly the world’s most famous detective writer, Agatha Christie. As I enter the theatre on the production’s closing night I am torn between excitement and apprehension – as an avid Christie fan I’m a sucker for a good mystery, but I’ve also seen a few too many twee repertory productions of The … Continue reading A Party to Murder: Killing It
The programme for Trinity College’s 2018 production, Rhinoceros, states the college’s move away from more serious theatre to something funny. Perhaps the most studied piece of absurdist theatre in the world after Waiting for Godot, this play certainly is ripe with comic potential. The students at Trinity have, accordingly, provided a hilarious, madcap rendition of Ionesco’s work. Being an allegory for fascism, the weighty themes … Continue reading Rhinoceros: What’s Grey, Weighs a Ton and is An Allegory For Fascism?
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