A Kooky, Spooky Night with St. Hilda’s “The Addams Family”

Reviewed by: Felicity Siegenthaler St Hilda’s production of Addams Family was a killer hit! The kooky musical comedy brings everybody’s favourite family of darkness on a light-hearted journey of love, growth, and acceptance. The story follows the iconic Wednesday Addams, who has now grown up, fallen in love, and becomes engaged to a conventional young man called Lucas Beineke. After organising a dinner party at the Addams Family Manor for the two families to … Continue reading A Kooky, Spooky Night with St. Hilda’s “The Addams Family”

Dialog Spotlight: Short Straw Theatre Company – “The Effect”

Interview by: Oscar Lidgerwood Two weeks away from opening their debut production of “The Effect”, Short Straw committee members, Charlotte Rogers, Hazel Pigrum, and Freddie Carew-Reid meet with the Dialog to discuss the importance of student theatre, and open up about their experience starting their own company. Charlotte: We all met through Lord of the Flies with Four Letter Word last semester and decided to … Continue reading Dialog Spotlight: Short Straw Theatre Company – “The Effect”

High Praise for Newman Theatre: The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon

Reviewed by: Ellie Dean In 2023, we have been blessed when it comes to fairy tale theatre. The premiere season of a new Australian take on the Cinderella story, Midnight, was lighting up the stage of the Comedy Theatre until just a few weeks ago, and is expected by many to announce a tour (or something even bigger) very soon. Even globally, crossing borders to … Continue reading High Praise for Newman Theatre: The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon

LOVEMACHINE: A Striking Presentation of Modern Love

Reviewed by: Oscar Lidgerwood “My love for you was greater than my wisdom” To love is to hurt. It’s to break, and to heal. To love is knowing when it’s time to go. Through a striking blend of theatricality and a humane vulnerability, LOVEMACHINE finds a beautiful intimacy beneath the complexities of contemporary relationships, underpinning the timelessness of theatre. LOVEMACHINE delivers a nuanced mix of classic with a … Continue reading LOVEMACHINE: A Striking Presentation of Modern Love

Raffles on Capri

Born from the lyrics of Australian band Benny and the Dukes, Raffles on Capri is sure to delight audiences when fully realised in their six-show extravaganza in November. In all honesty big, traditional show tunes have never captivated my interest, which is why this contemporary musical – albeit still in the works – has pleasantly surprised me so much. Attending audiences to the Raffles on … Continue reading Raffles on Capri

First Class Performance

From the minute the audience entered the Guild Theatre we were transported into the gritty and dreamlike world of FLW’s Who’s Afraid of the Working Class. The set – a garbage tip, mattresses and a table – radiated well-coordinated chaos. The live music was urban and surreal, and the actors frozen in their positions on stage already grounded us in their world. Who’s Afraid of … Continue reading First Class Performance

UMMTA Gets Political

In the running history of UMMTA shows, The Hatpin stands alone, quite unique for being both Australian and somewhat contemporary (written in 2008, with revisions as recent as 2011). It is distinctive for its predominantly female lead-cast, and its deliberate focus on the experiences of these women. Written by James Millar and Peter Rutherford, The Hatpin follows the story of Amber Murray, played by Eleanor Davey. Set … Continue reading UMMTA Gets Political

A Taste That Leaves You Wanting More

From the minute the audience walked into the Guild Theatre, DisColourNation’s ‘The Unbearable Whiteness of Being’ made an impact. Each audience member was stopped and asked if they identified as a person of colour. Those who said yes got a Freddo chocolate; the rest sat down empty handed. It was clever, allowing the audience to experience the marginalisation that was explored throughout the piece. Without … Continue reading A Taste That Leaves You Wanting More

Hats Off

First-time director Jordan Peters has hit the ground running with UMMTA’s The Hatpin, a story surrounding motherhood and friendship in the midst of a terrible tragedy. With a powerful ensemble, succinct direction and the perfect balance of comedy and poignancy, the production exceeded my expectations, and delivered what is surely one of the most impressive productions of the year. The performances in The Hatpin were … Continue reading Hats Off

The Law Reviewed

《回家》是一部由Melbourne Uni Law Revue出品,学生导演的喜剧,于7月28日至30日,八月5日至6日在Union House Theatre公演。除了开场的说唱部分,剧本的编写、设计以及演员的表演,其实并没有很好地体现“回家”这一概念。我原本以为故事会围绕着80年代舞会的主题来设计,但相反整场戏更像由不相干的的元素串联而成。与预期虽有所不同,但实际效果却比想象中好得多。观众们在时光、主题、梦幻与现实中穿梭,这样的设计毫无疑问打破了一些现实世界里的常规与逻辑,也更能让观众们轻松大笑。 戏里的喜剧元素十分多元,有闹剧,一些故意而为的笑话,乐曲还有讽刺式的幽默。整场表演大部分的设计很有亮点:每一句台词都精雕细琢,有争议性的问题不会令人心生厌恶,将社会政治类的问题用微妙却又明确的方式传递给观众。更为精妙的是,这些设计又恰好可以让演员的长处得以发挥。特别是其中一个设计的灵感来源于披头士的John Lennon和Paul McCartney,他们戒掉自己的利物浦口音,而剧中,演员Michael Marinelli和Toby Woolley也做了同样的事。6个月的努力与磨合使得台上的演出更加默契,也增进了演员之间的情谊。台词与台词间的衔接也恰到好处,几乎是脱口而出。演员Toby Woolley和Ella Lawry尤为突出,两位在台上的一举一动都恰如其分,同时也将场上的气氛推至高潮,使得人物形象更加丰满。 现场表演的两小时中,也穿插了一些短视频。这样的设计让观众的注意力得以集中,又打破了喜剧仅仅依靠舞台的表演形式。尽管如此,仍有一些地方,让我有些出戏:有一首乐曲很棒,但播放的时间有些过长;一个关于鞋拔子的设计在我眼前一晃而过;关于驾校的剪辑本该是很有爆点的一处,但最后并没有发挥其作用。有一些本该是让观众可以联系自身的场景,被大笑声盖过。不过也有一些场景设计让整部戏填补了时下市场上的一些空白。这样一部由墨尔本大学年轻的学生出品的戏剧,可以在这样一个晚上,既参考当前的流行文化,又指向一些政治、宗教和社会问题。然而有一部分观众并不是学生群体,对于这些观众来说,他们对这些幽默的设计点在理解上有一定困难。就像中途有一场戏,一位坐在我前面的中年女士问我:“Pokemon是什么?”,同时她对频繁提及的“Bae”一词也相当困惑。 “回家”这一元素对于演员们在Union House Theatre作回归演出显得尤为重要,但我个人认为或许一个稍小一点的剧场可以达到更好的演出效果。当观众跳出剧院这样一层设定时,他们就能更专注于戏剧所创造出来的世界,也更能尽情地笑出声来。 剧评家:Lauren Bennett Melbourne Uni Law Revue出品,于7月28至30日和8月5日至6日在Union House Theatre上演。 Translated by Shan Huang, from Theatreshow.Melb. 翻译员:Shan Huang(墨尔本好戏连台翻译员) Continue reading The Law Reviewed