Into the Woods And Back To Our Childhoods

REVIEW BY JESSICA FANWONG EDITED BY RACHEL THORNBY Into the Woods has been among the most popular musicals to be remounted in recent years. With any show that is restaged so often and features storylines most audiences grew up listening to as kids, the challenge is to retell the classic with a new twist. Needless to say, I had high expectations going into this production. … Continue reading Into the Woods And Back To Our Childhoods

We Get A Kick Out Of St Hilda’s College’s Anything Goes

REVIEW BY TOM WORSNOP EDITED BY RACHEL THORNBY St Hilda’s College stages a sparkling, slick, and sumptuous production of Cole Porter’s musical classic, Anything Goes. The story follows a young Wall Street trader Billy Crocker (Sam Kohler) as he sneaks onto a cruise ship to pursue his true love, Hope Harcourt (Georgia Shell). Along the way, he encounters  mobsters, flees his boss, and gets a … Continue reading We Get A Kick Out Of St Hilda’s College’s Anything Goes

High School Musical: A Wildcat Performance By University College 

REVIEW BY TARAS SCURRY EDITED BY AZMY AZURITE University College rallies in, filling the first floor of the Union Theatre with a buzz of anticipation. It’s opening night and the lights are shining bright, excitement trickling throughout the theatre, cheers flooding through for the first act as Producer and Musical Director Samantha Johnson’s vision springs upon the stage.  The company starts strong, with athleticism from … Continue reading High School Musical: A Wildcat Performance By University College 

Pants, Poetry and Possibility: MUDfest First Light Shines Bright

REVIEW BY AKSHITA BENNY AND JESSIE WILLIAMS EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT MUDfest (Melbourne University Drama Festival) is an annual celebration of student works ranging from photography to performance. Starting back in 1990, MUDfest has become the largest student-run arts festival in Australia, enabling new and emerging creatives within the University of Melbourne community to create new works and explore different concepts. The theme for MUDfest … Continue reading Pants, Poetry and Possibility: MUDfest First Light Shines Bright

Jazz everywhere, booze everywhere, joy everywhere in Ormond College’s Chicago!

REVIEW BY GRACE DWYER EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT Chicago is big. It’s the hit 1975 musical that went on to claim 2002’s Best Picture, enjoy long-lasting intercontinental theatrical success, and ensure every theatre kid has their own favourite Merry Murderess. A perfect show for Ormond Drama, who blew us away last year with their 2024 production of Into the Woods, so my friends and I … Continue reading Jazz everywhere, booze everywhere, joy everywhere in Ormond College’s Chicago!

All In This Together: Newman College’s High School Musical 2

REVIEW BY TOM WORSNOP EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT Newman College’s joyful production of High School Musical 2 is fun, upbeat, and oozing with nostalgia for 2000s high school drama. The show follows Troy Bolton (Luke Higgins) and his East High Wildcats basketball team, trying to find jobs for the summer break. They all find themselves employed at the Lava Springs resort, owned by the family … Continue reading All In This Together: Newman College’s High School Musical 2

Amplified: More Than Good, It’s Divinyls

REVIEW BY ASHLEIGH SHEARMAN EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT Imagine it’s late, you’re out at a pub, the smell of stale beer and sticky floors fills the air. From the speakers, the sound of 80s Aussie rock is cut off as four acapella voices begin to intone the “Sanctus” of the Catholic Mass. “What the heck is going on?” you might ask yourself. The confusion only … Continue reading Amplified: More Than Good, It’s Divinyls

《蛇·人·佛:话剧〈青蛇〉的千年纠缠》Of Serpent, Soul, and Spirit: A Thousand-Year Entanglement in Green Snake 

REVIEW BY SHIXIN WANG EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT ENGLISH VERSION BELOW 当提起蛇,你会想到什么?是《圣经·创世纪》伊甸园中那条引诱夏娃吃下禁果的堕落的象征,还是希腊神话中头发由蛇构成、一对视就能将人变成石头的邪恶美杜莎?从东方到西方,“蛇”作为一个重要的文化意象频繁地在各种神话传说中出现。而它们,常常与“罪恶“、“危险”、“诱惑”等特点联系起来。中华剧社的《青蛇》,却为我们展示了一种截然不同的蛇的形象:它有蛇性,有人性,甚至有佛性。  《青蛇》是2013年由中国著名女导演田沁鑫导演、编剧的话剧,改编自中国当代知名女作家李碧华(由她的另一部小说《霸王别姬》改编的电影获得了第46届戛纳国际电影节金棕榈奖)的同名小说。《青蛇》的故事实际来源于中国古代一个流传了千年的民间传说《白蛇传》:宋朝年间,有一条修炼千年的蛇妖化作人类女子名为白素贞,同她的侍女小青(百年青蛇所变)在杭州西湖游玩,和人类男子许仙同船避雨,对他一见钟情。白素贞和许仙结为夫妻,却被金山寺的和尚法海发现。法海让许仙给白素贞喝下雄黄酒,使白素贞展露出了蛇的本体,把许仙吓死了。白素贞去天庭盗取灵芝仙草,复活许仙,法海却把许仙带到金山寺软禁。为了见到许仙,白素贞和小青同法海打斗,水漫金山寺,伤害了其他生灵。最终,法海将生完孩子的白素贞镇压于雷峰塔下。  和民间传说不同的是,话剧《青蛇》把故事的主角从白蛇变为青蛇,并在原来的版本之上增添了小青与法海的爱情线。在话剧里,小青变成人之后和许多人类男子欢爱,享受肉体的欢愉,但她心中爱的却是和尚法海。她是妖,本只有动物的欲望,却因为法海懂了人的情爱;法海是人,却想修炼成佛,摆脱肉体和人性的禁锢。但最终,时间过去千年,在民国时期,雷峰塔倒塌,法海在圆寂前对小青说出“你我没有分别”,暗示着这场“妖、人、佛”的纠缠,终究融为一体,混沌不清。  Chinese Theatre Group本次的制作(导演嘭嘭)十分优秀,可以看出,无论是演员表演,还是幕后的灯光、音乐、服装、舞美等等,都努力在当前技术和人力成本上做到最好。尤其是饰演青蛇(王思睿Vicky)和白蛇(付华晨 Natalie)的两位演员,不仅需要记住长达三个小时的台词,还要练习中国古典舞,用舞蹈展示蛇的灵动和妩媚。最开始青蛇、白蛇出场的那一幕,两位演员从地上缓缓起身,从头、肩、颈、手臂到腿如起伏的海浪,配合变幻的灯光和悠扬的音乐,将蛇妖化人的过程诠释得栩栩如生。两位演员的表演也将小青的灵动可爱和白素贞的沉稳老成形成了鲜明的对比。  饰演法海的演员(田晨凯)扮相十分出色,清瘦挺拔的身躯和不怒而威的气质,将一个威严庄重、清心寡欲的和尚形象展现得活灵活现。许仙这个男性角色由女演员(珂尔)反串,虽然在人物丰满程度上和其他主角比略显单薄,但珂尔的表演很好地突出了许仙的懦弱无能、畏畏缩缩。“花和尚”济着(Andy)是法海的反面,他喝酒、吃肉、游戏人间,茶色墨镜和扎小辫的油头造型为他的形象塑造加分许多。六位歌队成员(戴兴邦、 卢柏林、 周彦臻,、燕嘉宁Jenny Yan、华梓淳、吴一迪)的表现同样让人惊喜。他们的群体角色从僧人、到百姓、到群妖无缝衔接,同时每个人还担任了捕快、西域商人、仙翁等角色。能歌善舞,巧言善辩,在整部剧中起到了渲染氛围、转换时空、叙事抒情等多重作用。Hefei Elaine Wang为演员们精心设计的服装和妆容不仅贴合角色,也让观众轻易地回到剧里的时代。  在舞台布景方面(由胡雨晗Hannah设计),这部剧同样展示了中国传统美学特色。中式美学注重“写意”,用简单的意象就能建立整个场景,因此并没有太多繁杂的道具,有时甚至只是一个灯光和演员的动作,就能让观众理解场景。比如许仙和白素贞初见时,仅仅只是用了浅蓝色的灯光(由Geneta Lo设计)和演员临湖照影的动作,就让观众明白,这一幕发生在西湖的桥上。而表现这一点甚至不需要有一座实体的“桥”出现在舞台。这种略微抽象的表达是和西方戏剧注重写实和细节有很大不同的地方。  音乐方面,作为观众,有时会觉得演员讲述大段台词时过于干涩,需要一些音乐做铺垫。比如“水漫金山寺”的群妖打斗一幕,角色之间激烈的争斗仅仅靠演员的肢体动作体现。如果能在配乐中加上中国传统戏曲中紧促的鼓点,并配合灯光和投影的高速变换,将声光电同步运用,更有助于塑造紧张和恢弘的场面。除此之外,我很喜欢最开始寺庙一幕中《春歌》的选用,使观众从外界的喧嚣脱离出来,沉浸在安静祥和的氛围中(声音设计:赵肃桐)。  《青蛇》最后一场的表演是5月31日,这一天是中国农历的“五月初五”,是端午节,也是白蛇喝下雄黄酒、显露出蛇妖本相的日子。在这个独一无二的晚上,我坐在墨尔本的剧场里,和台上台下几百名演员和观众共同做了一场三小时的东方幻梦。作为一名中国留学生,我非常惊喜能在墨尔本看到这么经典的中式美学作品,并且看出了剧组满满的诚意和努力。我真挚地希望,未来能有更多像《青蛇》这样的中国好剧,出现在墨尔本和世界各地的舞台上。  What comes to mind when you think of a snake? Is it the symbol of depravity in the Garden of Eden in the Bible, which tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, or is it the evil … Continue reading 《蛇·人·佛:话剧〈青蛇〉的千年纠缠》Of Serpent, Soul, and Spirit: A Thousand-Year Entanglement in Green Snake 

Trinity College’s Grease: It’s Electrifying!

REVIEW BY ELLA CALLOW-SUSSEX EDITED BY RACHEL THORNBY Grease is the word, and it comes with a lot of history. You would be hard pressed to find an audience member filing into the Union House Theatre without expectations of what Trinity College’s Grease will look like.  In their pre-show speech Trinity College was the first to acknowledge much of the show’s themes and messaging have dated … Continue reading Trinity College’s Grease: It’s Electrifying!