Donna & The Dynamos (L-R, Jacqueline Atherton, Vanessa Wainwright & Natalie Lennox) photographed by Sharyn Hall. Savoyards delivered an ABBA-solutely entertaining night out with their production of Mamma Mia!, directed by Johanna Toia and featuring 50 community theatre performers at the Iona Performing Arts Centre. A jukebox musical featuring 22 of ABBA’s greatest hits, Mamma... Continue Reading →
Review: Batshit (Leah Shelton, Metro Arts & Brisbane Festival)
Leah Shelton, photographed by Joel Devereux Content warning: Batshit refers to mental illness and institutionalised medical treatment. It also contains occasional coarse language, sexual references, haze/smoke effects, loud sounds, bright lighting flashes and strobe lighting effects. Leah Shelton's third solo show, Batshit, made its world premiere at Metro Arts as part of Brisbane Festival 2022,... Continue Reading →
Review: The Human Voice & The Call (Opera Queensland & Brisbane Festival)
Alexandra Flood performs The Human Voice, photographed by Jade Ferguson Content note: The Human Voice & The Call contains coarse language, discussion of drug use and domestic violence, and allusions to suicide. Presented by Opera Queensland and Brisbane Festival in association with Queensland Symphony Orchestra, The Human Voice & The Call is a compelling double... Continue Reading →
Review: Mistero Buffo (Rhum + Clay, Metro Arts & Brisbane Festival)
Julian Spooner in Mistero Buffo. Image credit Luke Forsyth Rhum + Clay’s production of Dario Fo’s controversial solo work, Mistero Buffo, played a sold-out season at Metro Arts for Brisbane Festival 2022, featuring a masterful physical theatre performance by Julian Spooner. With the title loosely translating to The Comic Mysteries, Fo’s provocative piece is a... Continue Reading →
Review: Guttered (Restless Dance Theatre, Brisbane Festival, and CPL – Choice Passion Life)
Photo credit Roy Vandervegt Guttered was an original and entertaining piece of site-specific contemporary dance theatre, performed in a Chermside bowling alley as part of Brisbane Festival 2022. Based in Adelaide, Restless Dance Theatre define themselves as Australia’s leading creator of dance theatre by dancers with and without disability. Guttered explored love and life through... Continue Reading →
Review: Marvin’s Room (Ad Astra)
Fiona Kennedy as Bessie and Elise Lamb as Lee, photographed by Christopher Sharman Ad Astra’s production of Marvin’s Room balanced domestic drama with laugh-out-loud humour as it explored aging, illness, obligation, and care in its many forms. Directed by Roslyn Johnson, Ad Astra’s production of Scott McPherson’s award-winning 1990 play captured the stifling domesticity of... Continue Reading →
Review: Tiddas (La Boite Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Brisbane Festival)
Louise Brehmer, Shakira Clanton, Phoebe Grainer, Chenoa Deemal and Anna McMahon. Photographed by Farley Ward. Content note: Tiddas includes coarse language, sexual references, themes of pregnancy / infertility, grief and loss, marriage breakdown, depictions of abuse (alcohol/emotional) and discussions with or containing offensive/derogatory language. La Boite close their 2022 season with the joyful, jacaranda-hued play... Continue Reading →
Review, Slow Boat (Brisbane Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse & Playlab Theatre)
Silvan Rus, Julian Wong, Ming Yang Lim, Jonathan Chan, and Egan Sun-Bin, photographed by Stephen Henry. Content note: Slow Boat includes low level coarse language, depictions of suicide, depictions of war, racial slurs, references to violence, haze/smoke effects, and loud sounds. Anna Yen’s Slow Boat has made its world premiere at the Brisbane Powerhouse, directed... Continue Reading →
Review: The Rover (Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble)
Dudley Powell as Willmore and Matt Gaffney as Don Antonio. Image credit: Benjamin Prindable Photography. Content note: The Rover includes mature themes, including sexual assault and simulated violence. Mischief, masks, and mistaken identities abound in Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble's production of Aphra Behn’s The Rover (or, The Banish’d Cavaliers), directed by Rebecca Murphy. Playing out at... Continue Reading →
Review: Letters to Lindy (Villanova Players)
Jane Binstead as Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, photographed by Christopher Sharman Content note: Letters to Lindy contains coarse language and mature themes, including references to death and violence. In 1980, nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain died when she was taken from the family tent by a dingo while camping at Uluru; her disappearance, and the phrase “a dingo stole... Continue Reading →
Review: Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical (David Venn Enterprises)
The cast of Cruel Intentions: The 90's Musical, photographed by Nicole Cleary. Content note: Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical includes strobe lighting, haze, smoke, coarse language, and adult themes. Patrons must be 16 years or older to attend, and patrons under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. A jukebox... Continue Reading →
Review: and now we wait (Villanova Players)
Beth Allen and Ashleigh Horsfield, photographed by Christopher Sharman Photography Content note: and now we wait includes mature themes, including references to death and violence. Villanova Players presented Stephanie Clark's dark drama and now we wait at the Ron Hurley Theatre as part of their Villanova Start-Ups initiative, which is designed to help young people... Continue Reading →