Category: Theatre
Review: Mystery Abounds in And Then There Were None
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Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None has finally landed in Sydney and is a chilling production with a final twist sharp enough to follow you out of the theatre. It comes hot off the heels of its successful Melbourne run. In true Agatha Christie fashion, I’ll be keeping the plot twists…
Review: The Wrong Gods Finds Truth In Simplicity
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What will it take for us to challenge what we worship? What matters most? Over a decade ago, S. Shakthidharan made a commitment, deep in the heart of India, to tell the story of how local communities were forced to do just that, as new “city gods” trampled in and…
Review: The Lover And The Dumb Waiter Ensemble Theatre
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Harold Pinter’s plays are a regular feature on Australian stages, with the shorter one-act plays often paired, as they are here. The Lover and The Dumb Waiter are an interesting choice of two by director Mark Kilmurry. They work well in the home of Ensemble Theatre, where the confined space…
Review: Love You Hate You Drive You Wild
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Love You, Hate You, Drive You Wild by Bianca Butler Reynolds is a brilliant black comedy that delivers a truthful depiction of mental health. Both thought-provoking and heartwarming, it is presented by Minola Theatre and PIP Theatre and directed by Kat Dekker. Stepping into the unassuming and eclectic PIP Theatre foyer…
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Review: Posh Takes A Sharp Look At Class And Corruption
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Posh by Laura Wade is a satirical play about power, politics, and privilege, and how these forces collide within institutions. It premiered in 2009 at the Royal Court Theatre before transferring to the West End. The play was nominated for Best New Play at both the Evening Standard Awards and…
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Review: Dictionary Of Lost Words Speaks Volumes In Every Tongue
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The Dictionary of Lost Words makes its highly anticipated Queensland premiere as part of its 2025 national tour. Presented by Sydney Theatre Company, State Theatre Company South Australia and QPAC, this production has been met with just as much enthusiasm as its original 2023/24 seasons. Under the expert direction of…
Review: Alice In Wonderland Takes Audiences Down The Rabbit Hole
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The Australian Shakespeare Company, based in Melbourne, produces two types of shows: Shakespeare (obviously!) and family-friendly theatre. Alice in Wonderland, an exuberant ball of energy, fits into the latter category. It is being performed in Sydney’s own backyard, the luscious green grass and tall wavy trees of the Royal Botanic…
Review: WAAPA Brings Austen To Life With Wit And Warmth
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Written by Laura Wade and performed by the third year Acting students from WAAPA, The Watsons is a quirky adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel of the same name. We are introduced to Emma Watson, daughter of the Watson house, eagerly awaiting a suitor. But what starts as a sophisticated family drama soon…
Review: Dear Elena Is Disturbing Astounding And Heart Shattering
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In the 1980s, Lyudmila Razumovskaya, a Soviet-era Russian playwright, received a commission from the Ministry of Culture to write a play. The result was Dear Elena Sergeevna, a play about disenfranchised teens, corruption and morality. Apparently, upon her completion, it was rejected by the ministry but is now played all over…
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Review: Amber Is A Love Letter To Those We’ve Lost
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Amber, written by and starring Nikita Waldron, is a story about true love. It was inspired by her own life experiences after losing her best friend, James, when she was 19 years old. In this context, each action and reaction in the play, every metaphorical ‘punch’ lands twice. Once, because…
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Review: La Clique Is A Wild Wet And Wonderfully Weird Night Out
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Celebrating 20 years since its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, La Clique is back – brasher, bolder, and more brilliant than ever. Currently touring Australia, the Olivier Award-winning circus cabaret is a whirlwind of comedy, burlesque, and sheer chaos. It’s vaudeville for the 21st century, and it doesn’t care about…
Review: Lightfall Nature After Dark Brings Magic This Autumn
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This April school holidays, a beautiful autumn experience awaits at Lightfall: Nature After Dark in the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne. This is a new, world-first event for Melbourne’s south-east, brought to life by the team behind the award-winning Lightscape. Lightfall is a smaller, more intimate light trail. It winds through…
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Review: RBG Makes Unmissable Final Victory Lap
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Sydney Theatre Company’s RBG: Of Many, One continues to strike a powerful chord with audiences across the country. Since its 2022 premiere, the one-woman show has played to sold-out houses and rave reviews. Now, in a well-earned victory lap, the 2025 season has toured to Riverside Parramatta, Melbourne, and HOTA…
Review: Shirley Valentine A Remarkable One Woman Show
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I headed into Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide for the opening night of Shirley Valentine, expecting a light-hearted comedy about an English woman’s solo escapades in Greece. What I witnessed, however, was an emotional dive into the reality of womanhood and one’s search for herself. The latter was a far more rewarding…
Review: Sport For Jove’s The Player Kings Part 1 & 2
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Eight plays, 17 cast members, 12 hours. If Sport for Jove’s production of The Player Kings sounds epic, it is. Split into two parts, The Hollow Crown (Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V) and The War of the Roses (Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3,…
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Review: The Glass Menagerie A Hauntingly Beautiful Revival
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Ensemble Theatre transports us to 1930s St. Louis with their latest offering, The Glass Menagerie. Tennessee Williams’ well-known play centres around a family who are all grappling with something. A mother who loves too much and worries about her children’s futures. A daughter who locks herself away out of fear of…
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Review: Ophelia Thinks Harder Brings New Depth To A Classic
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What if a woman played Hamlet? Shock-horror, right? No, not today. But, when Jean Betts was at drama school back in the 1980s and 90s, it was, well, a different time. Legend has it that she performed Hamlet’s famous to be or not to be monologue to her drama teacher…
Review: Peter and the Starcatcher Brings Magic Back to An Ordinary Life
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A wild ride from start to finish, Peter and the Starcatcher has made its way to Brisbane as the last leg of its Australian tour. Originally developed by Disney Theatrical Group, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s novel was adapted for stage by Rick Elice, finding its way to Broadway and picking up…
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Review: The Removalists A Brutal Look at Violence and Complacency
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Melbourne Theatre Company’s latest offering, directed by current Artistic Director Anne–Louise Sarks, The Removalists, is still packing a punch over half a decade later. Written by David Williamson AO, Australia’s most-produced playwright, The Removalists is a testament to his enduring impact on theatre. His extraordinary body of work—spanning plays, film,…
Review: Night Must Fall Brings Suspense in the Shadows
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Night Must Fall is a psychological thriller written by Emlyn Williams that examines the inner workings of a murderer’s mind and our fascination with it. The Guild Theatre in Rockdale has put on this dark and moody play at a time when documentaries and limited series about psycho-killers are becoming…
