Month: October 2010

    A Critical Stages and White Box Theatre production of A DAY in the DEATH of JOE EGG by Peter Nichols at the Seymour Centre, Sydney. A DAY in the DEATH of JOE EGG was written by Peter Nichols in 1967. It has twice been made into film, the first with Alan bates and Janet Suzman in 1970 (released in 1972). In the program notes: “A WORD FROM THE WRITER. This is an edited extract from Diaries 1969 – 1977 by Peter Nichols, published by Nick Hern Books. July 17th 1969: ‘Poor Abo (Abigail), our parcel of damaged goods,…

Sydney Institute TAFE: EORA COLLEGE in conjunction with PACT, Centre for Emerging Artists presents THE PROMISE – A Musical Drama by Jadah Milroy , original score by Dalmazio Babare at the Pact Theatre, Erskineville. On Saturday (23rd October) it was gratifying to read that THE SAPPHIRES, a musical featuring, mainly, an Indigenous cast has got a gig in London at the Barbican. NAMATJIRA is gracing the stage at Belvoir to great appreciation. I attended a graduation show from the Eora College, a play with music (rather than a Musical). This was another kind of musical by other aspiring indigenous artists…

Branch Nebula present SWEAT as part of the Live Live season at Performance Space, Carriageworks, Redfern. Branch Nebula presents SWEAT with the co-creators Lee Wilson (Director) and Mirabelle Wouters (Design) and Performers, Devisors, Choreographers: Claudia Escobar, Erwin Fenis, Ali Khadhim, Marie Palomares, Ahilan Ratnamohan, with Noiscian and live Sound by Hirofumi Uchino. “SWEAT is a darkly humorous work that takes its audience into the world of those who do the dirty work. It uses parkour, Bboying, football, noise art and dance.” (The noise art of Mr Uchino, being for me, the most impressive element of the show). This work uses…

    Occasionally Creative presents CONTRACTIONS by Mike Bartlett at the Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney. Mike Bartlett is a young new British voice (b. 1980) who has just had a major breakthrough at the National Theatre this August, 2010, with a play called EARTHQUAKES IN LONDON. Enthusiastic reviews about a play concerning the environmental condition of the planet. Up till then his work has been small but intense plays at the Royal Court. CONTRACTIONS is a re-write of a radio play, called LOVE CONTRACTS. Is this his debut in Sydney? This is an intense 60 minute two hander – a…

    SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY presents Thornton Wilder’s OUR TOWN at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. I saw OUR TOWN in the highly celebrated off-Broadway production in New York earlier this year directed by David Cromer (closed September 12th after 566 performances – a record, at the 199 seat Barrow Street Theatre). A few years ago I saw a production by Lee Lewis at the NEW THEATRE . It has been a part of my consciousness from my early youth. So, sitting in the Drama Theatre the other night I wondered what would my experience be. The scale of…

    B Sharp presents FOOL FOR LOVE by Sam Shepard in the Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre. For me, Edward Albee, David Mamet and Sam Shepard are the three outstanding, living, American writers. There are others, but the recent contemporary past seems to place them in high regard nationally and internationally. Sam Shepard, oddly, though, seems to be relatively under represented in professional production here in Australia, and, again, relatively, exists as a ‘cult’ figure in the ‘underworld’ of Australian performance history rather than as an artist of the first rank. FOOL FOR LOVE has never been represented in the…