Performing Arts Reviews:
2008–2022

G.bod Theatre, The Old 505 Theatre and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival presents: QUEEN BETTE, devised by Peter Mountford and Jeanette Cronin, from an original idea by Peter Mountford, at the Old 505 Theatre, Hibernian House, Elizabeth St, Central Railway. 25 February to 15 March, 2015. QUEEN BETTE at the Old 505 Theatre is a delight and I recommend it, especially to the fans of Bette Davis and, as well, to those of you interested in the ‘mysteries’ that spawn such a prodigious talent which has been captured forever on film. QUEEN BETTE is a one hour, one…

  Photo by by Brett Boardman Belvoir presents, RADIANCE, by Louis Nowra, in the Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir Street Theatre, Surry Hills, 7 January – 8 February. From the writers notes the $13 Program and Currency Press text publication of RADIANCE, by Louis Nowra: RADIANCE is an exuberant black sabbath for three great Indigenous dames. Cressy, Nona and Mae are half sisters with little in common except the ghosts of their childhood. They gather, in the tropical Queensland landscape, for Mum’s funeral. These three sisters are forces of nature, and they haven’t been in the same room for many, many years. It…

Urban Theatre Projects and Sydney Festival present, BANKSTOWN: LIVE. Urban Theatre Projects (UTP) is a theatre organisation that has been developing work – stories – from within a ‘community’, of a community, for the community, in Sydney’s south west for 30-years. BANKSTOWN: LIVE, is the latest project from this company. This work is the only event I attended, in the 2015 Sydney Festival. We caught the train to Bankstown from Bondi Junction, changing at Central, in the late afternoon, and then using our GPS on the phone, walked through Bankstown shopping, restaurant centre and out into the suburbs of Bankstown…

The Unspoken Word is ‘Joe’ : Trailer 2015 from MKA – Theatre of New Writing on Vimeo. MKA: Theatre of New Writing and Griffin Independent present, THE UNSPOKEN WORD IS ‘JOE’, by Zoey Dawson, at the SBW Stables Theatre, Kings Cross, 21 Jan – 7 Feb. Climate Change: True or False. The secrets surrounding our Manus Island Refugees. ICAC and the ‘bottomless’ pits of local and state government corruption. Confidence in the Australian Prime Minister and his Government, plummets. Cuts to Australian pensioners welfare. The pressures to free-market our Australian Universities and Education. Are Corporations really our Governmental law makers?…

Photograph by Marnya Rothe Red Line Productions presents MASTERCLASS, written and performed by Charlie Garber and Gareth Davies at the Old Fitz Theatre, Woolloomooloo. 14 Jan -31 Jan. MASTERCLASS at the Old Fitz, devised, written and performed by Charlie Garber and Gareth Davies, begins with two men coming onto an empty stage and talking. Apparently, having worked together in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and AS YOU LIKE IT at Belvoir, and though given some leeway to interact ‘creatively’ together by Director, Eamon Flack, these two men felt somewhat ‘hampered’ by the requirements of someone else’s text (Shakespeare) and decided that they wanted to…

ROUND UP OF MY THEATRE DIARY – 2014. According to my Theatre Diary, I attended some 119 performances. I, actually saw a few more but did not write them up. I am in the midst of writing up the Sydney Theatre Company CYRANO, but as of this minute, still struggling – will do so, soon though. I saw some 54 new Australian plays this year. Few, I noted, with a cast of more than six-eight actors. Most, the majority, with only a cast of TWO. What is this with the major subsidised companies and their ‘gate-keeping’ curation of the Australian…