Performing Arts Reviews:
2008–2022

    Photo by Pia Johnson Belvoir and Malthouse Theatre present THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR by Simon Stone with Emily Barclay, devised with the cast. Featuring a short musical by Stefan Gregory. Inspired by Nikolai Gogol. At the Upstairs Belvoir Theatre, Surry Hills. An actor, Robert Menzies, in costume, beckons the stage management to dim the auditorium lights and focus the stage lights on him. Mr Menzies with an apologetic speech, referencing the copyright dilemmas that the Belvoir Theatre Company has had in its recent past, (most notably, around Arthur Miller’s DEATH OF A SALESMAN) and now again for this production ‘spot’,…

Apocalypse Theatre Company presents CONSTRUCTION OF THE HUMAN HEART by Ross Mueller at the Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst. After a relatively disappointing time in the theatre in the past month or so, it was an exhilarating experience to go to the Tap Gallery, early on Holy Thursday night, after a ‘tough’ day at work, and be ‘buzzed’ – kind of re-generated with excitement – indeed, perhaps, spiritually resurrected, two days before Easter Sunday. The occasion? Watching a re-vival of Ross Mueller’s 2007 play, CONSTRUCTION OF THE HUMAN HEART. It has been sometime since having a ‘meeting’ with Mr Mueller. I am…

‘Safety In Numbers’ (2014) from sam chester on Vimeo. Form Dance Projects and Riverside present Dance Bites 2014 : SAFETY IN NUMBERS in the Lennox Theatre, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta. Out to Parramatta to catch a new dance work called SAFETY IN NUMBERS, Directed by Sam Chester under the auspices of Form Dance Projects. This work, says Ms Chester in her Director’s note, has been made… in various short incarnations since 2011 … (and is) set in the aftermath of an earthquake. (It) …explores, holding on and letting go and the idea of things not being built to last. As a…

Darlinghurst Theatre Company and O’Punksky’s Theatre present THE GIGLI CONCERT by Tom Murphy, at the Eternity Playhouse. THE GIGLI CONCERT is an Irish play by Tom Murphy (not Tommy Murphy, the Australian writer – he, hopefully is working on a new original play, it has been a while!). THE GIGLI CONCERT was first presented at the Abbey Theatre in 1983 and was revised and presented again, there, in 1991. O’Punksky’s Theatre Company have presented it, now, four times. The leading male Actors, Patrick Dickson and Maeliosa Stafford, and the Director, John O’Hare have always been part of the team. Perhaps,…

  Photo by Blueprint Studios Stories Like These and Griffin Independent present the world premiere of MUSIC by Jane Bodie at the SBW Stables Theatre, Kings Cross. MUSIC is the World Premiere of this play by Jane Bodie. It is, interestingly, not her latest play. This play sits somewhere between HILT (2002) and THIS YEAR’S ASHES (2011). In the program notes, Ms Bodie tells us: (In) writing MUSIC I wanted to explore people’s perceptions of mental illness, how often complex symptoms are misunderstood, along with the fragility and hardship of those managing it, the fine line between well and ill. I also…

Sport For Jove Theatre Company and The Seymour Centre present ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL and TWELFTH NIGHT in the York Theatre at the Seymour Centre. 2014 is the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare. He was christened on April 26th, 1564 in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. Since it was the custom to baptise a child three days after birth, Shakespeare’s birthday is recognised as April 23, the same day as his burial fifty-two years later. These two productions by the Sport For Jove Company, ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL and TWELFTH NIGHT are part of a…