Performing Arts Reviews:
2008–2022

  Glitterbomb presents, A PERIOD PIECE, Created by Carissa Licciardello, Gretel Vella and Company, at the Old 5o5, in Eliza St Newtown. 14-25 March. 4 actors: Julia Christensen, Matthew Lee, Julia Robertson (especially good), James Wright, and a musical Band of 3: Mikaela Atallah, Hannah Cheers and Clare Hennessy in (mock) period clothings in a Set Design that reminded me of a pallid version of the new Disney ‘A Beauty and the Beast-look’ (Production Design, by Nick Fry), present an hour, extended sketch show, written by Gretel Vella and Directed by Carissa Licciardello, called A PERIOD PIECE. ‘Gretel and Carissa’…

  Monkey Baa Theatre Company present, DIARY OF A WOMBAT, Concept by Sandra Eldridge, Tim McGarry, Eva Di Cesare, Based on the book by, Jackie French and Bruce Whatley. Monkey Baa, a children’s theatre, has adapted the children’s book DIARY OF A WOMBAT by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley. Nature, represented by Mothball, the wombat, explores his territory in search of food for his survival and comes into contact, conflict, with two humans who have built a home and gardens in his natural vicinity. Using puppetry, Design and Construction, by Bryony Anderson, three actors: Michael Cullen, Julia Ohannessian and Shandelle…

MARK COLVIN’S KIDNEY, is a new Australian play by Tommy Murphy. There are some 28 characters. The play, however, is virtually a two-hander involving a true story concerning Mary-Ellen Field (Sarah Peirse) and Mark Colvin (John Howard). Elle MacPherson, an ex-pat Australian business woman, hires another ex-pat Australian, business advisor, Mary-Ellen Field, to sort out her business arrangements. Some time into their trusting relationship, some negative articles begin to appear in the press. Ms MacPherson, taking advice from other aides, suspects the ‘leaks’ for the said articles were coming from Ms Field. She is gradually removed and loses her job…

 Photo by Bob Seary New Theatre presents, CONSENSUAL, by Evan Placey, at the New Theatre, King St. Newtown. 14 March – 15 April. CONSENSUAL, is a play by British writer, Evan Placey. Mr Placey has written most of his plays with young audiences in mind. CONSENSUAL was commissioned by the National Youth Theatre Rep Company. It deals with sex and the classroom. It, like the 2006 film with Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench, NOTES ON A SCANDAL, deals with a sexual relationship between a student and a teacher. Mr Placey’s award winning plays, he has said: Never shy away from…

Photo by Natasha Narula bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company, presents THE LADEN TABLE, by Yvonne Perczuk, Nur Alam, Raya Gadir, Chris Hill, Marian Kernahan, and Ruth Kliman, at the Kings Cross Theatre (KXT), in the Kings Cross Hotel. 14 February – 26 February. THE LADEN TABLE, a new Australian play by six women: Yvonne Perczuk, Nur Alam, Ray Gadir, Chris Hill, Marian Kernaghan and Ruth Kliman. Through the curtains that separate the theatre space in the Kings Cross Hotel from the foyer, one could see a beautiful table setting for a group of 12 people. (Set Design, by Courtney Westbrook).The table was…

  Sydney Theatre Company present, CHIMERICA, by Lucy Kirkwood, in the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay. 28 February – 1 April. CHIMERICA, is a three hour (plus interval) play of epic scale, written by Lucy Kirkwood, that premiered at the Almeida Theatre, in London, in 2013. The play is epic in length, epic in production values, epic in cast, and best of all, epic in ideas. On a virtual empty stage, with the action of a revolve stage, the production swirls into that space creating locations for some 39 scenes, that are, at different times, naturalistic, emblematic (Brechtian?), surreal. The…