Category: Belvoir St Theatre

Dear Diary, I saw this production by Simon Stone of DEATH OF A SALESMAN by Arthur Miller, several weeks ago. I have struggled with my response. I have put it off, and off, and off. For, there were somethings that I enjoyed, and yet, I was very discontented. Ultimately, very, very frustrated and unhappy. It seems that I have only written negative responses to recent work in the two major companies,’houses’, in Sydney. Especially, work concentrated about the recent flurry, nay storm, of the utilising of other writers’ work and reputations, to present, I suppose, what someone feels is a…

  Belvoir presents STRANGE INTERLUDE by Simon Stone after Eugene O’Neill at the Upstairs Belvoir St Theatre. This STRANGE INTERLUDE is a new Australian play by Simon Stone after the Eugene O’Neill original, written in 1927, presented on Broadway in 1928 by the Theatre Guild at the John Golden Theatre. This play was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1928. In preparing for the performance of this new play I read the original by Eugene O’Neill. I had read it was once before, many years ago, but barely remembered it, except for the impression that the leading role, that…

  Belvoir produced BABYTEETH by Rita Kalnejais at the Belvoir St Theatre, Upstairs. BABYTEETH by Rita Kalnejais, is a contemporary story of a young fourteen year old girl in the last stages of dying from cancer and the repercussions on her close and extended ‘family’. In the very first scene Millla (Sara West), the girl, dies. The play then travels back in time to show us some of the events that lead to this ending at the beginning of the play. We see it again in dumb show, later. Since we know the ending, perhaps, we can watch the storytelling…

  Belvoir St. Theatre present AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare in the Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St. Surry Hills. Eamon Flack follows on from his 2009 production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM in the Downstairs Theatre at Belvoir Street, with AS YOU LIKE IT in the Upstairs Theatre – a promotion (?) In the program notes to the 2009, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Mr Flack tells us that he and his company had “…embraced the spirit of Shakespeare’s play and therefore not the letter.” Two years later, Mr Flack and his company in presenting AS YOU LIKE IT similarly,…

  Belvoir presents SUMMER OF THE SEVENTEENTH DOLL by Ray Lawler at the Belvoir St Theatre. Dear Diary, This may be a bit of a ramble as my disappointment with the Belvoir production of the “DOLL” mixed with my nostalgic hagiolatry about that play, has caused me some confusion on how to respond. And what I am about to write may cast me further into the shadows, as a relic from the old days, a Troglodyte of the Naturalism School of Play Writing, but my biography gives me some justification. My three favourite Australian plays are: THE SUMMER OF THE…

VICTORY by Howard Barker was the last time that Judy Davis was on stage in Sydney. It was to see her that I bought my tickets to attend THE SEAGULL at Belvoir. To be able to watch Ms Davis on stage again, is too thrilling an opportunity to miss. A lot of other people have felt the same. The season was sold out – all but standing room – for weeks before the opening. Some of my friends bought their tickets despite the fact that it was another Chekhov play, the recent Sydney Theatre Company production of UNCLE VANYA having…