Category: Eden Falk

Photo by Brett Boardman Belvoir presents THE GREAT FIRE, by Kit Brookman, in the Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre, Surry Hills, 6 April – 8 May. I saw this production weeks ago, towards the end of its run. My impression of the play was that of an ambitious but lumbering four-act play in the mode of Chekhov. It reminded me, mostly, in Australian terms, of Alex Buzo’s BIG RIVER (1985) – another big family saga, set in a big rambling house on the Murrumbidgee/Murray River basin, based on the history of the writer’s own family but set toward the end of…

Photo by by Brett Boardman Belvoir presents, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, adapted by Benedict Hardie and Anne-Louise Sarks from the novel by Charles Dickens, in The Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St, Surry Hills. 8 November – 24 December. In the United States, where I have spent many a Christmas, the two perennial theatre offers were the Tchaikovsky two-act ballet, THE NUTCRACKER, at the Opera House, and a play adaption of Charles Dickens’, A CHRISTMAS CAROL. I have seen several different versions of the Dickens novella staged, and the two at the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT), in San Francisco, umpteen times – it has…

  ARTS RADAR and GRIFFIN INDEPENDENT present the Sydney Premiere of THE UGLY ONE by Marius Von Mayenburg at the SBW Stables Theatre, Kings Cross. THE UGLY ONE by Marius Von Mayenburg continues the ‘trendy’ love-in, in Sydney, with the contemporary German theatre or, at least, with the Berliner Schaubuhne and its artists. We have seen Mr Von Mayenburg’s FIREFACE at the Sydney Theatre Company; THE COLD CHILD at SBW Stables Theatre; MOVING TARGET at the Opera House. Last year, Pearly Productions gave us David Gieselmann’s THE PIGEONS at the SBW, and, of course, the Sydney Theatre Company are presenting…

Several years ago I regarded the best THEATRE company in Australia was The Australian Opera Company. This was when Moffat Oxenbould was at the helm. The reason I thought of the Opera Company as the best theatre company was because of its daring commitment to new work. The chance of failure was enormous. To commission new work and then to mount it was a great risk and endeavour. Especially an Opera, the costs (Size of cast, chorus, orchestra, set, costumes, crew) let alone the possibility of failure were prohibitive but they had the courage to do it. I saw work…