Category: Maggie Blinco

JOHN, is a play by American writer, Annie Baker. It is the third play by Ms Baker that the Outhouse Theatre Co have produced for Sydney audiences. THE ALIENS and THE FLICK. All three Directed by Craig Baldwin. All three of them have been extremely rewarding nights in the theatre. Ms Baker becomes more interesting and more daring with each play. JOHN takes you somewhere beautiful and is gentle in taking you there. JOHN, is, in literal length, a three-hour fifteen-minute experience (with two short intervals). Set in the living space and breakfast room of a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) accommodation…

OMAR AND DAWN, is a new Australian play by James Elazzi. Dawn (Maggie Blinco) is an 80 year old widow, and following the death of her son, is living alone in a three bedroom home, who has made it her civic duty to foster care young adults living under stress. It gives her a life challenge. She has a brother, Darren (Lex Marinos) who runs a garage and feels that Dawn ought to consider moving into care herself. Her latest responsibility is Omar (Antony Makhlouf), a young seventeen year old man of Lebanese/Australian and Muslim background from a broken family,…

Seymour Centre presents Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre’s production of GREY GARDENS. Book by Doug Wright, Music by Scott Frankel, Lyrics by Michael Kori. In the Reginald Theatre, Seymour Centre. November 18 – December 12. I first saw the musical GREY GARDENS  in New York on Broadway in 2007, in the Walter Kerr Theatre. I went, curious to see as to how the documentary film of David and Albert Mayseles’ of the same name, had been adapted for the musical theatre. I loved the documentary. (Sight and Sound Magazine rate it the ninth joint best documentary film of all time!) I…

Neglected Musicals presents VARIATIONS – The Musical by Nick Enright and Terry Clarke at Theatre 19 (ex-Darlinghurst Theatre), Potts Point. VARIATIONS – The Musical, Book and Lyrics by Nick Enright. Music by Terry Clarke. This is the ninth neglected musical presented by this company, and the first Australian work. It was quite a thrill to have the composer, Terry Clarke present, and to understand that he was an active assistant to this staged reading of the work. The original production of VARIATIONS was directed by John Bell and played at the Nimrod from December 2, 1982 – January 8, 1983…

  Wildie Creative Enterprises presents THE GREENING OF GRACE by William Zappa at Theatre 19 (formerly the Darlinghurst Theatre). THE GREENING OF GRACE has William Zappa, one of Sydney’s great actors, writing.(Not for the first time, WINTER’S DISCONTENT of course).  He joins a collective of other actors, who, this year have written for the theatre: Toby Schmitz (I WANT TO SLEEP WITH TOM STOPPARD) and Ian Meadows (BETWEEN TWO WAVES). All of them well. It is interesting to note that Mr Meadows and Mr Zappa have both tackled the calamitous and controversial contemporary social issue of Climate Change. Good to see…

  Riverside presents a CDP Production: BIDDIES by Don Reid at the Riverside Theatre, Parramatta. CODGERS came first and now, we have BIDDIES, both by Don Reid. In the former, six men ‘working out’ in a gymnasium and locker room, deal with life and all its challenges, especially, ageing. In the latter, six women “stitch and bitch” needle work in an infant school classroom and broom closet, deal with life and all its challenges, especially, ageing. The different locations and the primary task of each grouping of six may give you some clue as to the insight that Mr Reid…