Monthly Archives: July 2025

Review: Grief Is The Thing With Feathers (Belvoir St Theatre)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Jul 26 – Aug 29, 2025
Playwrights: Simon Phillips, Nick Schlieper, Toby Schmitz (from the novel by Max Porter)
Director: Simon Phillips
Cast: Philip Lynch, Fraser Morrison, Toby Schmitz
Images by Brett Boardman

Theatre review
Recently widowed, a scholar finds himself utterly lost, adrift in grief. As a specialist in the work of Ted Hughes, it is perhaps inevitable that a crow—the most iconic figure in Hughes’ oeuvre—should appear, inserting itself into his life as companion and surrogate. Based on the novel by Max Porter, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers captures with striking authenticity both the frustrating stasis and the slow, almost imperceptible progress that inevitably accompanies bereavement.

Adapted for the stage by Simon Phillips, Nick Schlieper, and Toby Schmitz, this transposition pulses with an aggressive rhythm and a tonal grandeur that echoes both the literary references and the visceral experience of sorrow and despair. There is a regrettable emotional distance in its delivery, yet the sheer theatrical ambition of this reimagining of Porter’s novel remains undeniably impressive.

Phillips’ direction is boldly imaginative, capturing the poetic chaos of the widower’s interactions with the crow in a production that is truly dazzling for the senses. Video design by Craig Wilkinson, along with illustrations by Jon Weber, form a highly evocative element of the staging, especially useful in bringing to life its supernatural dimensions. Schlieper’s lighting is endlessly creative and exquisitely beautiful, masterfully evoking a universe of shifting realms. Sound by Daniel Hertern and music by Freya Schack-Arnott add immeasurable power, in their dynamic auditory renderings of this surrealist presentation. 

The widower is played by Schmitz who proves himself a commanding leading man, and a detailed artist who encourages us to regard the work with curiosity and discernment. As his young sons, Philip Lynch and Fraser Morrison deliver wonderfully spirited performances, injecting a vital effervescence into a production that might otherwise risk becoming overly sombre.

Grief is rarely a constant emotional state, but it can leave a lasting imprint, reshaping a person’s disposition into something permanently shadowed. While there are steps one might take to prevent such a descent, the most enduring strategy is often to weather the storm, trusting that its force will eventually subside. It can be a sad thought that those we have lost might one day be forgotten, but there comes a time when their memory must be gently placed in the recesses of the mind, to make room for living.

www.belvoir.com.au | www.andrewhenrypresents.com

Review: Babyteeth (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jul 18 – Aug 2, 2025
Playwright: Rita Kalnejais
Director: Kim Hardwick
Cast: Jane Angharad, Philip D’Ambrosio, Esha Jessy, Jeda Osorio, Campbell Parsons, James Smithers, Rachel Thomas
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Milla is only 14 and dying of a terminal illness when she meets Moses, a 23-year-old drifter. As their sexual relationship unfolds, her parents, grappling with the imminence of her death, choose to tolerate the dubious romance in the hope it brings her some joy. Babyteeth by Rita Kalnejais may be criticised for courting controversy without adequate justification, but setting aside its arguably precarious moral stance, the play remains an intriguing work.

Kim Hardwick’s direction is marked by a lightness of touch that lends the production a certain grace, though at times this subtlety borders on vagueness, leaving the production’s intentions feeling somewhat unclear. Lights by Topaz Marlay-Cole and sound by Michael Huxley, are both subtle in execution, occasionally striking but generally unobtrusive in how they support the storytelling.

Actor Rachel Thomas is convincing as a teenager, with a vulnerability that makes Milla an endearing personality. Campbell Parsons brings extraordinary naturalism to the role of Moses, coupled with a confident pacing that truly mesmerises. Milla’s parents are played by Jane Angharad and James Smithers, with unassailable commitment. Philip D’Ambrosio and Esha Jessy offer wonderful comedic dimensions that provide much needed uplift to the experience, as does Jeda Osorio who proves a delightful presence.

It is rare to be given an opportunity to examine someone like Moses. Our instinct is to see him vilified and punished, but Babyteeth leaves that act of castigation to the viewers themselves. This of course is a dangerous choice, one that opens the door for the depraved to impose repugnant interpretations, even going so far as to advocate for behaviour that ought to be regarded as unequivocally heinous. Milla dies in Babyteeth, but we can only imagine what Moses moves on to, after the curtain falls.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.whiteboxtheatre.com.au

Review: The Book Of Mormon (Capitol Theatre)

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Venue: Capitol Theatre (Sydney NSW), Jul 15 – Dec 31, 2025
Book, Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone
Directors: Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker
Cast: Nick Cox, Matthew Hamilton, Sean Johnston, Paris Leveque, Simbarashe Matshe, Callum Rigg, Tom Struik, Augie Tchantcho
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Given its divisive and often problematic influence on politics, religion today can be seen as a troubling force in the United States. Things were markedly different in 2011 when The Book of Mormon first premiered. Those now feel like more innocent times, when lampooning theology was able to seem almost good-natured by comparison. Also different is how the musical’s depiction of Uganda now feels. What once came across as cheeky and daring is increasingly veering toward the objectionable.

It could therefore be argued that the show’s appeal has diminished, yet its unique irreverence and playful lack of earnestness still allow The Book of Mormon to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Although somewhat outdated and no longer the fresh or shocking revelation it once was, the production remains tremendously entertaining, offering an edginess that musical theatre lovers will find hard to match elsewhere.

This return season features an excellent new cast, with performers like Nick Cox making a remarkable impression as Elder Cunningham—animated and precise in his approach, delivering some of the biggest laughs in what is surely one of Broadway’s funniest shows. Sean Johnston brings great energy and unequivocal vibrancy to the role of Elder Price, though he could benefit from dialling up the camp factor to embrace a more satirical style. The wonderful Paris Leveque is extremely charming as Nabulungi, with believable expressions of emotion and a stunning voice, that really help to sell the story.

In 2025 there is no longer anything whimsical or indeed cute, about those who reject critical thinking in favour of bizarre doctrines and conspiracy theories. The so-called ‘religious right’ continues to expand its influence, demanding that government policies align with beliefs rooted in supernatural thinking, often at odds with the broader public good. The Book of Mormon reminds us of a time when churches could be met with light-hearted derision, when we were perhaps oblivious to the harm they were willing to inflict, often even upon their own. While the cultural climate has undeniably shifted, one truth remains: we need laughter now more than ever.

www.thebookofmormonmusical.com.au

Review: Emerald City (Ensemble Theatre)

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Venue: Ensemble Theatre (Kirribilli NSW), Jul 18 – Aug 23, 2025
Playwright: David Williamson
Director: Mark Kilmurry
Cast: Aisha Aidara, Danielle Carter, Rachel Gordon, Matt Minto, Tom O’Sullivan, Rajan Velu
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Reaganomics and Thatcherism were in full force when David Williamson’s Emerald City first emerged—a play in which a screenwriter grapples with his artistic integrity in a world determined to commodify everything. Almost four decades on, the conflict between art and commerce remains and has become so subsumed into our daily realities that watching an artist navigate those old quagmires now seems strangely quaint.

Direction by Mark Kilmurry is thankfully taut and energetic, with leading man Tom O’Sullivan bringing commitment and valuable charisma to the not-always-likable role of Colin. His wife Kate is made a powerful figure by Rachel Gordon’s confidence and panache. Matt Minto is appropriately dubious as the opportunistic Mike, while Aisha Aidara’s portrayal of his partner Helen surprises with warmth and a compelling naturalism.

Production design by Dan Potra depicts the era with some accuracy, but can appear somewhat simplistic in approach. Lights by Morgan Moroney improve the viewing experience by effecting subtle shifts as the production transforms in tone and temperament. Music by Madeleine Picard add a dimension of ephemerality to the way we feel about this straightforward story.

The city of Sydney serves as a fitting backdrop for this reflection on commercialism and its entanglement with human life. Money, undeniably, shapes much of who we are here—as it does in any city—and while we recognise that ‘the love of money is the root of all evil,’ it is equally true that our relative affluence underpins many of the pleasures we associate with life in this frankly magnificent place.

www.ensemble.com.au

Review: Betrayal (Old Fitz Theatre)

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Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Jul 18 – Aug 10, 2025
Playwright: Harold Pinter
Director: Cristabel Sved
Cast: Andrew Cutcliffe, Matt Hardie, Diego Retamales, Ella Scott Lynch
Images by Kate Williams

Theatre review
Emma has been sleeping with her husband’s best friend for years. It would appear that she loves both men deeply, but convention deems this highly improper, forcing all parties to endure stages of anguish as they grapple with the perceived transgression. Harold Pinter’s Betrayal is almost half a century old, yet it seems little has changed in terms of middle-class values and the cultural dominance of monogamy. The play suggests an absurdity in the weight we assign to traditional matrimony, yet Pinter’s narrative remains relevant, even in 2025.

Directed by Cristabel Sved, the work unfolds with ample earnestness, often at the sacrifice of irony and humour. Characters understandably take their circumstances extremely seriously, but it can be argued that the actors should adopt a more observational and discursive approach to improve our intellectual engagement with the show.

Debonair actor Andrew Cutcliffe rises to the challenge as Robert, delivering a satisfying theatricality with his sardonic interpretation of the text. Ella Scott Lynch plays Emma commendably, capturing psychological accuracy even though some of the comedy is compromised. Matt Hardie, too, places emphasis on the realism of the piece but misses the opportunity to create a more entertaining portrayal of Jerry, the secret paramour. A brief appearance by Diego Retamales as a waiter at an Italian restaurant, offers moments of idiosyncrasy that really benefit the production.

Set design by Melanie Liertz is minimally rendered, but certainly sufficient in helping us engage with interactions between friends and lovers. Her costumes however could be more detailed in their depiction of timelines. Lights by Verity Hampson and Luna Ng are immensely helpful in creating the many spatial transformations. It is arguable whether the video projections by Aron Murray are necessary, but they are nonetheless a pleasing sight. Music by Steve Toumin, along with sound design by Johnny Yang are appropriately subdued, and are effective in enhancing the production’s relentlessly serious atmosphere.

Infidelity is painful to go through, but it is also highly comical. We insist on making promises we are incapable of keeping, only to torment ourselves trying to escape the messes we inevitably create. Betrayal does not explain why we allow Emma only to sleep with one man, but it can be seen that her turmoil becomes increasingly meaningless over the course of the play. Traditions deserve scrutiny, and often, what appears deeply important may not be so at all.

www.oldfitztheatre.com.au | www.sportforjove.com.au

Review: Hedwig And The Angry Inch (Carriageworks)

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Venue: Carriageworks (Eveleigh NSW), Jul 17 – Aug 3, 2025
Text: John Cameron Mitchell
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Trask
Directors: Shane Anthony, Dino Dimitriadis
Cast: Seann Miley Moore, Adam Noviello
Images by Eugene Hyland, Shane Reid

Theatre review
Hedwig does not love. Having only experienced deception, betrayal and cruelty throughout her life, Hedwig has little capacity to show affection or kindness, even to Yitzhak who offers only dedication. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s iconic queer masterpiece Hedwig and the Angry Inch stands as one of the few prominent titles in a musical canon that, although held in high regard by many queer lives, rarely places LGBTQIA+ stories at its centre. Thirty-one years since its original conception, protagonist Hedwig remains defiantly and resolutely queer — a figure who resists all manner of classification, and who challenges the values not only of middle-class life, but also of how we think about art and creativity.

Co-directed by the formidable pair Shane Anthony and Dino Dimitriadis, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is both spectacular and poignant, fully satisfying our need for something transcendentally fabulous, while remaining unequivocally meaningful. Together with soulful choreography by Amy Campbell, they deliver a production that saturates and satiates our senses, making us hopelessly mesmerised every second, before finally hurling us somewhere unfathomably moving.

The show is characteristically unruly in its rhapsodical, bohemian expression of the grungy nineties, yet there is an unmistakeable rigour that oversees every aesthetic choice, to ensure unparalleled elegance and sophistication, for a brilliantly elevated presentation of one of musical theatre history’s wildest moments.

Set design by Jeremy Allen conveys glamour while meticulously capturing the details of a distinctly working-class milieu. Lights by Geoff Cobham are emotionally charged, and thoroughly beautiful with the imagery they help to assemble. Unforgettable costumes by Nicol & Ford blend inventiveness with technical mastery, taking our breath away in the “Wig in a Box” number by fashioning a coat filled with imaginative humour and cultural significance.

Victoria Falconer serves as musical director, giving us unwavering passion in a cacophonous combination of rock and Broadway, leaving no stone unturned to hold the audience in heightened states of arousal from start to finish. Along with sound design by Jamie Mensforth and soundscape by Jason Sweeney, we are never in doubt about being situated in an American dive bar, gritty yet adamantly hopeful.

Playing the lead is a captivating and powerful Seann Miley Moore, whose audaciously extravagant approach has us persistently fascinated, but it is their exhaustive and granular familiarity with the material that insists on keeping us absolutely spellbound. Adam Noviello is extraordinary likable as Yitzhak, full of spirit even when portraying the despondency of a painfully neglected companion.

There may have been a surgical error crucial to the formation of Hedwig’s identity, but there is certainly nothing wrong with who she has become. We recognise queer heroes by the destabilisation they bring to unsound hegemonies. They are by nature contrarian, but only from the perspective of the corrupt. To them, Hedwig is an abomination and entirely perverse, where in fact she is truly magnificent and gloriously sacred.

www.hedwig.com.au

Review: Circle Mirror Transformation (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Jul 12 – Sep 7, 2025
Playwright: Annie Baker
Director: Dean Bryant
Cast: Ahunim Abebe, Nicholas Brown, Cameron Daddo, Rebecca Gibney, Jessie Lawrence 
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
A small group convenes over six weeks, for drama lessons at a rural community centre. They focus on acting exercises, which look initially to be incredibly inane, but they lead to deep discoveries of a personal nature. Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation takes us into a microcosm of North American ordinariness. It is a quiet portrait of the middle class from 2009, years before any hint of the current pandemonium could even be detected. 

If there are any socio-political implications in Baker’s play, they are deeply subsumed and open to all manner of interpretation. Direction by Dean Bryant provides no indication to wider connotations of the story, making for a somewhat pedestrian experience, but the intricacy he puts into the unfurling of subjective narratives, reflects an admirable level of integrity.

The very accomplished actor Rebecca Gibney grounds the work in a hyper naturalistic space as group leader Marty, making for a completely believable depiction of daily life at the dawn of the Obama years. There is a conspicuous blandness to the presentation which, although understandable within context, makes viewing somewhat challenging due to its lack of theatricality.

Fortunately Nicholas Brown and Jessie Lawrence are on hand to dial up the idiosyncrasy. As Schultz and Theresa, both performers bring exceptional depth and colour to the show, allowing us to enjoy more than the mundanity being explored. Ahunim Abebe brings a valuable richness to the humanity that her character Lauren reveals in later sections, and Cameron Daddo leaves an impression with his understated authenticity as James.

Designer Jeremy Allen brings unexpected texture to otherwise nondescript scenic requirements. Lights by Brockman and sound by Clemence Williams, are understandably operative rather than ornamental, rarely attention grabbing but certainly effective.

It is almost peculiar to return to a time when Americans could simply worry about their individual foibles, rather than having to grapple with unrelenting chaos and the impending collapse of their social structures. Circle Mirror Transformation may not even be a score of years old, but the vast changes that we witness the USA undergoing, make the play seem quaint, almost unrecognisable in its representation of modern normalcy.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Hir (New Theatre)

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Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Jul 8 – Aug 2, 2025
Playwright: Taylor Mac
Director: Patrick Howard
Cast: Lola Kate Carlton, Rowan Greaves, Jodine Muir, Luke Visentin
Images by Chris Lundie

Theatre review
Paige has had enough of the patriarchy. Since her abusive husband’s stroke and her teenage child’s gender transition, Paige has educated herself with progressive literature, and is now a new woman. When her firstborn returns from being dishonourably discharged by the Marines, Paige finds herself dealing with someone unwilling to adapt to her rigidly radical beliefs, and the family unit completely disintegrates.

Taylor Mac’s 2014 comedy Hir remains a wild and potent fantasy of feminist resistance. 11 years on, the play’s message still feels consequential and pointed, with direction by Patrick Howard demonstrating genuine affiliation with the spirit of the writing, making the production a captivating one.

The chaos and destruction that Paige experiences is made manifest through a thoughtful set design by Victor Kalka. Xan Hardman’s costumes bring vibrancy to the staging, along with a macabre humour that accentuates the provocative qualities of Hir.

The indignation at the core of Paige’s story may not always emerge with sufficient ferocity, but actor Jodine Muir is commendable for bringing polish to an often verbose text. While the cast could delve more intricately into the politics and interpersonal dynamics of the work, their commitment and energy are undeniable.

After a lifetime of subjugation, Paige has become immovably staunch with her reclaimed integrity. She no longer bends for anything or anyone, because she has learned that all her capitulations have been in vain. A woman used to sacrifice, she now refuses to yield any ground. Misery may come again, yet now it is not hers alone, and she holds the reins.

www.newtheatre.org.au

Review: Prima Facie (Carriageworks)

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Venue: Carriageworks (Eveleigh NSW), Jul 2 – 12, 2025
Playwright: Suzie Miller
Director: Kate Champion
Cast: Sof Forrest
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
When we first meet Tessa, she is a criminal defence barrister fully invested in the legal system. Handsomely rewarded for her talent and skill in courtrooms, Tessa never has reason to question her faith in the status quo. However, when she finds herself on the other side as a victim of sexual assault trying to obtain justice, we see that her beliefs can no longer hold. Suzie Miller’s one-woman play Prima Facie is a powerful interrogation of the pervasive structures underpinning our lives, ones that are often laced with prejudice and inequity.

It exposes the intentional elusiveness of those shortcomings and demonstrates how a small number of beneficiaries work hard to sustain it. The meanings of the text are all elucidated unequivocally by director Kate Champion, even if the staging does not always speak with enough urgency or gravity. Actor Sof Forrest is very effective in the show’s final poignant moments, and is admirable for the polish they brings to the production, but their performance rarely deviates from the cerebral. Prima Facie should engender intense feelings, but we seem to engage with it almost entirely intellectually.

Bruce McKinven’s set design is sharp and sophisticated, highly effective in shrinking the performance space to accommodate a single character. Costumes by Lynn Ferguson appropriately convey the rising status of a young lawyer. Lights by Peter Young offer a grandeur that reflects the importance of ideas being explored. Jessica Russell’s video projections are skilfully assembled, even if their necessity within the work remains open to question. Also gratuitous, is some of the overwrought embellishments in the sound design by Melanie Robinson, that proves distracting at several moments.

Tessa’s ordeal can be interpreted as one woman’s grappling with her awakening, to the flaws of white feminism. After investing exhaustively in a system she so desperately wants to succeed in, all the while turning a blind eye to glaring failings that she only made more egregious, Tessa finds herself inadvertently and devastatingly at its most brutal whim. It remains to be seen how she emerges from this tribulation—whether she learns that radical upheaval is required, or if she ends up believing that piecemeal improvements preserving the overarching schema will solve our problems.

www.blackswantheatre.com.au | www.carriageworks.com.au