Tag Archives: 4.5 stars

Review: Iphigenia In Splott (Old Fitz Theatre)

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Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Mar 7 – 22, 2025
Playwright: Gary Owen
Director: Lucy Clements
Cast: Meg Clarke
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Living in the south of Cardiff is Effie, a young woman with no real purpose in life. After a chance encounter with a military veteran however, things begin to change. Iphigenia in Splott by Gary Owen deals with the underclass, paying specific attention to their relationship with public services. There are sections of the writing that can feel slightly diminishing of women’s experiences, but its plot is highly entertaining, and as a one-person show, its scope for performance is remarkably versatile, presenting a great opportunity for an actor to showcase their talent and range.

Meg Clarke takes on the challenging role with aplomb, completely astonishing with the depth and drama she brings to the stage. The emotions she offers are as intense as they are authentic, effortless at making Effie’s plight feel affecting from start to end. Clarke’s timing is perfectly honed, and the intricacy with which she breathes life into the text is simply awe-inspiring.

Direction by Lucy Clements keeps the show dynamic and engaging, with an urgency that ensures its message cuts through successfully. Production design by Angela Doherty provides just enough embellishment for the performer to shine. Luna Ng’s lights richly enhance the story with commendable imaginativeness, while Chrysoulla Markoulli’s sounds shift us through the many temperaments as we follow Effie’s misadventures. The wonderful rigour and cohesion of Ng and Markoulli add a valuable quality of transcendence, to the earthy explorations of Iphigenia in Splott.

The play demonstrates the wilful neglect of the powerless, as social infrastructures are allowed to erode in places like the UK. Intrinsic to prevailing capitalistic values, is a contempt for the poor. Although inhumane, we have learned to regard their misfortune as deserving, convincing ourselves that any person can easily pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The truth is that people’s circumstances are often beyond control, and the refusal to help those in need, can only mean that we are nothing more than monsters.

www.oldfitztheatre.com.au | www.newghoststheatre.com

Review: MJ The Musical (Sydney Lyric Theatre)

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Venue: Sydney Lyric Theatre (Sydney NSW), from Feb 25, 2025
Book: Lynn Nottage
Director: Christopher Wheeldon
Cast: Roman Banks, William Bonner, Liam Damons, Derrick Davis, Yashith Fernando, Josslynn Hlenti Afoa, Penny McNamee
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
There was a time when Michael Jackson had the world in the palm of his hand, as the unequivocal king of pop. MJ the Musical charts his rise to fame and glory, ending understandably right before it all turned sour; the many accusations of child sexual abuse were never going to make sense in a celebration of the man’s commercial successes. A dark cloud may hover, but the show is nonetheless spectacular.

Jackson made some of the biggest hits anybody had ever known, and having them collated for a musical theatre work was always going to be a thrilling proposition. Writer Lynn Nottage focuses on the period of rehearsals for his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, when he was at the height of his powers, but also includes many nostalgic recollections of earlier key moments in Jackson’s career, including his formative years as a child star.

Although unable to provide honest disclosures about what we now know to be the man’s biggest secrets, Nottage’s book is an enjoyable effort at making all the songs coalesce in a single digestible package. The true star of the show however, is the very translation of Jackson’s music from pop records to the Broadway stage, retaining their immense original appeal without compromising on the soul, rock and electronic elements that often get diluted when recontextualised for the stage musical format. Jackson’s life story may not be very moving, but his music certainly is.

Three extraordinary performers depict the star at different stages of life. Roman Banks is a remarkable leading man, astonishing with his mimicry of Jackson’s signature voice and physicality, during the mature period. The magnetic Liam Damons is a revelation in mid-career segments, vivacious and captivating in his personification of someone with everything to live for. The wunderkind version is played by the incredibly talented William Bonner, who represents perfectly the enchanting magic of one of the world’s greatest entertainers. Also memorable are Josslynn Hlenti Afoa and Derrick Davis as the Jackson parents, both bringing valuable sentimentality to the staging.

An auditory and visual delight, MJ the Musical is a complete sensation. For a couple of hours, we discover that art can be separated from its artist, even when the work is ostensibly entirely about the artist. Whether a person can be forgiven for heinous acts, even after death, will forever be a matter of contention. The good things Michael Jackson left behind are however, irresistible.

www.mjthemusical.com.au

Review: Cruise (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Feb 12 – 22, 2025
Playwright: Jack Holden
Director: Sean Landis
Cast: Fraser Morrison
Images by Abraham de Souza

Theatre review
Almost four decades on, Michael still needs to talk about the trauma, and fortunately, his story is one that younger generations will always need to hear. HIV may no longer be the death sentence it used to be, but it is in many ways an enduring tragedy that continues to reverberate deeply for queer communities everywhere.

Michael’s reminiscences are not only about those he has lost, but also about the burden those of us left behind, have had to carry. Survivor guilt and social stigma are issues that prompt Michael to call a helpline, at the start of Jack Holden’s Cruise, but as well as being sublimely mournful, the play is also packed with joy. Michael’s personal history is one of liberation – from tradition, from persecution, and from debilitating disease.

The immense depth of Holden’s writing delivers a theatrical experience that many will find powerful, if not completely transcendental. Coupled with dynamic and incisive work by Sean Landis on direction, Cruise is profoundly reflective, along with being fabulously and irresistibly entertaining.

Actor Fraser Morrison delivers this one-person show with a wonderful sincerity that invites our open hearts to observe and share in all the pain, redemption and exaltation, that he so assiduously brings to the stage. Morrison’s capacity for a great range of temperaments and attitudes, keeps us enthralled as he portrays countless characters, in this important recollection of a gay legacy. Assisted by choreographer Jeremy Lloyd’s sophisticated eye in movement, Morrison’s physicality is framed with considerable beauty, in his depictions of gay lives past and present.

Production design by Chelsea May Wheatley provides effective spatial demarcations that allow for a kineticism that the presentation uses to generate urgency. Wheatley’s sound design is admirably thorough, inspiring strong visceral responses to a show that contains an abundance of sentimentality. Lights by Tom Hicks are sensitively and imaginatively rendered, cleverly transportive as we explore time and space in both internal and external, or psychic and material ways.

The trajectory for us can only be forward, but as perpetual outsiders, the journey is always turbulent and arduous. We can always see brighter futures, and even in the darkest moments, we have been able to summon optimism and faith, not only for the betterment of our spirit, but also to propel us ahead in achieving actual improvements for all our lives.

HIV did kill many of us at the end of the previous century, but there is no question that we have emerged to thrive spectacularly in so many ways. Today a new backlash is taking hold, especially against those of us who dare to express gender in authentic but unorthodox ways. There is no certainty about how we are to win this battle, but there can be no doubt that we will once again prevail.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.fruitboxtheatre.com.au