Tag Archives: comedy

Review: The Seagull (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney NSW), Nov 21 – Dec 16, 2023
Playwright: Anton Chekhov (adapted by Andrew Upton)
Director: Imara Savage
Cast: Arka Das, Michael Denkha, Harry Greenwood, Markus Hamilton, Mabel Li, Sean O’Shea, Toby Schmitz, Sigrid Thornton, Megan Wilding, Brigid Zengeni
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review
Constantine’s angst remains resolute, even though he no longer lives in 1896 Russia. Andrew Upton’s adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull takes place in current day Australia, refreshed with modernised dialogue that effervesces amusingly, but is otherwise entirely faithful to the original. It is arguable whether these characters would think and behave the same, having moved continents and centuries. Even though human nature can be disconcertingly rigid, the dramatic (and iconic) conclusion of Chekhov’s play, feels too characteristic perhaps of an olden Russia. It is however certainly possible that that despondence is in fact no different, wherever and whenever the story takes place. Upton could be making the point, that we are in fact deluded, should we consider ourselves evolved and improved.

Nevertheless, the update feels somewhat tenuous, even though the contemporarised humour of the piece is an unequivocal pleasure. Directed by Imara Savage, the show is at its most appealing when moments are drenched in irony, as we watch persons of a certain privilege, unable to evade nihilistic despair. Reflecting on Chekhov’s times, we can associate The Seagull with impending revolutions, and explain that malaise within a context of disquietude and a thirst for upheaval. Watching the same tale unfold in our here and now, is a confronting proposition. That unflinching pessimism could be saying something appalling about the people we are, or we could simply regard this transposition to be somehow inauthentic.

All the same, drama is delicious. Actor Harry Greenwood as Constantine is less sympathetic than is traditionally portrayed, but renders an unassailable sense of truth and integrity, to persuade us of his narrative. Other notable performers include Mabel Li, equally impressive in comedic and tragic portions of Nina’s exploits, able to make convincing the drastic shift in temperaments, for this classic showcase of lost innocence. Sean O’Shea’s highly idiosyncratic turn as Peter proves thoroughly delightful, very extravagant in style but unquestionably charming with his interpretations of an ageing invertebrate. Playing Boris the cad is Toby Schmitz, wonderfully inventive and unpredictable, in his thrilling explorations of self-absorption and immorality. On stage, Schmitz’s impulsiveness is a real joy.

Set design by David Fleischer conveys a rustic sensibility, but always with a quiet sophistication that reminds us of the social class being depicted. Costumes by Renée Mulder emphasise the modernity of characters, keeping them accurately within the current generation. Lights by Amelia Lever-Davidson, along with sounds and music by Max Lyandvert, are extremely subtle until the final climactic scenes, when we are treated to a greater theatricality, as the show approaches its inevitable melodramatic conclusion.

The world tells Constantine that by virtue of his biological and social distinctions, that he is destined to be a leader and a winner. In the microcosm of his daily existence however, he only feels belittled and disgraced. Males account for three-quarters of suicide in Australia today. We can diverge in our understandings of that statistic, but it is a clearly a question of gender that cannot be ignored. We are all vulnerable beings. It is the quixotic notion that some of us have to be impervious to human fallibilities, that can drive a person to the brink.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Next To Normal (ARA Darling Quarter Theatre)

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Venue: ARA Darling Quarter Theatre (Sydney NSW), Nov 22 – 25, 2023
Book and Lyrics: Brian Yorkey
Music: Tom Kitt
Director: Marie-Jo Orbase, Eezu Tan
Cast: Jacen Bennett, Liam Faulkner-Dimond, Sebastian Nelson, Chaya Ocampo, Claire Perry, Marcus Rivera
Images by Hugo Photography & Film

Theatre review
Diana experiences serious mental health challenges; suffering from bipolar disorder, along with depression and anxiety issues, she tries different treatment options, hoping for a cure that could solve her problems decisively. In the musical Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, we take an honest look at a phenomenon that is pervasive yet stigmatised, to help facilitate discussions about how we, as individuals and as communities, navigate psychological well-being.

It is a cleverly structured work, with excellent humour and a sensitive tenderness, culminating in a surprisingly subversive conclusion, that connects with both intelligence and amusement. Directed by Marie-Jo Orbase and Eezu Tan, the production is full of sincerity, and although lacking in polish, tells the story with a vibrant gusto. Sound engineering in the production is particularly impressive, standing out as the staging’s most professional element.

Performer Claire Perry demonstrates great commitment for the role of Diana, and sings the part with admirable precision. The entire cast delivers a good standard of musicality, as well as passion and energy, for a show that provokes valuable thought and discussion.

There are many ways we can choose to deal with our mental health, as long as we know not to neglect its care. We are bruised and battered from simply existing, and what happens in the mind is endlessly complex and delicate. There are no easy solutions, and certainly nothing that could work the same for every person, but to pay it close attention, to understand that it requires constant nurturing and tending to, is crucial to us thriving.

www.whimsicalproductions.com.au

Review: Darwin’s Reptilia (25A Belvoir)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Nov 15 – 26, 2023
Playwright: Charlie Falkner
Director: Samantha Young
Cast: Danny Ball, Zoe Jensen, Mathew Lee, Leilani Loau, Ainslie McGlynn
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Five people (and a baby) are contained at a motel in Darwin, due to a bizarre infestation of crocodiles that has taken the lives of at least two Swedes. This initial conceit in Charlie Falkner’s Darwin’s Reptilia might be absurd, but what follows is a realistic study of regular lives, presented with sparkling humour. The comedy might feel slightly deficient in terms of plot development, but its dialogue is endlessly amusing, with intricately imagined characters who endear, charm and fascinate.

Direction by Samantha Young imbues effervescence throughout the piece, able to convey veracity yet provide an inviting playfulness, keeping us mirthfully connected to the quirky storytelling. Set and costumes by Ruth Arnold are commensurately vibrant, with a cheerful colour palette that energises and activates the space. Lights by Saint Clair, along with sounds and music by Hewett Cook, are rendered minimally but precisely, to support the cast’s antics in tropical Northern Territory.

Renata, the characteristically dubious self-help author from New York, is performed by Ainslie McGlynn with a naturalistic approach, to help make convincing her impulsive visit to Australia. Renata’s Irish husband Declan is played by a comically intense Danny Ball, wonderfully theatrical and dripping with irony, as a classically macho brooding type. The delightful Zoe Jensen brings blitheness and zeal, along with exceptional timing, to the role of motel worker Flick. Her manager Bobbi is given captivating authenticity and emotional depth by Leilani Loau, and Mathew Lee is unforgettable as the naïve but charming John, escaping the USA for greener pastures, only to find all his old baggage awaiting at the new destination.

People journey afar in search of better days, but the best a person can hope for, is a change in scenery that could allow for what is already within, to express itself in refreshed or unfettered ways. Happiness is only a little about that which is external; who we are internally, determines the peace and fulfilment one can experience. It is true that outside affects inside, but years of travelling will ultimately reveal, that it is in a return to one’s own head and heart, that the key can be found.

www.jackrabbitprods.com | www.belvoir.com.au

Review: The Master & Margarita  (Belvoir St Theatre)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Nov 11 – Dec 10, 2023
Playwright: Eamon Flack (adapted from the book by Mikhail Bulgakov)
Director: Eamon Flack
Cast: Paula Arundell, Marco Chiappi, Tom Conroy, Gareth Davies, Amber McMahon, Josh Price, Matilda Ridgway, Anna Samson, Mark Leonard Winter, Jana Zvedeniuk
Images by Brett Boardman

Theatre review
Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita features Satan as provocateur, a figure intent on exposing hypocrisy and failings of society. There are also a novelist and a poet, who create further flights of fantasy, in addition to the already complex narratives being woven by Bulgakov. Eamon Flack’s adaptation not only transposes for the stage, key portions of the book, it also introduces biographical information about the author’s experiences with censorship in Stalin’s Soviet Union, and includes modernist commentary on the very process of adaptation.

The staging is ambitious, expansive and brave, full of passion in its often wild transformations of space and atmosphere. Inspired by the imaginative and unconstrained qualities of the source material, The Master & Margarita becomes a work of theatre that feels commensurately boundless, in both scope and intention, successful at translating a sense of spirit and of essence, rather than attempting to labour excessively over plot details. Almost a century old, references and contexts in Bulgakov’s text now feel inevitably distant, but his exuberant commitment to art and to politics, evidently remains an inspiration. The artists, under Flack’s directorship, demonstrate the perennial relevance of that dedication to truth and to an existential vigour, and their audience is certainly reminded of those virtues.

Lighting design by Nick Schlieper imbues sophistication for the production, increasingly flamboyant as the show progresses, but is curiously reticent at times, in something that should not shy from extravagance. Costumes by Romanie Harper indicate with clarity, the characters being presented, along with the times and places to which they belong, often with a gentle humour that adds valuable idiosyncrasy to the imagery we encounter. Memorable elements of magic and illusion are designed by Adam Mada, to engender an otherworldliness so crucial to any reading of Bulgakov’s work. Sounds and music by Stefan Gregory are gently transportative, surreptitious but highly effective in having us beguiled and attentive.

A formidable ensemble of ten performers take us through three hours of joyous mayhem, remarkable  in their zeal and inventiveness. Each is given ample opportunity to showcase their individual strengths, and as a group, their chemistry is simply mesmerising. Performance guidance is provided by Emma Maye Gibson, who ensures uniformity in style, and establishes for the show, an air of decadence that proves transgressive not only as an artistic gesture, but also for how we can decipher and deconstruct the paradigms involved, in navigating life as contemporary colonised Australians.

There is a great beauty in this rendition of The Master & Margarita, with no shortage of courage and integrity being displayed, yet what it does say, seems never to be pointed enough. Perhaps abstractions can only speak on what the viewer is ready to receive, and not what the initiator wishes to convey. Perhaps wishing for art to change the world, can only be true in small increments, that its revolution can only happen gradually. Much as art can appear radical, maybe what it brings about, can only ever be subtle and slow. In the moment of interaction, The Master & Margarita seems commanding and forceful with all that it delivers, but what is actually being communicated sits somewhere visceral, likely to emerge with real poignancy at some unpredictable juncture.

www.belvoir.com.au

Review: The Face Of Jizo (Old Fitz Theatre)

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Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Oct 28 – Nov 18, 2023
Playwright: Hisashi Inoue (translated By Roger Pulvers)
Director: David Lynch, Shingo Usami
Cast: Mayu Iwasaki, Shingo Usami
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Mitsue is on the surface, a contented librarian in mid-century Hiroshima, but having lived through the devastating bombing by Americans only three years prior, her inner turmoil is much more profound than can be easily perceived. The 2001 play The Face Of Jizo by Hisashi Inoue 井上 ひさし may be set decades ago, but its reflections on survivor guilt reverberate beyond its narrative about one particular catastrophe. Along with serving as a reminder on the tragic consequences of war, The Face Of Jizo is concerned with how we emerge from trauma, emphasising the point that to live well, is often a matter of choices we make.

It is perhaps inevitable that the play’s gravity is central and severe, but there is also excellent humour coaxing us into the story and its stirring intentions. Directed by David Lynch and Shingo Usami, the show is charmingly inviting, with a palpable warmth that accompanies the harder edges of a sobering tale. Simultaneously gentle and heartrending, this theatrical experience proves enjoyable even though its themes are unquestionably foreboding.

Set design by Tobhiyah Stone Feller convey a sense of accuracy, for the time and place being depicted. The subtleties of Matt Cox’s lights, as well as his more dramatic manoeuvres, reveal a commendable attentiveness to the meaningful text. Music by Me-Lee Hay and sound design by Zachary Saric are appropriately restrained, called upon when necessary to add embellishment and refinement, to a thoughtful and sensitive work.

Actor Mayu Iwasaki brings both exuberance and poignancy to the role of Mitsue, with an extraordinary focus that keeps us compelled and hooked to her emotional journey. The aforementioned Usami plays the ghost of Mitsue’s father, similarly absorbing and persuasive, whether delivering joy or anguish, in a show that always takes care to render the light with the dark. The pair applies a distinct style of performance, for this translation by Roger Pulvers, to ensure that the English language never detracts from the cultural specificity being portrayed. Some of the adapted dialogue may feel awkward, but its sensibilities never for a moment, stray from mid-century Japan.

Guilt that turns inward, and that never finds resolution, can only be harmful. We see in Mitsue the futility of sorrowful regret and the damage it causes, having survived unspeakable losses. It is of course easier said than done, when urging a person to simply get over hardship of this magnitude. Indeed, the ray of hope should always be fundamental to any survival, but the grace of community is equally vital, to how we can heal, and how we can curtail the evil that always seems ready to inflict death and destruction.

www.redlineproductions.com.au

Review: Twelfth Night (Bell Shakespeare)

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Venue: Sydney Opera House (Sydney NSW), Oct 24 – Nov 19, 2023
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Heather Fairbairn
Cast: Keith Agius, Isabel Burton, Alfie Gledhill, Amy Hack, Garth Holcombe, Mike Howlett, Tomáš Kantor, Chrissy Mae, Ursula Mills, Jane Montgomery Griffiths
Images by Brett Boardman

Theatre review
In Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare’s comedy is based largely on the absurd and abhorrent idea of love and sex between people of the same gender. We are meant to laugh at Olivia being in love with Viola, and Orsino with Cesario, but many of us today no longer wish to participate in that cruel charade, of ridiculing something we know should be cherished and honoured. Director Heather Fairbairn too rejects that obsolete perspective, and in her rendition subverts Shakespeare’s tired tropes to make a statement about queer autonomy and acceptance.

Fairbairn’s production is endlessly vivacious and amusing, marvelously playful and imaginative with its characters and their hijinks. Each scene is rigorously explored, to ensure that we are kept entertained, even when the text proves tedious. A set design by Charles Davis cleverly concentrates the action into the stage’s middle, where along with Verity Hampson’s lights, great energy is channeled, creating a dynamic focal point. Davis’ fashionable costumes are a delight, as are Hampson’s illumination, especially at moments of heightened drama. David Bergman’s sounds are sophisticated and rich, particularly enjoyable when they nudge us into surreality. Songs by Sarah Blasko are an unequivocal highlight, extraordinarily beautiful with what they add to the presentation.

Sung mostly by Tomáš Kantor, who impresses not only with their remarkable vocal talents, but also with their physical agility and mischievous humour. Isabel Burton and Alfie Gledhill play the twins at the centre of all the shenanigans, intriguing with the meanings they inspire in terms of the performance and experience of gender. Duke Orsino and Countess Olivia are portrayed by Garth Holcombe and Ursula Mills respectively, both alluring and admirable with their commitment to elevating some of the more inane elements of the writing.

Undeniable star of the show however, is Jane Montgomery Griffiths, who as a female Malvolia brings immense amplification to both the comedic and tragic aspects of the lovelorn steward’s narrative. The humiliation she suffers under Shakespeare’s pen is given significant magnification, so powerfully depicted at a key moment of chastisement, that we almost feel as if she embodies the vengeance due to every queer and every woman degraded in his hallowed oeuvre. Griffiths’ turn as Malvolia is breathtaking, if only her castigations could become a reckoning truly monumental, beyond the confines of this singular instance of theatrical pleasure.

www.bellshakespeare.com.au

Review: The Memory Of Water (Ensemble Theatre)

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Venue: Ensemble Theatre (Kirribilli NSW), Oct 20 – Nov 25, 2023
Playwright: Shelagh Stephenson
Director: Rachel Chant
Cast: Michala Banas, Thomas Campbell, Nicole Da Silva, Jo Downing, Madeleine Jones, Johnny Nasser
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review
Violet has died, and we find her three daughters at their family home getting ready for the funeral. Their emotions are understandably in a state of disarray, and as they go through a process of unravelment, we discover the challenges and inadequacies each woman experiences as they navigate life in 1996 England. Shelagh Stephenson’s now 27-year-old comedy The Memory of Water, is an amusing work that showcases the various idiosyncrasies of Western feminine archetypes, at a time that can be regarded as having freshly emerged from the third wave of feminism.

With the passage of time, the play feels excessively concerned with the granular individuality of its characters. More contemporary tastes tend to favour sociality over particularity in our storytelling, and The Memory of Water struggles in the current climate to speak with sufficient relevancy and urgency, even though there is undeniable authenticity in all of its depictions.

Direction by Rachel Chant honours that sense of truth, and delivers a production admirable for its integrity. With its excellent cast, the show proves consistently engrossing, even if we never really find moments of significant resonance. Michala Banas, Jo Downing and Madeleine Jones play the sisters, colourful and dynamic, full of surprises in their unpredictable portrayals of erratic personalities. Other performers include Thomas Campbell, Nicole Da Silva and Jonny Nasser, all highly persuasive in their respective roles, in a staging many will find entertaining.

Set design by Veronique Benett features Violet’s flamboyant bedroom from the decadent seventies, impressive with its detail and finesse, and although dripping with irony, is simultaneously alluring with its sensual colour palette. Lights by Kelsey Lee and music by David Bergman are mostly subdued, in service of the intricate humour being manufactured, but are both noteworthy for their efficacy when given the opportunity to convey a greater sentimentality, especially during scenes later in the piece.

It is easy to begrudge parents their deficiencies; we never really come to terms with their human fallibilities. As women however, we can never deny that with each generation, our place in the world has improved, and looking back at what our mothers and grandmothers had had to endure, is always sobering. Violet’s daughters can certainly blame her for whatever they think is impairing their lives, but none will want to take her place, at a time when things were unequivocally worse.

www.ensemble.com.au

Review: A Little Night Music (Hayes Theatre)

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Venue: Hayes Theatre Co (Potts Point NSW), Oct 13 – Nov 18, 2023
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: Hugh Wheeler
Director: Dean Bryant
Cast: Blazey Best, Melanie Bird, Jeremi Campese, Erin Clare, Kiana Daniele, Leon Ford, Nancye Hayes AM, Dominic Lui, Pamelia Papacosta, Josh Robson, Lorelei Tait, Erica Wild
Images by John McCrae

Theatre review
Desiree is a single mother with a busy career and a colourful sex life, but she still feels unfulfilled. In fact, all of the characters in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s A Little Night Music are chasing that elusive “happy ever after”, and it is that very romantic obsession that provides the basis for comedy, in this 1973 musical. Based on Smiles of a Summer Night, a 1955 film by Ingmar Bergman, with a narrative set during the turn of the previous century, but with a sexual permissiveness that gives an enduring modernity to the storytelling.

As director of the piece, Dean Bryant refreshes A Little Night Music for the contemporary audience, by giving a sense of dignity, along with a semblance of autonomy, to the women we encounter. Although they adhere to the original depiction of being incomplete without a man, we perceive each of them as strong and self-assured, allowing us to more readily accept the manner in which their questionable desires are presented.

It is an elegant production, featuring music satisfyingly adapted for a chamber orchestra by Matthew Moisey. Set design by Jeremy Allen is attractive, and although visually expansive considering spatial limitations, it struggles at times to accommodate the show’s complex requirements in terms of simultaneous localities. Costumes by Angela Doherty are beautiful in their simplicity, as are lights by Veronique Bennett, graceful if slightly too restrained in their rendering.

Performers Blazey Best and Leon Ford play Desiree and one of her suitors Fredrick, both bringing surprising believability to a work that never pretends to be anything other than absurd. Melanie Bird as Anne and Joshua Robson as Count Malcolm, impress with their classical voices, whilst delivering excellent humour for their extravagant roles. Jeremi Campese as Henrik is memorable in his solo number “Later”, singing along to his own powerful cello accompaniment, faithful to the sentiments of the part, but able to allow us to laugh along with his naivety.

The more seasoned would understand that the sweet conclusion of A Little Night Music is not the true ending for any of its personalities. Love is glorious, but romance is never the whole of any real existence. In our stories though, perfect resolutions, delusory as they may be, can furnish a sense of peace and completion, one that we inevitably crave after battling all the ravages of life. Art may not always deliver the whole truth, but often a reprieve from reality, can do wonders.

www.hayestheatre.com.au

Review: Boom (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Oct 6 – 21, 2023
Playwright: Jean Tay
Director: Tiffany Wong
Cast: Melissa Gan, Tiang Lim, Josephine Lee, Natalie Low, Daniel MacKenzie, Gerwin Widjaja, Jordon Zhu
Images by Sherry Zheng

Theatre review

Tiong Boon is pushing his mother to sell their home, but his aspirations of moving up in life are met with resistance. Mdm Ong’s sentimental attachments to the old building are everything she treasures, if only the younger generations understand that it is not all about money. Meanwhile Jeremiah is having conversations with the ghost of Mr Chan, concerning the exhumation of his remains to make way for residential developments. All of this takes place in Singapore, where property investments are as much an obsession with the populace as they are in Australian cities. Jean Tay’s humorous yet lyrical 2009 play, Boom talks about land and place as entities beyond their commercial relevance, shifting focus from monetary to spiritual, in how we regard the notion of real estate. It is a discussion about home, heritage and custodianship, from an Eastern perspective, that complements beautifully, our own discussions about colonisation and First Nations rights on these terrains.

Staged with immense integrity by Tiffany Wong, whose direction of the piece unearths an authenticity that speaks not with exoticism, but with intimacy, even though its language and context are distinctly foreign. There is an exquisite pleasure in Boom‘s ability to fascinate with its culturally specific concepts, yet resonate on a level that feels universal. Set design by Aloma Barnes helps us interrogate the tensions between the natural and the built, in these meditations on our lived environments. Costumes by Rita Naidu offer quick ways to identify the personality types we encounter. Luna Ng’s lights take care to navigate sensitively between the many oscillating spaces, in geographic, temporal and emotional terms. Sam Cheng’s sounds and music imbue a richness to our sensorial experience of Boom, surreptitiously embellishing the atmosphere in ways to keep us attuned to the fluctuating dimensions of a wonderfully gripping work of theatre.

Actors Tiang Lim and Josephine Lee play the aforementioned mother and son respectively, with great passion and intensity, both conveying appropriate gravity for the stakes involved. Daniel MacKenzie as Jeremiah and Gerwin Widjaja as his apparitional friend, render an amusing relationship that tells the story with whimsy and surprising depth. Other players include Melissa Gan, Natalie Low and Jordon Zhu, all of whom demonstrate similar commitment and energy, for a compelling performance that is at once entertaining and poignant.

Mdm Ong tells everyone again and again, that she does not wish to leave her home, but her words go unheeded. We call it an economic imperative or simply pragmatism, and refuse to see people’s homes as anything more than their monetary value. We acquiesce to the notion that the highest bidder wins, and allow spaces to be taken over, even when the spaces carry meaning that far exceeds anything that can be quantified. Mdm Ong’s story reveals the emptiness of prevailing values, but money speaks loudest and we remain oblivious to an increasingly obscure matter of the human soul. 

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.slantedtheatre.com

Review: Venus & Adonis (Seymour Centre)

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Venue: Seymour Centre (Chippendale NSW), Sep 29 – Oct 21, 2023
Playwright: Damien Ryan
Director: Damien Ryan
Cast: Anthony Gooley, Adele Querol, Jerome Meyer, Belinda Giblin, Bernadette Ryan, Christopher Tomkinson, Ava Madon, Akasha Hazard, Kevin MacIsaac, Oliver Ryan, Max Ryan, Dinitha Senevirathne, Liv Rey Laaksonen
Images by Kate Williams

Theatre review
William Shakespeare is preparing to stage a new poem, with his lover Aemilia Lanyer in the lead. Meanwhile, Shakespeare’s own family is suffering from neglect, as his attention is divided among work, the affair, and dealing with a venereal disease resulting from his indiscretions. Lanyer, a poet in her own right, takes every opportunity to assert her progressive values, not only on the project, but also in all her professional and personal relationships.

Damien Ryan’s 3-hour play Venus & Adonis, named after the very poem at its inspirational centre, travels along many tangents, in an effort to contemporarise the most classical of storytelling. It is conscious of divergent perspectives, and attempts to be inclusive especially of feminine viewpoints, that have been traditionally ignored over centuries of Shakespearean reverence. There is an enjoyable theatricality to Ryan’s work as both writer and director, but the multi-faceted nature of the piece might prove inconsistent in its ability to engage. Its competing textures seem unlikely to be wholly captivating for those who need a more conventional commitment to a stronger, more defined point of view.

Ryan’s own stage design is surprisingly versatile, as we find our imaginations morphing effortlessly along with the many spatial transformations that occur in the play. Bernadette Ryan’s costumes are sensual, and memorable for the sense of luxury they introduce. Lights by Sophie Parker are beautiful in a painterly manner, and sounds by Jay Cameron although appropriately dramatic, have a tendency to be abrupt in their manipulations of atmosphere.

Actor Anthony Gooley plays a vulnerable Shakespeare, bringing depths of emotion that reveal a greater humanity, in an art form that has the ability to connect beyond the confines of words and narratives. Adele Querol as Lanyer is rigorous and passionate, very persuasive as a true bohemian, full of daring and conviction, whether as a woman of the 16th or 21st Century. Highly noteworthy too are Belinda Giblin and Christopher Tomkinson, playing Queen Elizabeth I and Richard Burbage respectively, both performers robust with humour and meaning, completely magnetic whenever given opportunity to occupy centre stage. Jerome Meyer is both precise and instinctual in the role of drag artist Nathaniel Field, but several jokes pertaining to gender, a main concern of the production, could easily be construed as transphobic.

To be able to look properly ahead, requires a rich understand of the past. Even for those of us who wish for a clean break from histories, need intricate knowledge on the machinations of people and society, in order that we can keep steering our lives on improved trajectories. Not all of us want to leave the past behind however, because what represents pure torment for some, is for others a symbol of their glory days. It is always a difficult entanglement. In our democratic communities, values will differ and beliefs will deviate, but the thing most worth fighting for, is a way to attain harmony, within the infinite variations of how we each experience the world.

www.seymourcentre.com | www.sportforjove.com.au