Tag Archives: comedy

Review: Don’t Save Me (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Feb 26 – Mar 8, 2025
Playwright: Karina Young
Director: Nelson Blake
Cast: Raechyl French, Ben Itaba, Holly Mazzola
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Jade is not only battling a terminal illness, she has to fight her husband Pat who plans to create a digital facsimile of her, using the latest in AI technology. As well as the subject of consent, Don’t Save Me by Karina Young explores the ethics around the replication or simulation of a person after death. Although timely, the play is insufficiently imaginative, with a persistent mundanity to its dialogue that makes a fascinating concept seem almost banal.

Direction by Nelson Blake places emphasis on locating the emotional truth of the piece, and little more, resulting in an experience that feels somewhat pedestrian. There is however a great sense of commitment on the stage, with cast members Raechyl French, Ben Itaba and Holly Mazzola, bringing diligence to their interpretations of characters.

Production design by Andrea Knezevic offers efficient solutions that transform the space into a conventional living room. Lights by Topaz Marlay-Cole help render an elegance to the imagery being presented, and sounds by Felix Partos are introduced at key moments to enhance tension.

Don’t Save Me is not quite science fiction, as the circumstance it depicts has already arrived, yet we are still struggling to grapple with that new reality. Technology forges ahead whether we welcome or resist it. We have in the past been able to shape its development, but in this age of tech autocracy, there is little that our democratic will can do.

The billionaires who rule technology are completely impervious to any of our objections. We continue to think that how we spend our money is able to sway their operations, but it is evident that their wealth has become so immense that any reduction in profit we can effect, no longer means anything. Legal recourses have proven ineffectual, even as they are being taken over by a new era of oligarchy. It is only revolution that remains, but it is doubtful if we can awaken soon enough, from this soporific state of our tech-fuelled stupor.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.instagram.com/puncherschanceco/

Review: Candide (Sydney Opera House)

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Venue: Sydney Opera House (Sydney NSW), Feb 20 – Mar 14, 2025
Composer: Leonard Bernstein
Librettist: Richard Wilbur
Director: Dean Bryant
Cast: Annie Aitkin, Euan Fistrovic Doidge, Alexander Lewis, Dominica Matthews, Andrew Moran, Eddie Muliaumaseali’i, Eddie Perfect, Lyndon Watts, Cathy-Di Zhang
Images by Carlita Sari

Theatre review
Voltaire’s 1759 novella “Candide, ou l’Optimisme” sees its protagonist travelling the world, learning many of life’s big lessons before finally landing on solid ground. Leonard Bernstein’s musical operetta, simply named Candide, takes that big journey and transforms it into a wild fantasia, filled with colourful characters and comically bizarre scenarios.

Direction by Dean Bryant makes full use of the work’s absurd elements to manufacture a vivacious experience, chaotic and rambunctious in its imaginative renderings for theatrical amusement. Dann Barber’s ironic set design features a recreational trailer as centrepiece, magically unfurling scenic designs that represent the many cities in Candide’s journey. Barber’s costumes are extravagantly campy, and a clear highlight of the production. Lights by Matthew Scott imbue a sense of lavishness, effective at delivering enchantment, if slightly lacking in poignancy for the show’s concluding moments.

Leading man Lyndon Watts displays unequivocal technical proficiency in the role of Candide, but it is his charisma that many will find memorable. Annie Aitken is a delight as Cunégonde, offering exquisite vocals along with some truly splendid humour. Playing Voltaire (and Dr. Pangloss) is Eddie Perfect, whose affability and confidence provide for the staging additional polish.

On this occasion, Candide seems a celebration of frivolity and little else. Certainly there is space in the arts for lightness, but in any performance, surely an audience needs to feel some level of personal investment, to be held attentive in meaningful ways. It can be argued that little of Candide remains resonant, even though it is observable that people are meant to be having fun.

www.opera.org.au | www.victorianopera.com.au

Review: Your Silence Will Not Protect You (Qtopia)

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Venue: Qtopia (Darlinghurst NSW), Feb 20 – 22, 2025
Playwright: Gavin Roach
Director: Lauren Hopley
Cast: Gavin Roach

Theatre review
In the one-person show Your Silence Will Not Protect You, Gavin Roach reveals details about their own mental health issues, alongside memorable instances of what could be described as bad decisions. It may not be that every one of those misadventures are a consequence of Roach’s illnesses, but as we witness the playwright and performer articulate their stories from a singular vantage point, it becomes inevitable that one should draw correlations between the two.

It can be an awkward experience, listening to Roach’s challenges. They appear eager to entertain and even amuse, but the gravity of the subject matter almost precludes us from responding in any way that might suggest that the information is being received for entertainment purposes. We feel as though the appropriate stance should be somewhat clinical in attitude, that either laughter or excessive empathy could be patronising, or even harmful.

Nonetheless, Roach’s delivery ensures that their psychological condition is being witnessed, that mental illness in general, is seen in Your Silence Will Not Protect You. Their proficiency on stage demonstrates that a person’s suffering is almost always disguised, and that judging a book by its cover is indeed meaningless. Much of illness is not visible. The people we encounter could be harbouring all manner of undetectable maladies, and our first instinct should always be one of kindness.

www.qtopiasydney.com.au | www.gavinroach.com

Review: The Pirates Of Penzance (Hayes Theatre)

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Venue: Hayes Theatre Co (Potts Point NSW), Feb 14 – Mar 16, 2025 | Merrigong Theatre Company (Illawarra Performing Arts Centre) March 26 – 29, 2025
Music: Arthur Sullivan
Libretto: W.S. Gilbert
Director: Richard Carroll
Cast: Trevor Jones, Jay Laga’aia, Brittanie Shipway, Maxwell Simon, Billie Palin
Images by John McCrae

Theatre review
The Pirates of Penzance debuted at the end of 1879 in New York City, telling the love story of apprentice pirate Frederic and Mabel, a daughter of the Major-General. Characteristically absurd, this Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera has been adapted for a contemporary audience by Richard Carroll, who retains the fun and frivolity of the original, with the incorporation of refreshed dialogue and updated references. The first act is a delightful romp, thoroughly and riotously funny from the very start, but Act Two sadly pales in comparison. Unable to sustain the hilarity, the show deflates even as the cast tries its mightiest to hold our attention. 

Five excellent performers take the helm, with an effervescent Maxwell Simon offering earnest naivety as Frederic, in this amusingly wholesome take on a band of “tender-hearted” pirates. Brittanie Shipway is highly impressive with her vocals proving as strong as her comic timing, in the dual roles of Mabel and maid-of-all-work Ruth. Peerless charisma from Jay Laga’aia makes compelling his portrayals of the Pirate King and the Sergeant of Police. Trevor Jones delivers an unforgettable rendition of the legendary “Major-General’s Song”, and Billie Palin is admirably fastidious with all the supporting parts she dutifully takes on.

Set design by Nick Fry is polished and attractive, with efficient use of space allowing for energy to pervade the entire stage. Lights are a wonderful feature, created by Jasmine Rizk to deliver sumptuous colour and dimension, for imagery that seems to be constantly evolving. Also noteworthy is choreography by Shannon Burns, providing endless physical configurations for further visual delight. The Pirates of Penzance is indeed often enchanting, and a welcome diversion for those who have ever longed to escape to the high seas.

www.hayestheatre.com.au | www.thearthousewyong.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

Review: 4000 Miles (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), 8 Feb – 23 Mar, 2025
Playwright: Amy Herzog
Director: Kenneth Moraleda
Cast: Nancye Hayes, Shiv Palekar, Ariadne Sgouros, Shirong Wu
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Leo had only intended to drop in at his grandmother Vera’s for a quick visit, but ends up staying for much longer. Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles is about kinship, and the human need for connection at a time when we are increasingly isolated. It is almost strange to see a young and an old person together, even though they are family, and should appear completely natural and matter of course. Such is the extent of our alienation in this day and age.

It is a humorous piece of writing by Herzog, remarkable for the delicate rendering of its characters’ frailties along with the intimate refuge they find in each other. Direction by Kenneth Moraleda is strikingly tender, full of sensitivity and genuine poignancy, for a show that speaks volumes about what we should regard to be the most important in life. It is never a saccharine experience, but always quietly profound, and subtly persuasive.

Production design by Jeremy Allen delivers a realism that helps make the storytelling seem effortless. Kelsey Lee’s lights bring immense warmth, with occasional punctuations of visual poeticism that feel transcendent. Music compositions by Jess Dunn are wonderfully pensive, with a rich sense of yearning to inspire further emotional investment in something truly universal.

Actor Nancye Hayes captivates with the charm she imbues Vera, but it is the honesty she is able to convey that really impresses. The eminently watchable Shiv Palekar as Leo too is resonantly truthful, in his depictions of someone finding his way out of trauma. The exquisite chemistry between the two is quite a thing to behold, and can be credited as the main element behind the production’s success. Also memorable is performer Shirong Wu as Amanda, utterly hilarious in her one unforgettable scene. Leo’s girlfriend Bec is played by Ariadne Sgouros, adding dimension to our understanding of dynamics between characters in 4000 Miles.

Vera’s friends are all leaving this plain, one at a time. In her twilight moments, she finds herself becoming an essential source of support for her grandson, and in this discovery of new meaning, we observe a new lease of life, for both Vera and Leo. In their care of one another, each is required to bring out the best of themselves. Modernity seems intent on drawing attention to many of our worst sides, but it seems that when we tend only to things that matter, a clarity emerges to help us decipher what is good.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Chasing Dick – A Love Story (Qtopia)

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Venue: Qtopia (Darlinghurst NSW), Feb 5 – 15, 2025
Playwrights: Dax Carnay-Hanrahan, Aleks Vujicic
Director: Dax Carnay-Hanrahan, James Lau
Cast: Dax Carnay-Hanrahan, Chris Colley, Jason Jefferies
Images by Jordan Hanrahan-Carnay, Matt Bostock 

Theatre review
Dick is a woman with a broken heart, but when she encounters two different men, at different times on the same day, it may seem that things could change. There is an undeniable chemistry to how she connects with each of them, but the psychological damage she has sustained as a trans woman in a transphobic world, is making it challenging for Dick to trust. Also, the fact that the two men are father and son, are only making things trickier.

Chasing Dick – a Love Story by Dax Carnay-Hanrahan and Aleks Vujicic, is often beautifully considered, containing excellent insight from a queer woman’s perspective that is severely underrepresented. Directed by Carnay-Hanrahan and James Lau, the show’s broad humour will not be to everyone’s taste, but what it does say about the trans experience, is certainly valuable.

Design aspects of the staging are accomplished with minimal fuss, offering simple solutions to help us contextualise the performance. Carnay-Hanrahan brings intensity as leading lady of the piece, along with a wonderful commitment that makes the story’s important message truly resonate. Chris Colley and Jason Jefferies offer reliable support as love interests, both actors demonstrating sincerity in their roles.

Trans people like Dick are deserving of love, but what we receive is always compromised and tainted. Luckily love comes in all forms, and even though the vast majority of us are unable to find the romantic kind that our cisgender counterparts enjoy, friendships are much less likely to evade us. Chosen families, along with biological ones, are at least as important to our wellbeing, and to our abilities in living full lives. It is true that we can do without romantic love, especially when we lean into the wisdom that we have inevitably cultivated as a community that has survived interminable cruelty. We must always remember that more than everyone else, we know how to feel enough, that our capacity for self-sufficiency is both rewarding and extraordinary.

www.qtopiasydney.com.au | www.tayotayocollective.au

Review: Peter And The Starcatcher (Capitol Theatre)

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Venue: Capitol Theatre (Sydney NSW), Jan 31 – Feb 9, 2025
Playwright: Rick Elice (from the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson)
Music: Wayne Barker
Director: David Morton
Cast: John Batchelor, Paul Capsis, Olivia Deeble, Otis Dhanji, Morgan Francis, Lucy Goleby, Ryan Gonzalez, Pete Helliar, Colin Lane, Benjin Maza, Hugh Parker, Alison Whyte
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
It is the story of how Peter Pan came to be “the boy who never grew up”. Originally a novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatcher involves two ships, pirates, hidden treasure and a celestial substance known as “starstuff”. Transformed into a play by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker, those fantastical elements come to good use, for a theatrical experience catering to young and old.

Design and direction by David Morton delivers a staging that borrows heavily from the pantomime tradition, with notable incorporation of puppetry further enhancing its sense of wonderment. Costumes by Anna Cordingley are commensurately whimsical in nature, with her humorous mermaids leaving an especially lasting impression. Dynamic lights by Ben Hughes are creatively rendered, to take us somewhere magical, with imagery that is often uplifting and inspiring.

Portraying a highly endearing Peter is performer Otis Dhanji, who brings great energy and a compelling innocence to the central role. His new friend Molly is played by Olivia Deeble who delights with her athleticism, and who keeps us attentive with a remarkable presence. Both sing their parts powerfully, along with jaunty and sumptuous musical direction by James Dobinson.

Neverland is a place where the lines between reality and fantasy blur, implying that imagination plays an important part no matter a person’s age. Neverland is also full of danger, meaning that much as we should hold on to an innocent sense of limitless possibility, understanding responsibility is always an essential part of carving out a good life. One should always remember to look to the stars, but unlike Peter Pan, we must never forget to keep our feet steadily rooted to the ground.

www.peterandthestarcatcher.com.au

Review: Aria (Ensemble Theatre)

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Venue: Ensemble Theatre (Kirribilli NSW), 24 Jan – 15 Mar, 2025
Playwright: David Williamson
Director: Janine Watson
Cast: Tamara Lee Bailey, Rowan Davie, Danielle King, Tracy Mann, Suzannah McDonald, Sam O’Sullivan, Jack Starkey-Gill
Images by Prudence Upton

Theatre review
Monique thinks she is a better mother than she actually is, the same way she overestimates her talents as a singer. That delusory characteristic seems to be transmissible between generations, with Monique’s three sons demonstrating a similar lack of awareness about their own shortcomings. It is a wealthy family that we find in David Williamson’s Aria, a farcical take on aspirational whiteness in modern Australia.

Personalities in the play, including Monique’s daughters-in-law, may not be entirely irredeemable, but this family is certainly hard to like. Their flaws provide the basis for the comedy, and even though direction by Janine Watson tends to be overly considerate and forgiving of these objectionable figures, Aria is effortlessly digestible, as it delivers a steady stream of laughter throughout. Watson can also be credited for her judicious portrayals of womanhood, in something that can easily veer into misogyny.

Actor Tracy Mann is admirably precise with her depictions of the matriarch, able to make believable all the outrageous things Monique says and does. It is a uniformly exuberant cast, but chemistry is not quite sufficiently harnessed between performers; conversations often sound stilted, for relationships that require a greater sense of intimacy. A commitment to honesty can be detected in the ensemble’s efforts, which does help us understand all the discordance, but a more exaggerated approach for the humour could make it a more elevated theatrical experience.

Rose Montgomery’s set design is appropriately stylish for the kind of affluence being explored, along with her excellent work on costumes, telling in an instant, so much of what we need to know about these individuals. Lights by Matt Cox and sounds by David Bergman are mostly utilitarian in nature, in a staging that is much more about dialogue than atmosphere.

Monsters have children all the time. It is likely that same element of inadequacy in their psychology, making them behave narcissistically, that makes them want to procreate. In Monique, we observe that nothing she has tried, can really make up for that sense of lack. She continues to be a pain to others and to herself, even after creating offspring that fulfil their obligation of constantly patronising and mollifying their parent. With her advanced age, it is perhaps prudent to not wish to change her, but to find ways to circumvent all the damage she cannot help but leave in her wake.

www.ensemble.com.au

Review: A Model Murder (Sydney Festival)

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Venue: Darlinghurst Courthouse (Darlinghurst NSW), Jan 4 – 25, 2025
Playwright: Sheridan Harbridge
Director: Sheridan Harbridge
Cast: Blazey Best, Marco Chiappi, Amber McMahon, Ryan Morgan, Maverick Newman, Sofia Nolan, Anthony Taufa 
Images by Neil Bennett

Theatre review
It was 1954 when Shirley Beiger shot and killed her boyfriend in Sydney. The story quickly became a media sensation, with the trial attracting inordinate amounts of public attention and scrutiny. In Sheridan Harbridge’s theatrical retelling A Model Murder, named after the perpetrator’s profession, the simple open and shut case is expanded to provide a nostalgic perspective of the celebrity criminal, a phenomenon which has only increased in prominence through the years.

The show is immensely entertaining, made captivating at every juncture by Harbridge’s imaginative renderings of a brief moment in time. There may not be substantive explorations into Beiger’s psychology leading up to the catastrophic incident, but A Model Murder proves a charming and approachable examination of an intriguing morsel of our city’s history.

Staged within an actual courthouse, with production design by Michael Hankin taking care to accentuate the authenticity of the surrounds, and enhanced by striking costuming that adds considerable visual flair. Lights by Phoebe Pilcher are thoroughly considered, not only to deliver dramatic effect, but also a sense of sumptuousness to this biography about someone renowned for her physicality. Sounds by Zac Saric and music by Glenn Moorhouse, fill the space not only with tension, but also an unmistakeable glamour befitting the subject matter. Also elevating proceedings is Vi Lam’s alluring movement direction, for the many musical interludes that pay tribute to our city’s nightlife and entertainment industry.

Actor Sofia Nolan is appropriately enigmatic as Beiger, with an inscrutability that only makes her presence more compelling. The supporting cast is highly endearing, especially Blazey Best and Amber McMahon who bring magnetism along with wonderful idiosyncrasies, to their meticulous embodiments of some very colourful characters.

We are shaped by endless tales of this city. Whether remembered or forgotten, we live in the midst of the countless infinitesimal narratives that have made Sydney and Gadigal what it is, connected through time that is cyclic yet amorphic. Human skin provides the illusion of our disconnectedness, but the truth is that this place determines so much of who we become. The stuff that we make manifest, seeps into one another. Our decisions will always be born out of culture, much as the current epoch exalts notions of individuality. The truth remains that humans can only survive through care, even though our natural inclinations so often seem to push us the other way.

www.sydneyfestival.org.au | www.lpdprod.com