Tag Archives: play

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: 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: Picnic At Hanging Rock (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Sydney Opera House (Sydney NSW), Feb 17 – Apr 5, 2025
Playwright: Tom Wright (from the novel by Joan Lindsay)
Director: Ian Michael
Cast: Olivia De Jonge, Kirsty Marillier, Lorinda May Merrypor, Masego Pitso, Contessa Treffone 
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Joan Lindsay’s Picnic at Hanging Rock, is likely the most famous story ever told about this land exacting revenge on its inhabitants. Since the time colonisers deemed it fit to declare terra nullius and named her Australia, European settlers and their descendants, have always borne a pang of guilt in their conscience. They know something is not quite right about the ways they have claimed this their own, and much as they often try to deny the unjust displacement of Indigenous peoples, the truth always finds a way to strike back.

In Tom Wright’s magnificently theatrical stage adaptation of Lindsay’s novel, we are able to observe tangibly, the concurrent effects of both metaphysical and psychological consequences, of land being stolen. The monolith at the centre of Picnic at Hanging Rock serves as symbolic projection, for those unable to acknowledge the actual dilemma, and therefore enact a series of horrors onto their own bodies, as though emanating from that geological feature. Also valid however, is the interpretation that the monolith is in fact sentient, and is executing tactics of protection, in attempts to right those historical wrongs.

Ian Michael’s direction offers all the possibilities, enabling viewers to draw personalised conclusions that would resonate most intimately. Built into the production are a great variety of sensorial textures and psychic dimensions, resulting in a work ambitiously vast, not just in its sheer experiential capacity to leave us breathless and overwhelmed, but also in its scale of representations. Michael’s artistry ensures that everything is laid out to be seen, yet nothing is ever forced; we are presented all the details, and left to consume what we can. Picnic at Hanging Rock is as horrifying as you would allow, as funny as you want, and as political as you are ready to accept.

Dominant in the set design by Elizabeth Gadsby is a raised and tilted structure, that looks as though a proscenium arch has eerily shifted upward, subsequently pouring its contents onto the earth. Imposing like the rocks of Dja Dja Wurrung country, whilst demonstrating the vexing presence of Western structures that cannot hold. Lighting by Trent Suidgeest is an exciting element, extravagant in sensibility but consistently tasteful in execution, and memorable for being absolutely electrifying at the most dramatic instances. Exquisite sounds by James Brown are flawlessly orchestrated to usher us not only to the year 1900, but also through various membranes of reality, so that we encounter realms beyond the mundane, that seem to have always existed, but are rarely accorded due attention. Picnic at Hanging Rock is greatly concerned with what we cannot see, all of which is translated on this occasion, into everything that we can hear.

An astonishing ensemble of five extraordinary performers, namely Olivia De Jonge, Kirsty Marillier, Lorinda May Merrypor, Masego Pitso and Contessa Treffone, deliver a 90-minute show that is always urgent, and never predictable. They play naturalism one moment, then seamlessly transition to the most heightened of expressions the next, fully embodying both the sociological and the macabre aspects of their narrative. The women’s thrilling inventiveness is awe-inspiring, and the depth and gravity they reveal for this important instalment of our modern literary canon, is likely paradigmatic.

Something magical occurs when art precipitates transcendence. Call it healing, catharsis, or even exorcism, art can offer enlightenment in ways beyond the capacities of conventional language. This staging of Picnic at Hanging Rock leaves one feeling like they had been grabbed tight and shaken vigorously. An intense sensation is instilled, but what it communicates may not be immediately clear or explicitly understandable. Art will change people, and when it stokes the fire of human conscience, is when it serves its most noble purpose.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Nucleus (Griffin Theatre Company)

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Venue: Seymour Centre, Reginald Theatre (Chippendale NSW), Feb 14 – Mar 15, 2025
Playwright: Alana Valentine
Director: Andrea James
Cast: Paula Arundell, Peter Kowitz
Images by Brett Boardman

Theatre review
Cassie and Gabriel have known each other for decades, but because the former is an anti-nuclear activist, and the latter a pro-nuclear engineer, they are unable to conceive of their relationship as anything other than adversarial. Alana Valentine’s Nucleus is in some ways a boy-meets-girl story, and in other ways, an exploration into debates about nuclear energy. Scientific portions feel thoroughly researched, able to offer valuable insight, if slightly too densely assembled for this 90-minute production. Romantic aspects of Nucleus may not be entirely convincing, but they certainly keep us attentive to an important subject that relates to the very survival of our species.

Direction by Andrea James provides a sense of precision to the escalation of dramatic urgency, that ensures our investment in the piece. Production design by Isabel Hudson encourages us to regard the show’s ideas with an expansive attitude, whilst manufacturing a satisfying elegance to the staging. Lighting by Verity Hampson, along with video projections by Laura Turner, offer meaningful transformations of atmosphere, although a greater dynamism could improve the experience. Phil Downing’s music and sound are thoroughly considered, to help manufacture an aural richness to inspire sentimental responses.

For the role of Cassie, actor Paula Arundell is required to embody a wide range of temperaments and emotions, and the clarity she brings to all those distinctions of mental states is remarkable to observe. As Gabriel, Peter Kowitz is less detailed in his performance, often looking inadequately prepared and unconfident. Chemistry between the two is sorely lacking, which makes a lot of this two-hander hard to enjoy.

In the current age of distrust in media and of authorities in general, obtaining accurate information on something as crucial as energy resources, can feel an absolute quagmire. Competing interests, with competing truths, make for the gathering of facts so arduous that giving up trying, is almost always the result. In a world where we have grown accustom to having other people, who we never really trust, deal with each and every environmental crisis, it will come as no surprise that the ultimate consequence of populaces not paying attention, is of course going to be dire.

www.griffintheatre.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: Wuthering Heights (Roslyn Packer Theatre)

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Venue: Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney NSW), Jan 31 – Feb 15, 2025
Adaptor: Emma Rice (from the novel by Emily Brontë)
Composer: Ian Ross
Director: Emma Rice
Cast: Sam Archer, Nandi Bhebhe, Matthew Churcher, Rebecca Collingwood, Frederick Double, Stephanie Elstob, Thomas Fox, Stephanie Hockley, TJ Holmes, John Leader, Robyn Sinclair
Images by Steve Tanner

Theatre review
It is the story of star-crossed lovers Heathcliff and Catherine, from the pen of Emily Brontë but adapted for a contemporary stage. The circumstances around the dark romance of Wuthering Heights may seem a relic of the past, but the emotions that it represents prove enduring.

Transformed into a musical, we are swept away by compositions from Ian Ross that are alternately ethereal and intense, creating a majestic soundscape that takes us far away to 18th-century northern England. Its characters make choices that are unlikely to make sense today, but the music connects with something primal, for an instinctive understanding of how they might have felt.

This reinvigorated version by Emma Rice is as imaginative as it is exuberant, with pop influences that help the old novel resonate anew. Choreography by Etta Murfitt introduces an unexpected kineticism, adding a sense of palpable urgency. Production design by Vicky Mortimer may look somewhat home-spun and dwarfed by the lofty sleekness of the auditorium, but quirky elements are nonetheless delightful.

It is an endearing cast that takes the charge, with John Leader’s idiosyncratic interpretation of a marvellously suave Heathcliff, earning our investment in his epic tale of ambition and regret. Stephanie Hockley’s passionate defiance as Catherine brings an undeniable spiritedness to the production. Also notable are Nandi Bhebne as Leader of the Moors, and Robyn Sinclair as Young Cathy, both highly compelling with their splendid vocals and considered depictions.

There are so many tragic deaths in Wuthering Heights, most of which are related to the notion of a broken heart. Heathcliff was indeed devastated by the loss of his love, and even though it is a truism that life without love is worth little, it is easy to mistakenly believe the same about romance. Only love is essential, and fortunately much more attainable than its illusory and evanescent echo.

www.wutheringheightsaustralia.com

Review: Wally (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jan 24 – Feb 8, 2025
Playwright: Nick Vagne
Director: Amelia Gilday
Cast: Alicia Badger, Andrew Badger, Madison Chippendale, Lana Filies, Tammie Harper, Iley Jones, Suz Mawer, Nick Vagne, Chad Traupmann
Images by Amelia Gilday

Theatre review
Lou and Suzie have lost their young son, and as they try to mourn his passing, shocking revelations about circumstances around his death are making things even harder. Wally by Nick Vagne is a murder mystery that takes its drama to risky spaces involving the tricky subject of child abuse. Some might consider it a valuable initiation of discussions on the subject, and others might think it sensationalist. In any case, viewers will need to be prepared to be exposed to these sensitive issues, even if the staging is careful to not be excessive with its enactments.

Directed by Amelia Gilday, Wally proves an intriguing experience, if slightly confusing in sections, with the inclusion of red herrings and tangents to the narrative, that are typical of the genre. Set and costume designs by Margot Politis offer simple solutions, for scenic locations and character types. Lights by Alicia Badger, along with sounds by Frank Dwyer, are particularly effective in the enhancement of tension for this dark story.

Actor Madison Chippendale plays Lou with convincing emotional intensity, and Suz Mawer as Suzie provides a foundation of authenticity, so that the show communicates at some level of validity. Abilities of other cast members are mixed, but there is sufficient commitment by all, to keep our attention sustained throughout. The stakes are so high in Wally that when we get to the revelatory end, the pay off that we uncover, was probably always going to be somewhat underwhelming.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.moonbureau.com