Grease | Musical Theatre Students, Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University
A massive cast of consummate performers tore down QPAC's Lyric theatre with a passionate, charming and energetic production of beloved musical Grease. The theatre was packed and the audience was buzzing, both from the excitement at seeing their loved ones dance and sing up a storm and the nostalgia of seeing the live version of the movie and megamix that we all knew so well. Or so we thought, because while the stage version of Grease is still the story of teen rebels and lost love, it isn't quite the version that we'd been raised on and the nostalgia of what I remembered from the movie didn’t match the reality of the story of Grease.
Rhythmology | Tyson Goddard & Backbone
It’s 7pm and I don’t want to be late and as we arrive a few minutes past the hour and do the obligatory check-ins, we see the place is teeming with POC people, the familiar feel of Backbone Youth Arts reeks of that uniquely old ozzy bowlo vibe, but as we enter through the next room, the set slips into a shimmering pink backdrop, fully seated with fabulousness dripping, geometry in the ceiling, warm hues with lighting low, you can feel the vibration from the punters peaking with jittered excitement.
A Celebration of Amy Winehouse | Blue Arcadia Music & Fearless Singer Productions
Each performer brought a different flavour to each tune and told their own story through their vocals. They were complimented by the live band behind them, filled with a horn section, bass, drums, percussion, guitar and keys who captured the energy, melancholy and soul of Amy’s compositions.
Return to the Dirt | Queensland Theatre
This play is sheer genius. It’s bloody brilliant. What a marvellous piece of theatre. I gave the cast a standing ovation on their first curtain call and I stood clapping long after they’d left the stage. I hope everyone gets to see this, young and old.
The David Bentley Trio | Restrung Festival
Led by Brisbane’s accomplished jazz/blues pianist and composer David Bentley and joined by Brisbane musicians Andrew Shaw (bass) and Nathan Goldman (drums), the trio played a number of jazz standards and original songs; all which left the audience gleefully tapping their feet.
The Brother’s Grimm Spectaculathon | Left of Right Theatre Company
The script was a hybrid form of a pantomime cross with a farce, featuring lots of audience interaction and sixty bold characters played by only six actors… it truly made you wonder how they were all not out of breath.
Maze | The Naughty Corner Collective
The actors used neon tube lighting to move around the space, giving shape to the maze and blocking Wray’s path as he approached dead ends. This was a very effective use of the small stage. Further, it made the labyrinth feel alive, almost like a character itself, with the lighting being the blood pumping through the veins of the tunnels.
Momentum | WOW (Women of the World) Australia
The series explored what the notion of ‘momentum’ means for the feminist movement and how it differs dependent on various intersectional feminisms. The three events – Women Who Dare, First Nations First, and The Making of Men – each opened up important conversations and placed a spotlight on feminist and other social issues.
One Night Only | Queen and Friend
It was mighty impressive how they seamlessly wove these stories without any preparation or insight and how the performers never seemed to lose momentum in their hour long run time. It’s one thing to do improv for ten minutes but to do it for sixty minutes non-stop is not an easy feat for the faint of heart. But faint of heart, these comedians were not.
Happy Go Wrong | Andi Snelling
The archetype of the angel, mythical creature, saviour or inner subconscious is portrayed by ‘ French Aviator’ on skates, provides the comedy against the anguish this show journeys in to help Andi to see the light.
Closing night concert feat. Aspy Jones | Undercover Artist Festival
Aspy Jones features two other equally talented siblings in the line up plus what can be guessed as two besties who write killer songs, obviously all musically click and have the chops to do this for the rest of their lives, hopefully making mega bucks along the way.
Right To Party | Babushka
Large colourful blow up props sit comfortably within the set, bright and bold objects scattered neatly around the three microphones that accommodate the stellar trio. Add some big hair, fishnets and big socks to top off the vibrancy the cast portrays and a dance party worthy lighting show. The production was kaleidoscopic.
Forgery | ADC
All of the instructions are random, which makes each transition hilarious but also breathtaking. My eyes dart from each side of the stage as they transition and morph into many different shapes and movements.
This Ain't No Pussy Show | Kate Harman
Over the space of an hour we explore tropes of toxic masculinity, are presented with provocations on positive masculinity, look at the tangle of ethical motherhood, push it up against the dark heart of a lifetime wrestling with misogyny, and dance around themes of friendship, aging, empowerment, growth, and discovery. A meaty morsel, to be sure.
Common People Dance Eisteddfod 3 | Common People Dance Project
As soon as I walked into the sold-out South Bank Piazza, I was transported back to a school sports carnival – there were banners flying, colour coded teams chanting, and lots and lots of sequins. Videos of performer’s friends and family from across the globe played on the projector, until Neridah Waters (co-founder and MC) took to the stage, donned in Lycra, looking fantastic as ever.
Restless Dream | Bob Weatherall, Halfway, Digi Youth Arts & Alethea Beetson
It’s through Uncle Bob Weatherall where the reality hits that we are experiencing more than art and performance - it’s truth telling performed with rawness and honesty. Restless Dream tells the real-life journey of Uncle Bob’s efforts of repatriation and bringing back the ancestral remains of those who have died to be buried back on their country, back to Kamilaroi. Bringing peace and ensuring a real passing can happen.
Je Suis Toi | The Sunshine Troupe
The performance began with the three performers being wrapped, tangled, and constricted by long pieces of elastic. As they danced around, they slowly began to free themselves from the constraints.
The No Bang Theory | Oliver Hetherington-Page
Debuting at the Undercover Artist Festival and created and performed by Oliver Hetherington-Page, The No Bang Theory is a musical journey from dating disasters to diagnosis through the lens of someone who is actually autistic, unlike Sheldon Cooper and all the ones who came before him.
Brown Church | Naavikaran
“Brown Church is a work in progress”, declares Naavikaran, and it’s clear that they have much to say. Thank those Gods within Naavi that they have created a space to share this. The very clearly rehearsed and intentional poetry recited is of considerable expertise, sheening the POC queer space into the light.
Of Mice & Men | Ad Astra
It wasn’t just like watching a room full of men speak through clenched teeth at each other and then break out into violence, it was like being in a room full of men about to break out into a fight which truly verged on unpleasant for me. It definitely kept me deeply invested but it also kind of made me want to hide.