Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner | Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre
Before they know it, Cleo and Kara are thrust deep, deep, deep inside the rabbit hole of racism, colourism and the ongoing, relentless commodification of Black women. But when tweets resurface that question @INCOGNEGRO’s stance on homophobia, the battle is no longer fought in cyberspace. It becomes very personal. Gender preferences, shades of skin-colour, types of hair, beauty… are on the table as these two rip into each other while delving headlong into their very own pain and anguish.
Face to Face | Emily Wells & Playlab Theatre
Growing up in an Indigenous community, many of the issues that impact our mob happen so frequently that I personally found and still find it difficult to properly process a lot of the grief and my own trauma. Sitting in the crowd and watching the characters speak gave me some time to truly reflect and allowed me to be vulnerable as they expressed their own vulnerability.
Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner | Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre
Play wright Jasmine Lee Jones explores a range of issues in this creation. Issues we face in this society as women of colour with working through the trickiness of white-privilege, attraction and body-shaming, the male gaze, sexual assault, sexuality, colourism and the deep dive discord of social media. It reminds us all the social media can be a dark space and it’s easy to lose yourself in it. And also, how much our privacy is abolished in our absent minded engagement in it. How many times have you felt the pang of reaction / non-reaction to a post you share? We all do it. And it’s crazy!
Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner | Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre
Under the direction of Shari Sebbens, the way the actors express their inner rhythm was so captivating. I read along to witty and vibrant UK accents interpreting tweets layered with gifs, emojis, memes and internet slang - the pair are so on point they hit each word on beat like a follower hits the love button. You like it, but then it’s not quite enough and you have to give it ‘another one, another one, another one.’
Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner | Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre
In a lot of ways I see the internet as a fun ball and chain attached to my ankle. There are so many more ways to connect, but also so many more ways to have expectations placed on you, and whether you love it or hate it, there feels like there's a kind of an inevitability to it. 7 Methods captures that feeling so well. Even when the actors devolve into the frankly stupid overuse of memes and abbreviations in their real-life speech, it still felt right to me. It felt authentic. That sense of authenticity contributed to a near constant stream of laughter from me and the rest of the audience.
Die Hard: The Movie, The Play | Act React
It was really great to be part of the live audience. I enjoyed the laughter (including watching some audience members almost in tears, as they were laughing so hard)… and it was wonderful to spend a whole hour in 1988 (a world away from the challenges of 2021.
The Unspoken Word is ‘Joe’ | The Reaction Theory
This production showcased some incredible young talent in Meanjin | Brisbane and was a true delight to watch. The script was clever, witty, and fast. Meanjin needs more theatre like this and every comedy I see following this will have a very high bar to live up to.
Portraits: A Haunted Mansion | Observatory Theatre
The play follows the Godbold family as they adapt to rapid changes in their family hierarchy after their father, Ivan (played by James Hogan), suffers from a stroke. Estranged siblings, Josephine (played by Rebecca Day) and Martin (played by Emile Regano), are forced back together to confront unspoken traditions, secrets, memories, trauma, and ghosts.
Sometimes It's Hot Like The Sun | Imperfect Creatives
I found in the performance and the deeper reading the play later, a refreshing candour for ugliness. The mother who does not particularly like her kids and is somewhat resigned to such a poor choice made some time before. The lack of self-awareness that occurs when an adult berates a tiny child for social transgressions of which it can scarcely be aware. A wistfulness for an imagined life that was never really pursed with any commitment.
Holy Bin A Moley | Art for Earthlings
Samantha, Nicolas, and Jennifer are all fantastic actors. Bringing each of the characters they play to life with an understanding of how to perform children’s entertainment, but like those Nickelodeon shows they still manage to have jokes for the adults. They also aren’t afraid to make fun of themselves or show their improvisation skill when the kids are offering their suggestions.
Death and The Maiden | Ad Astra
As an audience, we are left wondering right to the end of the play whether the man she has bound in her home is guilty of the crimes Paulina condemns him for or whether her trauma has shaped an elaborate narrative that allows her to punish the guilty and move on from her past.
Shelter | The Drawer Productions
Intricately woven, utterly impressive, and a crash-course in ancestral healing. Shelter deserves all the success it has had commercially and critically, as well as the success I am sure is coming in the near-future. I am so glad I was able to experience this work.
Shelter | The Drawer Productions
The lighting and sound was used really effectively to direct me and I really liked being pulled around the space by voices from another room, coloured flashes of light or a tv being turned on. On top of this, because there was so much to look at and dig through, as well as sometimes multiple scenes being done at once, you had a lot of power as an individual audience member to shape your view of the story.
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 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.
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.
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.
I Liked it.... But | Joel Bray
The work did feel a little self-congratulatory on Bray’s part from time to time, but this was very well balanced against the ‘tongue firmly in cheek’ tone of the night. As someone with contemporary dance training I found the jokes made at the form’s expense accurate and hilarious.