The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (revised) (again) | Sun and Wine Arts Company
Director Ben Kasper tackles this fast-paced work by constantly moving at a break-neck pace, throwing one visual gag after another, so even when one particular joke doesn’t land, there is likely one just around the corner that will bring the house down.
Capricorn | Aidan Rowlingson
The first forty-five minutes of the play was some of the most powerful theatre I’ve seen as Dow and Latrise were engaging in an tennis match of absurd proportions about their inner frustrations with themselves and each other, with Llewy-Allan providing comedic quips to add more bounce.
CAKE | IMRSE
This extravagant new work by IMRSE is a feast for the senses and an unapologetic exploration of cancel culture and the concept of an invariable history writing itself. Expect no less than extreme over-dramatics–in the best way, I promise! CAKE is hilarious, sexy, and high energy, offering a deeply satisfying way to spend a night out.
Proof | Ad Astra
The actors really owned the sister relationship and there were many beautiful moments of connection in the play. A highlight is where Claire and Catherine are talking about a dress, something seemingly so small but there is a pause where I could feel the entire weight of their relationship and their grief for their father. In such a small moment you could see these two sisters really connect and be completely open and vulnerable with each other without having to say a word.
The Father | PIP Theatre
Tony Nixon’s on stage persona as Andre is flawless - he realistically embodies the role of a person with dementia who is convincing in his struggles to understand the rapid decline of his mind and wellbeing. His physical stance, range of facial expressions, rare lucent moments versus ever increasing memory loss coupled with uncontrollable nervous tics signify the transformational changes and damage of dementia.
The Turquoise Elephant | Observatory Theatre
As Director Lachlan Driscoll notes, ‘each character has their bonkers idea of what’s going on outside and how to cope” Carleton observes that ‘we do nothing on a grander and grander scale’. And what, the play asks us, is there to be done? Who should do it?’ In such a situation, an absurdist, black farce is absolutely the way in which to encourage audiences to face up to current reality—and to start to talk about the ‘elephant in the room’ (now, for me, forever turquoise!).
34 Scenes About the Weather | Lunch Friend & Anywhere Festival
Featuring 34 Playwrights including two of Brisvegas’s treasures David Burton and Claire Christian, each scene had a distinctive tone and voice, even if sometimes the content sometimes overlapped. Actors Eliza Allen, Harrison Paroz, Jordan Stott and Grace Teng all had their own unique presence on stage and acting prowess. Even off-stage, when they were manually creating weather sound effects – such a brilliant addition – they carried that presence and watchability with them.
Recipe for Relativity | Here + There Productions & Anywhere Festival
The “escape” for this unique Anywhere Festival experience was to assist dimension hopping Hadley to leave our dimension before their DNA broke down from too much inter-dimensional exposure. To help them escape, we were asked to fix their traveling device, a meticulously crafted object that had multiple dials, lights, and doors to fiddle with made by show producer Regan Henry.
I'm Not Entirely Here | Vena Cava Productions & Anywhere Festival
While it was impossible to be present for every character interaction or read every scribbled note, I was able to create a complete understanding of the plot. The cast achieved this through moments where all present characters came together to move the plot along. As a result, everyone's experience at I'm not entirely here will be unique, but every experience will also be complete.
13: The Play | Legacy Ensemble & Anywhere Festival
Each of the thirteen performers seamlessly snapped between different set pieces and characters, sometimes even mid-sentence and didn’t miss a beat. In a split second, one actor could be a young child complaining to their parents and in the next breath, they were a gang member. Each transition was seamless as the last.
Polis and Panathenaea | Flaming Carnations & Anywhere Festival
Performance stand outs included Gardiner’s portrayal of Medea and Free’s of Medusa. As Medea Gardiner was both sexy and sociopathic as she detailed her historically misunderstood relationship with motherhood. Free’s physicality as Medusa slithered and snaked, as could only be appropriate for her character.
ART | Staged Theatre Company & Anywhere Festival
As part of the Anywhere Festival, this play was held in a screening room at the Institute of Modern Art. The small space allowed for an intimate performance, something uncommon in Brisbane theatre. All audience members were within meters of the actors, creating an engaging environment in which to enjoy the show.
Card Houses | Harrison Mills & Anywhere Festival
The chemistry and the dynamics between the actors were also brilliant. From their intense fight to a heart-felted conversation, the pacing was well performed throughout, which ultimately drew me deeper into their inner world.
The Poison of Polygamy | La Boite Theatre & Sydney Theatre Company
Modern Australia has always been diverse, and more stories need to focus on the reality of diversity in our country, even if that is a complicated story to tell. I found the work challenging in the best possible way and felt affected by the narrative. The Poison of Polygamy is a must-see for anyone seeking relevant, high-quality theatric works.
SHE | indelabilityarts
SHE is an evocative rollercoaster ride of emotions where the dark, the neutral and the light share the stage equally just like in real life. SHE is at once unsettling, discomforting, provocative, engaging, seamlessly invoking a plethora of emotions ranging from anger to serenity, from dark to light, from pessimism to optimism but above all, from hopelessness to hope. SHE is brave enough to take a deep dive into women and their particular mental health issues.
Venus in Fur | The X Collective
What truly made this play stand out was the performance of the actors, AJ and Nick Sinclair, who dynamically portrayed the two main characters. The performances were nothing short of exceptional, with both actors delivering nuanced portrayals of their characters. They both playfully and skilfully moved through the complex tonal and vocal shifts demanded of the piece.
REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN | Vena Cava Productions
REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN is an audacious and bold production. Breaking down text, vocabulary, and vernacular to its most surreal roots, it explores how words and society’s changing definition of them, have shaped the way we perceive and behave towards women, and placed arbitrary – and often absurd – boundaries around gender roles.
Nineteen | Underground Theatre Company
Overall, the actors as an ensemble were quite tight and captured the emotional repression and despondency that their characters were feeling. A special mention to Dominic Graves, who gave his character Noah’s broken masculinity and repressed trauma nuance and an emotional depth that was called for.
I Love You, Bro | THAT Production Company
Quick, now’s your chance to experience an excellent young actor in a small black box theatre before he hits the big time and is too famous for all of us. In all seriousness, Jordan Stott was flying - his performance leaps forward with presence and electricity, never leaving the audience behind. This performer knows how to work a crowd, and this piece was perfect for him.
The Mystery of the Valkyrie | Woodward Productions & PowerArts
Sherlock Holmes aficionados will love the twists and turns of the story that Director & Writer Michael Futcher brings and the relationship established by an exceptionally well-cast Holmes and Watson duo. Eugene Gilfedder really is Sherlock Holmes, and Anthony Gooley’s Dr John Watson was suitably endearing and enjoyable.