The Tempest | Zen Zen Zo
The Tempest is a play in which none of the narratives have much substance. Instead, the focus is on the complexities of being human and the consequences of our actions. On the surface, the play appears like a world of magic, love and loss, but Bradley asks us to look beneath the surface.
100 Years of the History of Dance | Joseph Simons
In Jacob, the team have created a unique guide through the last 100 yearsof dance. Joseph plays Jacob with the right combination of effortless charm,youthful exuberance, flamboyance, vulnerability and boundless energy to balanceout his know-it-all nature.
Conviction | Dots+Loops
It’s hypnotic, beautiful and, in a strangely weightless way, gripping. The kind of performance that could easily open the minds of more populistly inclined audiences to the brilliance of opera and medieval art music. Which, when considered as a feat independent of the specific performance context, feels almost miraculous.
La Silhouette | Sui Ensemble
The central recurring theme of the piece seems to be compassion. This, along with the work’s larger context of appearing in a queer performance festival and explicit preoccupation with marginalised communities, is why its insensitivity and hurt is the framework of this critique.
Collab Works 2019: Recipe | Shari Indriani & QUT Technical Production
Overall, it’s a work that engenders an excitement for the future of Brisbane’s theatrical community. The script itself is obscenely strong, the performers uniformly excellent and the developing talent involved are seemingly already cultivating excellent instincts. Hopefully, Brisbane will be seeing more of all involved.
Nautical but Nice | Ruckus Slam
Yo ho ho and a barrel of fun. Ruckus Slam, purveyors of poetry, cabaret and alt-arts for the indie kids of Brisbane, have delivered another sterling production in their most ambitious venue to date.
Magpie | Elise Grieg
Mordecai, played by Barb Lowing, was utterly convincing, a character we have all met at an airport, or in a busy city bistro. Blustering her way through life, with a mouth like a sailor and a welt of unresolved issues, her fractious relationship with her daughter only serves to highlight her disconnect with her former home.
The Nest | Chance Collective
Sometimes you see a bit of art that is so stupidly fruity, you get a little giddy. From the wantonly creative women at Chance Collective comes a deliciously strange and unrepentantly weird wander into a surreal date night. Straight up, no apologies, this is my jam.
The Humours of Bandon | Fishamble
It’s the type of work that does so much with so little that it’s easy to take the meticulous craft on display for granted. There’s something quietly brilliant in giving the protagonist everything they want halfway through a narrative, for example. And, using the obsessive nature of a character to elegantly deliver exposition and frame the audience’s understanding is exceptionally graceful writing.
Whiplash | Scott Wings
Whiplash starts as a seemingly straightforward journey into how the disparate parts of Scott’s body battle for control on an awkward first date. Performing on a bare stage with just a stool, a music player and a whole lot of charm, Scott utilises every inch of the space and contorts his body into all manner of ways to take us with him on his hero's journey in the search of his heart.
Titanic: The Movie, The Play | Act/React
Bochenski cheekily turns the appearance and attire of each“Young Rose” into chuckle fodder as she invites them up, and the guest is deftly guided and prompted by the cast, all commendable improvisers who are able to springboard from each audience participants’ lines, however hesitant or giggly the delivery.
The Waiting Game | The Reaction Theory
Callum Ford’s direction was fantastic. The way in which the work was staged and the layout of the space as a restaurant, meant that we were enthralled in the characters’ world from before the show even started.
Dwell | Collectivist
Collectivist’s first production, Dwell, takes this concept and runs with it. Twists it, turns it, mashes it and destroys it in the best possible way, turning the traditional cabaret into a whole new beast. Similar in concept to HBO’s Room 104, in the world of Dwell’s hotel, anything can and will happen.
As If No One Is Watching | Vulcana Circus
As If showcases the diversity of these women's experiences, including the mundane life that forced upon us, our inner demons and how we can take back the night. There is something that everyone will be able to connect with here, and I dare anyone to not be moved by what they see.
Hold My Beer | Half-Hitch
Like a good night out, dares and games result in the cast swapping roles, utilising two stages and much of the room and the audience being drawn into the show and into the fun on the stage. T his provides some of the best moments of the show, as the performers compete against each other and audience members to unexpected results.
Skyward | Republic of Song
We begin with a beautiful dreamy introduction, a delicate song performed on cello and piano as we watch a mesmerising timelapse. Throughout the performance, Bale explores the inherent urge to escape, to fly free into the sky, and the inevitable sadness that comes with the realisation of gravity, and impossibility, and mortality.
Amelia Anonymous | Virag Dombay
There are moments in Amelia Anonymous that are truly memorable. A sustained moment of sitting in the rain, symbolised by blue torches flickering in the darkness over a single figure, is genuinely inspired. The warmth of the various relationships covered by the play starts to shine through beautifully towards its conclusion.
#FirstWorldWhiteGirls | Spirit Animal
#FirstWorldWhiteGirls figuratively burnt the house down at the Brisbane Powerhouse's Comedy festival tonight. It's infectious, funny and all too real.
Mutating Roots | Mayu Muto
In Mutating Roots, common aerial apparatus are cleverly transformed beyond their traditional forms in circus. Muto has added interesting textures and shapes to each apparatus, creating new depth, light and shadows to explore these themes.