Category: Theatre

Opera, Theatre

VIEWS: This Month in Perth Performing Arts – October 2019

Editor

October, you’ve been good to us here in Perth. As the weather gets a little warmer, companies start to head into their final productions, while artists and indie producers begin gearing up for Fringemas. I want to take a look back at the shows I got to enjoy this month, and look ahead to a couple of big seasons that were launched by two of our majors, WA Opera and Black Swan STC. I’ll get a little more personal with this post than you’d see with a typical review, so if you decide to read on, I hope you’ll indulge … Continue reading VIEWS: This Month in Perth Performing Arts – October 2019

Reviews, Theatre

REVIEW: Love and Information || Hand In Hand Theatre

Editor

Love and Information Review by Lorna Mackie July 18, 2019 I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of Hand in Hand Theatre’s production of the fascinating work Love and Information, by Caryl Churchill at the Subiaco Arts Centre Studio space. Love and Information is a unique work, with almost 80 scenes in the script for the director to choose from. There are no character descriptions, no names, no thread of storyline, no recurring themes or narratives; the genius of the work is that the author requires the director and actors to work as a true ensemble, workshopping and … Continue reading REVIEW: Love and Information || Hand In Hand Theatre

Reviews, Theatre

REVIEW: S-27 || Feet First Collective and Fremantle Festival

Editor

S-27 Review by Lorna Mackie July 12, 2019 S-27, written by Sarah Grochala, is presented by Feet First Collective as part of Fremantle Festival – 10 Nights in Port 2019 at the Fremantle Arts Centre. S-27 is a dystopian, partially immersive theatre experience shown in the round. Set in a fictional world where ‘The Organisation’ controls everything, the audience, as traitors to The Organisation are taken for Assessment. Audience members have the option to volunteer for some physical interaction (which is well managed by the cast) prior to the Assessment, which is a more traditional seated play in the round. … Continue reading REVIEW: S-27 || Feet First Collective and Fremantle Festival

Reviews, Theatre

REVIEW: Floor Thirteen || Marshall Stay and The Blue Room Theatre

Editor

  Floor Thirteen Review by Lorna Mackie 27 June 2019 Floor Thirteen, presented by The Blue Room Theatre and Marshall Stay, is a fascinating and challenging new work. This is its premier run, however, it feels highly polished. Floor Thirteen is performed in the round, a brilliant directing choice by Marshall Stay (one of many such well-considered choices) to make the best of some incredibly strong physical theatre, and had me captured from start to finish. The show features an emotional and nuanced performance in the character of Phoebe (Kylie Bywaters), stuck in a lift at 3am, anxiously recounting the … Continue reading REVIEW: Floor Thirteen || Marshall Stay and The Blue Room Theatre

Interviews, Theatre

INTERVIEW: Susie Conte || The Communists are in the Funhouse

Editor

  Hysteria. The word’s etymology stems from the Greek word for ‘uterus’, and for centuries, it was used to medically diagnose a range of female problems; in extreme cases a diagnosis of female hysteria meant the sufferer would be dumped in an asylum or have her uterus removed. Of course, now we know better, but there’s still a lot of shame around talking openly and publicly about periods, and illnesses, syndromes and disorders involving the female anatomy. Women’s bodies are still seen as a deviation from the male ‘standard’ and therefore, abnormal, and not worthy of frank, direct discussion. Well, … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Susie Conte || The Communists are in the Funhouse

Reviews, Theatre

REVIEW: Miss Westralia || Blonde Moment Theatre and The Blue Room Theatre

Editor

  Miss Westralia Blonde Moment Theatre and The Blue Room Theatre 24 May 2019 Western Australia has the fortunate distinction of being the home of the first winner of the Miss Australia Quest, Miss Beryl Mills, and now we’ve also got a new home-grown musical about her rise to international pageant fame. Blonde Moment Theatre’s Miss Westralia returns to the Perth stage at The Blue Room Theatre after its first run at FRINGE WORLD in 2018, and has met with sell-out audiences in its first week. It’s a fresh, good-natured, and contemporary look at this forgotten moment in Australian history. We … Continue reading REVIEW: Miss Westralia || Blonde Moment Theatre and The Blue Room Theatre

Interviews, Theatre

INTERVIEW: Michelle Aitken || Unrule

Editor

  Theatre maker Michelle Aitken, fresh from performing in Bow & Dagger’s The Double, is about to open a show of her own at The Blue Room Theatre called Unrule. She and her team of collaborators are tackling the ickiness of women’s bodies, or rather, women’s anxieties around the perceived ickiness of their bodies. Aitken gives us some insights into making this show, and what audiences can look forward to. What made you look to the prom scene in Carrie for inspiration? What is it about that scene that resonates with you? While I was researching for the show I read a paper … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Michelle Aitken || Unrule

Dance, Reviews, Theatre

REVIEW: Jupiter Orbiting || Joshua Pether and PICA

Editor

PICA is currently presenting a curious and intriguing work by dance artist Joshua Pether called Jupiter Orbiting. Pether has been developing and performing the piece, a dance/physical theatre hybrid, since 2018, when it premiered at the Next Wave Festival. Jupiter Orbiting features music created by Daniel Jenatsch and videography by Neil Berrick, and takes us into an eerie realm of light, form and childhood artifacts. The show opens with Pether standing in a white unitard, crowned by a matted pink party wig, his face obscured by something made with fishnet, with empty balloons, Lego pieces, and animal figurines pinned to … Continue reading REVIEW: Jupiter Orbiting || Joshua Pether and PICA

Reviews, Theatre

REVIEW: Fleabag | The Blue Room Summer Nights for FRINGE WORLD

Editor

Fleabag Review by Cicely Binford 20.2.2018 ☆☆☆☆ Fleabag might be you. Or your best friend. Or your sister. Or heaven forbid, she might be your partner. She’s a mess, and she threatens to drag you down with her; sometimes she succeeds. But she’s funny as hell, and nothing shocks her (especially not the terrible things she does to herself and to others), so you’re free to be your own disgusting self around her. That’s her appeal. Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s solo show was made into a series for the BBC in 2016, thus cementing Fleabag’s popularity, giving it a worldwide audience. My … Continue reading REVIEW: Fleabag | The Blue Room Summer Nights for FRINGE WORLD