Little Borders has a very short season at the 505 and so you must get to Newtown before 15/7 to see this excellent play. It is written by a young Australian playwright, Phillip Kavanagh, who has won several major awards for a good reason- his work is insightful, funny, captivating and the messages are clear. This is a very dark comedy about our perception of The Other and could not be more appropriate for 2017 – amazingly written in 2010. The cast, Lucy Goleby and Brandon McClelland is up to the task, both actors handling the humour and drama equally well. The set is perfect for the piece and the lighting is particularly attractive. It is flawlessly directed by Dominic Mercer.  The producer, Dino Dimitriadis does not have a blurb in the programme but he is one of those creatives whose work is always good, whether he directs or produces. This work is a complete pleasure to watch and deserves a full house. Don’t miss it!.

The current production at The Old Fitz, Doubt, has already been enthusiastically reviewed by all the ‘big’ Sydney reviewers. Doubt is a play that requires superb acting in order to sustain tension, prevent melodrama and be truly convincing. Set in a parish school in the Bronx, the stage is beautifully lit to give the illusion of a church at times. But the performances of the cast are even more illuminating. Belinda Giblin is an astonishing actress, capable of restraint or slapstick comedy. Her portrayal of the school principal is faultless and she is entirely convincing. During her performance she is seen writing a letter and she told me afterwards that she actually writes a different letter every night, each relevant to the drama. We are the beneficiaries of this level of commitment. Matilda Ridgway is a very accomplished actress whom I have seen many times working for all the well known companies in Sydney. She is a very capable Shakespearean actress, and her ability to think deeply about the text informs her performance beautifully. The other two performers are equally well cast, Damian de Montemas, absolutely charismatic as the priest and Charmaine Bingwa who surprised me by not being American when I spoke to her after the play. Dino Dimitriadis has done a marvelous job as director;he has an enormously successful track record in theatre but usually producing. He has created a piece of theatre that really should run for months… but without a doubt should not be missed!

Red Line Productions undertook an amazing concept in 2017. They commissioned a new play for every main stage production, and the new play was to be a response to the main stage  play.’ Bengal Tiger’, currently showing . It is a beautiful play which had a wonderful debut on broadway ; Robin Williams was the lead actor. The response play, ‘Amongst the Ruins’ is written by a local actor/writer, Michael Mcstay. This young man is an accomplished actor, musician and writer. He wrote a very creative piece which I saw in 2016 at The Old Fitz, ‘ Bright Those Claws That Mar The Flesh’, and I was extremely impressed with this work, and hopeful that he would continue to write. His response play is truly amazing. It is a beautiful piece of theatre in its own right, but it also incorporates  many themes of the inspirational work, ‘Bengal Tiger’. The cast is absolutely excellent and makes the most of the eloquent writing . I cannot recommend this play strongly enough. See ‘Bengal Tiger and then its response. You will be amazed!

The current play at The old Fitz, Bengal Tiger At The Bagdad Zoo is a Sydney premiere. It is a brilliant play, intricate, imaginative, deep and extremely moving. It debuted on Broadway in a large theatre and we Sydney audiences are therefore particularly lucky to have the opportunity to see this play in such an intimate setting. What must have been a very entertaining play in its original incarnation is absolutely spellbinding at The Old Fitz, due to the direction of Claudia Barrie. She has created an animal chorus, reminiscent of a Greek Tragedy from the play’s original concept of a topiary garden and this works brilliantly to propel the multilayered themes of the play. To add to the visual appeal of this production she has created  animal masks that are illuminated to reveal various wild animals, and the set is also lit in gorgeous hues of magenta, green, gold and red. The Lighting designer, Benjamin Brockman must been congratulated for carrying out this lighting concept, certainly the most beautiful I can ever remember.

Naturally a marvelous play requires brilliant acting and this team has no weak link. The Tiger, Maggie Dence, is a very experienced and capable actress who delivers a nuanced performance. I particularly loved the performances of Josh Anderson, as Kev and Steven Multari as Tom, the two U.S soldiers fighting in Iraq. Their performances were spectacular and they avoided any cliches associated with these protagonists.

This is the best of theatre and we are so lucky to have such talent and creativity in Sydney. Sunday’s performance was booked out so rush to the Red Line website and book tickets today!

When I saw the latest play at the old Fitzroy theatre, ‘Crimes of the Heart’, I was struck by how much it felt like being in a theatre off -Broadway. This is the term given to theatres close to Broadway, generally smaller venues, which create theatre with the same credentials as larger Broadway productions. This is a wonderful piece, well acted, gorgeously designed, and expertly directed by Janine Watson who is such a talented actress herself. Although this is not a new play it is a fascinating reference point in the history of Women’s Rights in the western world. We certainly have traveled some distance from the times when a married woman was the property of her husband – this thinking was still in force in the 1960s. The play is not just a political piece but also manages to give some dimension to its major protagonists. This is definitely one to catch!

Calamity Jane is a 1960s musical adaptation from a ’50s film starring Doris Day. The merits of the musical are actually irrelevant to this production which explodes with such sing/acting/dancing/musical talent from the cast that even a fairly trite plot is engaging, funny and poignant.

Virginia Gay plays Calamity  to perfection. She looks just right and her vocal skills are well showcased in the variety of genres which she sings. Her skill is such that even though the play is quite self referential and there are many jokes which work to draw her out of her character she is still so endearing in her character that I was moved by her declaration of love at the finale. I saw her last year  ( in Hidden Sydney) and swore I would never miss her in a live performance… and I shall keep my promise.

Anthony Gooley and Sheridan Harbridge are very experienced multi talented actors whom I have seen ( and reviewed ) many times. They are both outstanding. Sheridan has a beautiful voice and is very comfortable in this genre. Anthony is a serious multi-award winning actor and it was a pleasure to see him in this light hearted piece.

The rest of the cast are all capable and the ensemble work is beautifully judged.

I loved the way the stage was utilised in this production and ‘audience participation’ which is usually cringe-worthy was brilliantly incorporated into the script.

This is such a winning production that it is probably going to be sold out within five minutes .. so do not delay in purchasing tickets.

There is quite a buzz about the current play at the Old Fitzroy Theatre, The Judas Kiss. As a production is is quite breathtaking, and I could not imagine this eloquent beautiful play being realised more effectively on Broadway or in London. We went with friends who commented that it was a shame this this splendid theatre was able to be enjoyed by so few people at a time. I believe that it is the very intimacy of the production that makes it so powerful.

The play is about the court case which caused Oscar Wilde to be imprisoned for gross indecency, and the aftermath.

I can see that some reviewers do not care for the play, but I love it. The first act is perfectly paced to enable the audience to savour  the impending doom that the major protagonist Oscar Wilde, will face. There are no words to describe just how beautiful this scene is and it draws out wonderful performances from the cast. The second act is equally compelling, set during Oscar’s years post prison in Europe.

This play is based on fact and there was alot of biographical material incorporated into the text. Some of the characters were not deep or complex and  certainly in the case of Oscar Wilde’s lover Bosie, not even particularly pleasant. The casting of Hayden Maher in this role is perfect- he is a radiantly beautiful young man and one can certainly imagine some character flaws ( such as narcissism) would have gone unnoticed!! Josh Quong Tart is remarkable as Oscar Wilde. Simon London is completely convincing as the rejected lover Robbie. The other cast members-Robert Alexander, Hannah Raven David Soncin and Luke Fewster are all wonderful in their roles.

I was thrilled with Iain Sinclair’s direction. Every interaction was believable and tantalising.

I cannot fail to mention the set design and construction by well known designer John Hindmarsh and Colin Emmerton. I often lament the use of expensive sets which do not actually help tell the story. This design actually advances the themes of the play  more powerfully than any play I have seen in the last few years. The costumes lighting and sound are also perfect.

I am aware that there are very few seats left, and it would indeed be a tragedy if there were one spare seat for this spectacular piece of theatre. Do not miss it.

This week I saw the current play at the Kings Cross Theatre called Blink. We had a night free and I booked the tickets without researching the play, the company producing the play, the actors, director and so on.

Blink is an exquisite play, written by a highly regarded/awarded contemporary  English playwright Phil Porter. Whilst it is described as a play exploring a dysfunctional relationship, it is so touching and quirky that we can see elements of many of our own relationships in the drama which unfolds.

I realised whilst watching this piece that the actors were extremely versatile and talented, and recognised Charlotte Hazzard from other excellent work at venues such as The Old Fitz. She is physically beautiful and her WA training has given her excellent movement skills which really enhance her performance. The other actor in this two- hander is James Raggett, a recent NIDA graduate and he also performs  with such sensitivity and delicacy that the audience wills him to find happiness.

This play demands various English accents and I loved their performances in relation to this.. afterwards I realised that a very talented actor,Nick Kurnow, was the dialect coach.

Reading the programme I saw that the creative team is a very experienced and talented group, from director Luke Rogers, to set designer Anne Gardiner. The set is magical and adds to the fairytale quality of the play.

So, actually, it is not surprising that the overall production is so wonderful. We are so fortunate to have such quality theatrical experiences at our fingertips and for such a small amount of money. Go along and celebrate this!!

Outhouse Theatre Company has an excellent track record, and this production at the lovely 505 theatre in Newtown is a winner.

The play BU21 is set in the near future and concerns a terrorist attack in London which downs a plane- killing both the plane passengers but also people going about their business in an upmarket London suburb when the plane crashes onto the street. It is a play about the aftermath of such an attack, but also gives a chilling portrait of narcissism which will find a way to succeed in the face of every situation. The six characters are all effected by the crash- witnessing it, injured by it or losing loved ones, but their ways of dealing with  reality are markedly different.

A controversial technique is to allow one of the characters to appear as a ‘narrator’ and therefore set apart from the other characters. I liked this very much.

The performances are all strong. The accents are sound, but  special credit must be given to Emily Havea whose exquisite English accent was so good that both my husband and I assumed she was British and were very surprised to hear her speak after the performance.The character of Alex, played by Skyler Ellis is beautifully interpreted, and he is charismatic enough to make his exploits seem plausible. Jeremy waters is,as usual, masterful in his role of Graham. His performance seems effortless the most talented actors always manage to do. He has also produced this work and he has done a brilliant job.

Sydneysiders have much to be grateful for in the independent arts scene. Go to the 505 for an great night out!

The first play at the Old Fitzroy Hotel for 2017 is a brand new Australian play written by Jeanette Cronin, I Hate You My Mother. This play is quite adventurous , and moves backward and forward in time over four hundred years. There are multiple characters played by Jeanette herself and a young NIDA graduate, Simen Glommen Bostad . The story covers topics such as incest,  sexual betrayal, and even murder, but is is so beautifully written and acted that it never seems tawdry. Jeanette’s writing has always been excellent, but this play is her best yet.There are clever devices such as accents to ensure that there is no confusion, and these are accomplished brilliantly, especially be Jeanette Cronin whose versatility as an actress always amazes me.

The design, costuming and sound is really wonderful. The play overall is so entertaining that I was sorry when it finished, hoping that the interwoven stories could just continue!

I highly recommend this production. In addition it is vital to support new Australian works- so in this case one can have a fabulous night of theatre and feel that one has done something really positive for Australia’s cultural future.