As a political commentary about how some of society’s most important and hard-working individuals—teachers—are systematically undervalued and overlooked, Chalkface succeeds. However, as a comedy—which the play is marketed as—Chalkface is a disappointment.
Category: Theatre Reviews
Review: Looking for Alibrandi at Belvoir
Looking for Alibrandi is a thoughtful depiction of a teenage girl torn between cultural identities, and a moving tale of mothers and daughters. Ultimately, I was disappointed by the director and designer’s use of the Belvoir space. While the production lacked the warmth of the original writing, the funny, loving lead performances of Macri and Mastrantone are a joy to watch, and it is well worth seeing.
Review: The Lifespan of a Fact at STC
The script is not subtle in its moralising about facts versus art, but it is effective. STC’s marketing evoked Aaron Sorkin, which is an apt comparison. Jim is agonisingly pedantic about the facts, and John is a pretentious egotist. Neither of them are fully likeable, and neither are 100% right or wrong— the writers let you decide where you fall. Jim and John’s battle is the clash of pragmatism and high-mindedness, a battle against what is correct, and what is dramatically compelling.
Anatomy of a Suicide: One of the Best Plays of the Year
Birch’s script is complex, ambitious, and tightly constructed. For almost all of the play, these three women and their stories of motherhood exist on stage simultaneously, defying realism in favour of compelling and abstract storytelling. Birch boldly raises big questions about fate, mental illness and intergenerational trauma.
Review: Albion at the Seymour Centre
Albion is an ambitious production of a formidable text that explores big ideas about humanity, class, family and social change. It’s a thought-provoking work of writing that has stayed with me all week. To successfully stage Bartlett’s intimidating and ideas-heavy text is a tall order, especially for an indie production, and Clements and the team have a real crack at it. An admirable attempt at a difficult text, Bartlett’s writing, combined with Briant’s lead performance and Langford’s thoughtful design makes this an impressive and thought-provoking night out at the theatre.
Review: Ugly Love at Flight Path Theatre
Ugly Love is a witty and topical show and Matthews should be applauded for taking on the considerable challenge of bringing a new Australian musical to our stages. I felt lucky to be a part of the audience and hope to see the work develop and grow in future productions.
Review: Moon Rabbit Rising
I’ve never seen a show quite like Moon Rabbit Rising and struggle to put the experience into words. All I can say is, sitting in the packed Downstairs Belvoir space on the first night of previews, I think the entire audience felt one thing: entranced.
Scribbles of Stage and Screen 