Jonathan Spector’s school satire about balancing personal freedoms with public responsibility was, remarkably, written in 2018. While it’s clear to see the context of Trump era political polarisation, it’s a real shock at just how prescient the play becomes in a post-covid era. Walking into the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Theatre, I was unsure if audiences were ready for a play about vaccines and how we talk about them. But while some will undoubtably brace at the subject matter, I found Eureka Day to be a surprising crowd-pleaser which doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Tag: Comedy
Review: Summer of Harold at Ensemble Theatre
Summer of Harold, written by Hilary Bell and directed by Francesca Savige, is a triptych of three short comedic plays performed by two actors (Berynn Schwerdt and Hannah Waterman)—two monologues and one duologue. It’s ostensibly an ode to the nostalgia and memories that come from household objects. Watching it (before reading the program), I was a little confused about what these three plays had in common. It’s not the most obvious triple bill, but after sleeping on the show and starting to write this review, I realised how these audiences are connected: four older characters reflecting and obsessing over their past: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Review: For The Time Being at Flow Studios
“It’s always refreshing to see contemporary australian work that takes the elitism out of theatre and brings in a young, new audience. I went with friends that aren’t ‘theatre people’ who really enjoyed it, and found the depiction of the twentysomething sharehouse experience amusing and relatable. It’s the theatrical equivalent of a well-written TV sitcom (in a good way).”
Jacinta Gregory is Throwing Herself an Intervention and You’re All Invited
“MY INTERVENTION is basically a mini-musical where we are going through all of the reasons why I’m “fucked up” and why I deserve to have an intervention.
And it’s about mental health and your own neuroses and ego and narcissism, but it’s in a funny way, in a cute way.”
Hot Mess Review: A Love Letter to Drunk Girls in Bathrooms
Picture this: It’s 1AM on a Saturday Night. You’re at the women’s bathroom in some godforsaken Sydney nightclub. The floors are sticky, the music is pumping, and a crowd of girls are crammed into the small bathroom in a queue to use the one toilet that: A. Has Toilet Paper, and B. Actually Flushes. Someone…
Fangirls: A Musical That’s So Much Fun You’ll Think You’re At An Actual Pop Concert
Take a bag of glitter, a dozen red bulls, and thousands of pre-teen girls’ high-pitched screams and you’ve got Fangirls, a musical so rich with energy and euphoria you’ll think you’re at an actual pop concert. It’s 2019 and fourteen-year old Australian schoolgirl Edna (playwright and composer Yve Blake) is desperately in love with Harry…
Video: My Top 5 Rom-Coms of All Time
This article and video were originally posted on Blitz UNSW. Everyone loves a rom-com. It’s like the perfect go-to for a Friday night movie where you want a happy ending, and you don’t want to think too much. Netflix’s commitment to the genre has brought a rom-com renaissance to our screens in recent years. To All…
Review: Infidelity and Enlightenment by the UNSW Theatre Society
We all know how it goes – you put a dysfunctional group of family and friends in a room until they all tell their life story, fight, hate each other, and then eventually resolve their problems. It’s a common play type, and NUTS’ latest show Infidelity and Enlightenment nails the style, with influences Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, August:…
Hunt for the Wilderpeople a Comic Gem- 100 Word Review
Waititi’s wacky adventure comedy has humour and heart. Faced with an unloving foster system, Ricky Baker choses instead to elope into the wilderness, accompanied by his foster-dad Hec. Their escapades are comic gold, exhibiting a distinctly NZ sense of humour. Wittily written and directed by Waititi. Dennison thrives as badass youth, and has great chemistry…
The Big Short Review: Engaging and Energetic
McKay‘s Oscar nominated dramedy is well made and performed in a thought-provoking story about the men who predicted the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Gosling is at his charismatic, egotistical best as ambitious banker Jared Vennett. Bale is excellent as the awkward yet cocky genius, Michael Burry. Carrell is good as astute, aggressive banker, Mark Baum,…
Warm and Witty albeit Melodramatic- The Dressmaker in 100 Words
Moorhouse’s return is a hilariously caricatured depiction of small-town Australia with captivating performances, stunning costumes and witty writing. Performances were robust; from Weaving’s flamboyant Sergeant to Hemsworth’s striking larrikin, from Snook’s sassy Trudy to Davis’ hilariously cranky recluse. Winslet thrived as tenaciously brazen femme fatale Tilly, whose homecoming unleashes revenge upon the callously petty townspeople….
Paper Planes Review
Paper Planes (2014), is an Australian film directed by Robert Connolly. It is about a young boy Dylan, (Ed Oxenbould, Puberty Blues), from a rural town in New South Wales. He lives alone with his father, (Sam Worthington, Avatar) as they are mourning the loss of his late mother (Nicole Trunfio). Things are pretty sad at home as…
Scribbles of Stage and Screen 