As a director, Watson leans into the rough and energetic physicality of a rugby match, drawing out exuberant performances from the ensemble, despite the relatively small stage and cast size…Alone it Stands is a real crowd-pleaser, and the most enjoyable show I’ve seen at Ensemble in years
Tag: Ensemble Theatre
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: Benefactors at Ensemble Theatre
Frayn’s script, which won the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1984, explores these two intersecting debates— fixing ‘broken’ housing and fixing ‘broken’ relationships— through the complex relationship between four wealthy middle-aged friends in 1960s London.
The narrative is told through alternating monologues and flashbacks… which meant that, despite Frayn’s obvious ability to write smart, punchy dialogue, it was very hard to get ‘sucked in’ to the drama of the play.
Review: The One at Ensemble Theatre
The One, by Vanessa Bates, doesn’t know what kind of story it wants to be. Directed by Darren Yap, the latest Australian play at the Ensemble Theatre, struggles with muddled storytelling and tonal dissonance. Marketed as an upbeat family comedy, The One is not as funny as it thinks it is. However, it’s also not…
Bittersweet youthful love examined in Ensemble’s adaption of classic tale
Ensemble Theatre’s adaption of the story turned film, Ladies in Lavender, provides a slow and somewhat touching story of two elderly spinster sisters who rescue a half drowned polish Violin player from the shore outside their house in pre WW2 England. Although a fine story, the plot was simple and predictable, thus what may have…
Scribbles of Stage and Screen 