2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival; Sammy J and Randy in ‘Bin Night’ (preview)

Guarding Garbage By Linh

Sammy J and Randy present their latest comedy musical Bin Night at the 2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Image: laughingstock.com.au

Comedian, writer, musician Sammy J and his puppet partner Randy (with special appearances by puppeteer Heath McIvor) return to Adelaide to bring an extravaganza of original songs, clever quips and a story filled with intrigue, shocks and laughs in Bin Night.
Bin Night is a comedy musical where Sammy and Randy suspect someone has been dumping rubbish into their wheelie bin and they both hold an all night stake-out to catch the culprits they call bin bandits. Suspects include the little granny who lives down the street, the loner and Scientologist Mr Vincent and a possum. They have sophisticated technology (walkie talkies) to communicate with each other and even a hi-tech security system (very temperamental) to protect their household goods, but their surveillance plans go awry when Sammy and Randy are accidentally locked outside their house. While Sammy is put on hold by the security company, we discover some truths and lies they each keep from each other. It eventually becomes apparent that perhaps Sammy and Randy are hiding things from each other by dumping it in the bin. Randy’s love and yearning for a Peruvian lady, Sammy J’s passion for Belinda Carlisle and his suspicion of possums and the identity of the garbage dumper are revealed in spectacular fashion.



Sammy and Randy complement each other superbly and work together effectively as they smoothly weave in running jokes, visual and audio gags, and excellent segues from one incident to the next, along with Belinda Carlisle references, and Father Time and his life juice. They are quick to recover from verbal blunders, prop problems and technical failures using funny adlibs and improvisation. Preview shows can sometimes bring out the worst in some, but this comedy duo are at their funniest when things go wrong. There are special appearances from Heath McIvor in many different guises and the Creepy Shovel makes a cameo appearance.

Bin Night consists of a well-structured narrative with witty, fast-paced dialogue peppered with fun wordplay and even a segment of tongue-twisting exchanges between Sammy and Randy. Sammy even shows off some culinary skills that evoke laughter as the food flies off the plate and into the audience. Deliberate or not, it was a classy theatrical moment. The songs are not all random, but do relate to the characters’ situations and the plot, and Sammy and Randy’s duets are always humourous and brilliant.
Bin Night is another must-see show directed by Spicks And Specks team captain Alan Brough, and is worth more than one attendance.


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WHO: Sammy J and Randy in Bin Night

WHAT: Puppetry, comedy, music, theatre

WHERE: Le Cascadeur in the Garden of Unearthly Delights

WHEN: All shows start at 8:45pm

Preview – (Cheap Tuesdays) 15 February
Cheap Tuesdays: 22 February and 1, 8 March
Regular price shows: 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 February and 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 March

PRICE: Cheap Tuesdays – All Shows $20
Regular Prices - Adults: $25
Concession: $20

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour

Buy Fringe Tickets:
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The Female of the Species; comedy farce theatre review

NO FEMME FATALE: Amanda Muggleton as Margot Mason (seated) and Rhiannon Owen as Molly Rivers in rehearsals for The Female of the Species. Image: Shane Reid.


The Funny Side of Feminism by Linh

Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith’s play, The Female of the
Species, is inspired by an incident involving famous feminist Germaine Greer, who was gagged and cuffed by a teenage girl at her country house in Essex.

That’s where the similarities end. The real dramatic thrust begins when family, friends and strangers enter the feminist’s home; forcing her to account for the legacy of her feminist polemics. The Female of the Species is about sexual politics, generational differences and the power and consequences of feminist literature.

One of Australia’s leading ladies of the stage, Amanda Muggleton, stars as the infamous feminist author of The Cerebral Vagina, Margot Mason.
Margot Mason is suffering serious writer’s block and facing deadline after deadline, as her publisher pushes for her to complete the latest best seller.
Margot is a witty and foul-mouthed provocateur, who loves French windows because they’re “slim, stylish and up themselves”.
Muggleton is superbly sharp with the puns and quick with the verbal twists, all delivered with panache; even though she performs most of the play while handcuffed to a table.

Rhiannon Owen makes her debut with the State Theatre of SA as Molly Rivers, the gun-toting teenager who takes Margot Mason hostage.
Molly Rivers was one of Margot’s students, yet her admiration turns to accusation. Molly blames Margot for ruining her life and for her mother’s death. Molly’s Mum took all of Margot’s advice and gave away her baby so as not to be enslaved by motherhood. She then jumped under a train as she was clutching The Cerebral Vagina to her breasts. Molly becomes a fan of the feminist and decides to sterilise herself in order to preserve her creativity. She becomes disheartened and angry when Margot tells her she has no talent.
Rhiannon Owen is capable of holding an audience captivated as her character holds Margot hostage. Owen handles the wordy and intelligent script with the same proficiency her character handles the handgun throughout the play. She is definitely one talented actress to watch in the future.

Adelaide’s own Michaela Cantwell plays Margot Mason’s daughter, Tess, who stumbles into her mother’s home in a state of exhaustion and confusion.
Tess has mindlessly wandered from her house, before taking a taxi to her mother’s home in order to escape the relentless noise of her children.
Tess is not too impressed when she hears of her mother’s disparaging remarks about motherhood being a form of domestic servitude. Tess has never known her father and her mother tries to keep it that way.
Michaela Cantwell is flawlessly funny and fiercely frank as the daughter of a celebrity feminist and an exhausted mother who refuses to go home until she knows “where Pokemons go for their holidays.”

The male members of the cast also have their way with the play’s questioning of the power and consequences arising from feminism.

Well-travelled Adelaidean, Peter Michell, portrays Tess’ doting and devoted husband, Bryan.
Bryan is a hardworking stockbroker who constantly spouts hilarious double entendres such as “I love you Tess, you know I’ve always mounted you on a pedestal.”
Peter Michell is a joy to watch and succeeds in making Bryan (a very sensitive new age guy) the only likeable character in the play.

Talented thespian and playwright Tony Briggs is the very masculine and macho taxi driver, Frank.
Frank enters Margot Mason’s home in order to ask Tess why she won’t listen to his problems. He also seems to know what women want and how he can give it to them.
Tony Briggs is in excellent form as the virile and ethnic young male, and adds a different level of energy to the play.

Allrounder Geoff Revell hams it up as Margot Mason’s over-the-top gay publisher, Theo.
Theo has been a long time friend and publisher to Margot, and was hassling her, over the phone, for a copy of her latest book before Molly appeared.
Geoff Revell is fabulously camp and convincing as the pushy publisher who holds a secret to Margot Mason’s past.
Although Theo appears only in the last thirty minutes of the play, Revell makes the most of every moment with his usual comic brilliance.

Production designer Mary Moore has created an awe-inspiring set where the cast is placed upon a huge open Macbook with a couple of bellowing (sacred) cows, and a living room adorned with many historical ‘female’ artefacts.

Director Catherine Fitzgerald has excelled in keeping the play engaging and entertaining for the audience and making it enjoyable for the actors.


NO ESCAPE: Margot Mason (Amanda Muggleton) tries to free herself as Molly Rivers (Rhiannon Owen) talks to Tess (Michaela Cantwell) in The Female of the Species. Image: Shane Reid.

Linh in Melbourne - Short and Sweet; theatre

In 2001, Sydney writer/director Mark Cleary created 'Short and Sweet', a series of theatre performances to showcase the best new writers, actors, directors and independent theatre companies in Australia and the world, also giving new talent an opportunity to surface.

'Short and Sweet' is a competition where applicants present a season of original short plays of ten minutes or less that reflects quality writing, performance and production skills.

Mark Cleary's aim of making theatre more accessible and affordable to a wider audience has been realised as 'Short and Sweet' has become the biggest short play festival in the world.

In 2007, the festival assessors received a staggering 1141 scripts from 12 different countries including Germany, Singapore, Canada and Finland. The Melbourne season of 'Short and Sweet' runs for three weeks with ten plays from the 'Top Thirty' performed four times a week and 'Wildcard' entries to be performed as a one-off during each week.

Bite Size Theatre by Linh

Being in Melbourne for a week, I was fortunate to attend week one of the 'Short and Sweet' competition.

It was refreshing and entertaining to see such diverse talents and skills on display.

However, some of the plays were bordering on ludicrous to sicko, while others were insightful, poignant and humourous.

An exciting aspect of 'Short and Sweet' is audiences who attend the performances can vote for their favourite play, and the winning plays will receive cash from a $20,000 prize pool and other development opportunities for their production.

The standout plays that satisfied my theatrical appetite are:

Michael Goes Home directed by Jae Dee Scott and written by Melbournian Bridgette Burton, is about a young former drug addict who has completed his time in prison and hopes to reunite with his parents.

It's a moving, and engaging human drama with great performances from a cast of four.
Mick Lo Monaco plays the estranged junkie prodigal son, Michael, with gentle charm and warm appeal. Ian Rooney gives a strong performance as the unforgiving and deeply hurt father whose lost faith in his only son. Liz McColl is exceptional as Michael's long suffering mother who is willing to give her son another chance. Devon Lang Wilton gives a subdued performance as Michael's girlfriend Tracey.

Thrilling Hostage Melodrama at High Speeds With Pineapple directed by Heath Miller and written by Adam Hadley, is an hilarious, fast-paced action thriller with fruit, guns and two female hostage takers preparing to kidnap someone.

This is a brilliant take on the Quentin Tarantino films but it's done with a feminine touch. Sheridan Harbridge is superb as the overly excited and eager to please kidnapper-in-training, Gills, whose short term memory creates havoc for her partner in crime and brings on the laughs. Robynne Kelly needs to give her character Junie, more punch and vigour yet her cool as a cucumber approach is an apt contrast to Gill's impromptu displays of lunacy.

Bury Your Goldfish directed by Jonno Katz and written by Michelle Wallace, is a visually beguiling display of hand painted cardboard props accompanying a delightful monologue.

This is a family friendly theatre performance where the colourful props, designed by Justin Caleo, represent physical, emotional and funny elements from the monologue in story-telling and re-enacting events. Evie Katz narrates the entire play, while Emelia Symington Fedy and Nicola Gunn portray the fish Itchy and Scratchy respectively. A highly imaginative and inventive play that suits the short form but may become tiresome if stretched to a full production of two hours.

Linh in Melbourne - Sappho Unravelling; theatre review

CLASSICISTIC: Jane Montgomery Griffiths wrote and performed the solo stage production Sappho Unravelling. Image:www.storkhotel.com/sappho.htm

Classical Studies lecturer and award winning actress Jane Montgomery Griffiths has written and performed a play which attempts to 'fill in the gaps' of the life and works from the little known Greek lyric poet Sappho.

Sappho lived in the 7th Century BC in Mytilene, on the Greek island of Lesbos, where women had more freedom, and she was probably married with a daughter named Kleis.

Her substantial body of poetry comprised of erotic love poems, religious paeans and celebratory wedding songs. Much of her work was destroyed in the burning of the Library of Alexandria, with only a few fragments surviving the blaze.

Ancient writers, philosophers and poets have praised her prolific work as genius yet condemned her homosexual lifestyle. Her poems have inspired many modern writers, poets and performers who regard her as one of the most important and influential contributors to the arts and literature.

Fragments of Sappho by Linh

Sappho Unravelling is a brilliant and insightful one-woman production with Jane Montgomery Griffiths giving an astounding performance not only as the Greek poet Sappho, but also as the lover Sappho calls Atthis and Sappho's daughter Kleis.

Jane gives an apt narrative presentation where she not only reflects on the way past writers and philosophers have regarded Sappho, but is equally adept at reflecting on Sappho's love affairs, particularly with Atthis.

Upon a simplistic and minimalistic stage, Jane provides the audience with dialogue punctuated with lines from Sappho's poems, and has the charisma to hold the audience's attention for two hours.

Jane's portrayal of the irrepressible Sappho through voice, movement and music, brings you a clearer understanding of what Sappho was like, and how she lived her life through poetry as they were about love, passion and eroticism.

Sappho is dressed in a simple, black dress, and to switch characters, Jane wears a blue raincoat for Atthis. Jane is remarkably convincing as she glides effortlessly from one character to another and she connects their dialogues on an emotional and intellectual level.

Jane shows every side and emotion of Sappho but Atthis is equally compelling as a lover whose departure brings Sappho to a maddening struggle of emotion, which brings the play to it's climax.

Jane's performance deftly moves the play's tone from humour to heartwrenching and from anguish to hope. Music from David Chesworth's 'Badland Suite' effectively underscores Sappho's desires, intentions and her will to love and be loved.
The lighting from last minute fill-in light technician, Kei, casts mysterious shadows around Sappho, perhaps signifying how very little is known about the real Sappho during her life and after her death.

Director Alex Pinder's uncomplicated direction of Sappho Unravelling keeps the focus on Sappho yet magnifies Jane's magnetism and elan in delivering a dramatically charged performance.

Sappho Unravelling is the final production for the Stork Hotel, as the venue is set for demolition after 2007. Producers Paul and Helen Madden are finalising plans to establish a new theatre venue in 2008.

Linh in Melbourne; The Madwoman of Chaillot - theatre review

JOIE DE VIVRE: Magda Szubanski as Countess Aurelia and Julie Forsyth as Mademoiselle Gabrielle in a scene from The Madwoman of Chaillot.
Image: Jeff Busby.


French playwright Jean Giraudoux was highly optimistic at the time of writing The Madwoman of Chaillot, despite the Nazi occupation of France. Giraudoux hoped his play would be a reminder to the French public of what needed to be preserved in their culture. He intended to stage The Madwoman of Chaillot during the reconstruction days in France after the war but he never saw a performance.
He died of acute uraemia, a type of blood poisoning caused by kidney failure, at the age of sixty one.


Fancifully French by Linh

The Melbourne Theatre Company presents The Madwoman of Chaillot a French play of fantastical proportions at the Arts Centre's Playhouse Theatre.

The story follows the attempts of a Cafe owner to stop greedy oil-hungry capitalists from digging beneath the streets of Paris to line their own pockets without consulting the locals.

Director Simon Phillips manages to re-create the ambience of Parisian life and allows all the charming characters to swirl and move freely throughout their scenes. The opening act, where a waiter serves, a flower seller wanders about and a street performer juggles balls and throws batons, is a wonderful scene of vibrancy and humanity.

Comedienne extraordinaire Magda Szubanski plays the owner of Cafe Chez Francis in Chaillot, and brings believability and assuredness to Countess Aurelia whose eccentric personality earns her the endearing title of Madwoman. Magda Szubanski is in her element as she weaves the wit and wisdom of the play's dialogue with her comedic flair, adding a few moments of spontaneous fun to her role.

Another crowd pleasing performance comes courtesy of Mitchell Butel as the Ragpicker and he also plays the Broker.
Mitchell Butel brings enough arrogance and business smarts to make the Broker a delight even if his character is lacking substance. His portrayal as the Ragpicker begins as a menacing opposition to Countess Aurelia, until he becomes her ally. Mitchell gives an hilarious and enthralling performance as the Ragpicker pretending to be the President in the mock trial scene.

There seems to be four Madwomen in the play, with another three leading ladies of the theatre. Kerry Walker, Julie Forsyth and Sue Ingleton also provide sterling support in double roles.

Kerry Walker is brilliant as the no-nonsense Madame Josephine whose attention to detail earns her respect among her peers. Kerry Walker also plays the Baron, who agrees to the oil digging scheme with great caution.

Julie Forsyth plays the scheming American Prospector to great effect and her portrayal of the dotty and ditzy Mademoiselle Gabrielle is irresistibly funny and captivating.

Sue Ingleton shines as the easily influenced President of France who is always in search of progressing and economically advancing France in the interests of the people as well as himself. Sue is also entertaining as the argumentative and self-indulgent Madame Constance whose imaginary dog, Dickie, is as real to her as Mademoiselle Gabrielle's imaginary friends.

Other notable performances include Melinda Butel as the wholesome and lovely Irma; Sam Hryckow as the deaf/mute juggler is sensational despite only uttering one line in the entire play; Alex Menglet is nicely cast as the Sergeant and Sewerman; Stephen Phillips is a dashing and handsome Pierre who steals the scene even when he's playing dead.

With the star power of Magda Szubanski in the title role, the play was expected to pull more audience numbers as well as plenty of laughs.

However,the twilight performance was riddled with mishaps from the beginning and continued throughout Acts one and two.

Following technical difficulties which delayed the opening for half an hour, there were missed cues, tripping over props, giggling out of character and messed up lines.

All credit to the cast and crew, as they overcame the awkward situations with clever ad-libbing, well-timed quips and excellent improvisations to keep the play on track.

The Madwoman of Chaillot is a highly whimsical comedic fantasy only Giraudoux can conjure, with overly exaggerated situations and beautiful flowing gowns, colourful characters and witty dialogue. Perhaps made even more enjoyable as the cast made the most of unexpected challenges live theatre performance create.

Lion Pig Lion ; theatre review

STRIKING A DEAL:Brant Eustice and Michaela Cantwell in a scene from Lion Pig Lion. Photo: Shane Reid.


State Theatre Company of South Australia presents a world premiere of Marty Denniss' latest play Lion Pig Lion, which explores issues of government, corporate and individual accountability and how each interact with one another when staff discover their company may be involved with a young man's death at a water plant.

Bland Bureaucratic Bungles by Linh

Marty Denniss' Lion Pig Lion is inspired by the Bolivian Water Wars of 2000 and tells of the confusion, fear and distrust of individuals whose company is being investigated in relation to a murder.

The plot is convoluted and the dialogue has the potential to be sharp and witty if it wasn't burdened with expletives - the word f*** dominated throughout. The characters are as complex as the plot and the actors' talents seem wasted in a play that is slow-moving and stagnant in parts.

Although frustrating at times, the performances were strong and engaging enough to sustain audience interest until some answers are revealed, yet more questions arise.

Local performer Michaela Cantwell gives a commanding performance as the irrepressible, fast-talking PR guru, Virginia, whose own motives are questioned as she tries to keep everyone calm as the company undergoes another review by the Commissioner.

Stage director, drama teacher and singer/songwriter Brant Eustice is convincing as the wheelchair-bound Archives Manager, Sidney whose first impressions are not as they seem. There's a surprise and shock instore as Sidney reveals more about himself and his involvement with the investigations at the end.

Versatile thespian Carmel Johnson plays the tough-talking security officer Maureen, whose involvement with the murder is not what it seems. Carmel gives the character some light and shade, displaying a hardened exterior to many while showing vulnerability towards a few.

Other cast members' performances which added variety to help lift the play, include Patrick Frost as the soon-to-retire security guard Freddy, Patrick Graham's affable and impressionable Archives Assistant, Richard and Joel McIlroy as the nosey and manipulative Commission officer, Gerard.

Overall, Lion Pig Lion had a plot that takes too long to get started, characters who talk too much about nothing with too many expletives, and an ending which dissatisfies.

To Kill A Mockingbird; theatre review

FIGHTING PREJUDICE:Shedrick Yarkpai, Isabella Trigatti and David Roach in To Kill A Mockingbird. Photo: David Wilson.



Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird makes its Australian premiere in Adelaide, with Independent Theatre Company staging the theatrical production at the Odeon Theatre.

To Kill A Mockingbird is set in the American town of Maycomb in Alabama during 1934-1935, where a black man, Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Experienced lawyer Atticus Finch is assigned by the judge to handle Tom's case, with the story told in flashback by Atticus' daughter Scout.

Independent Theatre stages a brilliant production of To Kill A Mockingbird, with a talented ensemble cast under the direction of Rob Croser.


Life's Lessons Learned by Linh

Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird is one literary gem which requires the right mix of talent and professionalism to bring the novel's themes and characters to life. Fortunately, Independent Theatre has succeeded in the challenge of re-creating the author's vision from the page to the stage.

The characters are well cast with each actor giving a solid performance to convey messages corresponding to the play's numerous themes including racial prejudice, loyalty, trust and love.

Local and regular Independent Theatre performer Lyn Wilson plays the mature Jean Louise Finch or Scout, with a narrative role where her monologues interweaves with the performance of her young counterpart. At times, Lyn seems oddly out of place and distant rather than immersed as the character, yet she brings a sense of warmth and reassurance of things to come.

Eleven year old aspiring actor Isabella Trigatti gives a commanding performance as the young Scout or Jean Louise Finch, vividly displaying a child's enquiring mind and bringing a vibrant quality to her delivery.

Young actor Will Cox plays Scout's older brother Jem, and is equally engaging as he brings a charming yet rebellious nature to the pre-pubescent son of local lawyer Atticus Finch.

One of the founding members of Independent Theatre and set designer extraordinaire David Roach, employs all his acting brilliance to do justice to one of literacy's most loved and respected characters. David plays the mild mannered lawyer and father of two children, Atticus Finch, with the unpretentious and noble qualities embodied in his idealistic character. Yet David demonstrates throughout the play, although Atticus is an idealist, he lives in an town and at a time where his visions are not ideal.

Musician, actor and familiar face of Independent Theatre stage productions, Shedrick Yarkpai has the role of accused rapist Tom Robinson. Shedrick plays Tom with gentle and quiet innocence, bringing forth all the play's themes of racial prejudice and inequality during his character's courtroom scenes.

Other cast members also provide outstanding performances including Jamie Black as the drunkard Bob Ewell whose aggressive and unpleasant nature is distrubing, Kate Ward is in fine form as the confused and contemptible Mayella Ewell. Poni Tongun debuts with Independent Theatre as Atticus Finch's caring and wise female servant Calpurnia but also acts as a surrogate parent to the children.

Independent Theatre continues to bring classic literature to the stage, with many quality productions pushing the boundaries of themes which are usually avoided or ignored. Their production of To Kill A Mockingbird will resonate in the minds of audiences just as the novel continues to strike a cord with readers.


A scene from the film To Kill A Mockingbird depicting the lynching attempt of Tom Robinson. Source:YouTube.com/Buddha7575.

Triple Threat - theatre review

Brendan Rock, Carmel Johnson and Elena Carapetis in Central Park West. Photo:Matthew Nettheim




State Theatre Company of South Australia continues to produce and present innovative works to Adelaide audiences, with their latest venture 'Triple Threat' at the Dunstan Playhouse.

The production consists of three one-act plays from different playwrights whose works are renowned and popular. Presented with fifteen minute intervals between the plays, the best is left for last with Woody Allen's Central Park West the highlight, following Caryl Churchill's Hot Fudge and opens with Tennessee William's little known Talk To Me Like The Rain And Let Me Listen. It's as though 'Triple Threat' becomes an artistic avalanche rolling downhill, gathering momentum and excitement with each play becoming more entertaining than the previous offering.


Thrice As Nice by Linh


The action and characters in Tennessee Williams' Talk To Me Like The Rain And Let Me Listen reflects the play's title. The mood is dreary, the situation between the characters is bleak and they seem to be lost in their own world rather than engaging in dialogue. The monologues further draw the characters apart despite their close physical proximity to each other.

The play is set in a hotel room where a couple are in love and despair, with Kate Box giving a compelling performance as the woman and Nathan O'Keefe is equally mesmerising as the man. Yet the talented pair and director Netta Yashchin struggle to make the piece rise out of its doldrums and capture the audience's interest. It's a play that goes nowhere...just like raindrops have nowhere to go but down.

Caryl Churchill's Hot Fudge is upbeat with engaging characters, featuring Elena Carapetis as the clever swindler Ruby and Brendan Rock as Colin, her new love interest. They both have secrets to hide and lie to each other to gain trust and approval. Kate Box gives a brilliant display of hurt, jealousy and obsession as Colin's alcholic ex-wife, who exposes Colin as a fraud and liar, before Ruby also confesses. Elena Carapetis' portrayal of Ruby is convincing with a solid interpretation of Ruby's motives. Brendan Rock is relaxed in the role of Colin and plays the character with enough depth and understanding to allow the audience to share in Colin's frustrations. The supporting cast is superb and provides plenty of laughs earlier in the play. Director Geordie Brookman does well to maintain the play's momentum for an interesting yet anti-climatic ending.

The finale of 'Triple Threat' is worth the wait, as Woody Allen's Central Park West proves to be extremely hilarious from beginning to end.
The play is set in an upper class apartment in Central Park West, home to the overly suspicious psychoanalyst Phyllis, who suspects her friend Carol is having an affair with her husband Sam. Little does she and Carol know that Sam is in love with Phyllis' former patient Juliet. Woody Allen's comedic touch and clever quips on marriage, men and dysfunctional love/relationships are well delivered from all in the cast.

Carmel Johnson is the standout performer in Central Park West who portrays Phyllis as a jaded woman yet with a cynical attitude to her husband's bed-hopping habits. Elena Carapetis is stunning in a Marilyn Monroe hair-style and pouty lips, delivering a fine performance as the ditzy friend Carol. Brendan Rock plays Carol's slightly loopy husband Howard, with an eccentric yet gentle nature to great effect. Rob MacPherson plays Phyllis' husband Sam with enough conviction, you'll soon warm to his character's dilemma. Kate Box makes a brief and memorable appearance as Sam's latest lover Juliet, who literally fires the parting shot.

Under Hannah Allert's fine direction, Central Park West had the audience roaring with laughter throughout for an enjoyable and entertaining end to three hours of an eclectic theatre experience.

Disney's High School Musical; musical theatre review

Promotional photograph from the smash hit film 'High School Musical'.


Teen Sensations by Linh

South Australia's newly formed musical theatre company Creative Souls Theatre does a brilliant job with the Adelaide premiere of Disney's 'High School Musical'.

'High School Musical' is a fresh take on musical elements of 'Grease - the Musical' fused with similar high energy dance sequences. The story follows two young lovers, Troy Bolton the jock and basketball star, and Gabriella Montez the highly intelligent new girl at East High. They share a secret passion to sing and fall in love when they meet at a Karaoke contest. Their attempts to audition for the high school musical 'Juliet and Romeo' are thwarted by envious drama queen Sharpay Evans and other class mates.

Sixteen year old Harry Breese plays the affable and physically flexible Troy, whose duets with Gabriella are showstoppers. Harry shows vocal maturity with fluid musicality in What I've Been Looking For and Start Of Something New, and brings humour and fine athletic abilities during Getcha Head In The Game while simultaneously dancing and bouncing basketballs.

Young performer Lucy Russell has the velvety vocals to play a sweet and determined Gabriella Monez. Lucy successfully conveys her character's emotions through song and movement in the duet I Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You with Troy and for When There Was Me And You.

The standout performer is seventeen year old Emily Clark, who plays the conniving drama queen Sharpay Evans. A member of the Power Funk Squad, the hip hop team for Port Adelaide Football Club, Emily shows star quality on stage as well as on the field. Emily gives a brilliant bitchy edge to Sharpay and belts and bops her way through Bop To The Top with Ryan, and ignites the stage with a combination of funky dance steps and exquisite voice in the jazzy version of What I've Been Looking For also with Ryan.

Multitalented Josh Sanders plays Ryan Evans, the long suffering dance and singing partner to Sharpay and her fraternal twin, with gentle understanding and patience. Ryan is the calming Yin to Sharpay's raging Yang, but they are superb when both talents are combined for their audition duets. Josh's voice has rich tonal qualities and blends well with Emily Clark's to create gorgeous harmonies to rival Troy and Gabriella. When Josh isn't performing on stage, he's directing, producing, designing sets or illuminating the stage with his lighting skills.

Other notable mentions are Linda Ellis who plays extravagantly attired drama teacher Ms Darbus, with passionate overtures for performing arts, Chris Buhagia as Coach Bolton, the competitive and demanding basketball coach, and the wonderful supporting cast provide some laughs throughout.

Director Judy Sampson manages the ensemble cast of 58 teenagers and two adults, with the amazing talents of youths aged from 10 to 20, to create a stellar production consisting of memorable tunes, fabulous costumes and excellent performances.

Choreographer Becci Schembri works her magic to provide the intricate dance sequences and cheerleading routines which complements the production's catchy musical score.

Under the musical direction of Ria Loof, the audience kept the toes tapping and applause continuing following every song and dance scene.

'High School Musical' is a special family treat during the school holidays and is not just for the young, but also for the young at heart.

The Importance of Being Earnest - theatre review

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild presents one of Oscar Wilde's witty, charming and complex social plays, with a talented cast.

The plot grows complex yet is enjoyable and culminates in further frustrations for a fitting finale.

The plot follows Jack who resides in the country yet calls himself Earnest while in the city and his friend from the city, Algernon, creates an invalid friend whom he uses as an excuse to avoid tiresome social obligations. Jack loves Gwendolyn who is Algernon's cousin and Algernon loves Jack's young ward, Cecily. Complications arise as both men pose as Earnest in order to marry their beloved.

Wilde About Earnest by Linh

The Importance of Being Earnest requires brilliant comic timing, masterful diction and a skilled interpretation to accurately convey Wilde's satirical social comedy of deception, love and identity.

Under the direction of June Barnes and Ann Weaver (making her directorial debut), The Importance of Being Earnest manages to combine all of the above to revive a favourite for regular theatre-goers while introducing a sparkling production to a new generation.

The ensemble cast is adept and comfortable in their roles giving impeccable performances throughout, with a few cast members working with the Theatre Guild for the first time.

Experienced stage actress Pam O'Grady makes her first appearance with the Theatre Guild as the irrepressible Lady Bracknell whose over-exaggerated aristocratic flair is played to the hilt. O'Grady gives Lady Bracknell the right amount of self-importance and snobbery all too prevalent in the aristocracy of the times and works her charms on the unsuspecting Jack Worthing.

Self confessed slave to theatre, David Thring, gives the gawkish yet affable Jack Worthing some spark and charm as the country boy who discovers his true identity while in pursuit of his beloved Gwendolyn. David's clarity in diction and nuances of expression superbly colours his character's foppishness.

Versatile performer Marieka Hambledon makes her Theatre Guild debut as the Victorian debutante Gwendolyn. Marieka brings out the headstrong vixen in Gwendolyn during scenes with Lady Bracknell and displays classy cattiness in her tea and insults scene with Cecily. Her clear diction, accent and hilarious hoity toity mannerisms makes Marieka a fine Gwendolyn and favourite among the audience.

Thrusting himself back onto the boards is Andrew Lawlor who is relishing the role of suave and irritatingly charming Algernon. Making general conversations with clever quips such as " the truth is rarely pure and never simple" Algernon exemplifies aristocratic hypocrisy and silliness. Andrew's simplistic matter of fact style in characterisation and delivery is consistent throughout, yet with more variety he would add more depth and intrigue to the deceptive Algernon.

After four years in Sydney, Abby Coleman returns to Adelaide with her Theatre Guild debut as Jack's 18 year old ward Cecily. Abby requires more work on her diction yet her performance as the virginal and wickedly enticing Cecily is delightful.

A wonderful support cast gave equally solid performances including Lindy LeCornu as Cecily's governess, Miss Prism, who is the key to unlocking the intricate plot. Gary George is the jovial Dr Chasuble who is intent on unlocking Miss Prism's heart. Even the servants play a part in the plot with Norman Athersmith as Jack's servant and John Sharpe's role as Algernon's servant, in coughing discreetly to announce a person's arrival or seemingly bemused at the behaviour of the upper class.

The Importance of Being Earnest is well staged in the intimate atmosphere of The Little Theatre, with Ole Wiebkin's stage/set design beautifully reflecting Wilde's aesthetic spirit of poetry, music , drama and visual arts.

The costumes are lavish with rich colours of burgundy for Lady Bracknell, blue, purple and white for Gwendolyn and Cecily in deep peach, with the aristocrats' attire complimented with dazzling jewels and stylish hats.

In earnest, this is a thoroughly entertaining production of Oscar Wilde's wittiest and satirical of plays, which reminds us all that the pun can be elevated to high art.

Fringe Theatrical Dance - Romeo And Juliet; review

An Immanuel College Year 11 student Anna McInerney, presents a theatrical dance production based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, featuring beautiful dance routines, minimalistic staging and classical and contemporary music accompaniment for the dance scenes.

It's a labour of love, and Anna has succeeded in bringing a dream to reality in a wonderful dance production that depicts the tragic love story through movement, music and mime.

Romeo and Juliet at the Odeon Theatre, Norwood, runs until March 31.


Dance of Love and Tragedy by Linh

Director, choreographer, producer and costume/hair/make up designer Anna McInerney has gathered a cast of 25 students from year levels 8-12 to perform in an unspoken theatrical dance production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

The year 11 student at Immanuel College has worked tirelessly with the hardworking cast and crew to bring a captivating and moving production to the Fringe Festival.

The first few acts started with shorter and simplistic dance routines with the chorus mostly as support for the lead characters.

Following the interval, the drama and the dance sequences intensify with longer, vigourous and complex movements integrated into the performance.

Rebecca Dickens (pictured with Damian Sturm as Romeo), a year 10 student at Immanuel College, dances the role of Juliet with gentle and graceful technique, effectively expressing the heart break and longing for Romeo in her movements. Rebecca's solo dance in Act Four is brilliant with well controlled leaps, stretches, landings and turns, to the tune of Pink's Nobody Knows. Her ballet Allegro and Pirouettes are a highlight.

Anthony Currie, year 10 at Immanuel College, is Friar Lawrence who helps bring Romeo and Juliet together but with tragic results. Anthony's experience in dance performance is evident as he provides the production's highlight in his solo dance sequence. Dancing to Anthony Callea's The Prayer, his agility, flexibility and foot work is highly impressive and his timing is superb.

The chorus of female dancers gave stirling support throughout and were an integral part of Act Four, encouraging the indecisive Juliet to drink the poison.

The music selection was appropriate with each song or music composition accentuating the mood and dance scenes. It was an eclectic mix including Tchaikovsky's Wedding March, Mozart's 7th Symphony, Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights, Sade's Kissing You and Bring Me To Life by Evanescence.

The constructive criticisms include the overuse of the fog machine, where the scenes, action and dancers' facial expressions are masked and the performers are slightly distracted by the overwhelming amount of fog.

Also the music stopped abruptly in mid word or mid note instead of faded gently as each scene begins and ends.

Anna McInerney's presentation of Romeo and Juliet was an entertaining and engaging theatrical dance production for anyone who appreciates the beauty of interpretive dance and mime.

Fringe Theatre - Antigone; review

Greek tragic poet Sophocles' play Antigone tells the story of a young woman's defiance against the decree of a male authority. However, Antigone is not the protaganist, as King Creon is the one who experiences the Greek tragedy's element of 'a moment of truth'.

Set in the city of Thebes, the brothers Eteocles (incumbent King) and Polynices are fighting over the throne. Polynices brings an army to attack Esteocles and they kill each other in battle. Creon, the brother of the late Queen of Thebes, Jocasta, becomes king. He decrees that Eteocles receives an honourable burial yet forbids Polynices to be buried as he sees him as a traitor to Thebes. The brothers' sisters Antigone and Isemene are distraught, yet Antigone defies the decree and Ismene is horrified, urging her sister to keep her place in a male dominated society.

From this point of the play, Urban Myth Theatre of Youth presents Sophocles' play Antigone.

Antigone is staged at the Holden Street Theatres, The Studio until March 31, and post-Fringe until April 5.

Triumphant Tragedy by Linh

Director Netta Yashchin has created an excellent production of Sophocles' Greek tragedy Antigone, with a fine cast of talented young performers whose character portrayals were dynamic and convincing.

Nikki Souvertjis (pictured) played Antigone with much conviction and passion for the character's beliefs, she was mesmerising in delivery and presence.

Kym Beggs as the unwavering King Creon, was effective in conveying a powerful, intelligent yet dogmatic man whose own opinions become the rules of the land.

Tom Christophersen excelled in his two contrasting roles earning laughter and cheers from the audience. Tom's bumbling and persistent Guard was a delightful contrast to the King's relaxed, regal composure in the same scenes. In other scenes, Tom played the blind prophet Tiresias to the hilt with a wicked grin and clever ambiguous quips to puzzle the already confused King Creon.

The chorus shone in their singing, dancing and ponderings of the lead characters, creating effective links to the characters and their fates.

Urban Myth Theatre of Youth nurtures and supports many talented young performers, and this production of Antigone demonstrates the high quality of productions and immeasurable dedication from all involved.

Fringe Theatre - Marat /Sade; review

Marat/Sade (The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade) is a powerful and confronting play by Peter Weiss, depicting the murder of revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday.

The play is set in 1808 in the Asylum of Charenton (several years after the French revolution), where the Marquis de Sade is incarcerated for his outrageous ideologies. De Sade spends his time writing and manages to gather the inmates of the asylum for a play to "show how Jean-Paul Marat died".
The asylum's director Coulmier, brings his family to watch the entertainment and is horrified as the performance's political debates strengthen and the revolutionary fervour infects the inmates.

Marat/Sade, performed by The Graduating Actors (3rd Year) of the Adelaide Centre for the Arts, at the Xspace in the ACA building, runs until March 31.

Madness, Mayhem, Music, Murder by Linh

The Graduating Actors at the Adelaide Centre for the Arts presented a modernised production of Marat/Sade yet stayed true to the script. Director Paul Peers hoped the play would raise questions, leaving the audience to come to their own conclusions about the play's moralities and political musings.

There are apparent differences where male roles of the play within the play were played by women and vice versa. This may have been intentional to highlight the insanity or ingenuity of the inmates in role playing.

Renee Gentle was engaging as the itching and tetchy Marat, spending most of the play in a bath tub due to the debilitating skin disease Marat suffered in the latter years of his life. Her speeches were well delivered with the wild frenzy of a lunatic so engrossed with the passion of the text.

Elliot Howard was gentle and graceful as Marat's wife Simonne Evrard, as he played the always doting and dutiful wife at Marat's every beck and call.

Alan Grace epitomised the arrogance and menacing character of Marquis de Sade with effective articulation and physicality.

The stand out performance was Maria Dafneros as the narcoleptic who portrays Charlotte Corday in the play within the play. Her brilliant delivery brought compassion and vile at Charlotte's hate for Marat and was believably stirring as she stood beside Marat's bloodied body.

The chorus members were hilarious as they sang, danced and frolicked throughout Marat's speeches and pleaded for the revolutionist to free the people of France.

All performers triumphed in telling their story through words, movement and emotion as the musicians accentuated the frenzy with Paul Gooding on accordion, Eddie Morrison on double bass and Tim Overton on drums/tuba.

Marat/Sade was horrifically violent, visually beguiling, loud and entertaining with a few surprises thrown in to catch the audience off guard.