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Theatre Interview – Virginia Gay (MTC Cyrano)

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Virginia Gay on why she’s saying Cyranope to outmoded moral standards in joyous new adaptation of Rostand’s classic play  Virginia Gay is poised to remind Melburnians of the magic of theatre, setting this front and centrestage in her adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano is coming to Melbourne Theatre Company’s Southbank Theatre, directed by Sarah Goodes and starring Gay in the title role, later this month.  Virginia Gay has been remarkably productive over the past 18 months. When the pandemic hit, many felt understandably stifled by the limited, socially distanced options available to while away the time. Not
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CultureTheatre

The Regina Monologues – review by Harrini Ratnanesan

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Despite being an amateur theatregoer (read: possessing a repertoire limited to having seen only two plays, three if you count Hamilton on Disney+), I had been fairly assured that I knew what would be waiting beyond the doors of 24 Carrot Productions’ The Regina Monologues. Queens from various historical periods, a stage, and a loose plot line that would allow the stories of these women to be told. Some long Shakespearean monologues intertwined perhaps. Instead, what greeted the guests stepping into the Meat Market Stables on opening night, was akin to a museum installation coming to life. 13 queens, some
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CultureTheatre

Theatre Review: FANGIRLS (Arts Centre Melbourne)

FANGIRLS
Pop-star obsession and ‘fangirl’ devotion are unapologetically celebrated in Yve Blake’s original Australian musical FANGIRLS.  Ever since its premiere in 2019, FANGIRLS has been making waves. It’s become something of a sensation in Australian musical theatre circles and even on TikTok, where its videos have amassed impressive numbers of views. The creation of award-winning playwright and composer Yve Blake, FANGIRLS is a glittering and perceptive take on fangirl behaviour that serves up serotonin by the bucket load. It masquerades as a sparkly pop musical, but interweaves a secondary conceptual thread, adding dimension to what might otherwise be a superficial portrayal
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CultureStudentTheatre

Theatre Review: Treats (Southbank Theatre)

Sarah Zijlstra, Fever 103
I’ve missed this. The theatre beckons you, ‘Come, sit in the dark and feel something.’ It’s been so beautiful to see Melbourne come back to life. Masks off. Music on. Capacity limits increasing. With all of that comes the revival of our beloved local performing arts scene. Or sometimes, if we’re very lucky, something entirely new arises. Enter Fever103. Now personally, I would have thought that lockdown would have been the worst time to start a theatre company, but their co-founders, Director Monique Marani and Producer Harry Dowling saw it differently.  Their take on Christopher Hampton’s 1976 play, Treats, was
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CultureTheatre

Comedy Review: ‘Good Egg’ – Scout Boxall (Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2021)

Scout Boxall Good Egg – Landscape Hero – credit Theresa Harrison
If chaotic comedy sounds like your thing, then Scout Boxall’s Good Egg is the show for you. Boxall presents a surreal mix of schoolyard humour and crass satirical commentary in an energetic, witty show.    Held in the Quilt Room at the Trades Hall, the space is dimmed and intimate. The night I attended it was a full house, which filled the room with electric energy. The performance starts with a voiceover announcing that the show has no narrative and no arc, an announcement welcomed by audience applause.    Boxall is non-binary, dressed in an all-white jumpsuit reminiscent of the
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CultureTheatre

Theatre Review: Because the Night (Malthouse Theatre)

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It was only last October when Lot’s Wife published an interview in which I “mourned the prospect” that it would likely take years before immersive theatre returned to a post-coronavirus world. A mere five months later, Melbourne’s own Malthouse Theatre has dispelled all previous apprehension with their bold production Because the Night opening on 23 March.  Because the Night is an immersive theatrical experience, loosely inspired by the characters and plot of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In what I can only crudely approximate to a theatrical ‘choose your own adventure’ or the notion of stepping into a real life video game world,
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CultureMusicTheatre

Interview: Brittain Ashford on Making Music and Maintaining Mild Optimism during a Pandemic

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Words by Weng Yi Wong Brittain Ashford’s characteristically emotive vocals and ambient sounds are at their finest in her latest collaboration with Matt Bauer, Day Inside a Night. This four-track gem of an EP worms its way into deep recesses of the soul and settles there, lingering like an unshakable memory. Ahead of the EP’s release on November 13, the Brooklyn based performer and singer-songwriter generously navigated time zones to speak to Lot’s Wife about her music, her hopes, and her humbling life lessons from Broadway. A deeply introspective quality pervades Day Inside a Night, both in sound and subject
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CultureTheatre

Theatre Review: The Winter’s Tale

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Send in the Clowns: Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale by the Hong Kong Shax Theatre Group & La Trobe University Student Theatre Reviewed by Ong Jie Yee The second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts (Asia TOPA) returns with a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale — this time through the lens of the colonised. It is a cross-cultural collaboration generously supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs. With the intention to tell a story about the far-reaching legacy of colonialism, the University of Hong Kong’s Shax Theatre Group and La Trobe University’s Student Theatre joined forces for the very
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Culture

The Disappearing Trilogy: a theatre review

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By Bridget Hackett It was clear from the moment The Disappearing Trilogy began that I had picked the wrong show. Let me be clear, I am no theatre expert. My repertoire starts with a bit of modernised Shakespeare and the odd musical or two. For me, the story needs to be clear from start to finish, otherwise I get lost and bored. And The Disappearing Trilogy was just a little too far outside my expertise. Without spoiling too much, the show features Monash University PhD candidate Suzie Hardgrave, in a solo show constructing a somewhat erratic narrative of an actress
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CultureTheatre

Autocannibal – Theatre Review

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By Kate Speakman   In an apocalyptic future, humanity is on the brink of starvation. In their desperation, they have legalised cannibalism and a man has just been the first to sell his own leg. I won’t be ruining anything for you when I say the opening image of Autocannibal is striking. Mitch Jones hangs suspended by a single leg, next to a rusty saw. The tension is short lived, but palpable.   What was sold as a controversial and delightfully disgusting show was surprisingly lacking in gore. I definitely gagged, but not as much as I expected. In fact,
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CultureTheatre

Review of 50 Words

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By Marlo Sullivan   To celebrate the opening of The Melbourne Actors Lab at the Alex Theatre in St Kilda at the start of August, the play Fifty Words, written by Michael Weller is being performed.    Directed by Peter Kalos, Fifty Words is a play revolving around a married couple living in New York who are alone for the first night in years. The play exposes the frustrations of married life for both the husband, Adam, played by Daniel Schepisi, and his wife Jan, played by Katharine Innes, whom he spends much of the play trying to seduce into
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CultureTheatre

Review – Bluebeard’s Castle

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By Marlo Sullivan   There are so many adaptations of fairytales around, from books to film to ballet, that it can be hard to choose what to go see, especially when many are tailored towards young children. Bluebeard’s Castle, an electro-opera performance by BK Opera, is very much suited to an adult audience. It is a tale not for the faint of heart, with no Cinderella-style happy ending to be found.    Upon arrival, the stage was interesting to look at, with fairy lights and a glittery set indicating that this would be unlike any ordinary opera performance. The program
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