Posts

"Bunker" Spoiler-free Review

Image
  4 out of 5 stars SAYArts 4 SHOWS REMAINING. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE Play written by Alby T. Grace As SA Youth Arts Theatre Co (or SAYArts for short) celebrates their 10 th year of performing in the Adelaide Fringe. Bunker becomes another example of the discipline a group of 13–18-year-olds can apply to develop a story that is attention-grabbing and engaging to an audience, ably led by an industry professional artists and creatives. Lilly and Tim wake up in their thirteenth bunker, eight years into the apocalypse. They're stuck with the movie obsessed Johnny, who can't get through a speech without mixing up his film quotes. Throughout, they are joined by wild man Osbourne and eventually, a 3D printed AI android personification of the bunker. Why? Because this isn’t just any bunker, it's a Bunker, (insert umlaut on the U) one of the largest structures ever built by man. But who kidnapped who? What do Lilly and Tim really want? And should we be worried about the advanc

“THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE” Spoiler-free Review

Image
4.0 out of 5 stars LOC’ALLY THEATR 6 SHOWS ACROSS 3 WEEKS – YOU CAN’T USE THE “I WAS AT ANOTHER FRINGE SHOW” EXCUSE CLICK ME FOR TICKETS! Opening Night is Saturday 2nd March with performances at the Parks Theatre, Angle Vale. Story by Andrew Bovell Loc’ally Theatr was conceived in late 2023 by Lochie Daniel and Ally Gum, and with a talented cast, they are about to debut their first production, Things I Know to be True, penned by local playwright, Andrew Bovell. It needs to be noted that this preview lacked the presence of Lizzie Zeuner and understudy Kayla Cranfield for Pip Price, and as such, Production Manager Ally Gum stepped into the role for the first time for the Preview run and did a great job! If you’re looking for a fun, happy, hilarious piece of theatre – this is not for you! It pulls on the heartstrings at least 4 times, and twice on Sundays, with a powerful climax ending Act 1… only to be outdone by the climax and tears at the end of Act 2. I’ll say no more… While t

“Beauty & the Bachie” Spoiler-free Review

Image
4.5 out of 5 stars EMMA KNIGHTS PRODUCTION 3 SHOWS ONLY! 16 th Feb, 17 th Feb 7:30 @ Star Theatre; 23 rd Feb 7:30 @ Parks Theatre “A parody musical based on reality TV dating shows” – well they got that right! Beginning over a glass of red, Emma Knights and Samara Gill penned a couple of songs… some time later it moulded its way into this witty, hilarious One Act musical. With Music & Lyrics by Samara Gill and Emma Knights, and Book by Emma Knights, this original work of satirical theatre is a must see for anyone that loves a good Bachelor season… but also those that have never seen an episode (guilty as charged). Except for a couple of episodes from First Dates , the closest I’ve come to watching a dating reality show was an American TV series, “ UnReal ”, focussing on the manipulative producers and crew behind the scenes of the scandals and dramas you would otherwise see in a final cut. Along with the comedic timing and presentation in Eden Trebilco’s role as Producer, U

Spies are Forever - Spoiler Free Review

Image
4 out of 5 stars Playing until Saturday 10 th February. The Australian Premiere of ' Spies Are Forever' , presented by FUPAS, is a new musical originally staged at the NoHo Arts Center, NY in 2016. As such, it’s primarily known by those that are regular supporters of StarKid, and other works these students at the time had also been involved in. Outside of that, it’s unknown. Nonetheless, a tight backstage crew ( Kudos Kiara Irvine and Diego Tovar Gallo ) and a ridiculously funny onstage team took out opening night as if it was a James Bond villain – with a bang! Four years after the death of his partner Owen, super spy Curt Mega struggles to return to his former glory, masking his grief & guilt with charisma & booze ( and a terrible beard ). But when the American Secret Service (A.S.S) uncovers a plot to rebuild the Nazi empire, Curt is thrust into the field to save the world once again. Equipped with a license to kill and the voice of an angel, Agent Mega must t

In The Timeless Walls - Spoiler Free Review

Image
Viewed 29th September 2023 4.5 out of 5 stars PitchWhite Productions’ latest production ‘ In The Timeless Walls ’ centres around 5 “strangers” who have abruptly awoken in an inescapable room. After shortly coming to terms that they won’t be getting out, they each begin to convert to different mindsets. While they communally reflect on their past life, their relationships change, and the truth unfolds. In an obscure ending to the show, we find out the room isn’t what it seems. Written and directed by production company owner, Lochie Daniel, this production begins with 5 lifeless bodies on the stage floor. Surrounding them is a raised platform upstage, and a block of stairs for access. The minimalistic set prevents the actors to hide any insecurities behind the glitz, glamour and spectacles other shows might include. When talking with Mr. Daniel after the production, he spoke about the concept he drew inspiration from - social experiments, and to a degree, the audience became a par

Little Shop of Horrors Review - Adelaide Youth Theatre

Image
  “Little Shop of Horrors” Review – Seymour Cast Produced by Adelaide Youth Theatre Andrew Broadbent 4.5 stars   Playing until Sunday 29 th April. Tickets still available via www.trybooking.com/CGQVT If the Audrey cast is as good as the Seymour cast was tonight, this is going to be a masterpiece of a season. Co-Directors Zali Zedgman and Benji Riggs , Musical Director Mark Stefanoff and Choreographer Lucy Newman collectively moulded an already talented group of youth members of Adelaide and created a very satisfying product. The three Urchins: Crystal ( Amber Fibrosi ), Ronette ( Anika Van Der Walt ) and Chiffon ( Shalee Vicencio ) out sung, out snapped and out urchin’d every other performance of Little Shop of Horrors I’ve seen. The voices these 3 performers display from the very beginning of “ Little Shop of Horrors ” dispel any thought of this being a ‘youth show’ and the expectation level that this kind of thinking comes with. Throughout the story, these 3 characters use

Mamma Mia Review - Westminster School (yes, I went over my 1 rule)

Image
“Mamma Mia”, performed by Westminster School Monday 3 rd April, 2023 4.5 stars We all know the story of Mamma Mia as we follow the 24-hour journey to the wedding of Sophie and Skye, or lack thereof. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, it’s the songs that we all know and love (or secretly love) that turn this jukebox musical into a story that we can all relate to in some way, but it’s the way the creatives have put their influence into this production that have made it more. I was fortunate to witness the talent from the “Benny” cast. When one goes to the theatre, we expect to be directed to our seats, chatter until the lights dim and the music begins for the overture. Not this time! A bit of pre-production entertainment, featuring ABBA themselves, getting in the way of the captain’s housekeeping address began a night I’m not going to forget anytime soon. During the overture, we see the many students involved in this production as they flow endlessly onto

“Dracula: Last Voyage of the Demeter” Spoiler-free Review

Image
“Dracula: Last Voyage of the Demeter” Spoiler-free Review – 4.5 stars As “blood is the life” rang through the theatre space that we know as the Star Theatres, and the final moments played out, the audience continued to sit in anticipation for more – not knowing whether that was the final scene and we should present the creatives with a well-deserved applause, or do we wait… just in case… it is a horror after all. But the end is not the best place to start – Dracula: Last Voyage of the Demeter was written by Melbourne playwright, Sean Carney, directed by David Dyte, and is described as “A must see for horror fans and literary enthusiasts alike!” The production begins mid-story with Captain Atkins (Paul Messenger) and First Mate Nichols (Eira Thorstensson) carrying a wooden box into a cage. A cage that would seemingly hold a monster. Of course, we know all too well that a cage built for humans wouldn’t date hold a monster. Nor would shackles and chains. The inscription on the side

Phil Hoffman Travel Expo, Adelaide Convention Centre

The day started as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as possible on a Sunday when the usual ritual is to sleep in as long as I can, to make the trip down to Adelaide for the Phil Hoffman Travel Expo at the Adelaide Convention Centre. The event started at 10:00am and so I parked up at Bonython Park and trammed it down to North Tce. With the offer of Free Coffee at the Expo, I quickly trotted off to the nearest coffee station, past all the exhibitor stalls and grabbed my latte of life. In the pre-planning stages of the Expo, I did the research on how many talks I could squeeze into the 6-hour window and crammed in as many as possible. My homework said I could attend 10, and I made it to 8 ½, so a pretty good effort. I mistakenly thought one of the talks started at 12:15 instead of 12:00, so I missed the first 15 minutes of the 20 minute talk; and by the end of the day, I couldn’t absorb any more information and special offers to attend the final planned talk, which was on USA and Hawaii… bu