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I was very fortunate to attend the opening night performance of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” at one of my favourite local theatre spaces, Glenbrook Theatre. I must admit, I had never heard of this playbefore – however I was familiar with Christopher Durang’s work, having enjoyed reading some of his plays, and seeing some performed. After some research, I discovered that “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” opened in September 2012 in New Jersey, and, after a short r

Before seeing The Man From Earth at Henry Lawson Theatre, I deliberately avoided learning too much about the play. I did not want to compare it with other productions or be influenced by the 2007 film. I wanted to meet the story on its own terms, in the room, with this cast, and allow the premise to reveal itself as intended. That proved to be the right choice, because this is a work that depends heavily on discovery. Its power sits in the slow unfolding of an extraordinary c

The Theatre on Chester is celebrating their 70th anniversary by revisiting plays from their past. First up is Michael Gow ’s Away , an Australian classic that is, at its heart, an exploration of grief. Away is an ambitious play that can be difficult to stage due to its scale. Tonally, it shifts between comedy and tragedy. (But never both at the same time.) The director must also figure out how to work in Shakespeare, clowning, supernatural elements, a play within a play and

Horror and comedy require the same skill, which is why great horror directors are usually pretty funny people. Both essentially ask you to build tension for the audience and release it at just the right moment. No play is a greater example of this than the classic Arsenic and Old Lace . Without context, the story of two old women luring men into their home in order to murder them is a tragedy; in this show, it is simply a delightful premise. The dark comedy works when all of

In times of financial hardship, when the “cost of living crisis” seems to have become the new normal rather than a short period of difficulty through which we must prevail, it is understandable that we may indulge in daydreams of get-rich-quick schemes, or even less socially acceptable ways of making a buck on the side — would anyone even know they were my feet in the pictures? Fantasising is one thing, but the tangled web of deception woven in Cash on Delivery pushes the bo

Once again the Glenbrook Players have proven their flair for community theatre with their delightful and wickedly funny production of Joseph Kesselring’s 1939 play Arsenic and Old Lace . The direction of Robyn and Alan Pope was confident and imaginative, allowing the cast to shine while maintaining a brisk pace, bringing this classic dark comedy to life with warmth, wit, and a perfect balance of charm and chaos. Margaret Bell (Aunt Abby) brought a lovely warmth and twinkle to

The opening night of Calendar Girls at the Henry Lawson Theatre was a triumph of heart, humour, and community spirit. Under the talented...

As you walk into the theatre to see Love Stories , the play adapted from beloved Australian author Trent Dalton’s book of the same name,...

Adaptation is hard because it’s difficult to capture the magic of something in a totally different form. Often, adaptations fail because...

Sylvia Rayman’s Women of Twilight is known for putting a spotlight on women's issues. Henry Lawson Theatre’s production of this play was...

When a tragedy happens, we cannot help but be captivated by it — whether it’s morbid curiosity for details, empathetic reactions to...

Most of us would be familiar with (or at least have a vague recollection of) the names Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. At some point during...

‘Holding the Man’, written by Tommy Murphy and based on the memoir of the same name by Timothy Conigrave, is a significant work within...

One of the many challenges of staging Shakespeare’s Macbeth - or, as I like it call it, The King, The Thane, His Wife, and the Witches –...

It's not an uncommon story: a middle-aged man on the brink of an existential crisis, finding solace in a younger female, and thus...

I am happy to be proven wrong when it comes to theatre. It is always a pleasant surprise when I have expectations, and they manage to be...

A drawing room play that asks what we owe to one another, J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls is a scathing indictment of the British...

When words fail, music speaks—a sentiment that forms the very core of The Heartbreak Choir. With a blend of comedy and pathos, the late,...

Christine Rule and Brenton Amies have been perfectly cast as Mother and Son Maggie and Arthur Beare. Without mimicking or parodying the...

There is something to be said for being original. When theatre is new, exciting, and cutting-edge, it can feel important. This being...