9 to 5: The Musical | Jones Theatrical Group & QPAC
The Australian leads did a great job with their roles. Casey Donovan’s vocals were a standout, and if you like Donovan’s voice you are definitely going to enjoy the show. Donovan’s portrayal of the newly-divorced Judy Bernly was excellent—taking us on the journey from a gauche first day at work,through to the depiction of an empowered executive who really did not need her cheating husband back.
Friends of Dorothy | Ghostlight Theatre Co.
What I loved the most about the show wasn’t the musical performances; it was that it didn’t stray away from the dark, oppressive and heartbreaking aspects of queer history and of identifying as queer even in our contemporary society. After Farmer-Trickett shared a personal story about a queer friend they had lost to suicide, there was a minute of silence held to remember all of those from the queer community who are no longer with us, which was such a generous way to reflect.
Hello, Stranger! | The Drawer Productions
Wonderfully written and directed and full of beautiful, nuanced performances, Hello, Stranger showcases the incredible talents of The Drawer Productions. Moving, challenging, educative, funny and full it impactful moments that have stayed with me, it was another standout production from one of Meanjin’s companies to watch. It was certainly one of the standout shows of the 2022 Anywhere Festival for me.
Disappearing Acts | Vulcana Circus
Disappearing Acts was developed in collaboration with environmental scientist Ayesha Tulloch, evident in the many bird facts (some delightful, some sobering) woven throughout the performance. Birds facts and storytelling connected displays of a variety of circus skills including partner acrobatics, stilt walking, magic, and use of the framed picture of the forest for aerial work.
7 Mortal Sins | Glitter Martini
On a drizzly Saturday night, I found myself in a stunning church with steep gabled roof, stained glass windows and brickwork that is 119 years old, celebrating what it is to be mortal. And what better way to do it, than with an Atonement for our sins, Glitter Martini style? I’m talking a freestanding aerial rig center stage. Circus, burlesque, sideshow, and even a little magic. And seven sinfully good acts, administered by one very captivating master of Ceremonies, Priest Benedict.
Oberon 11 | Inscape Assembly
The attention to detail by the designers was *chefs kiss*. It blew me away how fantastically rich the set was - every square inch had some hidden secret clue, either in plain sight or lurking behind the surface. The designers managed to transform a rather small space into a space that was brimming with personality, history, and stories just waiting to be discovered.
If You Build It | High Tide Circus
If You Build It was a raucous afternoon of entertainment, reminiscent of the renegade warehouse cabarets of the days of the Ice Cream Factory and Sean Young Studio. It was everything I love about live performance, high energy, slightly chaotic, unpredictable, a little bit loose and full of passionate carneys keen to entertain and show off their best stuff to the masses. You could definitely say they nailed it. Thank you, I’ll be here all week.
La Serenata | Opera Queensland
Wang himself is charming in the humblest of ways. He captures us with his talent and endears himself to us immediately after with his sweet demeanour. This charm is enhanced immensely by his technical prowess. Wang sings with every fibre of his being.
Murder at the Bowlo | Impro Mafia
During the group scenes for the whole audience, the performers really leaned into the silliness of the theme and into interacting with the audience, which kept us giggling along. At times, Murder at the Bowlo almost felt like a pantomime in the best possible ways, with the audience booing, cheering and responding to every character as secrets and accusations flew around the room.
A Collection of Circus | Cluster Arts + Independent Artists
Cluster Arts, the company behind Brisbane’s newest festival CIRCFest Meanjin, commissioned three independent artists to present snippets of their solo works in development. I think it is a great initiative to show audiences works in different stages, giving us a sneak peak at new Queensland works to come.
The Virtuous Burglar | Xth Act
While the play was primarily blithe, it explored issues of adultery, madness and hypocrisy in marriages and relationships. It made me reflect on human’s behaviours by exposing and mocking the ugliness of lies, pretence and power in society. “Let love be without hypocrisy”.
In Melodiam | Here + There Productions
There was an impressive mix of physical puzzles, cyphers and even equations for us to solve throughout In Melodiam, most of which were linked to the story and the era that our Hero came from. Together, this helped to immerse us further into our Hero’s world. Kudos to the team for creating so many puzzles that both fit the era of our Hero and which helped us to better understand her story.
Gutenberg! the Musical! | Springboard Productions
Displaying amazing musical muscle and acting ability, the two leads played around 30 characters between them with multiple different accents. No costume and makeup meant they really had to rely on their own characterisation, especially when the hats and accents started to come off and on thick and fast, along with the puns and the Broadway numbers. Chaos does ensue, but it is such well-controlled chaos.
The Politics of Vodka Lime & Soda | T!ts Akimbo
I was genuinely really delighted by the musical numbers, and I was surprised because that's usually not my thing. They were really fun and would cut between sharp cheesy choreography in the characters heads, to their real life drunken stumbling and screaming into the microphone. I think this would have been really easy to mess up but the way it broke up the action was really natural and the actors' delivery had me deep belly laughing at several points.
Slippery | Curtain World
Slippery is almost too slippery (lol) an experience to be described in something as rigid as words. A campy absurdist horror comedy with a built in murder mystery. The conventions and tropes of each form/genre are used expertly by Esther Dougherty’s script to delve into the psyche of each character and the intricacies of their inner lives as well as the plethora of hard hitting topics it tickles and teases throughout.
ASK | Tristan Niemi
You could absolutely feel the tension in the room, it was palpable. I felt the recognition of my role as a voyeur in this maelstrom, and my heart started to race. It was thrilling. I felt compelled to keep asking questions. In fact, I asked questions through the whole show, for various reasons. Originally it was curiosity, and even partly some sort of weird benevolence towards the artist in the beginning. This was killed off by of an uncontrollable desire to hear as much of their story as possible.
This Way to a Fireside Chat with Lucifer | Lightning Bolt Collective
But in my consultation, I was quickly informed that Satan is here to run in the national election. Lucifer's candidacy feels at home in an age of populist and potentially demonic global leaders, running on an appealing platform of climate justice and the fulfilment of my every desire. The conversations around politics grounded the experience while simultaneously making light of the often depressing political landscape. Voting often feels like deciding which party is the lesser of two evils, so why not vote for the devil?
Show Ponies | Brisbane Writers Festival
essa may ranapiri was the final one to take the stage, delivering an intoxicating and hypnotic poem threaded with the personification of an echidna as a woman who has no choice but to be violent for their voice to be heard. Accompanied by a beautiful score from their homeland, it was a poem that will stay with me for some time. Utterly striking.