Recipe for Relativity | Here + There Productions & Anywhere Festival
The “escape” for this unique Anywhere Festival experience was to assist dimension hopping Hadley to leave our dimension before their DNA broke down from too much inter-dimensional exposure. To help them escape, we were asked to fix their traveling device, a meticulously crafted object that had multiple dials, lights, and doors to fiddle with made by show producer Regan Henry.
The Human Centipede Parody Musical | Synergy Production Co & Anywhere Festival
Writers Liam Hartley and Oliver Catton have taken the storyline of the horror movie and turned it into a camp, self-aware, and ridiculous romp, a parody of the film and the cheesiness of musicals generally. The musical numbers are hilarious, clever, and performed with great skill. The content is gruesome, but the energy is high, and the choreography is peppy. We are even treated to a tap-dancing centipede nightmare, complete with a cane held by Dr. Heiter.
Tipsy History | Glitter Martini & Anywhere Festival
One thing I love about the Glitter Martini shows I’ve seen is they’re always audience participation heavy, which is great to keep the crowd entertained at changeovers between the acts. A particular crowd favourite this time was a modern spin on an Ancient Greek drinking game, which everyone got right into, and it really brought out their competitiveness. These interactive segments made the show intimate and that little more special and memorable for everyone.
I'm Not Entirely Here | Vena Cava Productions & Anywhere Festival
While it was impossible to be present for every character interaction or read every scribbled note, I was able to create a complete understanding of the plot. The cast achieved this through moments where all present characters came together to move the plot along. As a result, everyone's experience at I'm not entirely here will be unique, but every experience will also be complete.
13: The Play | Legacy Ensemble & Anywhere Festival
Each of the thirteen performers seamlessly snapped between different set pieces and characters, sometimes even mid-sentence and didn’t miss a beat. In a split second, one actor could be a young child complaining to their parents and in the next breath, they were a gang member. Each transition was seamless as the last.
Murder Village | David Massingham & Brisbane Comedy Festival
Murder Village is great night out for lovers of absurd comedy, Agatha Cristie style murder mysteries and all those inbetween. With a rotating cast of some of the best improvisers in the country, it’s also the perfect introduction to improv and a show you’ll want to see again and again. And not just because it will never be the same show twice.
Polis and Panathenaea | Flaming Carnations & Anywhere Festival
Performance stand outs included Gardiner’s portrayal of Medea and Free’s of Medusa. As Medea Gardiner was both sexy and sociopathic as she detailed her historically misunderstood relationship with motherhood. Free’s physicality as Medusa slithered and snaked, as could only be appropriate for her character.
ART | Staged Theatre Company & Anywhere Festival
As part of the Anywhere Festival, this play was held in a screening room at the Institute of Modern Art. The small space allowed for an intimate performance, something uncommon in Brisbane theatre. All audience members were within meters of the actors, creating an engaging environment in which to enjoy the show.
Card Houses | Harrison Mills & Anywhere Festival
The chemistry and the dynamics between the actors were also brilliant. From their intense fight to a heart-felted conversation, the pacing was well performed throughout, which ultimately drew me deeper into their inner world.
Queen and Friend | Grimes Productions & Anywhere Festival
With a complete lack of props, set or special effects, they crafted vivid worlds with just their voices and bodies, illustrating the different characters through changes in posture, voice and positioning. A real highlight, I have to say, was watching Imogen portray both the human-eating horse and human being eaten by the horse, both the consumer and the consumed, simultaneously. Bloody funny.
The Poison of Polygamy | La Boite Theatre & Sydney Theatre Company
Modern Australia has always been diverse, and more stories need to focus on the reality of diversity in our country, even if that is a complicated story to tell. I found the work challenging in the best possible way and felt affected by the narrative. The Poison of Polygamy is a must-see for anyone seeking relevant, high-quality theatric works.
Lucie in the Sky | Australasian Dance Collective (ADC)
Lucie in the Sky is far more than a dance performance. It is an endearing and provocative work of art compelling us to consider deep-diving into the world of cybernetics. Evaluating the potentially detrimental repercussions of AI’s revolutionary progress on some businesses, it begs the following question: What does it mean to see, situate, and elevate humanity at the centre, if not the forefront, of technology?
SHE | indelabilityarts
SHE is an evocative rollercoaster ride of emotions where the dark, the neutral and the light share the stage equally just like in real life. SHE is at once unsettling, discomforting, provocative, engaging, seamlessly invoking a plethora of emotions ranging from anger to serenity, from dark to light, from pessimism to optimism but above all, from hopelessness to hope. SHE is brave enough to take a deep dive into women and their particular mental health issues.
Urinetown | Phoenix Ensemble
The cast was accompanied by a live band that really elevated the whole show, and interacted with the characters in ways that fit really well and made the whole audience laugh. The same could be said for the choreography and dance, it was sharp, well placed and well executed. Frantic jazz moves or hip thrusts might have been ill fitted to a story about resource hoarding and capitalism, but it was exactly that contrast that made otherwise funny scenes hilarious.
Venus in Fur | The X Collective
What truly made this play stand out was the performance of the actors, AJ and Nick Sinclair, who dynamically portrayed the two main characters. The performances were nothing short of exceptional, with both actors delivering nuanced portrayals of their characters. They both playfully and skilfully moved through the complex tonal and vocal shifts demanded of the piece.
REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN | Vena Cava Productions
REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN is an audacious and bold production. Breaking down text, vocabulary, and vernacular to its most surreal roots, it explores how words and society’s changing definition of them, have shaped the way we perceive and behave towards women, and placed arbitrary – and often absurd – boundaries around gender roles.
Rough, Red and Raw | Architects of Sound
As architects of sound, they’re far more important, far more conceptually insightful and artistically refined, percipient guardians of the zeitgeist. They are a whole new level of artiste, and we mere mortals cannot possibly comprehend their brilliance. With a certain vivacity, an ironic holier-than-thou attitude and so much lycra, the group expertly poke fun at influencer culture. In fact, I was just thinking to myself how brilliantly they embodied the wankiness so often found in the art world when they revealed the title of their latest album: “Art Fap”. Perfect.
Nineteen | Underground Theatre Company
Overall, the actors as an ensemble were quite tight and captured the emotional repression and despondency that their characters were feeling. A special mention to Dominic Graves, who gave his character Noah’s broken masculinity and repressed trauma nuance and an emotional depth that was called for.
Brisbaret at Queensland Cabaret Festival
I can see why Brisbaret is a popular feature in the Brisbane arts scene, as a firmly local platform for a wide variety of music, comedy, drag, and cabaret artists. Variety is a tried and tested format—at its finest when hosted by talented MC’s, who program an eclectic collection of invited artists and keep the evening on track.
Red | Dancenorth
The final image of the show was perhaps the most confronting. It lingered and encouraged me to sit with the feeling of it. It's a final statement of the show that was clearly meant to be seen in person, not read online. Being presented with a challenge like that was invigorating and I hope I get to see more work that engages the audience in that way.