Lucy & Me | Nicolas Angelosanto
Lucy & Me charmed me with the tale of man, Sphenn, and his bike, Lucy, trying to get home to Germany. We followed the two on wacky adventures as they tried to make money for a plane ticket. Sphenn was part trickster and part fool, an effeminate, romantic, simple-minded, European caricature. Nicolas brought enthusiasm, extremity and maintained his character well. I enjoyed his commitment to silliness, wiggling his whole body or licking the corners of a stamp feverishly until he got a laugh.
Plastica Fantastica | Jennifer Laycock
Plastica Fantastica was clever, poignant and a real knee-slapper. A woman obsessed with plastic, who is also allergic to plastic. How can she live without the one thing she loves the most? Brilliant.
Caesar | La Boite
Caesar isn’t really an adaptation of Julius Caesar, it’s a show about actors putting on a play. In fact, it wasn’t really about putting on a play, but more so about the disputes and individual philosophies between the actors. It’s all very meta.
How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse | Dark Stories Brisbane
Words cannot describe how nervous I was before I arrived, yet there was something strangely comforting about this weird ride from the get-go. A little bit university science lecture meets AA meeting, with Rocky Horror vibes on slow burn; this one was definitely a creeper.
The End of Us | Rouge Theatre Co.
Full of sharp dialogue, witty exchanges and very episodic in nature, Fenton’s writing created a very surreal landscape which surprised and delighted. The thread that wove the scenes together was split into two, jumping between different stages in Meredith’s (Georgie Oulton) and Archie’s (Calum Johnston) plutonic marriage mandated by law.
Wanted for Murder | InsideOutside Theatre Company
In the second act of the show, the audience is handed a clue pack and have an opportunity to question each suspect about their whereabouts the night of the gruesome murder and their relationship to the suspect. It’s not every performance that you get thrown headfirst into the characters’ world and get an insight into their motivations and I enjoyed it immensely. Truth be told, I got quite a thrill putting my detective hat on. Maybe a little bit too much.
Undertow | Shock Therapy Productions
Using the conventions of Epic Theatre, Foster and Jones allowed us to see their transitions in and out of characters and setting in a blacked-out stage. This not only placed an onus on the writing but also connected the characters lives and conflicts, showing that the difference between humans might be a metaphorical change of hat.
People of Colours | Naavikaran and Grace Edward
People of Colours is an important performance that has been created by BIPOC performers and creatives behind the scenes, allowing them a stage where they can express themselves and speak on various issues that impact marginalised voices and people of colour.
Anatomy of a Suicide | Metro Arts and BC Productions Qld
The script weaves in and out of sync whilst three storylines are unravelling at once. Where does one look? How do they link? Who is that character now? This show forces you to stay focused, alert, overwhelmed and silenced whilst each character explores their own tension, grief and loss.
The Time is Now | La Boite's Young Artist Company
The Time Is Now features ten storytellers from different ethnic backgrounds and ages, with the youngest being a ripe old age of twelve (nearly thirteen) and the oldest, eighteen. The work was built around the UN Declaration of a Child’s Rights, with each performer making their own amendment to it. These amendments include each child having freedom of expression, the right to be safe, the right to have ice-cream and the right to be a bad ass Queen.
Get Her Outta Here | Broccolini Productions
Get Her Outta Here is a quirky show created and performed by Isabella Broccolini at Sideshow as part of Anywhere Festival. It is a monologue that lasts for about 40 minutes that will make you rack your brain to find meanings and connections. You have to go in there with an open mind because there is nothing straight about this show.
Dear Adults | Virag Dombay and Harry Fritsch
Dear Adults is a verbatim piece performed by children that explores different dynamics they have with adults and provides a stage for their questions and concerns to be heard. It’s the kind of show that I wished I would’ve had access to as a child, especially with growing up in a rural town and the difficulties that arose there. To be able to have those honest discussions with the adults in my life is something I yearned for when I was younger and still do to some extent.
As You Like It | ThunderBear Productions
A classic Shakespearian comedy, As You Like It is a drama that throws a big stick in the spokes of gender norms, what with a cast of characters that wander off the path on ill-conceived adventures, that fall in love quicker than you or I can drink a luke-warm latte, and are inclined to cross-dress without so much as a by-your-leave. It’s quite satisfying then, to see this contemporary staging heavily weighted with women, when once it would have been entirely performed by men.
The Great Grandiosa | Act React
If you have ever wanted to know what the winning lottery number is going to be, or what riches are coming in your future, then you might not find that at The Great Grandiosa. What you are guaranteed though is a fun night of hilarious comedy and a peek into what might’ve happened in our past lives as you are swept away by The Great Grandiosa’s psychic charm, tarot card readings and a deep delve into horoscopes.
I am King. I am Queen | Roýmata Holmes & Room to Play
It is still very rare to see the stories of queer people of colour on the stage and screen, especially Pacifika peoples, that celebrate their joy and the importance of ongoing connection to culture in their lives. It was a joy to see Roýmata share these experiences as a part of the showing and I particularly loved the passion that they showed sharing the stories of their family and the dances from The Cook Islands.
Rat Dog Double Bill | Esther Dougherty & Siobhan Gibbs
Surrealist, and dripping with symbolism, the show was ludicrously, awkwardly funny, a philosopher’s treat. A complex tangle, perplexing and challenging perhaps for anyone looking for a fluffy night out. But perhaps not.
The Shelter | Here + There Productions
Trapped in a random person’s garage with a group of strangers and limited time to get out may not be everyone’s cup of tea or idea of a fun night out. For many, this probably sounds tantamount to volunteering yourself for torture. If you’re in that category, bear with me, because I’m going to convince you getting yourself trapped will be a highlight of your Anywhere Festival.
Begotten | Minola Theatre
We see the relationships the women have with men unravel from healthy and supportive to dysfunctional and abusive. We see these women losing their identities and finding themselves, embracing motherhood and running away from it and either fighting against or succumbing to the hardships in their lives.
A Bed of Roses | Arbour Theatre Company
The five improv actors were so good I kept forgetting they were acting. They did an incredible job of staying in character despite so much distraction around them, while also handling the crowd through the scene changes.
Starter Boyfriend | Squirt Productions
We ventured into the mythical but very real ‘Virginity Store’ where the performers broke into song and synchronised dancing, listing some of the many ways to define sex. They drew focus away from traditional hetero-centric ideas of penis-in-vagina virginity and celebrated all the different ways to have sex, and thus virginities to be lost. It honestly got me excited for more first times in my life. There is such a big deal made over that one first time that often we forget to celebrate the others.