Spider's Web, Canberra Repertory, 24 July-9 August

 

Agatha Christie has a simple appeal to readers and theatre audiences - pure plot and puzzles with a mystery to be solved by the finale. "Spider's Web" falls into the more obscure part of her theatrical repertoire - it doesn't have the hook that her top rank plays like "Witness for the Prosecution" or "And then There Were None" have, but there are its own compensations - it plays with the whodunnit form in interesting ways, not taking itself terribly seriously without ever activley spoofing the whole thing.

The formula is so well known at this point (last spoofed at Rep with the energetic "Bloody Murder" last year) that playing it somewhat straight can be challenging, but this production plays it pretty down the line. The tone is mostly reasonably light but the characters are taken seriously - we believe in them enough to be engaged in the story. For most of the length of the show, the question isn't "whodunnit", it's "will we be able to fool the police so the wrong person isn't arrested", and us being on the side of the wrongly-accused helps the tone be a mixture of tense and comic. Director Ylaria Rogers has pitched the show just right - it's just the right side of the gap between cozily familiar and cliche. 

Sian Harrington leads the cast as Clarissa, the genteel hostess of the evening - creative, compassionate, we always wonder just what she's thinking and are usually surprised by the answer. We're mostly carried along the plot by her and she's always a watchable enjoyable lead. Adele Lewin as the bluntly-spoken gardener Mildred Peake is a delight- forthright, opinionated and a strong presence. Therese Maguire at my performance played Pippa, the stepdaughter, as an enthusiastic teenager with just the right amount of hints at her troubled past. Terry Johnson, Anthony Mayne and John Winfield as three golf-club types dragged in to assist in the mayhem are a delightfully posh set of 1950s gentlemen, helpful and slightly dufferish. David Bennett has poise and sternness as Elgin, the Butler who may know a little more than he's telling, Robert Weardon as the sinister Oliver Costello gives us good reasons to dislike him early, Leo Amadeus is suitably bemused as the inquisitive Inspector Lord, and Sophia Bate looms impressively as Constable Jones.

Sarea Coate's set design has all the charm of a mid 50s country house complete with visible garden through the french windows, and Ange Fewtell dresses the cast well, between Clarissa's bright red cocktail dress, the men's formal suit and Mildred's casual garden wear. David Brown lights smoothly with a couple of mood moments for the more thrilling bits, and Neville Pye keeps the sounds right in period.

In short, this is a delightful distracting charmer - absolutely something to take with the Rep Bar's warm Glühwein as a winter comforter.  

Zach Ruane & Alexei Toliopoulos - Refused Classification, The Street Theatre, 24-25 July

 

A tribute to early 2000s film culture and Margaret Pomeranz in particular, this two-handed comedy documentary show combines history, improv, recreations, infodumps and the dramatic reading of an Office of Film and Literature Classification report in a show that is hilarious, informative, emotionally heartwarming and politically provocative. It's a look at Australian Film Censorship history, at the changing nature of how we consume media, and at once intricately researched and completely ridiculous. 

Alexei Toliopolous and Zach Ruane at various times play Margaret and David, both in slightly cheesy grey wigs, before switching to narrate and to play other roles in the narrative - in particular, the dark nemisis of the show, the Reverend Fred Nile. The start of the show contextualises the controversy over the film "Ken Park" that Margaret involved herself in, by using the Movie Show review before she started talking about the topic (2 Fast, 2 Furious) - with Ruane a delightfully snobbish Stratton, relishing the joy of saying the word "Tyrese", and Toliopolous giving all of Margaret's passion and enthusiasm, beffore we dive into the main meat of the show - looking at how two seemingly very mainstream cultural pillars became clear forces of radical action in defence of civil liberties. Both Ruane and Toliopolous bring a lot of themselves into the show, and they're both very engaging personalities - able to both go very broad but also to respect the heart of the show, and the political point it's making even as it makes us double over with laughter. There's a very Australian sense of daggy charm and anything-can-happen in a show which is several months into a tour post Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival - for a show that has a strong technical component with video and lighting, it still feels very loose and playful, with both performers conveying a passion for their subject. 

In short, for anyone who ever watched David and Margaret in any of their TV forms, anybody who likes cultural history played out with enthusiasm, and anyone who likes a bodgy wig.  

Julius Caesar, Chaika Theatre, ACT Hub, 23 July-2 August

 

Shakespeare's grand tragedy of assassination and what comes after is notable for the title character being killed at the top of Act 3 - it's more about the world created by the tyrant as it is about him as a central character. Caitlin Baker's production captures this in a modern production - the suited entourages finding quiet spaces to plot and plan, the cynical creation of a public consensus and the manipulation that switches that consensus in seconds - and the flailing hoplessness that comes afterwards. It captures complex realpolitik in real time, moment by moment, up close and very personal.

Central to the production is Lachlan Ruffy's performance as Brutus - brooding and thoughtful, tempted to action by strong rhetoric and appeals to his intellectual honour but unable to see how he's being manipulated. Yanina Clifton as Cassius is cold fire, sharp and precise in her attack, knowing just what argument to make up until the point when all her smarts fail her and she's left to an ignoble end. Colin Giles seizes his moment in the funeral centerpiece, passionate and powerful as Mark Antony, compelling the audience with his passion and soul. Michael Sparks has the capricious power of a true Caesar, imposing and confident up until the point where he falls to arguments to go to the forum and his ultimate fate. Karen Vickery as Casca is clear, determined and wily as she switches sides in an instant, confidently serving whoever suits her best. Amy Kowalczuck as both Brutus and Caesar's wives gives emotional support in attempts to steer both men away from their predetermined fate and gets an all-too-rare opportunity to unleash her powerful singing voice in the second act. Joshua James gets a double as both the servile Lucius and the arrogant Octavius, and there's strong support from Paris Scharkie as Decius and Sophia Mellink as Cimber. 

Baker's set design is a simple catwalk that uses both ends strongly, bringing different areas into focus under Lachlan Houen's sensative lighting. Paris Sharkie's composition gives the show a strong musical backbone, keeping the tension moving. 

In short this is a powerful production of a classic - leaving the audience shaken as the price of rebellion without thought to what comes after is laid bare - as those who have no thought beyond the initial threat find themselves steamrolled by the circumstances they have created. 

Big Name, No Blankets, ILBIJERRI Theatre company and Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Theatre, 10-12 July (and subsequently touring to Desert Festival Araluen and Papanuya)

 

(note - photo from the 2024 Sydney Festival season - some cast changes since this run)

A biomusical about the history of the Warumpi band from the point of view of one of its members, using the inside perspective of several key family members, "Big Name No Blankets" is part rock-tribute-concert, part narrative, combining warmth, politics and pure rock power. The simple set design (an area on the left of the stage representing the Papunya land that the Butcher brothers remain connected with) and a central rock band setup with grand lighting and a projection screen at the back to take us anywhere and everywhere, using the band cases as setpieces for various scenes for the character's travels gives us something simulatenously epic- filling the stage of the Canberra Theatre - and intimate for personal connection moments in the plot. Baykali Ganambarr as narrator Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher gives genial warmth to the story, telling of how the band came together and how personal drives ended it, leading through the triumphs and the personal tragedies with an ingratiating charm. 

As lead singer George Rrurrambu Burarrwanga, Taj Pilgrim has the moves, the attitude and the voice to be a compelling frontman - from his first song to the ending he's got every rock credential you need, bringing the audience to their feet in foot-stomping, communal joy as he slides across the stage in moves that are part Hutchence, part Jagger and part traditional aboriginal dance. It's a triumph of a performance and absolutely sells the Warumpi's material with power and conviction. The cast alternate between acting and band, and are a truly rocking ensemble, playing it loud and powerful. 

With the show co-directed and, at this performance, introduced by Sammy's daughter Anyupa Butcher, and with two of his sons in the backing band, plus Sammy in as story and cultural consultant, this does feel very much like a family affair, very personal and heartfelt. And the combo of family intimacy and the power of fine epic rock music really plays well together - feeling both home-made and polished and skilful. It's a great true story that will delight anybody interested in one of the foundational music acts in Australian history. 

The Pirates of Penzance, Queanbeayn Players, The Q, 3 Jul-13 Jul

 

After a very trimmed down touring verison earlier in the year from the Hayes, it's good to have a full-cast chonky orchestra version of this Gilbert and Sullivan warhorse - though this is the Essgee version created with new orchestrations by Kevin Hocking, adaptation by Simon Gallaher and with additional lyrics by Melvyn Morrow, so the purple pants jokes are indeed back in abundance. As suits a company having a 60th anniversery, it's a frothy fun party of a show with joy bouncing across the footlights into the audience -while the Essgee version is a 30 year old revision of a 145 year old original, the only place where the age is felt is in Gilbert's victorian era freak-outs over older women having a sexuality (which is always moderated by Sullivan writing really great stuff for them to sing - one of the reasons G&S holds up to all ages is that Gilbert is fundamentally a cynic and Sullivan a sentamentalist - the two tones appeal to the different moods of the audience and somehow manage to unite gloriously harmonically in the best of their shows). 

In this production, the emphasis is on as much romping as possible, and on having as large a cast as can fit onto the Q's stage (plus orchestra) to deliver the music and some great stomping choreography. Led by Adam Best in full physical-comedy mode as a Pirate King who keeps chopping himself with his own sword and does dramatic lunges and big line readings in the grand manner, he's a delight to watch. David 'Dogbox' Cannell as the Major General is similarly fun as the finicky, goofy father of way-too-many-daughters, with all kinds of sideways nonsense thrown into the role, occasionally channelling Stephen Fry as General Melchett when in bellowing mode but also able to find some quieter moments to draw the audience in. Lachlan Eldterton as dim-but-nice hero Frederic is thoroughly charming with a smooth, gentle tenor, expressing the character's innocence in a way that is lovely to see. Louise Gaspari throws herself into the role of Ruth with enthusiasm, particularly enjoying a chance to wave a cutlass in act two. Demi Smith is a perfectly lovely soprano as Mabel, particularly when singing a squad of policemen to hopefully die in glory, despite them not really wanting to. The trio of daughters played by Emma White, Tina Robinson and Lillee Keating do some delightful scene stealing on the margins, popping up to surprise in all kindsa spots. Wally Allington as pirate assistant Samuel gives good swashbuckle, and Joe Moores as the Police Sergeant is sweetly adorable as the slightly soppy goofball. 

There's strong chorus work and musical direction under the firm hand of Jenna Hinton (who also gets to banter with the cast occasionally), and Jodi Hammond gets the cast moving in all kinds of spectacular ways. Alison Newhouse pulls the whole production together so it never quite spins off its axis to become pure nonsense - the occasional sincere emotional moment is given its due and respected. 

As a celebration of 60 years of Queanbeyan Players I can't think of a better way to launch into the next 60 years - yes, it's a look backwards at one of the classics, but it's a classic that works for a reason, and it's a show that will have people pouring into the Q and pouring back out with big smiles on their faces. 

The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Free Rain, ACT Hub, 25 June-5 July

 Martin McDonagh kicked off his writing career in 1996 with this sharp black comedy about a mother and daughter in a relationship that veers between caregiving and mutual hatred, and the two brothers who's lives intersect with theirs, before going on to a career that's seen him write and direct cult film "In Bruges" and two Oscar-contendors, "Three Billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri" and "The Banshees of Inersheerin". This initial play, though, is a tight classic of the form, with the mutual destruction of the two women at the centre, the possibility of romance cruelly denied, and the rural frustration that drives the population of a small Irish village. 

Cate Clelland directs an intimate production in a corner of the Hub stage, with the audience right on top to hear the bitter barbs and feel the spaces between the characters. Janie Lawson and Alice Ferguson anchor the play as the longing, tired daughter and the bitter, needy mother, more alike than they'd like to think in their mutual battle. Bruce Hardie as possible suitor Pato Dooley has a charming romanticism and delivers the largely expositional act-two-opening letter with gentle care, giving a sense of his own aging frustration and gentlemanly forbearance. And Robbie Haltiner is deliciously irritating as the gossipy Ray Dooley,so caught up in his own petty issues that he never realises what he's doing to the people around him. 

Clelland has designed a solidly realistic set, a tight cage for the cast to push up against one another in, slightly faded and tired like the characters. 

This is a strong solid production of a modern classic  - at almost 30 years old, it's a play that speaks to the gap between family and kinship, and to the destructive nature of need. 

A Doll's House Part 2, Canberra Rep, 12-28 Jun

 

Taking the question of what happens 15 years after Nora walked out the door in the original, and looking at what the costs of personal liberation might be, "Doll's House Part 2" brings us a tightly contained drama of lost connections, possibilities and emotional truth. Lucas Hnath's script brings the language up to the moment (with some significant swearing) but keeps the dilemmas timeless. Joel Horwood's produciton uses the width and height of Rep's stage for a grandly imposing room, minimally furnished but with stark lights and angles introducing shadows and isolated spaces for the four characters to meet, argue and sometimes find a moment of connection. It's an impressive production visually as well as dramatically, on Tom Berger's grand set under Lachlan Houen's equally spectacular lighting, but the emotional side isn't lost in this stark, simple space. It's a show that doesn't require an in-depth knoweldge of Ibsen, though there are some links back to the original, and indeed connections to a couple of other Ibsen works which pay back the informed, but the central situation and stakes are set up easily for those coming in just for this story. 

Lainie Hart owns the stage as Nora - bringing the excitement of her adventures in the world outside and her slow-dawning realisation of what her choices have cost those left behind, and her realisation of how some of the history she left behind may be about to recur. It's intelligent, emotional, compassionate yet powerful. Joining her are Elaine Noon as the compassionate-but-concerned Anne-Marie, Anna Lorenz as the determined-to-be-distant Emmy and Rhys Robinson as the somewhat-shattered-but-still-in-motion Torvald - all strong characters determined to not be steamrollered by Nora again. 

This is an immaculate production - impeccably accurate, with a strong, simple design sense and powerful performances.