2022 was sorta the year we came back - in my world, I saw (and reviewed) more theatre than I have in any year I've been blogging, and there were a lot of intriguing trends out there to be keeping an eye on in hopes they continue.
First of all, the musicals seemed to have discovered that Small Is Beautiful - my three favourite local musicals of the year were "Ruthless", "Keating" and "Urinetown" that all utilised skilled small casts to tell passionate stories up close and personal, whether it be dealing with egos and motherhood, the clash of politics or the dark truths of modern existence. Musically and dramatically skilled and filled with talented performers used to the best of their abilities, these were memorable highlights of the year
My performer of the year was Josh Wiseman - a great adaptable performer who popped up in four great performances - as the more inquisitive 50% of the title pair in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, as the egocentric teenager Timothy in Hand to God, as a surprisingly evenly matched sparring partner in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and as perhaps the most infuriating of the squabbling foursome in God of Carnage. There's nothing standard or rote about his performances - they're all perfectly pitched for the material he's working on, with strong theatrical intelligence and physical verve. I'll be keeping my eye out to see where he shows up next year.
Interstate it was great to finally have the state theatre companies start to explore the canon of New African-American and African-English writing - whether it be Sydney Theatre Company's great "Raisin in the Sun" (which I saw at a preview and hence didn't review, but I loved the hell out of) or Darlinghurst's "Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner"- both used performers of African heritage in strong ways to illuminate texts that haven't normally shown up on our (fairly anglo) stages before. It's a rich canon and I look forward to seeing more of it.
It was a bumper year for new writing too, whether it be interstate with "Triple X" giving the Rom-Com a huge reboot with its exploration of gender and power or "At What Cost" deeply delving into the dirty laundry of indigenous politics; on tour with "King of Pigs" giving a sharp look at domestic violence and "The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes" looking at what disability really might mean in the 21st century; or locally generated with the Q and Canberra Youth theatre both giving opportunities for new writers to explore engagement with their audience, with shows like "Smokescreen", "21 Forster street" and "How to Vote" exploring big issues through local eyes.
Two examples of great overseas writing that got exposure locally were "This Changes Everything", a large-youth-cast exploration of the big issues of dealing with a society that seems overwhelming, and "Six" which took well-established history and gave it a modern lens that was intellectually rigoruous, energising and a complete goddamn bop.
My personal "show I wish got wider exposure" for the year was "Dubbo Championship Wrestling" at the Hayes - it was a goddamn great Australian Musical that engaged the soul and senses in a rough-as-guts production that played straight to the heart and the funnybone.
I also hope that Everyman finds a way to expose more audiences to their "Importance of Being Earnest", which was a great way of presenting a classic play without the mustiness or layers of tradition that often accumulates. This is the kinda production that could very easily find a place touring Pride festivals for the next decade or so should the performers be inclined, delighting audiences with its irreverence, sass, and charm.
Thanks to the WILI class of 2022 - may you return to kick theatre in the dick even more in 2023.
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