Murder at Checkmate Manor

Murder at Checkmate Manor

Murder at Checkmate Manor Rating

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A company well known for their pantomimes, comedies, and British farces; Tea Tree Players Theatre Company offer something within the same vein but perhaps at an all-new extreme. Julie Datson’s production of ‘The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery – Murder at Checkmate Manor’ will take audiences back to the era of cheesy country town hall entertainment, complete with dated fashion parades, cute quizzes during interval, and constantly breaking the fourth wall.

At the doors of the theatre, the audience is greeted and invited in by Thelma (Hayley Mitchell) who tells us she has recently been crowned ‘Miss Farndale 2025’, loudly and excitedly ushering people in. The unorthodox and absurd tone of the show is further consolidated as people are seated with elements of the small, deliberately flimsy set falling apart and the crew coming onstage to attempt to ‘fix’ them. With set walls appearing to be rushed in quality, the stair rail frequently wobbling out of place, the chess set often collapsing, chairs malfunctioning, and curtains constantly drooping, complete chaos is expected to follow.

The cast matches this level of calamity with their characters’ deliberately bad acting, including the monotonous recitation of lines, poorly timed or incorrect entrances, skipping pages of dialogue, forgotten or incomplete costume changes, uncontrollable giggling, and the correcting and prompting of each other on stage. As the show progresses, moments range from entertaining to excruciating as the plot is lost amongst the theatrical carnage, and while the identity of the murderer may be obvious, the ending is not.

With the challenge to act badly well, the actors certainly rose to the occasion and were clearly able to have a lot of fun with it. Chris Galipo channels the benevolent Mrs Reece, overwhelmed by having taken on too many characters whilst hosting and managing the community event as well. Mitchell’s Thelma is earnestly demanding in her attempts to be the centre of attention, enthusiastically delivering many of her lines to the audience rather than her co-stars. Jo-Anne Davis’s awkward performance as Felicity is comical, as she tries to navigate which side of stage to come through and juggle the incredibly quick costume changes between Butler Pawn and Colonel King.

Meredith Kreig is hysterical as Audrey, whose various characters involve a deadpan voice or giggles at inappropriate moments. Finally, Ashleigh Merriel as Sylvia, who plays Inspector O’Reilly, is fantastically matter of fact and tired of everyone else mucking around. Together, this cast lean into everything that goes wrong and encourage each other to reach the extreme of their scene.

While the set was compact, the space was used well between the five performers as it wasn’t often that they were all on at the same time. While the large white armchair, stair railing, and chessboard were central pieces, there were photographs and various ornaments scattered around were small details that added nicely to the community feel. Lighting and sound were used to keep the gags going, particularly when black outs came too early or late, the wrong sound effect was used, or just to emphasise comic timing. However, it can also be said that there comes a point where less is more, and some niche references to home video narration will go over the heads of those under the usual demographic of about 65.

Sprinkled through with the occasional innuendo and plenty of shenanigans, this production was filled with many moments where they’re so bad they’re good.

To book tickets to Murder at Checkmate Manor, please visit https://teatreeplayers.com/production/the-farndale-avenue-housing-estate-townswomens-guild-dramatic-society-murder-mystery/.

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The Rep Presents: The Other Place

The Other Place

The Other Place Rating

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Sponsored by Dementia Australia, the Adelaide Repertory Theatre’s production of ‘The Other Place’ by Sharr White portrays an emotional journey of the impact this disease can have on the surrounding people. As Dr Juliana Smithton struggles to accept her ‘medical episode’ and unexpected diagnosis, the people around her attempt to adapt and cope with her changing moods, sudden accusations, and large gaps in memory. Told entirely from Juliana’s perspective, the unreliable narration of the play leaves the audience wondering which moments were real and which were her deluded imaginings to make sense of her reality.

Robyn Brookes performance as Juliana is consistent, not leaving the stage from the very beginning of the one act play. Brookes shows great range as her character begins calmly and almost flatly, transitioning to cruel and cocky, before plummeting to desperate vulnerability, and finishing with quiet acceptance.

Jules’ devoted husband Ian, played by Scott Nell, displays a few beautiful moments of heartbreaking desperation as he tries to reason with his wife. However, there are times where an overuse of hand gestures and melodramatic tone hint to a lack of chemistry in this partnership. Brendan Cooney plays multiple minor characters as Man, reliably supporting his castmates with his solid stage presence and delightful diversity of characterisation. From the technician at Juliana’s presentation, to her disgraced post-Doc student, to her doctor, Cooney’s timing was great to watch.

The standout performance must go to Tegan Gully-Crispe, who plays Woman, mastering a variety of characters including the Doctor, Juliana’s daughter Laurel, and the woman who now owns the other place. From her consistency and diversity in American accents, Gully-Crispe exuded a centeredness from within each of her characters that suspended disbelief, allowing the cool professionalism and warm empathy to come from the same person.

The stark minimalism of the set, reminiscent of National Theatre Live in the UK, gave way to quick changes in location within seconds, the main pieces being a rolling chair and a couple of stagnant benches on either side of the stage. White windows intersected to cut off the back of the stage to create a more enclosed space and to bring the actors closer downstage. While this was assisted with the occasional change in lighting for diversity in ambience, the back windows were underutilised in their capacity to deepen the space within some of the more isolating and projected scenes.

Basic lighting was used to imply a change in time and place, but could have also been used to more clearly differentiate the transitions between moments of reality, delusions, the past, and narration. Ominous sound cues were used initially to help those transitions, but they weren’t consistent throughout the play. Costumes were simple yet captured the essence of each character without being unnecessarily complicated. Head microphones were also used by each of the actors instead of projecting vocally.

David Sinclair’s gentle direction of this sensitive topic allows the character-driven story to highlight the fallibility of humanity and the need to support each other. While slow to start, it grows in both strength and vulnerability, encouraging the audience to reflect upon the direct and indirect impact of dementia. If you’re in the mood for some thoughtful theatre as we move into the cooler months, come along to see this beautifully bittersweet performance.

To book tickets to The Other Place, please visit https://adelaiderep.com/season-2025/the-other-place.

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Duel & Dual: Martial Arts Meets Magic

Duel & Dual

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Setting the stage for competition, a bare black stage holds a red and green digital counting clock, and two chairs with identical trophies upon them. As each of the two magic champions seek to out-do the other, a playful battle for the ultimate title commences. Exploring the nuances between rivalry and camaraderie, Duel and Dual showcases the different yet complementary talents of both performers through illusionary magic, martial arts, and mime.

Close-up Magician, Tu Strange, and Stage Magician, Mu-Syuan Chang, take turns to impress the audience with their different skills and occasionally attempt to sabotage the other. Strange’s comedic and showman-like personality certainly allows him to engage up close with the audience, even including them directly in his tricks and inviting them to copy his movements to demonstrate their authenticity. He has no qualms exuberantly inviting people to join him onstage, including helping with a 52 card pick up, and often all but demanding a hug at the end of tricks without saying a word.

Chang is much quieter in demeanour yet no less talented, as he gracefully moves around the stage seemingly conjuring playing cards and coloured confetti from nothing. Accompanied by music, he almost dances as he displays incredible dexterity with various items which almost defy gravity.

Both dressed in black, the magicians almost seemed to blend into the background at times, allowing the magic of the moment to take precedence. While this wasn’t completely mimed, with a word or two uttered quietly to amusing effect, the lack of dialogue allowed all aspects of the visual spectacle to take centre stage. The alternating of acts between the performers gave the impression of gentlemen taking turns to attack rather than everything happening at once.

However, it would’ve been very exciting to have seen more of a fast-paced physical battle that utilised more of the martial arts, mime, and magic illusions together. The newfound friendliness at the end, while almost heartwarming, was a bit of an abrupt finish to the performance. There wasn’t much time allocated to working together, and there was certainly a missed opportunity of having them complimenting and helping one other’s acts in a friendly capacity rather than only as rivals.

The alternating red and blue lighting is cleverly employed in the opening few minutes of the show, highlighting the two very different competitors as dramatic foreshadowing to a serious showdown. To complement this, basic spotlighting and stage washes were utilised to great effect, as long as both performers were within in that light. The soundscape, alternating from dramatic instrumental to bursts of popular music, also felt appropriate given the contrasting personas of the performers and often allowed the music to speak for them.

Each magician commanded the small performing space in their own way, often making it feel bigger than it was – unless there was a call for audience participation; some of which could be difficult to see around the flat seating. There are also moments when it is unclear whether to applaud or to simply enjoy the spectacle in silence, particularly if you have never been to a magic show before.

Marketed as riveting tale of rivalry between champions, it operates more as a magic show in alternating styles that is loosely linked with friendly competition. A rigorously rehearsed show that encourages flexibility in audience involvement, this is a great night out for families looking for something different that’s away from the busyness of the popular Fringe gardens.

To book tickets to Duel & Dual, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/duel-dual-af2025

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Breaking The Musical

Breaking The Musical

Breaking The Musical Rating

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‘Breaking: The Musical – a completely legal parody musical’, shares the colourful and comedic story of how ‘Spray-gun’ and her breakdancing reached the Paris Olympics and subsequently broke the internet. Such was the anticipation for this show; there were some audience members dressed in appropriate tracksuits or were watching videos of Olympic footage in the queue to prepare them. A small live band to the side, a white picket fence, and a projector on a completely blacked-out stage awaited the eager hordes. Filled with visual gags and presumably somewhat accurate research of ‘Spray-gun’s’ journey, comedian Stephanie Broadbridge has created something oddly endearing.

Songs were cleverly incorporated, with references to popular musicals such as Rent (‘525,600 dollars’), Wicked (flying on the Olympic torch), and a well-worded encore performance parodying ‘Rain on My Parade’, directly addressing their success in finding a legal loophole. Standout songs included ‘I Think I Pulled a Muscle’, involving ‘Spray-gun’s’ husband forfeiting a spot at competing, and ‘I’m Breaking Down’, a heartfelt ballad on her internet image which is then interspersed with half-hearted breakdancing. An unexpected delight was a song dedicated to her time on ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’, featuring the other contestants making fun of their own presence on the show, and Julia Morris with a suspiciously Robert Irwin-shaped hand-puppet encouraging ‘Spray-gun’ to embrace her newfound celebrity status.  

Sprinkled throughout the performance were references to the legal battle that nearly prohibited them from sharing this World Premiere. Interjections from characters in barrister’s robes or the censoring and changing of words from the narrator were often incorporated into the humour of the show. Standout performances from the ensemble include Jake Howie, particularly with his role as ‘Spray-gun’s’ charmingly Sassy Inner Voice, and Freddie, as her exceptionally over-confident husband and partner in crime.

A purely mimed segment encompassing the journey from Australia to Paris was one of the strongest moments in the show. The exaggerated impatience of moving through airports and new places as a tourist was both highly relatable and amusing. Unfortunately, this actor cannot be named yet as there was neither a program detailing this, nor were their names visible during the bows with the projected writing blocked by the actors on stage.

With no allocated or raised seating, it often meant that those who were not in the front two rows were not able to see anything that happened when actors sat on the stage as views were blocked. While many of the lyrics and niche references may have been entertaining, it was difficult to hear what many of them were as the live band was much louder than most of the performers. In addition to a lack of sound-checking, there were moments in the beginning where the music was not in time with the singers. Thankfully, this dissipated as the show progressed and the performers grew in confidence.

There were even some elements of audience participation, one of which included the narrator encouraging everyone to join in a breakdown of the infamous break-dance. While there was a moment of confusion as to whether we should follow their verbal directions or just mirror them, the chaotic atmosphere certainly suited the performance overall. The chaotic energy certainly followed over into their costumes, from bejewelled Olympic tracksuits, internet trolls in hooded capes, to the narrator suddenly wearing fishnets and underwear instead of pants.

Despite the shoestring budget they were operating on and waiting almost 20 minutes for the show to start after the allocated show time, it was undeniably an entertaining night out.

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