Paul Ellicott🥉 - Whats The Show

A Very Naughty Christmas: An Irreverent, Rude and Slightly Nude Cabaret

14/12/2025 Paul Ellicott🥉

A Very Naughty Christmas Rating

★★★★★

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The Twelfth Night Theatre in Bowen Hills is packed out for A Very Naughty Christmas, an evening of festive filth and perfect end-of-year leer, courtesy of Woodward Productions. Billed as Australia’s longest running adults-only Christmas show, mixing stand-up, sketches, powerhouse vocals and dancing you don’t want you Mum to see, AVNC prides itself as a loud, proud and gloriously unholy comedy-concert-cabaret mashup, and a must see for merry mischief.

The concept is clever and perennially popular, now entering its 9th year of production; AVNC parodies favourite Christmas numbers, borrowing musically from popular culture while also comically satirizing more topical and serious issues; Because Santa is a foreigner with a beard and headdress, he may need to be detained at Christmas Island this festive season in “Santa Won’t Be Welcome Here”. “The Snowflakes are Ruining Christmas” is another highlight, the ode of a Sky News Australia watching ‘Trad Dad’, bemoaning social progress and inclusivity to the detriment of his bigoted and entitled world views. There is also an enjoyable skit where an Olympic Games bid for the North Pole is mooted, before running into predictable (and somewhat familiar!) logistical concerns.

The standard and versatility of the Cast is very high, each singing and dancing and many taking on distinct characters; They all blend beautifully together with dynamic chemistry and charisma. Highlights include Steve Hirst as Santa, bringing cheeky cheer and everyman likability, even though we are in the end slightly concerned for Santa’s missing sack! Sam Ward is perhaps my favourite individual vocalist, with a smooth jazzy croon and striking presence on stage, while the female singing trio (I believe they were Nina Carcione, Olivia Horne and Aurélie Roque) harmonised beautifully and looked just as great. Lara Trevor stood out among the dancers, with mesmerising rhythm and remarkable flexibility, with Anthony Craig, Lachlan Greenland and Croft Phillips commendably completing the talented Cast.

The Live Band are another first-rate feature, effortlessly elevating the atmosphere and tone of the evening.

So much work goes into this type of a show, and enormous credit is due to the entire team of creatives, led by Director/Choreographer Daniel Venz, with special mention also to the work of Skit Writer and Composer of Original Songs, Matt Semple. Great comedy is easy to watch but very hard to create; Judging by the opening night crowd’s response, AVNC delivers like Santa Claus on Christmas eve. The show is as full of surprises as it is double entendre, and the Cast are equal parts fearless and shameless. As the name suggests, this isn’t A Slightly Naughty Christmas; But if you are prone to blushes, don’t worry – red is a very festive hue. AVNC is an irreverent, rude and slightly nude cabaret- that promises tremendous fun.

To book tickets to A Very Naughty Christmas , please visit https://twelfthnight.com.au/.

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The Mousetrap: A Remarkable and Marketable Mystery

27/11/2025 Paul Ellicott🥉

The Mousetrap Rating

★★★★★

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A Guinness World Record holder for the world’s longest continuously running show, The Mousetrap continues to captivate, this time in the capable hands of New Farm Nash Theatre. While the Agatha Christie formula is well-worn, it is reliably fun and accessible, and an undeniable box-office draw; Opening night was a sell-out, and I’d wager the entire run will be no different.

This new rendition is tremendously paced and polished, with excellent interplay and characterisations by the dynamic ensemble cast, ensuring a great night at the theatre – even for those like me, who have already seen the play, so cannot join the fun of solving the mystery. For the uninitiated, The Mousetrap is a classic whodunnit with a twist; As is customary, we are sworn to secrecy not to tell once we know – so this review will be spoiler free. But it is safe to share the action revolves around some horrible happenings at Monkswell Manor, a guesthouse recently opened by Giles and Mollie Ralston. While awaiting the arrival of their first guests, Mollie hears radio reports about a local murder being investigated by police; Little does she know she is now in the course of danger, snowed in after a storm and a murderer about to infiltrate Monkswell Manor with their incoming guests – who won’t all make it out alive.

It is a miracle the play made it onstage at all, after an 11th hour cast member withdrawal and replacement. As Giles Ralston, Matthew Hobbs deserves great credit for filling the breach; Given his short preparation time, it is commendable Hobbs is even off-book, let alone presenting such a credible character. As his wife Mollie Ralston, Helen Barrett is a likable figure, maintaining one of the better executed accents, while showing a warm, conciliatory tone throughout the story’s chaos and mischief. Brendan James excels as the awkwardly enigmatic Christopher Wren, with signature unnerving chuckle, to boot. James captures the nuance required for this mystery well – first-time viewers are uncertain until the very end whether he is a menace or misunderstood.

John Stibbard is another standout, a perfect Mr Paravicini with a knack for enlivening even quieter moments of the script. A statuesque and dapper figure in his blue velvet suit, Stibbard receives many hearty laughs with merely an animated glance or gesture, disappearing into his character with eccentric flair and creative intuition. As Mrs Boyle, Chris Sibley is perfection, portraying a character we love to hate – a disagreeable pedant with an imperious heir and penchant for caustic comments. Sibley is like a pompous, post-war Karen, if you’ll take a slightly dated cultural reference, and her derisive dynamic makes for some humorous interaction with scene partners. Phillippa Dwyer captivates as Miss Casewell, with eye catching assurance, and deft duplicity, while Matt McNeice projects calm gravitas and grounding as Major Metcalf. Last but not least, Tyson Hargreaves is a commanding and determined Detective Inspector Trotter, moustache game on point; While his cockney accent is uneven at times, he is present and otherwise precise throughout his performance, commendably capturing Trotter’s motivations and complexity.

New Farm Nash Theatre produce the very best of Community Theatre, delivering a consistently high standard of shows with thoughtful variety, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere filled with old friends and new. The Mousetrap is another wonderful example of this, with congratulations due to Director Sharon White and the entire team, for a very enjoyable rendition of this remarkable and marketable mystery.

To book tickets to The Mousetrap, please visit https://nashtheatre.com/.

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Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! Comedic Camp and Spooky Spoof

12/11/2025 Paul Ellicott🥉

Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! Rating

★★★★★

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Adapted from George A. Romero’s seminal 1968 zombie film, Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! is an edgy and unique rock musical from Ghostlight Theatre Co., hilariously following a group clinging to safety – and each other – after a zombie apocalypse. Written and composed by Jodan Wolfe, an acclaimed New York-based creator and performer, the calibre of the material is immediately evident, with clever, catchy and well-crafted musical numbers and polished choreography working seamlessly with a tight, fast-flowing and comical book. EvilCorp Horror Maze provides the perfect, unorthodox venue to this singular and very entertaining show, creating a sense of immersion and slight claustrophobia, that both sets the scene and augments the show’s themes. I can also highly recommend a shot of “Demon Semen” on your way past the bar.

Director Yasmin Elahi is an impressive creative force, delivering bigtime here – with responsibility for direction, set, costumes, lighting, special effects – and everything in between. Excellent use is made of the compact space, creating interesting shapes and well executed scene changes, while sharp timing of lighting queues is also notable. Further, the live band is a wonderful addition, building atmosphere and exuding effortless cool under the helm of Musical Director William Pipe.

The talented young ensemble cast excel in all facets of their performances – singing, dancing, acting – and flesh-eating. All have impressive performance resumes already, with immense promise of more to come. Alexander Graves is well cast, especially as Ben – a ladies’ man with high self-esteem, with the calm confidence and charm to pull it off. As Barbara, Aimee Segal leans into the sixties send-up as well as any, sweetly naïve with just the right amount of extra. Graves and Segal have good chemistry together onstage and bring entertaining range and incongruity to the show – i.e., saccharinely sweet, whilst summoning Satan.

Erin Lowry is a standout, breezing charismatically through multiple roles with effortless versatility. In turn nasty and nice, Lowry handles her quick costume changes well and gets some of the heartiest laughs on opening night, especially during the News Broadcasts. Patrick ‘Az’ James is similarly eye-catching in his roles, bringing nuanced mannerism and precise delivery. His performance of ‘Dan the Science Man’ is particularly memorable, impeccably timed and rhymed.

Aden Lowry is engagingly likable, offering commanding presence and a knack for accents and impressions. I’m unsure whether Lowry deliberately modelled Harry’s voice off of James Stewart – but the likeness is striking. Meanwhile, Molly Parker’s hard-drinking Helen brings mischief and endearingly inebriated indifference to the plays higher-stakes situations. She really just needs The Juice. Helen feels somehow more modern than the show’s late 1960’s setting, although nothing is lost for this, where strict historical adherence is unrequired, and may even be intentionally ignored.

While the singing was very good overall – especially the group harmonies – there were a couple of audibility issues, flat notes, and moments where vocal levels were drowned out by the band – but these are forgivable opening-night bugbears, which will no doubt be resolved by the next performance. Overall, Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! is an extremely funny and high-standard show, serving comedic camp and spooky spoof, which was voraciously eaten up by an appreciative audience of the undead on opening night.

To book tickets to Night of the Living Dead! The Musical! , please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1452872.

Photographer: Alan Burchill

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Horse Play: Creative Theatre Chaos – With Conscience

12/10/2025 Paul Ellicott🥉

Horse Play Rating

★★★★★

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Backbone Youth Arts sets the stage for Horseplay, a rollicking and provocative piece centreing on a Melbourne Cup Race Day gone awry, where a chance encounter in a staff break room between a waiter and two misguided punters delves into a morally ambiguous exploration of blurred lines between good and bad, life and death – and even person and horse.

Horseplay is perfectly aligned with Backbone’s raison d’être – to amplify the voices of curious, untamed and experimental young thinkers and artists; The play’s program notes much of the script and work was built using structured improvisation, in addition to the text of playwright Nathaniel Crossinggum, contextualizing the fresh and contemporary perspective of the script. Led by Director Jordon Riley, this singular and exciting work is brought to brilliant life by a talented group of cast and creatives alike.

Onstage, Edith Malcomson offers sweet naivety as Georgie, shining brightest in her character’s lighter, comedic moments. While a providing a very proficient overall performance, I consider she has further potential to impact her characters more vulnerable moments – i.e., the line “I’m not a revolutionary – I just want to be normal”, could perhaps benefit from greater introspection drawing the audience into her, rather than delivering the sentiment as squarely toward us. Stella Peterson is an effective Pony, competently canvassing a complex character’s duplicity and idealism. I consider Peterson also shows their best work during comedic scenes; They briefly branch into a different character, satirizing the middle-class’s indifference to climate catastrophe to hilarious perfection. As we learn, there is far more at stake for Pony than having their work break interrupted by Georgie and Harry; I wonder whether some added urgency and further hints as to their assumed identity could have elevated their role – and tapped into another potentially comedic aspect of the script even further – without belying the enigmatic secrecy intended for Pony.

Tenielle Plunkett brings compelling gravitas as the Commentator, combining striking physical presence, commanding diction and vocal projection and foreboding intensity. Their characterization feels almost sinister or nihilistic – somehow reminiscent of Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange – but this is such a well-modulated choice for sharing a world-weary perspective, unable to ignore or euphemize injustice. Henry Solomon as Harry is my standout, with impeccable comedic instincts and a natural, comfortable presence – whether embodying a human or equine character. While Harry is a flawed character, Solomon harnesses likability from the rogue – when not being literally harnessed himself!

Overall, Horseplay gallops through it’s one hour duration – keeping the audience enthralled throughout. The puppetry, set, sound and lighting all provide features of note. While there are a couple of moments where transitions in the story may have lacked clarity i.e., the reveal of Pony’s identity and their motivation for the shooting – such criticism is minor. Horseplay is creative theatre chaos with a conscience, and enormous potential to be developed as a full-length play, that could give the ambitious story breathing room which is not easily accommodated in just one act. The passion for diverse, accessible theatre is evident here – as much as the audience’s love for every facet of Horseplay was throughout the play – deservedly punctuated by a rapturous standing ovation at the end of opening night’s performance.

To book tickets to Horse Play, please visit https://backbone.org.au/backbone-festival-2025-events/horse-play.

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