Belvoir St Theatre - Whats The Show

The True History Of The Life And Death Of King Lear And His Three Daughters

26/11/2025 Reuben Harris🆕

The True History Of The Life And Death Of King Lear And His Three Daughters Rating

★★★★★

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WOW! Just WOW!

King Lear and his three daughters at Belvoir Street Theatre is an epic undertaking and an epic delivery on all fronts. Colin Friels plays the title character of King Lear, and commands the stage with his presence. The story revolves around an aging King Lear and his three daughters. He is dividing up his kingdom to his daughters and this is where the drama begins.

Filled with brutal murders and back stabbing and on stage blood spurts are a delight. The stage is bare but there is so much happening on stage with all parties conspiring against each other, that you barely notice.

There are live musicians scoring the play throughout, and the drums are especially unsettling.

With modern costuming you can picture this to be a family fighting over a will, or politicians fighting for power.

A special mention to the storm scene with the lighting will dazzle you.

The play has a run time of three hours and fifteen minutes with two fifteen minute intervals. You will need the intervals to process and discuss what you are witnessing.

I personally have a love hate relationship with Shakespeare but this was thoroughly enjoyable. Even if you have a mild love of Shakespeare I truly think this is a must see.

King Lear is a tragedy, but Peter Carroll as the Fool brings hilarity in every scene he is in. A truly unique and remarkable performance which will have you belly laughing throughout.

Tom Conroy as Edgar, delivers a nuanced performance which is sure to delight. His performance is truly heartbreaking.
Brandon McClelland as Kent, (King Lears most loyal companion) gave an unwavering depiction of loyalty and strength.

Special mention to Jana Zvedeniuk who plays Regan, one of King Lear’s daughters exerted a tremendous fierceness in the role. Adding believability with every line uttered.

This show is truly an ensemble piece and every piece fit. The acting was so strong that during the scenes in Dover, I was truly transported to the cliff face and they really brought the words to life. A very well done to all the actors, and backstage crew and Eamon Flacks direction was on point!

This is one of those plays that needs to be experienced to truly grasp the monumental undertaking of such a spectacle.
And dare I say that I think Mr Shakespeare would have enjoyed his play done in the way it was.

Highly recommend this show, as someone who struggles with Shakespeare I have been converted into a fan.

Well done again to all involved.

Run don’t walk to see this show.

To book tickets to The True History Of The Life And Death Of King Lear And His Three Daughters, please visit https://belvoir.com.au/productions/king-lear/.

Photographer: Brett Boardman

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The Edit

11/10/202511/10/2025 Anastassia Gerakas🥈

The Edit Rating

★★★★★

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How far would you go to achieve your ultimate goal? Would you lie? Cheat? Manipulate? Abuse?

In ‘The Edit’, a stellar new play by Gabrielle Scawthorn, these questions take center stage—and refuse to let go. Drawing from her own experiences as a teenage reality TV contestant, along with extensive interviews with past participants and producers, Scawthorn has crafted a gripping, 90-minute dive into the constructed chaos of reality television. The result is a sharply observed, emotionally charged two-hander that leaves its audience both breathless and deeply unsettled.

At the heart of the story is Nia, a fresh-faced contestant on the dating reality show ‘Match and Snatch’, played with heartbreaking nuance by Iolanthe. Entering the world of fame-hungry hopefuls in search of love, Nia quickly finds herself under the guidance—and control—of Jess, the show’s cunning producer, portrayed with chilling precision by Matilda Ridgeway.

Jess sees more than just a contestant in Nia; she sees an opportunity. If she can engineer Nia’s victory, it could be her ticket to a coveted Executive Producer role. What follows is a masterclass in manipulation. Jess positions herself as mentor, confidante, even surrogate big sister. But as the pair become increasingly entangled, the cost of “winning” starts to become devastatingly clear.

Scawthorn’s script is razor-sharp and unflinching, laying bare the industry’s underbelly—where edits shape reality, consent becomes murky, and ethics are easily sacrificed for spectacle. The pacing never falters, with each scene escalating in tension until a breaking point is reached: an unforgivable act that shatters the fragile trust between Jess and Nia. What unfolds is not just a takedown of reality TV, but a haunting exploration of ambition, trauma, and complicity.

The performances are exceptional. Iolanthe captures Nia’s transformation from wide-eyed hopeful to hollowed-out winner with heartbreaking clarity, while Ridgeway’s Jess is terrifyingly believable—a woman whose own battles with mental health and eating disorder are buried beneath a facade of control and charisma. Together, the pair deliver a powerhouse performance that earns every second of the final ovation.

‘The Edit’ is not just a play—it’s a challenge to its audience. It asks: where is your line, and under the right pressure, could it shift? It’s a provocative, unforgettable work that forces us to question not only what we watch, but what we’re willing to do—and accept—for success.

To book tickets to The Edit, please visit https://belvoir.com.au/productions/the-edit/.

Photographer: Robert Catto

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Koreaboo: Showing Now At The Belvoir Theatre

27/06/202527/06/2025 Claire Mulcahy🥉

Koreaboo Rating

★★★★★

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Koreaboo (Griffin Theatre Company), now playing at Downstairs Belvoir is actor and playwright Michelle Lim Davidson’s story of being a Korean Australian adoptee. But as Lim Davidson states in her playwright’s notes in the program, Koreaboo is not just her story; it is the story of so many international adoptees who have found themselves growing up caught between two cultures, perhaps always grappling with the unanswered questions: ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Where do I belong?’

The intimate space of the Downstairs Theatre at Belvoir is perfect for the cramped, fluorescent-lit convenience store or ‘mart’ in which most of the play’s action takes place. Hannah (Lim Davidson) arrives, straight off a flight from Sydney, at her biological mother, Umma’s, mart during a sweltering Korean summer. It’s soon revealed they’ve had contact before but this time Hannah has high expectations for her visit – she wants to finally connect with her Umma, and she desperately wants some answers to her long-held questions about her Korean family.

Umma, played delightfully by Heather Jeong, smiles sweetly, but her apparent cuteness belies a stubborn determination to avoid her past at all costs. Her life is firmly situated in the present, stacking ramen cups, fixing a pesky fridge light and tending to her colourful collection of garden gnomes. Umma would rather Hannah had never turned up on her neatly swept doorstep. And she doesn’t hesitate to take any opportunity to remind Hannah of this.

Michelle Lim Davidson is a gifted comedic actor, and in writing Koreaboo, she has wisely used comedy to portray a heartbreaking story. Rather than making her story glib, however, the humour serves to help us connect with the pathos of the situation, avoiding melodramatic cliches that other stories of reuniting with lost relatives might fall into. Initially appearing to be an odd couple, it soon becomes clear Hannah and Umma both share a love of performing.

Hannah tries to impress Umma with a rendition of her winning ‘All That Jazz’ number for the Lake Macquarie Eisteddfod 12 years category, but Umma is scathing: ‘Your mother let you wear a sequinned leotard at 12?’ Umma who is obsessed with the talent show Star Power (think Australia’s Got Talent K-style) lives out her own unfulfilled dreams through the contestants on screen. The reality show becomes a point of connection for the two: What if Hannah can revive her long-dormant stage skills and win Star Power? Would Umma finally accept her then?

K-pop culture infuses Koreaboo. Umma randomly quotes from K-pop songs and is obsessed with the eerily pretty Korean pop star, Suga. In fact, the term ‘Koreaboo’ (far from just a cute sounding name as I initially thought), is slang for a non-Korean person who is infatuated with Korean culture, especially K-pop and K-dramas. But, it’s not applied in a complimentary way. Is Hannah a ‘Koreaboo’, someone who is desperately trying to be Korean but never will be?

Derogatory term or not, Koreaboo is a delightful story that deserves to be told, but also to be seen. My hope is that more untold stories of adoptees like Michelle Lim Davidson are given a platform (or stage), rather than being ignored or conveniently brushed under the carpet. How many other cross-cultural stories do Australians have that are waiting to be told? Griffin Theatre Company has shown again that they truly are the grassroots champion of home-grown Australian theatre, giving voice to contemporary, multicultural Australian stories.

To book tickets to Koreaboo, please visit https://griffintheatre.com.au/whats-on/koreaboo/.

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Snakeface – A Young Woman’s Raw And Unfiltered Portrait

14/04/2025 Donna Portland 🥉

Snakeface Rating

★★★★★

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Written and performed by Aliyah Knight, Snakeface is an unapologetically raw solo performance that plunges the audience into the turbulent mind of a young black woman navigating love, identity, and self-worth in white Australia. Staged in an intimate, amphitheatre-style venue seating no more than 80 people, the sparse set and close quarters create a confessional atmosphere – almost as if we’ve been invited into Snakeface’s private reckoning.

The play unfolds as a 90-minute monologue – fast-paced, fragmented, and emotionally charged. Knight’s character spirals through thoughts and memories, swinging between the emotional highs and gut-wrenching lows of relationships: a girlfriend she adores but who drifts in and out of her life, predatory men, and the isolating ache of being unseen. These aren’t clean narrative arcs but messy, unresolved entanglements – mirroring the chaos within.

There are moments of levity, brief flashes of sharp humour that puncture the heaviness. Yet overall, the experience is intense, almost claustrophobic in its honesty. It’s not an easy listen – the sheer density of language and emotional weight can be exhausting – but it’s also riveting.

Knight’s sculptor identity is cleverly embedded in the staging. A large block of soft clay sits at the centre of the set, which she digs into and manipulates as the performance progresses. By the end, she’s covered in it – a visceral visual metaphor for how we mould and are moulded by our traumas, desires, and decisions. The mesh backdrop, which doubles as a projection screen, flashes fragmented thoughts and phrases, echoing her inner turmoil and providing commentary or emotional cues for the audience.

The sound design by Marco Cher-Gibard adds an atmospheric layer – ranging from subtle ambient textures to pounding nightclub beats – underscoring shifts in mood and energy. Similarly, lighting by Rachel Lee and projection design by Wendy Yu enhance the storytelling, immersing us deeper into Snakeface’s emotional landscape.

Though the structure at times feels loose, even meandering, it’s this lack of polish that gives Snakeface its edge. It’s not about resolution – it’s about being seen in the mess. And Knight, as the sole performer, commands the space with stamina and vulnerability, keeping the audience engaged throughout.

Directed and dramaturged by Bernadette Fam and supported by a team of creatives – including producer Madeleine Gandhi, set and props designer Keerthi Subramanyam, and movement director Fetu Taku – Snakeface is a collaborative feat with Knight’s bold performance at its heart.

The audience was predominantly female and spanned a wide age range, clearly resonating with the rawness and relatability of the themes. Practical comforts – padded seats, excellent air conditioning, and the welcome permission to bring drinks into the theatre – made the experience physically enjoyable, despite the emotional intensity onstage.

Snakeface is not a traditional play – it’s a poetic excavation, a cry for recognition, and a reflection of one woman’s attempt to make sense of her fractured world. It may not be comfortable viewing, but it is compelling, urgent, and defiantly human.

Snakeface was awarded runner-up in the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2024 New Play Award.

To book tickets to Snakeface, please visit https://belvoir.com.au/productions/snakeface/.

Photographer: Abraham de Souza

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