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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Peter Rowsthorn – Keen

Peter Rowsthorn - Keen

Peter Rowsthorn – Keen Rating

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If you’re like most Australians and Kath & Kim has been part of your regular viewing over the years, then Peter Rowsthorn is undoubtedly a household name. He’s the kind of person you instantly want to be friends with. Warm, familiar, and effortlessly charming, even if you’ve never met him.

From the moment he stepped on stage at the beautifully refurbished Rechabite Hall (updated in 2019), Peter put the audience completely at ease. Endearing, relatable, and unpretentious, he’s as lovable and bubbly as you’d expect. The way he casually throws around the f-bomb just adds to that feeling that he’s your best mate from way back.

This was the first time Peter had performed as part of The Perth Comedy Festival since the ’80s, and it was an absolute treat. I wasn’t surprised to hear he was one of the few acts at the Perth Comedy Festival open to being reviewed. A reflection of his humility and openness to feedback.

He kicked things off with a relaxed ‘chat’ to the first few rows (yes, I was in the splash zone), which was a great way to break the ice and set the tone. These casual interactions cleverly led into off-the-cuff stories, ranging from accidentally running over his dog to his father choosing euthanasia. That he can make an audience laugh through such heavy material is a true mark of a comedy master.

Peter’s physical comedy was a real standout. It’s not a technique all stand-ups use, but he executed it with a flair that had the audience in stitches. His dance routines were hilarious throwbacks to his iconic Kath & Kim character, Brett, and his behind-the-scenes stories about working with stars like Kylie Minogue and Shane Warne were crowd-pleasers. I loved the insider scoop!

If there was one area that could use refinement, it would be the structure of the show. At times, the transitions felt a bit loose, and a comedic director might have helped shape the flow for a more cohesive experience. While the energy and content were strong, a bit more structure would have made the journey feel more grounded for both Peter and the audience.

That said, Peter is so incredibly likeable and naturally funny that, honestly, he could have done anything and the crowd would have loved it. He had Perth eating out of the palm of his hand, and I have no doubt any future shows would sell out in a flash.

I’d tell you to run and grab a ticket, but sadly, it was a one-night-only event!

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Perth Comedy Festival: Rohan Arneil – The Never-Ending Smoko

Rohan Arneil - The Never-Ending Smoko

Rohan Arneil – The Never-Ending Smoko Rating

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Sydney based comedian Rohan Arneil was in town for the Perth Comedy Festival performing upstairs at the Chorus Room of the Regal Theatre.

With the entrance to the Chorus Room tucked to the side around the main entrance of the Regal Theatre, we made our way up the winding stairs. We knew we made it to the little theatre because the sign displayed said “You’ve Made It”.

It is an intimate space with a small stage fitted with red velvet curtains. With festive moonlights strung up above the audience, Rohan hilariously noted that if there’s any lighting, it should be directed at him, not the audience.

Rohan is a relaxed stand-up comedian taking sips of wine and flavoured water throughout his show with plenty to say about anything and everything. At the start he touched quite a lot on money which he even acknowledged he would be talking about for a fair amount of time. I found it quite refreshing for a person to be talking about a topic which can seem a bit taboo in society or impolite to talk about.

He also got the crowd laughing with his work as a stonemason and how with technology rapidly evolving the profession doesn’t seem so lucrative as it once was 5 thousand years ago, and acting as a mentor to young guys at Tafe which he refers to his Good-Will Hunting moments.

Rohan is a talented comedian. He’s able to move seamlessly from one top to another without losing the attention of the audience.

He knows how to work the crowd, which for most part of the show it was as if you were at a friend’s house having a few drinks and this friend is re-telling funny stories of his life.

Reverting back to money, he wrapped-up his performance by taking a call from his Uber driver telling the audience he had to rush to another gig to get his $400.

The Perth Comedy Festival runs from 21 Apr to 18 May. To book tickets to a show, please visit https://www.perthcomedyfestival.com/.

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Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall Rating

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3

Arts Theatre Cronulla’s production of Mark Kilmurry and Jamie Oxenbould’s ‘Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall’ is a delight. Susan Turner has directed a tight and skilled ensemble to deliver each joke with aplomb and endear each of the odd duck characters to the audience.

The script is whip-smart and moves along at a really enjoyable pace, featuring the highs and lows of a fictional amateur theatre company on an ill-fated opening night of a show. Despite the murder mystery tropes evoked by the name, there’s plenty more than clues and sleuths on offer here. This is a production that is finely tuned, and delivers the chaos of the show with both levity and (as evidenced by the entirely convincing comedy of errors that ensues) precision.

Angela Gibson is consistently excellent in ATC productions and this is no exception; her comic timing as Karen is stellar. Playing an amateur actor playing a role on stage for the first time is a task with considerable layers that she carries in style. Some of the biggest laughs of the first act came from her deadpan and witty delivery. Her interactions with the offstage character of her teenage niece (voiced by Arianne “Flossie” Hough) are hilarious, and Gary Clark’s sound production across the show is excellent, with one of Act Two’s biggest laughs coming from an aural gag that the actors onstage respond to.

Michael Gooley’s Shane is the heart of the show; a director and writer genuinely invested in both his cast and the play they’re attempting to pull off despite setbacks. His earnestness and timing lay the groundwork for a large number of the big laughs of the show, and does a great job at connecting us to the emotional stakes for the whole (fictional) company. Gooley’s performance also lays the groundwork for the other actors to shine; Shane’s confidence that it’s all possible regardless of all the comic mishaps is the key to the movement of the whole second act.

Phillipa is a character who sets the comedic tone for the entire show, and Ariane ‘Flossie’ Hough does a fantastic job. Her vocal and physical comedy are really strong, and Phillipa’s vanity manages to be endearing rather than alienating in her capable hands. Samuel Owen’s entry to the show was a highlight, and his Richard is a fantastic addition to the ensemble.

Brendan Jones’ Barney has the most costume changes of any track in the show, which is saying something. Jones nails the difficult task of the proud Barney’s attempts at accents, and nails the timing on a number of jokes that rely on extended pauses. Jones’ physicality is a stand-out, and the pace of his changes matched with the volume of lines he covers in the show within the show are skilfully handled.

The set (designed by Michael Gooley) is wonderful – perfectly pitched. The joke-per-minute and joke-per-square-metre ratio of this production is excellent; there is a stack of suitcases, a painting and a door that all have their own comic moments in the sun. The costuming, similarly, is very well done.

There are opportunities at every turn for comedy to ensue; hats and pants, walking sticks and slow exits all drew laughs from the audience. This is a really enjoyable and well executed production that I would really recommend.

To book tickets to Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall, please visit https://www.artstheatrecronulla.com.au/midnightmurderathamlingtonhall.

Photographers: Maria Franklin, Mark Phillips, Dan Binger, Graham West

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