Flight Path Theatre

Ordinary Days

Ordinary Days

Ordinary Days Rating

★★★★★

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Ordinary Days, produced by Bold & Blunt Creative and performed at Flight Path Theatre, takes us on a journey to New York in the early 2000s. An off-Broadway success, the sung-through musical follows the stories of four characters working through the challenges of everyday life. The story touches on art, taking chances, dreaming big, building relationships and recovering after trauma. There is nothing too complex in the plot but there is joy to be found in interrogating smaller moments not usually portrayed on stage.

There were two main storylines; one was romantic and the other was about friendship, I loved this. It is beautiful to see a platonic relationship platformed and I found that Warren (played by Ethan Bourke) and Deb (played by Producer Chantal Elyse) had a lot of chemistry. The other two characters were a couple grappling with the difficulties that come with moving in together and taking the next steps – Claire (played by Associate Producer Jordan Berry) and Jason (played by Lachlan Ceravolo).

I was lucky enough to see the opening night show and he performances from the four cast members were very earnest. As the show went on, I felt the cast become more confident, and the characters more vulnerable. Bourke was a highlight for me; he was very charismatic and made the audience want to get to know him. Ceravolo gave us a very convincing, though at times, one-sided love story. Both Elyse and Berry had wonderful voices. I especially loved the duets, group numbers and the songs where the passion and frustration of the characters peeked through – this felt distinctly human!

 

Ordinary Days
Ordinary Days
Ordinary Days

 

The pianist was a highlight, tucked in the corner of the stage, playing for the full 90 minutes – no intermission. I enjoyed the music a lot and was surprised with how immersive the singing was with only the piano. Songs seamlessly connected as scenes changed, and at times I forgot that we had live accompaniment. Congratulations to the Musical Director – Joseph O’Reilly.

The set was simple but effective with the New York skyline created out of posters and flyers, and just a couple of desks. Both lighting and sound were used well to signpost the mood changes, which was essential with the pared back set design. The cast used the space masterfully, popping out from within the audience and the theatre door which aided the audience to feel engaged and part of the story. There were laughs at the funny quips and audible gasps when Warren tripped, we felt invested in Deb finding her thesis and Claire having a personal breakthrough.

Overall, this was a very wholesome production from a team who has clearly worked extremely hard. There are a lot of lyrics in this musical, it’s impressive. For fans of RENT or Amélie who love whimsy, it’s worth a watch.

To book tickets to Ordinary Days, please visit https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/ordinary-days.

Photographer: Andrea Magpulong,Philip Le Masurier Photography

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Sex, Drugs & Country Music: God’s Cowboy

God's Cowboy

God’s Cowboy Rating

★★★★★

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If the Sydney theatre scene’s obsession last year was clowns, this year it seems to be cowboys. But God’s Cowboy isn’t really about the wild west. Instead, this intimate, explosive play takes us much closer to home.

Peter (Nathaniel Savy) has been a performer for his entire life, particularly fond of movie musicals and old cowboy films. When he books a part in a show with his sister (Sophia Laurantus as Penny) he quickly finds his cowboy dreams are starting to come true in an entirely new way. Daniel, a very broken and very suave outlaw type has rolled into town to do the show, and although tormented by his sadistic ex boyfriend Demetrius, Peter and Daniel begin to attempt to explore what healing could look like with each other.

This play at its core is about unstable relationships. Queerness can often be trivialised, oversexualised or infantilised, never allowed to be as messy or complicated as heterosexual relationships are. In that respect, the play is refreshingly blunt about what trauma does to your relationships. The design of the show reflects this: black and red costuming, and staging never quite in bright, warm light.

 

God's Cowboy
God's Cowboy
God's Cowboy

 

The cast puts in honourable performances across the board. Max Fernandez is a charismatic performer, and although became demonstrative at points, shined in the more uncomfortable tragic parts of the show. Nathaniel Savy brought genuine queer humour into the text, and when he leaned into the absurdism of the world around him, he was a joy to watch. Sophia Laurantus is very likeable on stage, and had the strongest emotional range on stage, although her stage time was tragically short. Tate Wilkinson Alexander shone as the screwed up sleazebag, and although has a habit of leaning into a monotone delivery, when required, was often a scene stealer – especially in moments of stunt work or massive emotional delivery.

The weakest link in this show is unfortunately the text. Although Ella Morris (director) and her cast have put in clear effort across the board to create something interesting, the text dips into cliche often, and is unclear – especially through the first act. The strongest points were when the script fully leaned into how ridiculous it wanted to be, aided by the hopped up performances of the cast, and overall the second act was significantly stronger. Morris’s effective direction has clearly worked hard to soften some of the script’s weaker points, but it has required the cast to in many ways keep the show up by themselves.

God’s Cowboy is an interesting look into the darker side of queer relationships – an optimistic take on the idea that someone doesn’t have to be in your life forever for them to matter. In many ways, this is particularly important as scrutiny on the queer community comes to an all time high in decades, showing the world that even though perhaps not all queer relationships are perfect, they are as human and as important as everyone else’s.

To book tickets to God’s Cowboy, please visit https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/gods-cowboy.

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A Bold and Breathtaking Culmination of Art Forms

BiPolar Express

BiPolar Express Rating

★★★★★

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6

As a community theatre director, I often stress the importance of teamwork and that no player reaches their best without the shared journey and uplifting of every member of the cast, often to eye rolls. However, Bipolar Express is a gleaming example of a powerful ensemble who are the backbone and heart of the story. It’s only now as I sit down to write this, having just read the program, that I ascertained how many creatives were among this ensemble cast including choreographer, Avalon Ormiston, and producer, Phaedra Brown, which doesn’t surprise me considering what a stellar example of full-bodied togetherness that this piece is.

Anton played by writer, Bianca Yeung, is on a train to meet an estranged friend when she has a manic episode. The train is depicted with a simple yet vibrant set consisting of three double floodlights, and cane chairs with the iconic Sydney Transit blue squiggly velvet seats. Anton is desperately trying to remain upright as she sends voice-notes to friend, Mish, not knowing if Mish will be meeting her at the other end.

The ensemble weave and move around her, engaging in conversations that begin as small talk and progress into more interesting musings. Anton has a bouquet of orange flowers that become more disheveled as she unravels. They are the motif that anchors the passage of time. The set is changed with rhythm and poetry by the actors throughout the show.

 

BiPolar Express
BiPolar Express
BiPolar Express

 

The story moves between the present train delay and the past story of Mish and Anton. We discover that Mish was the keeper of Anton’s secrets, she was the one with the directives for what to do and when, and she was often the keeper of this part of Anton. We see the complications of these assigned roles between the two, and how it impacts their friendship over time.

To describe and adequately give voice and understanding to a complex mental health diagnosis such as Bipolar would be incredibly difficult in words, that is where the powerful art of movement and dance breathtakingly fill in some of those gaps. For example; the ensemble close in around Anton during a portrayal of exhaustion. She tries to creep out, reach out and even tries to free Mish in these moments, but she is unheard as she is swallowed by “The Others”.

Sound and light design take a huge amount of credit as a device in this piece as well. We are stagnant and trapped along with Anton in the darkness and we are pulled into the jubilance of the bright highs punctuated by poppy, boppy, music.

It is abundantly clear this piece has involved all creatives building, supporting and creating deep intimacy, which in turn made it inevitable that the audience become deeply invested and intertwined.

It’s a bold and breath-taking culmination of art forms that does great justice to shining some light on an important lived experience. I highly recommend supporting this work.

To book tickets to BiPolar Express, please visit https://sydneyfringe.com/events/bipolar-express/.

Photographer: Nat Cartney

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Getting Lost to Find What Truly Matters – Lost and Finding

Lost & Finding

Lost & Finding Rating

★★★★★

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3

Liminal Production’s “Lost and Finding” is one of those unique theatre experiences which peaked a sense of curiosity, right from the beginning. Unlike other plays, where patrons are seated in the theatre and watch a story, this is immersive storytelling which began from the moment we walked into the Flight Path Theatre in Marrickville. Producer Aaron Cornelius greeted us at the door with a raffle ticket – for what, we did not know, but it did create a sense of excitement! Billed as a fantasy-comedy interactive show, I was aware that audience participation was most likely going to happen. However, for people who aren’t comfortable with this, there are marked seats inside the theatre for those who don’t mind being a part of the show.

When we entered the theatre, the lighting was dim. Shadows created crevices of the unknown. There was an atmosphere that felt mysterious and ominous. (Lighting design by Caity Cowan) What was this place? Where were we? At first glance, it looked like a garage filled with vintage junk; a hoarder’s room stacked floor to ceiling with things like boxes, sheets, tee shirts, guitars, paintings, milk crates, monitors, sport equipment and suitcases. As the play progressed, it was clear that every placement of this seemingly haphazardly strewn “stuff” was designed and placed with infinite care from the imagination of production designers Hannah Taylor and Paris Bell. The visual effects of the multi-level set was impressive. As a room infused with lost memories, my eyes kept exploring the set throughout the play and I wondered, who were the people whose memories these belonged to? The set also reminded me of The Junk Lady from one of my favourite films, “Labyrinth”.

We follow a confused Cassie, portrayed by Emma Throssell, where she finds herself unexpectedly in this strange space, looking for something, of which she cannot remember. She has literally fallen into a world where she encounters many interesting characters who help and hinder a journey towards discovering what it is that she has lost. Emma’s portrayal of Cassie delivered an outstanding performance that captured the emotional depth and authenticity of the character and I felt myself cheering her on in her quest. In one scene, Cassie had to perform a stand-up routine for an audition. Emma wrote this routine for her character. I felt the awkwardness and nervousness of Cassie as she delivered it, at the same time finding it very funny.

 

Lost & Finding
Lost & Finding
Lost & Finding
Lost & Finding
Lost & Finding

 

The amazing puppets and puppeteering were a delight to watch! Puppet maker/ director George Wohlfiel created original characters, ones who I could not help but look into their eyes – up at Lizard Wizard, down at the cheeky lizard and particularly at the pigeons Carl and Steve, whose eyes popped out and bobbed as they spoke. Carl had a big personality – a ciggy craving pigeon that made me laugh. His job was akin to a Service NSW customer service worker who was overworked, underpaid and frazzled. There was one puppet called Poppet, with its big eyes and gentle personality who I wanted to take home. Another character, The Dread Pirate Susan, spoke eloquently in poetry, and her name reminded me of The Dread Pirate Roberts from another of my favourite films, “The Princess Bride”. I loved the respectful nod to the two films I’d associated certain characters from, while still maintaining originality.

The puppeteers were polished in their craft and worked together to create convincing movements of their characters for a realistic stage presence. Puppeteers Ashley Chandler, Natanyah Forbes, Jade Fuda, Michael Ho and Renae Valastro did an outstanding job, all the while weaving their own bodies onto the stage with nuance and expression.

Co-sound designers Bryan Ruiz and Ellie Wilson from “Lost and Finding” created a continuous audio environment that added a strong dimension to the production. The dramatic soundscape and subtle sound effects, along with the visuals, encompassed my senses. One scene, which involved a villain speaking, was done with great depth and menace.

Director Emma Van Veen also wrote the play “Lost and Finding”. Her script captured my curiosity from the start and allowed my imagination to stretch to places within the set and far away. There were several sub-plots in the storytelling which were intertwined and were cleverly penned. “Lost and Finding” reminds us of the complexity of our own minds and the limitlessness of our imaginations. This tale of self-discovery, of finding the unexpected was a beautifully woven theatre production which I highly recommend to everyone. Go see it!

I saw the world premiere performance of “Lost and Finding” at the Flight Path Theatre on Friday 15 August 2025.
Flight Path Theatre: 9b 142 Addison Road, Marrickville
Run: 14-23 August 2025
Time: 100 minutes, no interval
Tickets: www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/lost-amp-findings

To book tickets to Lost & Finding, please visit https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/lost-amp-findings.

Photographer: Phil Erbacher

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