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Colour and Light: The Art of Sondheim

21/09/2025 Adam Miller⭐

Colour and Light: The Art of Sondheim Rating

★★★★★

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Buckle in. There is going to be a lot of hyperbole in this review. When something is this good, how else can you describe it?

Colour and Light: The Art of Sondheim, presented by Watch This at Theatre Works, is less a musical revue and more a velvet-draped love letter to the genius of Sondheim. It’s the kind of show that slips under your skin, reshapes your idea of what cabaret can be and sets a new standard for how theatre should be made.

Theatre Works is perfect venue for this show. It balances epic with intimate, using the high ceiling to hang long luscious drapes but keeping the audience close enough that we felt every word on the stage. Designer Rob Sowinski has conjured a stage that feels like a plush, lived-in lounge room (art deco drinks trolley and all) with a circle of tiered staging, bathed in the soft glow of vintage table lamps. It’s intimate and luxurious.

What follows is a breathtaking journey through Sondheim’s songbook. Yes, the big numbers are here, but so are the deep cuts and the “why-don’t-more-people-sing-this?” gems. I’m sure Sondheim diehards will know that he wrote songs for the 1990 film, Dick Tracy, but I had no idea and it was a revelation to hear music from the soundtrack on the stage. The show flows with purpose and precision, thanks to the clean, intelligent direction of Melanie Hillman and Dean Drieberg, whose love of the material radiates through every moment. The loose thematic arc is shaped around Seurat’s artistic principles of Order, Design, Tension, Balance, Harmony. The structure gives the evening clarity without ever feeling constrained or contrived. This is cabaret at its best.

And then there’s the music.

Dr Trevor Jones, who arranges, musically directs and performs from the piano, is the beating heart at the centre of the piece. His arrangements are stunning. They are lush, showy when needed, simple when called for and always with a focus on the emotional truth of the songs. This is some of the finest musical storytelling I’ve heard on a Melbourne stage and reminds me why, when done well, musical theatre is one of the greatest art forms ever.

Johanna Allen is a master of her craft. Her ability to navigate the razor-thin line between vocal fireworks and emotional restraint is unmatched. She brings a knowingness to the stage that draws the audience in and lets us share the humour and pathos in all of her delivery. There are countless moments she channels such precision and ache that you could feel the entire theatre holding its breath. This is vocal acting of the highest order.

Vidya Makan broke my heart multiple times across the night. There’s an emotional directness to her performance that’s magnetic. Her choices are always fresh, never predictable and she elevates everything she touches with nuance and grace. Her I’m Still Here was a stand out moment in a evening of stand out moments. She gave us an exquisitely rendered journey from introspective calm to triumphant exuberance with countless little gut-punches along the way.

Nick Simpson-Deeks, as ever, delivers with polish and pinpoint clarity. He finds the architecture in each song, builds it, then knocks it down with a smirk or a sigh. It looks effortless, but this has to have been crafted and perfected over years. His Send in the Clowns has ruined every other version for me. Honestly. It needs to be bottled and prescribed to every aspiring performer and every audience member. It is good for the soul.

Jacob Rozario brings vibrant charisma and thrilling musicality. They shift gears effortlessly from the ridiculous to the sublime and their voice is an instrument of total control and warmth. There wasn’t a moment when their performance wasn’t a captivating blend of playful, detailed and vocally dazzling. His delivery of Can That Boy Foxtrot will stay with me for a long time.

Colour and Light: The Art of Sondheim elicited a palpable love in the room, not just for Sondheim, but for collaboration, for precision, for joy. The audience left buzzing, visibly moved and audibly delighted. As for me? I’ve already booked to see it again.

This is one of the finest tributes to Sondheim I’ve seen anywhere in the world. Don’t miss it.

To book tickets to Colour and Light: The Art of Sondheim , please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2025/colour-and-light.

Photographer: Ben Fon

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Draw Two

19/09/2025 Rebecca Rose⭐🦉

Draw Two Rating

★★★★★

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What would happen if you were mistaken (by a hot guy, no less) for your recently deceased twin sister in the local Woollies, but fail to correct the mistake?

How do you navigate having to take guardianship of your young, orphaned nephew when you had other life plans?

Can we ever, even as adults, fully break free from the (often stifling) parent-child relationships we grew up with as children?

And perhaps most importantly: Should you EVER let a young child win at Uno if you have the power to beat them?

These are just some of the questions raised in Draw Two; a compellingly powerful and comedic one-woman show centred around Riley, a young 20-something year old woman dealing with some very big life challenges.

Riley has returned to her hometown in the aftermath of the death of her twin sister, Mia, to pack up her sister’s house, and take her now orphaned son, Lucas, back to Melbourne to live with her and her partner.

In this process, Riley has to deal with her stifling and often disapproving mother.

And there is the fateful encounter with a childhood friend of Mia’s (Kieren), who mistakes Riley for Mia…

Georgia McGinness takes the helm in this one-woman show, performing a poignant, often hilarious, and equally gut-wrenching narrative through the eyes of Riley.

Georgia masterfully depicts all of the characters coming in and out of Riley’s life, giving enchanting and moving performances.

This show really pulls at the heartstrings, exploring some big themes of navigating grief, family dynamics, personal relationships, and finding the small joys in times of darkness.

Georgia’s performances were honest and mesmerising; seamlessly transitioning between characters, and giving a real sense of relatable, Australian life, family dynamics, and the reality of the difficulties that life can unexpectedly throw at you.

While the set itself is quite simple, throughout the show, beautifully crafted animations were projected at various stages to give more life and depth to the narrative.

A full house and a standing ovation are two hallmarks of a crowd-pleasing show; and Draw Two was extremely well-deserved to receive both of these on the opening night of its run at Theatreworks in Melbourne this September.

Written by Meg McDonald and directed by Lauren Bennett, Draw Two is a perfect example of the sheer talent Australia is currently producing in the theatre space, and the entire team should be congratulated on a spectacular show.

This is not one to miss, with performances until the 27th of September at The Explosives Factory, Theatreworks, Melbourne.

Playwright & Co-Producer: Meg McDonald
Director: Lauren Bennett
Composer, Sound, & Voice Coach: Clare Hennessy
Set & Costume Designer: Ishan Vivekanantham
Visual Art Designer: Lauren Goodfellow
Lighting Designer & Production/Stage Manager: Sam Gray
Co-Producer: Ruby Busuttil
Cast: Georgia McGinness

To book tickets to Draw Two, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2025/draw-two.

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My Brilliant Career – Warrnambool Regional Theatre

16/09/2025 Debra Campbell🥇🔥🦉🎭🎶

My Brilliant Career Rating

★★★★★

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An extremely long time ago I first performed on stage as a tiny 4 year old in my birthplace of Warrnambool, so when a show came up to review in my home town, I gratefully took the opportunity and my Mum for an overnight stay. We had a wonderful weekend. Warrnambool (3.5hrs drive from Melbourne) is a fantastic place (voted Australia’s most liveable regional city) and I highlight if you include in your visit their art galleries and a theatre experience, it’s an awesome artsy destination.

MY BRILLIANT CAREER was showing at the Lighthouse Theatre by Warrnambool Theatre Company, and what a company! A cast of 28 were hugely talented and entertaining. I did have a few favourites by the end of the show, their characters so enriched the play with warmth and laughter, but I could say a million positive things about everyone in the cast, truly; all amazing, worked so well together and I hope you had the best time putting on this show, because we had the best time watching it.

Great use of an inventive set design and sound/lighting throughout the show. The ‘horse and buggy’ travel adaption, very clever! The walk-on walk-off gum trees rather than still props made change of whereabouts quick and un-interrupting to the story being told. The giant book in the background where topics scribbled across digitally invited us to continue enjoying each chapter and the true sounds of the Australian bush playing as we were transported back in time was so lovely to hear.

Mia Copland playing ‘Sybylla’ is second to none I’ve seen play this role before. It’s hard to imagine that she is anything but strong willed and confident in her everyday life too; on stage Mia is full of her character tenfold. Her lead script is unforgiving and she is on stage constantly. I applaud her every word, every mannerism, action, stride and scream. She spoke with articulation of a versed poet. Standing out was her vociferation on living in Possum Gully – being a part of a family down on their luck. Sybylla, as oldest child, will remain responsible to help her family when needed. Will she succumb?

Though Sybylla’s society grandmother takes her in for a period, and a rich man shows interest in her; they are feelings of which Sybylla may be unsure whether to reciprocate. Amid the advancement of ‘Harry’ played charmingly by Elliot Cooper, there will be a call of ‘duty’ for Sybylla to repay a debt of her father’s. I could feel Sybylla’s pain as Mia brought that to the audience in devastative prospect on returning to a monotonous torturous life Sybylla thought she had managed to leave. A life where there seemed no future to do as she wished, where no one cared of her ambitions; a life where she may survive, but not thrive. A life of no career, excepting carrying babies and hopefully not dying in childbirth.

Lucy played by Angela Verspay, was a mother dealing with all the usual things a mother does and more. The baby ‘blanket’ appearing took a serious situation into comical laughter (my second time to witness labour in action on stage haha but the first blanket pulled out – who thought of that – different!). Finally, when Lucy played piano at the end, such action said 1000 words and I felt a magic moment of communication between mother and daughter, well done!

I loved Grannie Bossier played by Kate Head, delivery of her character was precise, as was Hannh Bellamy as Aunt Helen. Noteworthy were their interactions with each other. Little extra details in theatre help make every scene believable. It might be just an eyebrow raised, shoulder shrug or a glance away, a certain non-verbal tone used; things we may not consciously always notice, but subtleties that make dialogue come to life.

The character of Uncle Jay-Jay was funny and featured in Sybylla’s stint at her grandmother’s, played by Jeremy Lee – quintessential to his better life – bravo, he was my favourite! I laughed long after he delivered his line of ‘what on earth would I do in the kitchen, I don’t even know where it is’ – I daresay that would have been true for many a wealthier early-century gentleman.

Gertie played by Amelia Dumesny was a breath of fresh air in her acting, I felt she really did play opposite Sybylla beautifully in giving to her family and showing genuine sisterly love for Sybylla. Brother Horace played by Oberon Rothman also gave a compelling speech to Sybylla, and their father Richard played by Michael Hoffman was exactly rightly cast to be both a positive and negative influence on his family.

The family of Mr McSwat played by the hilarious Lachlan Turner were all excellent! Lachlan’s exaggerated persona worked his role on par as any professional (my Mum loved his antics). Little Arto playing ‘Jimmy’ was a cutie, as were Paddy and Lilibet playing cheeky ‘Tommy’ and ‘Katie’. Vivienne and Hannah playing ‘Maggie’ and ‘Rose-Jane’ were eagerly switched on in being naughty, and Ruby Nelson playing Lizer was exceptional – I noticed her in the clan even before her role took on a feature in the script. Mrs McSwat played by Anja Harley had a fantastic accent of country Aussie bush life and Alex Smith playing Peter (also taking a shine to Sybylla) was fun in his quiet shy way. We loved this rough and tumble family.

Worth mentioning too is that this play is derived from a semi-autobiographical book written more than a 100 years ago by Stella “Miles” Franklin. I wonder what Miles would think of today’s world where women can be anything they desire in majority of countries, but not all, as somewhere in the world today there are women who still live in cultures and environments struggling to be heard and educated for a better existence, the world for them today is not dissimilar to that of Sybylla’s.

MY BRILLIANT CAREER is a triumph of writing and taking that written work of yesteryear to the stage today is quite an achievement. Congratulations to Producers Penny McLeod and Matt Baker, Director Lisa Graham, Assistant Director Flo Roney, Stage Manager Warren Easley, Set Designers Claire Norman & Lyle Russell, Lighting Design Tegan Evans and all the creative team – an example of exemplary regional community theatre working at its best!

I thoroughly encourage others make the drive from surrounding areas for the Warrnambool Theatre Company’s next show ‘& JULIET’ playing 3-10 January 2026. If you live locally – go see everything this company produces – what a treat to have your theatre easy to get to, easy to park at, restaurants close walk and great bar service at interval. Not things we always get queuing up in Melbourne. Accommodation for anyone living further away too is affordable with plenty of choices.

Ticket and information link: https://www.warrnambooltheatrecompany.com/

Theatre venue: https://www.lighthousetheatre.com.au/

Our Accommodation: Magpie Lodge B&B (highly recommend)

CAST:
Sybylla Melvyn – Mia Copland (Flo Roney understudy)
Harry Beecham – Elliot Cooper
Grannie Bossier – Kate Head
Lucy Melvyn – Angela Verspay
Richard Melvyn – Michael Hoffman
Aunt Helen – Hannah Bellamy
Gertie Melvyn – Amelia Dumesny
Horace Melvyn – Oberan Rothman
Uncle JayJay – Jeremy Lee
Mr McSwat – Lachlan Turner
Mrs McSwat – Anja Harley
Peter McSwat – Alex Smith
Lizer McSwat – Ruby Nelson
Jimmy McSwat – Arto Bellamy
Tommy McSwat – Paddy McKane
Maggie McSwat – Vivienne O’Brien
Rose-Jane McSwat – Hannah Rothman
Katie McSwat – Lilibet Bellamy
Frank Hawden – Dean Field
Blance Derrick & Midwife – Heidi Benz
Aunt Gussie – Eila Lyon
Mary O’Farrell – Lousie Rothman
Tramps & Guests – Jo Owen, Annemaree Stonehouse, Margy Jackson, Ace O’Dwyer, Ross McCorkell.

Photography credit: Greta Punch

To book tickets to My Brilliant Career, please visit https://www.warrnambooltheatrecompany.com/current-production.

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Tarzan: The Stage Musical

24/09/202512/09/2025 Debra Campbell🥇🔥🦉🎭🎶

Tarzan: The Stage Musical Rating

★★★★★

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The stage is set – I look at an enormous map of Africa, sails caught up with shipwrecked boxes and listen to the atmospheric opening sounds of the African jungle to soon be pierced by a baby’s cry – Tarzan’s cry, though he is not yet named ‘Tarzan’ – the next two hours will be his story.

TARZAN The Stage Musical has swung into life in Melbourne over the past couple of weeks and I’m so happy to have been invited to one of their final shows for review. I’ve seen three shows this week and this was my favourite – the other two were professional city shows so that’s saying something. My daughter could not believe she had been so engrossed when it was “interval already”. We sat next to one of the ‘Annies’ having a night off from playing her own famous character in the city currently, and when I asked her at interval what she thought thusfar she eagerly replied ‘I’m LOVING it!’ (excited to see her singing teacher in the cast too)

Get on the website to book the last tickets remaining until Sunday 14 Sept.
Ticket link: https://nationaltheatre.org.au/tarzan/

The blurb on the show told me:
TARZAN – The Stage Musical brings Disney’s epic animated film to life on stage in a high-flying action adventure, complete with aerial choreography and unforgettable music to the soundtrack of Phil Collins. Tarzan struggles to find where he truly belongs, torn between the animal kingdom and the human world. With book by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, at its core TARZAN is a story of identity, love, and the universal quest for connection.

Typically, the Disney TARZAN draws interest of course from adventurous kids, but there were more adults in the audience woo-hooing tonight and much of it for Joshua Russell as ‘Tarzan’ – the exact required look he definitely has and demanding skills for this unusual role; he strongly mastered those vine swings and strode a masterful ‘ape walk’ – his body must now be well adapted to that gait. Same for all the gorillas, excelling in their emulation of animal behavior and their acrobatic and dance which combine to give a seamless presentation of orderly uncontrolled chaos – there is so much going on, it’s exciting!

Usually I have a preference for certain characters by the end of a show, but in this one I didn’t, I liked them all and they were all played exceptionally well.

Seriousness and laughs from Jane and her father Prof. Porter were fun moments, played by Emily Robinson straight out of graduating from the VCA and Drew Holmes with an impressive history in shows too long to list.

Sarah Murr as ‘Kala’ (Tarzan’s ape-mother) is pure curated talent. It did not surprise me later to read about her role recently playing in Hadestown at Her Majesty’s. Matching up Sarah’s talents alongside Devon Braithwaite as ‘Kerchak’ (Tarzan’s ape-father) was perfect casting, and no wonder – he trained at The Boston Conservatory (USA). I’d love to see these two play again together in another show as non-animals after witnessing what they can do with a non-human role.

The scene where the gorillas inquisitively meet Jane and her Dad was both touching and tragic. The loss of one of Tarzan’s ape family had an empathetic music choice and the gun shots were unnervingly real, as was the formidable acting of Nick Eynaud as Clayton, jungle guide who had another goal on his agenda.

Emma Wilby Owers playing ‘Terk’ (Tarzan’s ape-buddy) nailed every line and expression, body movement and reaction. Another one to watch – there’s a heap of stars in this show!

Ollie Pearce as ‘Leopard’ brought the adrenalin rush, well focused with that slyly power and the Ensemble working every bit as hard as all the leads, sometimes more so on the energy required for partner throws and crazy wildness.

Finally, shout out to Young Tarzans, Daniel Lim and Sebastian Dovey Cribbes, both would have had an absolutely unique experience in this script and who wouldn’t want to play ‘Tarzan’ learning how to fruit pick and hang upside down. Whichever youthful Tarzan you see when you go along to watch you have to admire what these juniors in theatre can do and the confidence they have – theatre is so great for kids.

As always, I love the memories theatre can help recapture and looking later at the detailed program for this production, I have a mental flashback to watching a much earlier Tarzan on screen; Olympic swimmer Johnny Weismuller. Certainly not like the vivid colours and amazing action I saw everywhere on stage tonight with hundreds of green hanging vines, twisting and tumbling acrobats, dancers defying what their bodies can do naturally, but those calmer old black and white movies we’d sit down to watch on weekends and after which my brother would disappear to be ‘Tarzan’ in our backyard Willow tree. Yes, this is a story which has stood the test of time in any format with no mobile phones needed (they don’t work in the jungle anyway).

Oh – and hold out for that distinctive Tarzan jungle call, how does one describe that?

Congratulations to all the cast and the James Terry Collective creative team, you have all done yourselves proud!

Playing: August 29- September 14, 2025
Venue: The National Theatre, St Kilda
Website: www.tarzanstagemusical.com.au

CAST
Tarzan- Joshua Russell
Jane – Emily Robinson
Kala – Sara Murr
Kerchak – Devon Braithwaite (alt. Joti Van Carlos Gore)
Terk – Emma Wilby
Prof. Porter – Drew Holmes
Clayton – Nick Eynaud
Young Tarzan – Daniel Lim & Sebastian Dovey Cribbes
Ensemble – Simon Fairweather, Brittany Ford, Josephine Lopes, Sammy Allsop, Matilda Simmons, Ollie Pearce, Liimei Lim, Adriana Pannuzzo Emma Wilby, Gabriel Marsilli, Ayril Borce, Arjun Tiwari, Patrick Friedlander, Nicholas Dugdale.

TARZAN The Musical is Directed by Alister Smith (Elvis a Revolution, The Boys in the Band), Choreographed by Michael Ralph (The Wedding Singer, Legally Blonde), and Musical Direction by Claire Healy (SIX the Musical)

Adapted from the story “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs and originally Produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions. TARZAN ® owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia).

To book tickets to Tarzan: The Stage Musical, please visit https://nationaltheatre.org.au/tarzan/.

For information on further shows see: https://www.jamesterrycollective.com.au/

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