Perth Theatre

The Woman Behind the Canvas

Red Ticket

Red Ticket Rating

★★★★★

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6

Disclaimer: This production has strobe lights and covers topics of mental health issues.

Ask any Western Australian resident about the Fremantle Art Centre and they’ll all ask you the same thing. “Isn’t that the place that’s haunted?”

That’s where our story takes place. Red Ticket, written and directed by Josie Walsh, is about a woman named Lily, played by Krysia Wiechecki, who is struggling with postpartum depression as she learns about the history of the Fremantle Art Centre. The second you walk into the theatre, you are immersed into Lily’s life. A flickering light hangs above an easel and music plays while you wait for the show to begin. The set is very simple with only a giant canvas as a backdrop as well as the easel as a prop. As the show progresses, Lily’s art transforms the stage, bringing you into Lily’s world even more. Words and pictures are drawn on the floor and Lily’s art is hung up around the theater.

The show opens with a distressing monologue from Lily. Sound effects, red light, and a smoke machine are used as she describes a recurring nightmare. The play begins after the monologue, with Janice, played by Hannah-Mary Anderson, who offers humor as a contrast to the dark monologue that we’ve just heard and takes place in the Fremantle Art Centre. Lily becomes obsessed with learning about the lunatic asylum that the Art Centre used to be and learns about a woman named Poppy, played by Kate Naunton Morgan, who was admitted to the asylum in the early 1900s several times while suffering from postpartum depression.

 

Red Ticket
Red Ticket
Red Ticket

 

Both of the leading actresses do a remarkable job in capturing your attention during their monologues. I felt truly pulled in by their emotions and my heart strings tugged as Lily fell deeper into her depression and Poppy cried, unable to receive the same help that Lily is able to get at the end of the play. The ending is hopeful, letting others know that not only are they not alone but that help is available.

When Lily takes the stage alone, the theatre is dark, just like her thoughts. When she is joined by Janice, the lights are bright until finally darkness surrounds her at all times.The lighting designer, Topaz Knodel, has outdone herself in creating Poppy’s silhouette on the canvas as we learn about her and has a meticulous understanding on how to cleverly use light to tell a story. I also enjoyed the sound design and music, created by Zoe Garciano, who did an excellent job creating the perfect touch to complete the story and fully immerse the audience.

Red Ticket is playing at the Blue Room Theatre until 18 April. I highly recommend this play to anyone, but especially those who have struggled with mental health issues as they will find the story relatable.

To book tickets to Red Ticket, please visit https://blueroom.org.au/events/red-ticket/.

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The Local

The Local

The Local Rating

★★★★★

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St Patrick’s Day may be over but the Irish charm and fun continues with a play written and directed by WA’s Siobhan Wright called The Local.

Set in a Dublin pub, where unemployed plumber Paddy Branigan, visits every night for his favourite beverage Guinness, it’s the same routine until one night that all changes. Paddy is presented as someone resistant to change, comfortable in the familiar patterns of daily life, until one evening where he either must change his ways or continue down his destructive path and live with the consequences. There is a point in the story where Paddy genuinely tries to turn his life around much to the amusement of the audience.

At the pub there is the regular elderly patron Joe who loves to retell the same stories and the accommodating bar tender Jack who both endure Paddy’s brashness and boastful nature. One evening a stranger walks in but he is not as much of a stranger as they all think. Having grown-up in Dublin but now residing in the south coast of Western Australia, the stranger has returned to wrap up some unfinished business. This unfinished business is linked to Paddy and triggers Paddy’s desire to change.
There are some productions where the venue does more than merely host the performance, it becomes part of the story itself. The Local, now playing at the Irish pub Mons O’Shea in Fremantle, is one such work. What makes the production especially effective is the natural fit between the play and its venue. Mons O’Shea provides a cosy backdrop that feels entirely authentic to the story being told. Rather than watching a pub recreated on stage, the audience is immersed in one. That immediacy lends the production a particular charm and credibility.

 

The Local
The Local
The Local

 

The atmosphere before the performance also deserves mention. Audience members were treated to Irish singing prior to the show, with everyone encouraged to join in. By the time the play began, the audience had already been drawn into the spirit of the setting, creating a sense of shared participation.

Overall, The Local offers an engaging theatrical experience grounded in character and atmosphere. It’s a story of a man shaken from complacency by an unexpected encounter. With its lively pre-show entertainment, welcoming environment and intimate staging, this production delivers a night that feels both theatrical and social. Less like attending a conventional play and more like stepping directly into Paddy Branagan’s world.

All the actors delivered superb performances. Dublin native, Carl Flynn as Paddy Branigan, Declan Byrne as bartender Jack, Joe Purcell as regular patron Joe, Roxanne O’Connor as Sky the influencer, Peter O’Connor as the stranger and a special appearance from the director Siobhan Wright as Dot.

To book tickets to The Local, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/event/thelocal/.

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A Bond Beyond Blood

Sita and Urmila: Unheard Conversations

Sita and Urmila: Unheard Conversations Rating

★★★★★

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7

Sita and Urmila: Unheard Conversations is a production from The Great Indian Theatre Company playing at the Nexus Theatre. It is an hour and fifty minutes without an interval. It is the story of two sisters who share a loving bond.

When Prince Ram of Ayodhya wins Sita’s hand in marriage, he reveals he has a vow that he and his brothers must marry from the same family. A solution is made and his brother, Laxman, marries Urmila. When Prince Ram is exiled to the forest for fourteen years, Sita immediately agrees to come with while Urmila must stay behind. Laxman is visited by The Goddess of Sleep and asks to stay awake for fourteen years to protect Ram and Sita. When The Goddess of Sleep says that someone must take his place to sleep, Laxman tells her that Urmila will, who reluctantly agrees. 

The story is written and directed by Sreekanth Gopalakrishnan. I particularly loved the sisters’ bond. Sita is adopted and although they don’t share the same biological family, they say the words “beyond blood”, meaning their love for each other goes beyond their DNA. Karthika Nair gives a stellar and powerful performance as Urmila and she captured my attention in every emotional scene. Prakriti Rayamajhi shows Sita’s character growth beautifully and portrays her journey from a dutiful woman to one who is strong and independent.

Deepti Shukla gives a delightfully cheeky performance as The Goddess of Sleep and children will love Akshay Sheela Nair as Hanuman, a monkey, whose physicality was engaging and entertaining. Ashish Malik and Wilfred Doray play perfectly evil characters and comedy is speckled through the script, giving audiences a chuckle when needed.

The costumes, designed by Param Kaur and Sreekanth Gopalakrishnan, was the first thing that caught my eye. They are beautiful and elegant with intricate designs. Indian music plays throughout the show and throughout scenes but still gives the actors the stage to capture the scene. When Sita and Urmila are separated, the set is cleverly split into two without feeling disjointed.

Dance is also incorporated into the storytelling and Sindhu Nair, winner of the Western Australia’s Multicultural Artist of the Year, brought a unique cultural interpretation of dance to be shared with the audience. The lighting works well with the storytelling, including spotlights to build dramatic tension during intense conversations with the sisters as well as sinister red lighting to highlight the emotions of the scene.

This is a production which would be enjoyed by anyone who has a sister or familial bond who they would do anything for.

To book tickets to Sita and Urmila: Unheard Conversations, please visit https://thegreatindiantheatrecomp.com/.

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Marjorie Prime

Marjorie Prime

Marjorie Prime Rating

★★★★★

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2

Marjorie Prime speaks to our deeply human longing for connection and prompts us to reflect on how much of our past we would choose to preserve, and what memories we might leave.

It’s the fragile humanity at the centre of this play that gives power to the storytelling. In an imagined future, we can turn our lost loved ones into ‘Primes’. These realistic holographic recreations provide emotional support as we navigate our grief and move forward with our lives. It’s an intriguing concept that leaves us questioning how far we would go when gripped by uncertainty and grief.

The story introduces Marjorie, an elderly woman living with dementia. Her daughter Tess and son-in-law Jon give her a ‘Prime’ of her late husband Walter to provide comfort. This holographic Walter appears eternally youthful and endlessly patient, sitting perfectly upright, attentive and still as he listens to stories about Marjorie’s life. Each day he absorbs new anecdotes, ready to repeat them later, gradually constructing a version of the man he once was through the memories of others.

The effect is both touching and unsettling. Walter’s kindness is constant, and he pays utmost attention to Marjorie. As she interacts with him, her daughter Tess watches with unease. She struggles with complicated feelings, sometimes resentful of the gentleness her mother shows the Prime, the same warmth she herself longed for growing up. At the same time, Tess is determined to shield certain painful memories from the Prime, hoping to spare Marjorie distress. Her husband Jon, however, sees value in honesty, even if the memories are difficult.

 

Marjorie Prime

 

Moments of humour slip gently into the narrative too. At one point Marjorie persuades Walter to embellish the story of their engagement by inserting a movie-theatre outing to Casablanca, improving the memory just a little. It’s a small moment, but one that neatly illustrates how fluid and fragile memory can be.

Between scenes, blackouts punctuate the action, echoing the gaps forming in Marjorie’s mind. As the story unfolds, time begins to stretch and shift. After Marjorie’s death, she herself returns as a Prime. Yet instead of offering comfort to a grieving Tess, she seems to deepen the pain. Years pass in quiet leaps, and while people age and die, the Primes remain with their distorted, incomplete memories of the past.

When the play debuted in 2014, its exploration of artificial intelligence and memory felt speculative. Watching it now in 2026, with AI firmly embedded in everyday life, the questions it raises create discomfort. Is recreating the dead a source of solace, or does it blur the boundaries of grief in ways we may not yet understand?

This production at Roxy Lane Theatre brings the story beautifully to life. Janet Dickinson is compelling as Marjorie, capturing both vulnerability and warmth, while Finn Happ’s youthful Walter embodies the eerie calm of the Prime. Liza Black, who also directs the production, gives Tess a moving emotional depth and is supported by Chris Harris as the steady and kind-hearted Jon.

Short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2015, Marjorie Prime remains as thoughtful and moving as ever. It’s a tender reflection on memory, technology and the enduring complexity of love.

Congratulations to the cast and crew on a heartfelt and thought-provoking performance. Marjorie Prime is currently showing at the Roxy Theatre from Friday to Sunday at 7.30pm, with Sunday matinee performances at 2.30, until 22 March.

To book tickets to Marjorie Prime, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/event/roxylanetheatre/.

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