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Othello: Presented by The Actors Hub

30 November 2024 Manuela Kacomanolis

Othello Rating

★★★★★

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Taking on any play by William Shakespeare is no easy feat, especially in theatre, where actors are required to memorise heavy and complicated dialogue. Amanda Crewes, through the talented cast at The Actors Hub, has done a tremendous job bringing Othello to life.

Although the play is set in what appears to be the present time, this is evident from the clothing worn by the cast, Amanda has remained true to Shakespear’s words.

For those who are not big fans or accustomed to Shakespearean talk, you should not be put off. Extra concentration may be needed (as in any Shakespeare story) to follow every interaction between the characters. However, you should still be able to understand the essence of the play and the storyline.

The protagonist and title character Othello, who, despite his ethnicity, has risen through the ranks of a white society to become a General in Venice and marry a white woman, the noble Desdemona. Roderigo, a wealthy man, longs for Desdemona. He is heartbroken upon learning the news of Desdemona’s marriage to Othello.

Trouble ensues when Lago, who serves under Othello, is overlooked for the position of lieutenant in favour of a less experienced soldier, Michael Cassio. Filled with bitterness and resentment, Lago devises a web of lies in his plot to bring down Othello as revenge for this perceived injustice. On his path to destroy Othello, he manipulates those around him, cunningly convincing Othello of Desmonda being unfaithful, which leads to devasting consequences.

Amanda cleverly uses a giant chess board as the central focus of the stage, with the characters performing in and around the board. Every move Lago makes on the chess board is matched with a move he makes in destroying Othello.

The play is long, which makes me applaud the amazing cast, which never misses a beat. Leo Rimmer, Bernard Bolum, Kayla Merritt, Jayk Thomas, and Jet Fairlie are exceptional in portraying their characters.

Even if you are not a Shakespeare fan, the play is worth viewing to see these rising young actors.

To book tickets to Othello, please visit https://actorshubperth.com.au/productions/

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Manuela Kacomanolis

Puss In Boots

29 November 202423 November 2024 Natalie Rees

Puss In Boots Rating

★★★★★

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With Christmas just around the corner, there is nothing like seeing a pantomime at this time of year, and the Limelight theatre production of Puss in Boots will definitely hit the spot for some Christmas cheer. With an enormous 30-strong cast, this show is a dazzle of song, dance and melodramatic acting that is as impressive as it is entertaining. You will laugh, cheer, boo and get to sing along to the many well-known songs and feel like you are just as much part of the show as the actors.

The pantomime twist of the traditional story of Puss in Boots tells of Jack (Zavier Wileman), a poor miller son who is left just a cat (Beau Poole) after his father dies. Zavier Wileman as Jack gave a strong performance and was well loved by the audience. At times his vocalisation could have been louder and clearer and this was also amplified by some minor technical difficulties.

Beau Poole as Puss in Boots was a bundle of energy and clearly very talented. I absolutely loved his physicality as Puss but would comment that he could have connected with other actors clearer. My six year old daughter pinned Beau as her favourite actor!

The two go through various mishaps over the story, often at the hands of Jack’s two dimwit brothers, Jasper (Isaac McAuley) and Jethro (Jason Pearce). Both played the role with suitable comic timing and made a great pair. Isaac McAuley, as Jasper, would blossom with more confidence.

The two brothers fall in love with Babs (Sarah McDonald) and Betty (Eleanor Mulder). Both actors held a tune well and added to the professionalism of this production. Jack then falls in love with Princess Esmerelda (Zoe Anderson), whose extensive training was evident in her performance. She is a very proficient dancer and singer, bringing charm to the stage.

Jack and Esmerelda’s love is interfered with by the Orge (Andrew Govey), who was an absolute hit with the audience. With a very powerful resonance and performance, he gave me a few belly laughs over the night. The Orge was helped by the Bad Fairy (Gwen Browning), who was incredibly articulate and clear as an actor. I enjoyed her performance, even if I didn’t like her character and joined in on booing her!

To counter this, we had the Good Fairy (Christine Smith), who helped put things right. Smith’s warm energy suited the character perfectly, and she held herself as the character equally as well as Browning.

The standout performance, though, was from the Queen (Chris McCafferty). McCafferty, who nailed the art of Pantomime, had me in bundles of laughter. He is clear and articulate, and his comedic timing was spot on. His ability to interact with the audience and his rifting was hilarious. Cher and Sonny’s song ‘I’ve Got You Babe’ that he preformed with his King (RJ Smolders) was particularly funny. Smolders was so well fit for the role of the submissive King and his dottering characterisation was on point.

Last but not least, the young Luis Proctor as The Page stepped confidently into the big task of opening the show with a song. This boy has a bright future ahead of him.

I won’t give away the end of the story but all in all this was a wonderful production from a very cohesive and professional cast. The standard was very high for amateur theatre and the ensemble as well at the dancer significantly added to this.

This show was a full house on opening night, so if you want to see this splendid production, I suggest booking your tickets right now! This is definitely one not to be missed.

To book tickets to Puss In Boots, please visit TAZTix or phone 9255 3336.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Natalie Rees

Crimson Gully

21 November 2024 Manuela Kacomanolis

Crimson Gully Rating

★★★★★

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Powerful and engrossing, Crimson Gully is a brilliantly written play by Sreekanth Gopalakrishnan.

Set in the 1990s, the story centres on a brothel within the fictitious town of Chandapur in India.

Crimson Gully, which translates to Red Light Street, shines a light on the prostitution industry, forcing the audience to look beyond the societal labels associated with the women in the brothel and see them as individuals with complex lives, aspirations and personal battles.

The play opens with the young and popular worker, Muskaan, performing a traditional South Asian dance known as Mujra to the clients.

Having born and grown up in the brothel, Muskaan accepted her fate and circumstances long ago but she does not see herself as a victim but rather a person who unlike the other girls, has chosen to remain in the brothel. However, deep inside she longs for another life but does not believe she is worthy of it.

Then there is Champa, who did all the things that society expected of her as a woman. She met a man, got married and had a child but lost it all when her husband died and she was left cleaning up the destruction and financial mess he left behind. Without any education or qualifications, she finds herself in the brothel, the only way she knows how to make a living.

The young and innocent Mansi, from a seemingly good family, shows the viewers how girls like her end up in the brothel through no choice of her own. Much like Champa’s situation, it also proves that marriage is not always the answer to a attaining a better life.

Jamuna, the eldest, having spent most of her life in the brothel, now just serves as the caretaker and cook.

Taai is the madam of the brothel. Initially, viewers may think of her as a villain but as the story evolves it’s clear that she is as much of a victim as the rest of the women, trapped in her circumstances and in many ways acts as their protector.

It is the few people at the top driven by greed and power, in this instance all men, that keep the women trapped in their unfortunate circumstances and other men in line. The simmering tensions build up to a dramatic climax that does not disappoint.

Gopalakrishnan, who also designed and directed Crimson Gully, does not shy away from bringing to the forefront weighty topics such as political corruption, human trafficking, misogyny, and poverty and how they are all interconnected.

Inspired by the DW documentary India’s Prostitution Village, Gopalakrishnan provides a realistic account of the industry. It is a story which could take place in any culture and in any country but the elements of greed and corruption remain the same. Crimson Gully provides an insight into how corruption from the top can trickle down and poison society as a whole.

The Great Indian Theatre Company brings the story to life, with all cast members delivering solid and powerful performances. Crimson Gully is not to be missed.

Photographer: Albert Antony Roy

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

Manuela Kacomanolis

Put Some ‘DO RE MI’ Into Your Life!

17 November 202416 November 2024 Katherine De Vere

The Sound of Music – Melville Theatre Company Rating

★★★★★

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The Sound of Music at the Melville Theatre Company revisits the famous story of a novice sent to work for a widowed naval captain and his seven children. It is set against the backdrop of the Austrian ‘Anschluss’ during World War II.

Director and musical theatre devotee, Neroli Sweetman has accomplished a grand feat, in wrangling a sizeable cast and crew to bring this ambitious production to fruition.

As might be expected, there’s a plethora of singing postulants—read: nuns. The four-hander between Sisters Bertha (Lily Wakeling), Margaretta (Ebony MacFarlane), Sophia (Parish Findlay), and the Mother Abbess is particularly charming, All four of these actors bring genuine nuance to their characters.

Wimples-off to Eilish Marie Blackmore as the Mother Abbess. Though perhaps a tad young for the role, she delivers a soaring rendition of ‘Climb Every Mountain’ that could rival a West End performance.

WAAPA graduate Hannah Charlotte, playing Maria, starts a little nervously but warms to the lead. By the play’s end, her performance is truly endearing—with a touch of the Kate Winslet. And that’s high praise.

The Von Trapp children are utterly delightful from start to finish. Played respectively by Escher Roe, Leon Brand, Aurelia Turley, John Bell, Quin Dally, Halle McDonald, and Jasmine Dally (with doubles Charlotte Theodorsen and Bowie Silvay). As soon as they appeared, the stage-wattage went up and their renditions of “Do Re Mi’ and ‘So Long Farewell’ had the audience enraptured.

The weak link in this production was Captain Von Trapp, stiffly played by Nigel Goodwin. He comments, “I’ve never been called exciting before” and unfortunately, in terms of a lead performance, never a truer word has been spoken. Given that the love story is a central premise to the script, credibility, passion and even ‘Edelweiss’ went south here.

Similarly, Max, played by (Daren Goodison) looked the part but struggled with both timing and showmanship. What might have been witty three-handers between the Baroness, Max and the Captain became about as wooden as anything you’d find at IKEA. It may be that the lovely Baroness (Erin Sirle) struggled to find her form given the incumbent lumber.

Antagonist, Admiral Von Schrieber ( Kieran Smith) doesn’t cut the mustard either, lacking both age and authority. Less gravy and more gravitas? Weaker scenes aside, the costumes were impeccable and deserve special mention, as does the ensemble cast, who were consistently impressive in both character work and harmonies.

Supporting actors Peter Shaw (Franz the Butler), Imogen Porter (Frau Schmidt), and Zac Porter (Herr Zeller), leaned into their Teutonic accents channelling an entertaining ‘Allo ‘Allo vibe. That being said, the he old stage wisdom – either everyone in the cast does accents, or no one does – might have been more effective than a Smith’s Variety Pack approach.

Rolf (David Bell) and Liesl (Escher Roe) both show promise and it will be interesting to watch where these young performers go, as did newcomer, Michael Smith as Baron Elberfield.

The set design suffered from a case of indecision-itus, wavering between realism, minimalism and kitsch; the plastic greenery being a low blow ( or low brow?) On the other hand, the wedding and final scenes were both visual and musical delights.

This is community theatre, and as such, it deserves support and appreciation. It runs on the goodwill and tireless efforts of so many talented contributors. A standout, special ‘Alleluia’ to Nick Navarra and team for their spirited (and spiritual) musical direction – and the choreography. You’ll likely find yourself humming a tune on the car ride home.

Who among us couldn’t use a bit more ‘Do-Re-Mi’ in our lives?

The Sound Of Music runs to November 30th. To book tickets, please visit https://melvilletheatrecompany.au/

Session Dates/Times:-
Performance Dates:
Evening
November 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30

Matinees
November 17, 24
Times: All evening shows at 7.30 pm
Sunday Matinees – November 17, 24 @ 5 pm

Photography: Curtain Call Creatives

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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