Sydney - Whats The Show

About The Production - Dear Son

16/12/2025 Davros Dark🏅🔥🦉🎭

Today, we had the pleasure of speaking with the talented team behind Dear Son, a deeply moving stage adaptation directed by Isaac Drandic. Prepare to be captivated by a blend of courageous storytelling and emotional depth as these letters flow beautifully on stage.

About Dear Son

What is this Production about?

The show Dear Son, is based on the book called Dear Son by Thomas Mayo. It's a show that's been adapted into a stage play written by John Harvey and Isaac Drandic, and directed by Isaac Drandic. Thomas Mayo invited 13 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander men, including himself, to write a letter to their sons and fathers.

In the show, we have 5 men, actors on stage and we bring these letters to life.

What’s challenging about bringing this script to life?

One of the challenges was making sure we honour all the letters in a theatrical structure of storytelling. They are so personal and powerful that we worked really hard to take care of and share the bravery of these courageous men and us creatives in production as fathers and sons. And through the whole process it's been an honour to be a apart of and healing personally as a father and son.

Why did you want to be involved in this production?

I've been apart of the first workshop and read the book and always wanted to work with Isaac as a director. We've worked together on Romeo & Juliet many moons ago hahaha, I think it was 2008 STC production as actors, but it was well overdue. And also, as an indigenous storyteller, I feel it's my responsibility to be apart of this production when it was offered.

What will the audience be thinking about in the car as they drive home after this show?

They will be thinking about all the men in their lives.

What’s going to surprise people about this show?

How much they are connected to these stories.

How is this production bringing something new to this story?

You will see 5 men on stage on a beautiful set having a yarn, and when I say yarn, I mean deep yarn. With the letters flowing through us.

Where can patrons purchase tickets to this production?

To book tickets to Dear Son, please visit https://belvoir.com.au/productions/dear-son/.

Thank you so much for sharing your insights and passion with us. Wishing you all the best as you bring the heartfelt stories of Dear Son to the stage, and may your performance move audiences far and wide. Break a leg!

Other production interviews can be viewed in our About The Production Series.

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Much Ado About Nothing

16/12/2025 Melissa Marsh⭐🦉

Much Ado About Nothing Rating

★★★★★

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This Much Ado About Nothing is set on the South Coast in the week before Christmas, and the choice is not cosmetic. From the moment Don Pedro, Claudio and Benedick enter wheeling a battered esky, the world is established: this is a family gathering, loud, sunburnt, faintly daggy, and thick with history. The cicadas hum, So Fresh Summer Hits blare, and the audience—seated in the round, sometimes beside the actors themselves—is folded directly into the social fabric of the play.

The production leans into deliberate dagginess. Costumes are bright, mundane, occasionally ugly. The set is minimal: a Christmas tree, a party table, a CD player, tinsel slung over exits. Popular music and unpolished dancing create the feeling of a real holiday gathering rather than a theatrical abstraction. In a space this small, there is nowhere to hide—and the production knows it.

Theo Rule’s Benedick is an Australian bloke we recognise instantly. His loud vows of eternal bachelorhood are funny because they’re defensive, half-brag and half-shield. What makes the performance quietly impressive is the vulnerability Rule allows in. As Benedick overhears that Beatrice may love him, the change is gradual, almost reluctant. Armour loosens in stages. Pauses lengthen. Hope creeps in. By the time Benedick acts, his earnestness feels earned, not performative.

Madison Chippendale, who also directs the production, gives Beatrice a different kind of armour. Her wit reads as learned self-protection, shaped by disappointment rather than disdain. When she overhears Benedick’s supposed love, curiosity flickers—but caution holds the line. Her later demand that he prove himself lands not as cruelty but principle. That insistence becomes the moral spine of the play, aligning directly with Benedick’s decision to believe Hero when others will not.

Andrea Magpulong’s Hero emerges slowly, but when she speaks there is no ignoring her. That restraint makes the wedding scene genuinely shocking. In such close quarters, Claudio’s public shaming feels brutally intimate. James Papadakis plays Claudio as someone painfully familiar: good-natured, not too bright, easily led. His cruelty comes not from malice but weakness, which makes it harder to excuse.

James Yeargain’s doubling of Don Pedro and Don John is smartly executed, though the production’s trimmed structure means Don John’s plot is never fully resolved. This Much Ado prioritises emotional truth over narrative closure, and that trade-off is visible.

The true heart of the production lies in the Beatrice and Benedick scenes. Calling it “chemistry” is inadequate. What plays is collision—two guarded people meeting at force. Love doesn’t bloom here; it crashes.

There is something quietly principled in these choices. Shakespeare did not write for high culture; he wrote for crowded rooms, for people eating, drinking, laughing, and sometimes being cruel to one another. Chippendale’s direction understands this instinctively. By embracing the familiar — the bad taste, the pop music, the awkward dancing, the Christmas rituals everyone recognises — the play is returned to its natural habitat. In this exposed, communal space, the language doesn’t arrive as something precious, but as something overheard. And that is where it belongs.

To book tickets to Much Ado About Nothing, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1493684.

Photographer: Jamie Simmons

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Brilliantly Emotive - Born on a Thursday at Old Fitz Theatre

14/12/202512/12/2025 Linda Lokhee🏆💎🔥🦉🎭

Born On A Thursday Rating

★★★★★

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Every family is different and unique; there’s no such thing as a cookie-cutter ‘perfect family’. What we can hope for in our own families, are harmonious and happy relationships. Born on a Thursday is a heartrending peeling back of the tough exterior of a mother/ daughter relationship and the deep complications that can arise in a family unit. Presented by New Ghosts Theatre at the Old Fitz Theatre, and written by Australian playwright Jack Kearney, Born on a Thursday had me hanging on to every word these characters spoke.

April (Sofia Nolan), a ballerina who had been working abroad in Denmark for some time, returns home to Western Sydney to see her Mum and younger brother. Her mum Ingrid (Sharon Millerchip) greets her with open hostility. She is a tough woman and has her own reasons for freezing April out with sharply worded barbs and icy stares. It’s uncomfortable to watch, so I imagine that being on the receiving end, April feels it deeply. Millerchips’ portrayal of an overworked, stressed mother - harbouring resentment towards her daughter and ultimately revealing her own vulnerability - demonstrates her talent as a performer.

Isaac (Owen Hasluck) has a brain injury from a sporting incident. He is a young adult and highly dependent on his mum. Isaac is on the cusp of needing independence and feeling the frustration of being unable to communicate easily. The initial introduction onstage of Isaac was powerful. Hasluck portrays Issacs’ disability with heart wrenching accuracy with his mannerisms and muddled speech that manages to capture the depth of his character. Two scenes where he has a ‘meltdown’, one with his mum and the other with his sister, brought tears to my eyes and I am sure others in the audience felt the emotion too.

April’s reason for coming home is slowly disclosed over four seasons as the audience witness building feelings of guilt and responsibility. Nolan fully embodied her character, guiding the audience through her journey into her inner demons and the way to healing her raw pain.

Howard was played by James Lugton, Ingrid’s affable neighbour. His friendship to the family brought stability and the relationship is explored through his interactions with Ingrid, Isaac and April. Lugton’s portrayal of Howard was done with realistic characterisation, particularly in the tender moments, showing Howard’s heart of gold.

Although there are serious scenes in the play, there are also parts which were lighter. Ingrid's friend Estelle (Deborah Galanos), a gregarious extroverted woman, brought humour (and wine!) to the stage and showed that our support network of best friends can be family too.

Sound designer Sam Cheng’s music, particularly when indicating the seasonal period when the months on the calendar on the wall were being flipped up, added to the thoughtful ponderance of change. Costume designer Rita Naidu and set designer Soham Apte grounded the characters to the time period of 1998 - 1999, with a kitchen straight out of the late 90’s – I even think I owned a stove and tea towels exactly like the ones that were on set! The set was impressive by having a tap with running water. Being an avid tea lover, I certainly appreciated the cuppa always being offered between characters, and especially Howard’s turning of the teapot ritual before he poured out the tea. The working stove where April made pancakes added the perfect 4D experience and the smell of freshly made pancakes wafting out to the audience was divine! It showed that during these simple rituals of everyday life, big conversations can happen during these times.

Director Lucy Clements has brought together a cohesive team that successfully treads the fine balance that’s needed when presenting a play dealing with mental health illness, domestic violence and traumatic brain injury. Born on a Thursday is a raw and impactful play that explores family, the true priorities in life, and the need to be seen and loved for who you truly are—both by yourself and by those who care for you. I highly recommend it to gain a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people with layered lives. Book your ticket and watch Born on a Thursday in one of Sydney’s most tiny and intimate theatres – the Old Fitz!

Season run: 28 November – 21 December 2025
Run Time: 2 hours 25 minutes with a 15 minute interval
Theatre: Old Fitz Theatre 129 Dowling Street Woolloomooloo
Tickets: www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/born-on-a-thursday

To book tickets to Born On A Thursday, please visit https://www.oldfitztheatre.com.au/born-on-a-thursday.

Photographer: Phil Erbacher

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Holiday Inn - A Holly Jolly Christmas Classic

12/12/2025 Cherelle Flemming🥈🦉🎭🎶

Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn Rating

★★★★★

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The Holiday Inn at Riverside Theatres Parramatta is a must-add to your Christmas schedule. Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, a Christmas classic will drift you into the magical Christmas season and inject you with festive cheer. If you're not yet into the swing of the Christmas festivities, this spectacular musical will surely heighten your Christmas spirit.

The director Sally Dashwood has created a fabulous adaptation of the 1942 American musical beautifully capturing its warmth and charm. Dylan Pollard, as Music Director, sensationally delivered the fabulous musical score written by Irving Berlin along with the cast of seasoned professional singers and musicians. The show is fueled with many of Berlin's well-known jazzy showstopping numbers such as “Blue Skies" and features the heartwarming Christmas carol we all know and love —”White Christmas.”

The choreography by Veronica Beattie George was a highlight throughout. The jazzy score leant itself to incorporating plenty of fabulous tap routines and partner dancing. The small ensemble of five gifted performers worked tirelessly to enhance and elevate the show. They executed the choreography with the greatest of talent and finesse, showcasing intricate tapping sequences, partner lifts and turns, and dazzling tricks. Their high energy and enthusiasm never faltered and they illuminated the stage from the moment the show began.

The leading character, Jim Hardy was delivered by Rob Mallet. His vocals were outstanding and I thoroughly enjoyed his rendition of Blue Skies and White Christmas which are two of my all-time favourites. The leading lady, Linda Mason, was played by Mary McCorry. McCorry's performance was mesmerising; she not only stunned the audience with her angelic vocals but harnessed her 1940s Hollywood character with utmost conviction. Also at the side of Jim Hardy, and the somewhat ‘gelling agent’ between characters, was Louise Badger. This amusing character was presented by Paige Fallu. Fallu was utterly engaging and skillfully comedic; she held the audience in the palm of her hand.

The larger-than-life diva, Lila Dixon, was played by Paloma Renouf. Renouf injected heart and energy into this sassy role and she delivered a captivating performance alongside her fabulously talented dance partner, Ted Hanover, presented by Max Patterson. Patterson was absolutely electric on the stage. His dancing, predominantly tap, was utterly superb and he oozed pizzazz and stage charisma.

As beautifully quoted in Holiday Inn, “Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” And so I urge you to rally your friends and family and take a pause to relish in the splendour of The Holiday Inn and - be happy! Don't miss out on this heartfelt, holly-jolly classic musical.

To book tickets to Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, please visit https://riversideparramatta.com.au/whats-on/irving-berlins-holiday-inn/.

About Dear Son

What is this Production about?

What’s challenging about bringing this script to life?

Why did you want to be involved in this production?

What will the audience be thinking about in the car as they drive home after this show?

What’s going to surprise people about this show?

How is this production bringing something new to this story?

Where can patrons purchase tickets to this production?

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

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