Theatre - Whats The Show

Howlin’ for Baskervilles – Hound of the Baskervilles UpStage Theatre

4 April 202530 March 2025 Amanda Harrison

Sherlock Holmes: Hound of the Baskervilles Rating

★★★★★

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The Hound of The Baskervilles is a classic Sherlock Holmes caper set at Baskerville Hall after the death of its previous owner. Unexpectedly, we follow Watson for most of the journey to collect evidence and interview suspects, working his way through the victim’s neighbours and lovers, all whilst a demon dog stalks its prey: them. Upstage Theatre’s rendition of this tale finds us in a Box Set of the sitting room in Baskerville Hall as we flit between conversations, dinner parties and occasional ventures out to the Moore.

The costuming was a real standout for this play, as every character had a uniquely curated wardrobe and style that was still accurate to the location and time of the play. It felt that much attention to detail and time was put into the design and curation, which elevated the atmosphere and created distinct differences between the characters.

There were nice moments where creative lighting assisted in the change of atmosphere, such as a flickering ‘fire’ effect over the fireplace to indicate a change of season. The use of prop candles was also well considered, with blocking helping to cover them when appropriate.

The Blocking and movement of this play was masterfully done, feeling natural and motivated at all times. At no point did characters behave in an unnatural way to meet a mark, begin needlessly pacing or start grandstanding when inappropriate; the best part of the blocking is that it didn’t feel like ‘blocking’. This is thanks to the wonderful, thoughtful direction of June Tretheway and David Bell.

High Commendations should be given to the standout of the show, Shaun King, in the role of Watson. King delivered an energetic and likeable performance with fantastic characterisation. Grant Caldwell, in the role of Henry Lewis, played well off of King to give us an engaging journey throughout the play. Virginia Gray was fantastic in the role of Mrs Franklind, providing comedic relief and a captivating spirit to the stage. As Beryl Stapleton, Emily Egan gave an endearing and earnest performance, along with Jessica Fletcher.

I would have liked to see some additional development of the sound design to further assist in building the atmosphere. The sound used was agreeable, but further consideration of this element of the production could have lifted it even more. The other aspect I would like to see evaluated would be the pacing. However, this should improve the further this production gets into its run, as opening night nerves could have been impacting this.

Overall, the Hound of the Baskerville is an enjoyable play, and the cast and crew should be commended for their efforts.

To book tickets to Sherlock Holmes: Hound of the Baskervilles, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1335625.

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Amanda Harrison

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall

4 April 202530 March 2025 Poppy Rogers

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall Rating

★★★★★

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This was my first time at The Garrick Theatre in Guildford, where patrons are warmly welcomed by the smiling front of house team.

Those of us in amateur theatre truly know it takes the assistance of many people to bring a show to life, not just those on stage; whether it’s long-standing members of the group, or the spouses and family who have been dragged along to help out. The experience of live theatre begins from the moment you enter the venue and friendly faces and enthusiastic raffle ticket sellers ensure the evening starts on the right note.

It is that hard work and determination that makes up the premise for Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall, and the age old saying ‘the show must go on’ no matter how dire things become.

It’s opening night of a new murder mystery. Seven of the cast are down with the dreaded lurgy and local councillors will be in attendance to decide the fate of the club’s funding and future. So, the Middling Cove Players’ director, two of the remaining actors, a stage manager who is only there to serve her community service hours and her 13-year old niece band together to ensure Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall takes to the stage as planned. Juggling nerves, props, and absurd miscasting, will they manage to pull it off? Or will everything go horribly and terribly wrong?

Bringing nearly 60 years of theatre experience between them, Kirstie Francis and Sarah House have banded together to direct this Australian farce, written by Mark Kilmurray and Jamie Oxenbould.

Act one takes us behind the scenes as the Middling Cove Players’ arrive ahead of the evening’s performance. Stage manager Karen (Jay Shaw) is hard at work trying to fix the sound system, the group’s leading lady Phillipa (Meredith Hunter) is in the middle of her lengthy warm up routine, Director Shane (Jim Brown) who is not-so-secretly in love with Phillipa, is struggling to contain his nerves, and Barney (Jarrod Buttery), who can only be described as the person in any group you try to avoid, is ready to provide unwarranted advice.

When the cast receive the news that the rest of the players won’t be making it to the show, the obvious thing to do is cancel; but with the fate of the group’s future hanging in the balance, Director Shane decides there’s only one thing to do – the remaining actors will just have to play multiple roles.

The opening night crowd at The Garrick Theatre was clearly a mix of theatre lovers, and theatre folk; with many a relatable moment of life in the world of community theatre gaining a chuckle or slight cringe from those who know the feeling all too well.

After the interval, the stage is set, and The Middling Cove Players’ production begins, following a suitably awkward front-of-stage welcome by Director Shane, where various members of the audience audition unsuccessfully to fill some remaining roles until latecomer Richard (Jack Riches) is thrown backstage and cast into the spotlight. The production starts off well enough, but soon descends into chaos with the realisation that several of the characters being played by one person are on stage at the same time. To complicate matters further the group find themselves running out of time to finish the show with Jenny’s 21st Birthday party, complete with a DJ, due to start in the hall next door any minute.

Any farce strongly relies on the comic timing of its actors and can be a challenge to get right, but this talented cast of recognisable local actors are spot on; you can feel the tension and determination of their characters to ensure that the show does go on. Juggling multiple costumes, accents, and props can be tricky at the best of times, but the degree of difficulty to make the production look like a shambles (think The Play That Goes Wrong) requires a great cast and strong direction, which The Garrick Theatre Club delivered in spades.

Most groups often joke that you could write a play about the behind-the-scenes drama of amateur theatre because nobody would believe half of what goes on. So it’s a joy to watch when someone actually does, even if it does, at times, feel a bit too close to home.

To book tickets to Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/garricktheatre/.

Performance Dates:
March 29 at 7.30pm
April 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 at 7.30pm
March 30 at 2pm
April 5 and 6 at 2pm
Tickets: Adult $28, Concession $23, Members $22.
Processing fees apply.
Bookings: Phone TAZ Tix 9255 3336 or BOOK ONLINE

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Poppy Rogers

Close, But No Cigar: A Polished And Playful Production

4 April 202530 March 2025 Paul Ellicott

Close, But No Cigar Rating

★★★★★

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“Close, But No Cigar” is a comedic, well-paced murder mystery, featuring a vibrant, young ensemble cast – a perfect elixir on a wet Autumn evening, with a gin and tonic from the well-stocked BackDock Arts bar. Originally adapted from a QUT Bachelor of Fine Arts graduating piece, “Close, but no Cigar” transforms the stage into a living noir film; The makeup, costumes and lighting achieve this in creative, unexpected ways, with evocative and elemental splashes of red contrasting the clever black and white aesthetic.

As noted in the program, playwright Samara Louise took a collaborative approach to developing this piece, asking the cast to create characters they were passionate about playing, developing those character’s backgrounds, subtext and context, and then building a storyline around them. Instead of a broad narrative, the play focuses largely on the character’s individual lives, which intersect at a Private Investigator’s office in the wake of the murder of Senator A. Williams. These characters are enveloped in their own lives, each with their own amusing idiosyncrasies and secrets.

Borrowing liberally from the archetypes of old detective films, the cast adopt New York accents to consistently good standard, their physical spacing and shapes mostly well-utilising the compact space they gather in. The cast of Cullyn Beckton as Dick Clark, Mitch Guyatt as Dr Graves, Caleb Hockings as Arthur Blackbird, Claudia Lyons as Odette Blair, and Lucy Wilding as Viviene Fareweather, all perform with aplomb. Their timing and interplay is slick, and all shine individually and together in a script that gives them each fairly equal attention and work to do. Director Cale Dennis weaves a golden thread through this production, cohesively combining the separate elements into an entertaining whole, elevated far above the sum of its parts.

For me, the script works best when played with a wink; Beckton and Hockings deliver this beautifully, showing dynamic movement, fine physical comedy, and the best-developed characterizations of the cast – receiving hearty laughter from a near-capacity audience. A couples of times I thought cast could have leaned more into the campy elements of the play; Wilding has beautifully graphic, dark eyes, and I’d like to see her use them more as story-telling weapons, especially in a role with scope to be extra. I wonder if physically repositioning the cast to deliver monologues more to the audience, rather than the upstage cast, may further aid audience connection and audibility. The addition of musical effects reminiscent of a pulpy, radio-play would also be a fun addition, which would further clarify the play’s identity.

That said, I can enthusiastically recommend “Close, But No Cigar” as a polished and playful production with further potential that left me with sore cheeks and a smile on my face.

To book tickets to “Close, But No Cigar”, please visit https://www.tickettailor.com/events/backdockarts/1528759?.

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Paul Ellicott

The Pirates of Penzance

4 April 202528 March 2025 Paige Jenkins

The Pirates of Penzance Rating

★★★★★

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Hayes Theatre Co has made their way to the Wollongong stage at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, with a fresh and flamboyant flair to Gilbert and Sullivan’s seminal classic of The Pirates of Penzance (or The Slave of Duty).

Usually, a cast of around 40 actors, this delightful production decided to challenge their performers by asking the five of them to play the entire ensemble. This feat could very easily have become confusing and overwhelming for both the actors and the audience, but this cast made the stage their own and gave it their all to create a fast-paced and dynamic performance with seamless or in Billie Palin’s case, intentionally comedic on-stage quick-changes.

The use of the piano was very well done, becoming a change-room, a monologue-worthy soap box, and an off-stage curtain, all while pouring out beautiful scores. That piano is arguably the sixth and most dynamic cast member. Whilst a few of the cast members played it during the 2-hour performance, it is the dedication and consistency of Trevor Jones that should be commended as he somehow managed to continue playing whilst being carted around and changing costume in the blink of an eye, and have the audience in stitches with his lyric changes and commendable diction and pace during ‘I Am the Very Model’.

It’s a personal favourite when a performance becomes an immersive experience like this one, and I adore it when the theatre staff take the theme in stride as the IPAC has done. From small costume additions to the ushers to a special cocktail for the event, in addition to on-stage seating and audience-actor interactions, The Pirates of Penzance had it all. Some of the audience members really stole the show during their five minutes of fame and it just made for a beautiful and joyful experience.

Amid some technical difficulties, the cast remained cool and level-headed. Aside from one hiccup, where the audience stepped in to maintain morale and keep the energy high, the cast didn’t miss a beat.

The vocals and dynamic accent work of Brittanie Shipway was absolutely breathtaking. Her operatic range and ability to stay in and switch between such polarising opposite characters is just incredible. She brought the “wow” factor times ten, which is especially hard to maintain when you’re onstage for all but a few moments of a show of this length. In the company of a big name like Jay Laga’aia who exudes passion and charisma, and is just such a treat to watch, Shipway made certain that she was not to be forgotten.

Maxwell Simon was everything that Fredric should be. His voice had such power and his portrayal of a naïve but determined to be self-assured boy was utterly hilarious. His physical comedy was just brilliant, capturing the attention of the audience whether he was in the spotlight or not.

The Pirates of Penzance is the perfect show to watch to end the week, so make sure to grab yourself a ticket before they sail away from Wollongong by heading to the Merrigong Theatre Company’s website for the remaining shows this weekend!

To book tickets to The Pirates of Penzance, please visit https://merrigong.com.au/shows/the-pirates-of-penzance/.

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Paige Jenkins

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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