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Marian Or The True Tale of Robin Hood

22/08/2025 Rebecca Rose⭐🦉

Marian Or The True Tale of Robin Hood Rating

★★★★★

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Strathmore Theatrical Arts Group (STAG) has opened their third season for 2025 with a rambunctious jaunt through Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle.

If you thought you knew the story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, think again (and think ‘more merry’, and ‘less men’…).

‘Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood’ details the ‘real’ story of Robin Hood, where all is not as we thought: Robin Hood is actually Maid Marian in disguise, The Merry Men are by and large made up of women pretending to be men, and love runs (very!) rampant in all its glorious forms across Nottingham Castle and Sherwood Forest.

Director Brian Edmond has drawn together an utterly fabulous cast, who all bring their individual and diverse characters to life in hilarious fashion. Each actor gave strong and nuanced performances across the board. The sometimes witty and sometimes crass humour kept the audience smiling and laughing throughout the entire show.

‘Marian’ is a smorgasbord of entertainment: wall-to-wall jokes, strong and quirky characters, an abundance of action and fight scenes, and love in all its glory (be that queer love, straight love, lost love, self-love, and of course plenty of sex).

The play has a strong (and overtly obvious) theme of sexuality and gender identity, very cleverly approached through humour. Using such a well-known story as Robin Hood to tackle these important topics is a testament to the play’s writer, Adam Szymkowicz. It really is a genius way to address issues and ideas around gender and sexuality in a way that can easily appeal to a wide audience.

STAG has really done a fabulous job bringing ‘Marian’ to life, with a simple but effective set and lighting, fabulous costumes, and oodles of (very fun to watch) fight choreography.

If you want an entertaining night out a good laugh, definitely go and see ‘Marian’!

‘Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood’ is on for a limited season at STAG from Thursday 21 August to Saturday 30 August 2025. With some shows already sold out, make sure to book in quickly to not miss out!

Keep an eye out for the fourth and final season for 2025 from STAG, ‘The Beaty Queen of Leenane’, directed by Matthew Freeman, with performances running from the 13th to the 22nd of November 2025.

To book tickets to Marian Or The True Tale of Robin Hood, please visit https://www.stagtheatre.org/.

Photographer: Dave Swann

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How Classical Music Can Feel Modern And Accessible

22/08/202521/08/2025 Annie Zeleznikow⭐

Elevator Music Rating

★★★★★

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The Omega Ensemble’s Elevator Music, consisted of Anna Clyne’s Stride, Gaeme Koehne’s Dances on the Edge of Time and Aaron Copland’s Clarient Concerto. The concert was deliciously familiar and heart-warming. In particular Koehne’s work sampled familiar melodies, acting as a postmodern classical music DJ of sorts. The lively and energetic ensemble wove both old and new classical music, bringing to life a new and harmonic story through sound. The music was postmodernist and playful, referencing and recycling beloved melodies. The clarinet soloists (Michael Collins and David Rowden) pression and control, particularly their purity of tone in the upper registers, exhibited a mastery of the clarinets transition between registers.

The first piece began with, what seemed to me, crisp personality and warmth, benefitting from the expressive first violin, Véronque Serret. The music continued ominously and atmospherically, effectively building tension and my anxiety (as I assume the composer intended). The piece felt like story telling through sound, a fearsome loathsome tale that swiftly transitioned from hopeful to fearful. The tone was clearly conveyed in a way that listeners unfamiliar with classical music could feel and understand.

Dances on the Edge of Time introduced the two clarinet soloists, Michael Collins and David Rowden (also the artistic director). The clarinets ushered in a warmth and airy lightness. This was mirrored in the addition of the piano (Vatche Jambazian). In this piece the two clarinets blended deliciously with a foundation of sound built by the orchestra. All the musicians were playing and toying not just with sound, but volume too, which drew out swirling emotions from the audience. Koehne’s work continued to be heart warmingly nostalgic, as intended, the program noted that Koehne prefers warmth, clarity and lyricism over “the cliched angst and ponderousness of so much ‘respectable’ new music.” I tend to agree, and found the soulful, thoughtful and playful music, particularly the call and response from the clarinet soloists, to be moving and enjoyable. Koehnes orchestration is at times reminiscent of ravel’s colouristic effects

The Clarinet Concerto began slowly and gently, guided by the harmonic direction of Michael Collins. The piece was played as hopeful and dreamy, and produced feelings of wistfulness within me. I was brought along a journey that the artists wanted the audience to follow, it was twisting path of beauty and cool breezes. This piece continued, picking up speed and energy, with an ominous shift in orchestration and accompaniment. The clarinet soloists, however, continued with a light and energetic harmony, containing more call and response weaving in well-known classical melodies to the modern music. The piece continued with the whimsy highlighted by the double bases (Adrian Whitehall and Jacques Emery), powerfully building and breaking the tension of the music.

The concert ended with a surprise encore and world premiere of a reworked (for two clarinet soloists) piece called Ornamental Air. The encore began with a sense of urgency from entire orchestra. This piece continued with the playfulness of the previous works. The clarinets were delicately and deliberately light and harmonious. It was a delightful end to a lovely evening of music that moved me, and took me along a journey through my mind.

To book tickets to Elevator Music, please visit https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/whats-on/current-productions/omega-ensemble-elevator-music.

Photographer: Eloise Coomber

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How Education Can Change It All

10/08/2025 Annie Zeleznikow⭐

Educating Rita Rating

★★★★★

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Educating Rita is an interesting and thoughtful but slow-moving show. Consisting solely of conversations in a single room, on a single topic of education. This show follows Rita, a 27-year-old hair dresser in Liverpool beginning university, and engaging 1:1 with her professor, Dr Frank Bryant, in his office. Rita and Frank debate and discuss education, class, and alcoholism. Educating Rita’s strong script consistently obtains laughs from the audience, a credit to the comedic timing of the actors and the keen direction of Sharon Maine. This show was engaging and pulled in the audience through the powerful relationship it builds between its protagonists. The morally split and endearing characters create space for the audience to ask themselves the value of education, and its impact on social class.

This production boasts an interesting and authentic set, with piles of books that weaved in and out of the story. The characters moved about the office comfortably aided by simple and appropriate lighting. Rita and Frank sport funky costumes, exhibiting era and class appropriate wardrobes that support the audience’s immersion into Rita and Frank’s world. All the components of the show worked well together to bring Frank’s office to life.

This is clearly a show that wants its audience to question education and its value, as opposed to or in direct conflict of social capital and value. Rita and Frank toy with the educational imbalance and social inequality between them, creating and building tension in their relationship. Appropriately, or sadly (for me), the show contains some literary references that went over my head, but likely more educated people will understand. Perhaps that was a purposeful design, for the characters to highlight their educational and social superiority. Either way, the literary references enhanced the experience of the show, bringing literature to the forefront of Rita and Frank’s discussions.

At different points of the show Rita struggles with writing papers, alluding to the challenges of womanhood. Rita struggles to balance her work, domestic duties, and school. In her dissolution of society Rita notices neighbours becoming numb and looking for purpose, Frank and Rita’s conversation turns towards the awe and wonderment of life, traversing trivial struggles and mounting monumental issues we all face in life. Rita notes that there is ‘not enough time to find myself,’ alluding to the feminist struggle and desire to take on the world. Rita faces the struggle of conforming to society and giving in to peer pressure, or pushing against social expectation to achieve academically.

This play determines how education changes us, or not. It maintains a quiet sense of humour throughout, allowing the impact of heavy themes to wash over the audience amongst light hearted quips between Rita and Frank. The divergence of ideas and values pulls the characters apart, the central relationship splintering over time.

To book tickets to Educating Rita, please visit https://thebasintheatre.au/event/season-4-2025/2025-08-07/.

Photographer: Jason Triggs

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Numbered Lives: Stylish Shadows, Unsteady Steps

03/08/202503/08/2025 Kat Skarbek🌟🦉

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What a night of spectacle the global premiere of Numbered Lives turned out to be. Wrapped in black-tie elegance at Melbourne’s Crown (though with more flesh on show than the red-light district in Amsterdam), the red-carpet arrivals glittered in sequins, the free bar flowed, and the buzz of Hollywood-style glamour filled the air. By the time we settled into our gold-class seats – icecreams in hand and popcorn at the ready – anticipation for the indie thriller, written/directed by J G Clarke, produced by David Lightfoot and starring none other than Jeremy Piven of much awarded TV series ‘Entourage’ fame – was palpable.

On paper, the premise is intriguing (if not wholly original): a shadowy medical conglomerate snatches society’s most vulnerable – street kids and prison inmates – people “no one will miss” – to become unwilling test subjects in sinister drug trials undertaken at the ‘Institute’. Viewed through the eyes of Noah, a first-time inmate who awakens in the facility, the film confronts us with uncomfortable questions about what society is willing to sacrifice “for the many” and how far we’ll go to save those we love (or line our pockets).

Visually, Numbered Lives is powerful. Filmed entirely on location in South Australia, it draws on the brooding presence of places like the Old Adelaide Gaol and the notorious Ward Z of Glenside Asylum for the criminally insane, to cultivate an almost tangible sense of dread. Darkly stylised cinematography bathes every frame in chiselled shadows and icy light, while the sound design – equal parts suspenseful score and unsettling ambience – keeps nerves taut in a near-noir horror style groove. Even the American accents land with surprising authenticity, underscoring the film’s polished production values.

Yet for all its style, the film’s emotional heartbeat sometimes falters. The characters skirt cliché, their moral dilemmas glossed over when they deserved deeper exploration. Dialogue feels stilted – at times veering into the unintentionally comedic – and the pacing jumps around, leaving moments that should land with impact feeling undercooked or overblown.

Having said all that, it’s worth celebrating that an Australian indie film – written and directed by a first timer no less – has secured global distribution, racked up 32 festival awards (including Best Thriller, Best Director, and Best Lead Actor), and proved there’s an appetite for bold, homegrown storytelling. It’s also worth remembering that not every director knocks it out of the park with their first film, (who here remembers Spielberg’s first film before Jaws?), so Numbered Lives deserves credit for its ambition and grit and there is real recognition here of the numerous achievements that allowed this film to exist in the first place.

Whilst not my personal cup of tea, I still think that this film is worth a view if only to support future Australian filmmakers and to continue to fund our independent film making.

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