Natalie Rees - Whats The Show

#Since1994

24/01/2026 Natalie Rees🥉

Since 1994 Rating

★★★★★

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As Perth Fringe opened this week I was incredibly excited to see this international contemporary circus act from Taiwan. To be honest – I was a little unsure what to expect from the description of the show but my expectations were well exceeded.

Part circus, part physical theatre, this show is definitely the best kind of off beat and for those looking for something different. All I could think of what how interesting, thought provoking and expressive this show is.

How and where did these women train? What is their background? And what made them want perform this rebellious circus act that differs so drastically from any traditional circus?

A little research about performer and creator of #since1994 Mei Chih-ling reveals that she studied at the prestigious National Taiwan College of Performing Arts which undoubtably informs her art today and maybe not for the reasons we would first think. Chih-Ling shares that “In school, female students would be punished if they gained 0.1 kilogram, so we were afraid to even drink water before weighing ourselves.” These kinds of experiences transfer to the stage and comment not only on industry expectations but what it means to be a woman today. How do we allow ourselves to be treated? How do we feel? What is our purpose? What are we capable of?

Rated PG I tentatively took my 7 year old daughter (who is a bit of an acrobat herself) along to this show not 100% sure if it would be appropriate. What I learnt was, that it was 100% the perfect show for us and we both loved it! It also lead to a great discussion point with her. Did she ever want to create her own work? While my daughter loves her calisthenics classes – would it be freeing for her to use her skills she has learnt to tell her own stories in the future rather than just be instructed what to tell? It was something I had thought about in the past but seeing these powerful women (both physically and mentally) in the flesh perform this was a real inspiration.

The show is as impressive with its thought provoking nature as it is with it’s circus acts itself. The strength, talent and cohesion of this all female troupe was outstanding. We saw human towers, table spinning on feet at speeds I’d never seen, contortion, hula hooping, aerial acts and juggling.

They didn’t miss the comedy of circus either and both my daughter and myself were giggling along to some sillier and more playful moments of the show. She especially loved the audience participation when she got to draw on the artists with lipstick.

This show has all the feels and takes you on an unexpected emotional journey. It’s beautifully poetic and spectacle to watch. By the end it had me with tears in my eyes; I wasn’t quite sure why, but it was something to do with the unity of women, our struggles, experiences and possibilities we all have combined.

#Since1994 runs Wednesday the 21st of January till Sunday the 1st of February at The Gold at The Pleasure Garden.

To book tickets to Since 1994, please visit https://fringeworld.com.au/whats-on/since1994-fw2026.

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The Wizard of Oz – A Traditional Christmas Pantomime

14/12/2025 Natalie Rees🥉

The Wizard of Oz – A Traditional Christmas Pantomime Rating

★★★★★

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Zealous Productions yearly pantomime must be Perth’s best kept secret and this year’s The Wizard of Oz is no exception. Housed at Subiaco’s Regal Theatre and in their fifth year – I’m surprised that this show is not getting more press!

I can’t sing high enough praises for this team who are all West Australians; seeing a show like this makes my job easy as a theatre reviewer. It made me proud to be a West Australian and see the home grown, grass roots creativity they are bringing to our stages. What I also loved while reading the 16 strong casts biographies was that many themselves are also creating their own work, which I believe is a must as a performer. They are not merely pawns who are part of an industry but passionate performers who are creating with their heart and soul.

As the curtains raised, I knew that the show was going to be good when I heard the claps and shouts from their loyal and yearly returning audience. It was clear that the audience knew what was coming and they were just as excited as the performers to be part of this year’s pantomime. We were encouraged to cheer for goodies and boo for the baddies and oh was it fun!

Audience involvement in a pantomime is such a necessity and Zealous Productions nailed this. There was a point in the production that they had literally everyone (yes everyone!) in the audience on their feet dancing to the Time Warp. It felt like I was at a family party yet I was really in a theatre with over 500 other strangers. There is nothing like the energy and connectivity cultivated by artisan performers and it leaves you so invigorated and buzzing.

Their cast was truly a strong cohesive team not to mentioned incredibly professional and talented. With most graduates of NIDA, WAAPA, VCA or with substantial experience, it was unsurprising how perfect this production was. Director Brendan Hanson had a talented team to work with but there was no doubt he is just as talented with a spectacular final product.

Special mentions go to Maree Cole as the awful Wicked Witch. I know Maree’s work and as someone who has been around for years – she is like a fine wine – she keeps getting better with age!

In her professional theatre debut Jayda D’Agostino was impeccable as Dorothy. Vocally beautiful to listen to, she was equally mesmerising to watch with her bright and sunny characterisation.

My seven year old daughter’s favourite character was the Scarecrow played by Noah Connelly. I can see why – with his amazing physicality; cartwheeling, jumping and flopping across the stage he was a spectacle to be watched.

Of course a favourite of all pantomimes is when we have a cross dressing character. Aunty Em/Glinda played by Chris Gerrish did not let us down. Incredibly quick witted and sharp with his jokes, I loved his hilarious vocalisation and overall big stage presence.

Another highlight was the tap dancing ensemble – how wonderful to see this on stage. Something you rarely see these days – especially not in Perth! It made me want to take up tap lessons again and maybe I just will!

Overall this production exceeded my expectation again and again. They really were at such a high and professional level with everything from the sets (the use of projection was really clever and visually very pleasing), use of a live band (this always tops a production for me) and the bright and fun costuming.

Zealous’ pantomime really should be apart of your yearly Christmas tradition, because if it’s not your missing out!

The Wizard of Oz runs from December 12 – 24th 2025 at the Regal Theatre in Subiaco.

To book tickets to The Wizard of Oz – A Traditional Christmas Pantomime, please visit https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=OZXMAS25.

Photographer: Stephen Heath Photography

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The Viewing Room

16/09/202516/09/2025 Natalie Rees🥉

The Viewing Room Rating

★★★★★

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Last night I was excited to yet again to visit Wanneroo’s Limelight theatre to see their comedy The Viewing Room. I’m a huge fan of Limelight, I love the variety of productions that they put on each year and the heartfelt community that they have built.

The Viewing Room is a play by little known American playwright Mark Smith and director Tim Riessen actually staged this one back in 2020 at Joondalup Encore Theatre Society (JETS). It promised lots of laughs and an exploration into the themes of family and reconciliation and I was intrigued to see what they had up their sleeve this time.

As the curtains opened we see the set of the play – a funeral parlour viewing room in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Hats off to Set Designers Charlotte Weber and Peta Anderson and the Limelight Theatre ‘Setbusters’ who’s creativity absolutely nailed the tone and vibe of a funeral parlour – which immediately took me back to the last time I was in a viewing room!

We open on character Matthew Dumbrosky played by Doryan Kurtovic who is grieving his father’s death and the complexity’s that come with losing a parent. Kurtovic who has a passion for accents – gave the Massachusetts accent a really good go and I was impressed by his attempt. What I would say though, was that at times his articulation was unclear and hard to understand which left me missing some of the jokes at times.

Marie O’Brien as funeral director Jay Hollerback gave me a smile as soon as she came of stage. Her costuming (by Shelley McGinn) was on point and I loved everything from her gait to her matter of fact take on her character Funeral Director Jay Hollerback.

Rex Gray has been cast at the family patriarch Chester Dumbrosky who rises from the dead to torment and ‘clear things up’ with his wife and 5 grown children. Gray should be commended on his clear strong, clear and articulate voice, mixed with a great stage presence.

Chester’s wife Florence Dumbrosky is played by Julie Holmshaw and she is clearly irritated that he is back to annoy her, especially because she has just managed to get on with her life. Holmshaw gave the standout performance of the cast and handle the comedy so well. I especially loved the (on purpose) mispronunciation of words that gave a lot of laughs!

The remaining sibling – the two daughters played by Mary Angus and Diane Campbell as well as the two son’s played by Michael Balmer and Jeremy Darling were a tight knit cast, with each character being so relatable as part of every dysfunctional family we know.

This script had some great thought provoking moments about what goes unsaid when someone dies and if the damage we can do as parents is ever repairable or redeemable. I did find though, that the script probably still needed some work and had the cast working extra hard because of this.

Limelight Theatre gives a range of actors a shot up on stage – from WAAPA grads to those newer or revisiting the stage after a long hiatus – which I just love. Community theatre is ultimately about giving every one a chance to shine on stage no matter who they are or what their experience is and Limelight does just this.

Overall I would like to commend Limelight Theatre again on another solid production and I am so excited to see their next one – The Vicar of Dibley coming in November.

The Viewing Room closes September 27th of September.

To book tickets to The Viewing Room, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/event/limelight/.

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Speaking In Tongues

02/09/202501/09/2025 Natalie Rees🥉

Speaking In Tongues Rating

★★★★★

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Last night I had the honour of watching celebrated and local playwright Andrew Bovell’s Speaking In Tongues at the State Theatre Centre for Black Swan Theatre Company. Directed by local theatre actor and director Humphrey Bower, this well known play (which some of you might also remember as the screen play under the name Lantana) was very successful back in the 90’s early 2000’s. I was interested to see if the play would resonate today and how audiences would respond.

This psychological thriller tells of 9 middle aged characters and how their lives interweave and clash – keeping you on the edge of your seat, guessing what is coming next. It explores the themes of betrayal, growing apart, emptiness and relationships as a middle age couple. With an audience demographic of those who were mostly middle age in the 90’s – I think Black Swan have chosen well for their audience and with the knowing laughs that were rolling, it was clearly resonated.

The set itself was stark and somewhat noir – a little like the play itself. I would have liked to see some more innovation with the set and costuming but also understand that maybe this play, originally mounted at Sydney’s intimate Griffin Theatre in 1998 is much better suited to a studio or small stage performance. It sometimes felt like the actors were lost on the vast stage, with minimal set and I wondered if a more complex set design could have helped with this. What I did love from the set design though, was the iconic Telstra phone box which immediately took you back to the 90’s and what it was like to live through that era – a vast difference to the technology today.

The cast of four who are all WA actors, were a superb ensemble and the stand out performance should go to Matt Edgerton for his seamless shape shifting of his 3 characters in which he was able to delineate so well. They all felt so distinct, real and I especially loved his portrayal of the character of Nick in which he uncovered great depth. Catherine Moore was suitably cast and although she seemed to have a slip up on a line – she handled it like a true professional with the help of Edgerton. Alexandria Steffensen delivered an incredibly naturalistic and nuanced performance and I loved the confidence she chose to give her characters – it was refreshing to see a confident middle age woman portrayed on stage!

Lastly Luke Hewitt who is a stalwart of professional theatre in WA, delivered a solid performance which was undoubtably likeable, relatable and personable – probably why he keeps getting cast again and again. I did feel that some of the cast were mismatched at times and I felt a lack of connection between the characters. Some may say this is the point of the play – how well do you really know someone despite spending your life with them? I would argue though, that lifelong partners undoubtably know each other inside out and have deep connection and knowing despite the fact that they make not want to acknowledge or display that.

Ultimately what is brilliant about this play and why it is an Australian classic is that it gets you thinking about life, relationship and what it all means. Its not purely entertainment (although it delivers on this too) but a vehicle for reflection, change and critical thinking.

I highly recommend jumping on this show before it closes as it’s rare that you get to see such a prolific and talented writer like Bovell, paired with such a brilliant cast. I am very grateful to Black Swan that they make WA writers and Australian stories a priority! Speaking In Tongues closes September 14th.

To book tickets to Speaking In Tongues, please visit https://blackswantheatre.com.au/season-2025/speaking-in-tongues.

Photographer: Daniel J Grant Photography

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