New Theatre’s Fighting: A Captivating Insight

Fighting

Fighting Rating

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What’s involved in one single day in the life of you?

Do you wake up, have an ordinary and satisfying day at work, return home and feel contented with life? If you do, then you are lucky. In “Fighting”, now performing at the New Theatre in Newtown, Character A struggles through just one day of his life, and we are in the front seat, travelling along his emotional rollercoaster with him.

“Fighting”, written by Xavier Coy, is about the highs and lows of someone with bipolar disorder. Having been diagnosed with bipolar during the 2020 lockdown, the playwright felt that the disease had previously been portrayed on-screen as someone who was “crazy”. Xavier wanted to write a play dedicated to authentically depicting the complexities of living with bipolar. Written as a dark comedy, “Fighting” won the Silver Gull Award in 2022.

Sound designer Mehran Mortezaei’s choice of the opening song was perfect. Nirvana’s “Lithium” with lyrics such as “I’m so ugly”, “I’m so lonely” and “I love you, I’m not gonna crack” hints at the character’s struggles of self-loathing and internal angst, yet also has the strength and will to keep going, to survive.

Character A wakes up and is immediately inundated with noise and voices. Character B, played by Sophie Highmore, is one of hope. She is encouragement; the calm voice of reason who reminds Character A to do the exercises recommended by his psychologist when he feels anxious or heightened. Character C is the voice of melancholy. Played by David Woodland, Character C is easily recognised as one of chaos, self-loathing, destruction, and darkness.

Jay James-Moody as Character A pulled me into his world immediately with his fast-paced self-talk, a dialogue of descriptive analogies of how his body is feeling as he navigates through his workday. He is a Vodaphone salesman at a company owned by a couple, a woman in her sixties named Helga and her older partner Cliff, who have an active sex life and don’t mind sharing details with Character A. This causes him to be very uncomfortable yet, at the same time, provides a lightness to some heavy scenes. Helga, played by Sophie, is a caring boss. Cliff is a pensioner, an elderly gentleman and David’s interpretation of this character is hilarious, right down to his mannerisms – a comedic tongue popping out as he speaks needs to be mentioned!

In the course of his day, he comes across different customers, also played by Sophie and David. These customers add a scatter of comedy amongst some darker scenes. These customers are all different. Some are odd, such as the ‘conspiracy theorist’ (“you lost the sale of someone who came in wanting to buy a phone”- taunts Character Chaos). Another is a nonchalant customer (“Why even bother?”), a young teen reminiscent of a fourteen-year-old bubble tea drinker with clearly no serious plans to purchase a phone or a plan, and a customer Character A in Salesman-on-Fire mode pitches to and convinces him to buy a phone and “Be here! Be now! Be Somebody!”

Character A still holds the pain of grieving the breakup of his former girlfriend, and Jay’s portrayal of this is sharp as he tries to use strategies throughout the day to remain centred in the moment after he sees her when she enters his Vodaphone store and back into his life unexpectedly. An upcoming date and all the customers give the audience a chance to witness Character A’s fluctuating moods, from one scale of calm to the other end, hypermania, along with Hope and Chaos’ responses to these situations.

Throughout “Fighting” there is no silence, no peace for the protagonist, and it is exhausting for him. There is only Hope’s guidance and Character C’s sharp barbs, his pointed and specific insults that result in intense self-loathing. At one point, David’s portrayal of Character C‘s unrelenting mocking and scornful words combined with him physically circling him and the loud fast heartbeats of the sound design combine to create a breathstopping scene. Even Hope’s words, his own voice of survival, is silenced during this scene. The lighting by Robin Legal highlights Character A. This scene is a culmination and very intense, and there is a trigger warning of suicidal ideation in this play.

Director Xavier Coy’s production is emotional, the scriptwriting and acting of the company has successfully portrayed the disintegration of the mind, the feeling of being a stranger in a world always on the outside looking in and a loneliness that comes along with someone suffering from a mental illness such as bipolar. We felt it here, and it is a place that no one would choose to be.

“Fighting” is playing at New Theatre, 542 King St Newtown from 18 March – 12 April 2025.

Tickets: www.newtheatre.org.au/fighting

Full $37
Concessions, Groups (6+) $32
New Theatre Members $25
Thrifty Thursdays $25
Preview $20

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Mario The Maker Magician

Mario The Maker Magician

Mario The Maker Magician Rating

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Mario “the Maker Magician” Marchese is a New York-based performer, author, and maker. He tours worldwide with his wife, producer, and children. He incorporates DIY electronics and robotics into his projects, using magic to inspire limitless creativity in children and families.

This is a fun and amazing show for the whole family. Mario is a dynamic performer. Larger than life, he commands the stage. Even on one of the hottest days in Adelaide, he still put on a stunning show. But I feel we are grateful as he sprays water about the venue, cooling and more sleight of hand.

The audience was totally engaged with Mario’s every move. The hand-made props add a gorgeous charm to the show. They remind you of the toys that children would make themselves with cardboard, paint, and sticky tape. It took me back to my childhood, and I imagine that a lot of the parents were remembering their childhood.

It was also relatable to the younger audience members, the arts and crafts they like to do on a rainy day. Magician David Blaine, whom he has toured with, has labelled Mario “the best kids’ magician in the world”. He has appeared on the “Sesame Street’ show and with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show. Even David Copperfield has heaped praise on Mario.

The show revolved around robots that Mario had hand-built. There was a lot of audience participation in the show, and the kids loved it. The kids loved the magic, and so did the adults.

Mario touches on his favourite teachers and what they mean to him, reminding the audience that teachers have had a pivotal role in our lives. This is part of the misdirection. In fact, the show starts with some simple, sleight of hand tricks. They immediately draw the audience in. Mario has us all hooked. The pace accelerates, and more tricks are revealed. We are introduced to the simple but fun robots.

The pace of the production helps with the sleight of hand and misdirection, which are important in this show. Mario makes positive statements about children and how the simple act of getting up on stage as a volunteer is a brave moment in their lives. We should applaud this.

The audience’s reaction throughout the show is something to behold. I have never seen an audience so captivated, engaged, and incredibly noisy. He owns the venue, and he takes along his magic journey, meeting those who have influenced him, like Andy Warhol.

As the show progresses to the finale the strings of the story come together. And with an ending we did expect it comes to a close. We are left wanting more. Which is how all shows should end.

The takeaway from this fun, glorious production is “Follow your dreams”.

Performed by Mario “the Maker Magician” Marchese
Written by Mario and Katie Marchese
Produced by Katie Rosa Marchese and Chris Cox

To book tickets to Mario The Maker Magician, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/mario-the-maker-magician-af2025.

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It’s Only A Play – Pymble Players arrive at The Zenith Theatre

It's Only A Play

It’s Only A Play Rating

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It’s evening in a New York townhouse. Plush pillows adorn the bed, and the room furniture’s white colour palette portrays understated luxury. Jazz plays as the audience is seated. I loved the director and set designer Joy Sweeney’s selection of extra-long curtains, which gave the set a high ceiling and confirmed the architecture of an upper-class Manhattan residence.
This is a room of affluence and perhaps also influence.

Terrence McNally’s It’s Only A Play could be set in any era, but it’s soon clear from the references to Broadway musicals mentioned that it’s set in the present day. We join a group of creatives (and a coat check boy) after the opening night of playwright Peter Austin’s (Nick Roberts) play named “The Golden Egg”. What “The Golden Egg” is about remains a mystery for the entirety of the play, but it doesn’t matter. What matters to these characters is how it is received by Broadway’s top theatre critics. McNally’s play shows how powerful the weight of a good or bad theatre review can affect the future of a production and the survival of some theatre venues.

This is a comedy with many big characters, oversized personalities, and even larger egos. James Wicker (played with self-centred relish by Ross Alexander) is Peter’s best friend who has come to support Peter on his big night. James had previously turned down Peter’s offer to play a character in his play, instead choosing the path of acting in a long-running series on television. Was he viewed as a sellout as he swapped over to television? It was interesting to see how Ross portrayed friendship with his character’s feelings of jealousy over casting, and the interaction between he and Peter with unfavourable comparisons being made between being a Broadway theatre actor and a television series actor.

Gus (Cameron Drake) the wannabe actor, delivers a light hearted distraction whilst everyone waits for the reviews to come in. He brings several coats into the room, ceremoniously announcing who they belong to, and dumps them on the bed, which gains a lot of laughs from the audience. Many coats have their own recognisable star factor, including coats from Les Miserables, Cats, Hamilton and Joseph and the Technicolour Coat. There’s even a musical nod to Wicked performed by Gus.

Heather Pitt’s character Virginia Noyes has a feisty ‘tell-em-how-it-is’ spunk. Virginia starred in Peter’s play that night and eagerly waits to see how her return to the stage is received. Her retelling of a certain dance onstage due to an ankle monitor was funny.

Julia Budder, played by Cassandra Gorman, is the producer of “The Golden Egg”. She decided to back Peter’s play and brings hope to the room, as well as a certain fragility. Clive Hobson’s character Ira Drew is a harsh film critic. He throws a barb at Peter: “I like you personally, it’s your play I can’t stand” is one insulting comment, amongst many others.

Tim Wotherspoon, who plays the director of “The Golden Egg” Frank Finger, is a standout. Frank Finger is a flamboyant, sensitive and dramatic character, full of hair tosses and bouts of kleptomania. His highly successful previous projects prompted a potential imposter syndrome line “I need a flop!”. The dramatics with his ‘invisible cloak’ (a nod to Harry Potter perhaps?) had the audience laughing.

Director Joy Sweeney has successfully led The Pymble Players’ first performance into their new performance theatre venue – The Zenith Theatre in Chatswood. Congratulations to The Pymble Players on their opening night.

Finally, what did the theatre critic Ben Brantley from The New York Times and other theatre critics have to say about “The Golden Egg”? No spoilers here – the second act is filled with the characters’ reactions, so you’ll have to see it to find out!

It’s Only a Play performances:

14 March 2025 – 22 March 2025.
Tickets: $35 Concession Card holders $30

To book tickets to It’s Only A Play, please visit www.pymbleplayers.com.au/its-only-a-play.

Photographer: Daniel Ferris

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Duel & Dual: Martial Arts Meets Magic

Duel & Dual

Duel & Dual Rating

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Setting the stage for competition, a bare black stage holds a red and green digital counting clock, and two chairs with identical trophies upon them. As each of the two magic champions seek to out-do the other, a playful battle for the ultimate title commences. Exploring the nuances between rivalry and camaraderie, Duel and Dual showcases the different yet complementary talents of both performers through illusionary magic, martial arts, and mime.

Close-up Magician, Tu Strange, and Stage Magician, Mu-Syuan Chang, take turns to impress the audience with their different skills and occasionally attempt to sabotage the other. Strange’s comedic and showman-like personality certainly allows him to engage up close with the audience, even including them directly in his tricks and inviting them to copy his movements to demonstrate their authenticity. He has no qualms exuberantly inviting people to join him onstage, including helping with a 52 card pick up, and often all but demanding a hug at the end of tricks without saying a word.

Chang is much quieter in demeanour yet no less talented, as he gracefully moves around the stage seemingly conjuring playing cards and coloured confetti from nothing. Accompanied by music, he almost dances as he displays incredible dexterity with various items which almost defy gravity.

Both dressed in black, the magicians almost seemed to blend into the background at times, allowing the magic of the moment to take precedence. While this wasn’t completely mimed, with a word or two uttered quietly to amusing effect, the lack of dialogue allowed all aspects of the visual spectacle to take centre stage. The alternating of acts between the performers gave the impression of gentlemen taking turns to attack rather than everything happening at once.

However, it would’ve been very exciting to have seen more of a fast-paced physical battle that utilised more of the martial arts, mime, and magic illusions together. The newfound friendliness at the end, while almost heartwarming, was a bit of an abrupt finish to the performance. There wasn’t much time allocated to working together, and there was certainly a missed opportunity of having them complimenting and helping one other’s acts in a friendly capacity rather than only as rivals.

The alternating red and blue lighting is cleverly employed in the opening few minutes of the show, highlighting the two very different competitors as dramatic foreshadowing to a serious showdown. To complement this, basic spotlighting and stage washes were utilised to great effect, as long as both performers were within in that light. The soundscape, alternating from dramatic instrumental to bursts of popular music, also felt appropriate given the contrasting personas of the performers and often allowed the music to speak for them.

Each magician commanded the small performing space in their own way, often making it feel bigger than it was – unless there was a call for audience participation; some of which could be difficult to see around the flat seating. There are also moments when it is unclear whether to applaud or to simply enjoy the spectacle in silence, particularly if you have never been to a magic show before.

Marketed as riveting tale of rivalry between champions, it operates more as a magic show in alternating styles that is loosely linked with friendly competition. A rigorously rehearsed show that encourages flexibility in audience involvement, this is a great night out for families looking for something different that’s away from the busyness of the popular Fringe gardens.

To book tickets to Duel & Dual, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/duel-dual-af2025

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