Your Name Means Dream

Your Name Means Dream

Your Name Means Dream Rating

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Wow. I am going to put this front and centre: if you love seeing high-quality acting and theatre, go and see ‘Your Name Means Dream’ at Red Stitch Actors Theatre. What a phenomenal play and performances by two outstanding actors.

This brilliantly written play by the highly acclaimed Oscar nominee and Obie Award-winning playwright José Rivera (famous for ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’) has hit the shores of Australia for the first time at Red Stitch Theatre in Melbourne.

The cast of two give stellar performances, which should not be a surprise with their extensive backgrounds on both screen and stage. Caroline Lee takes on the role of ‘Aislin,’ a disgruntled widow in her mid-sixties who lives alone in her run-down apartment in New York in the not-so-distant future. Lucy Ansell plays the role of ‘Stacy,’ an advanced robot sent by Aislin’s son, Roberto, to be Aislin’s live-in caregiver and companion.

The play opens with the first meeting of the two characters. Aislin, having settled into a dreary and solitary life after the death of her husband and estrangement from her son, shows resistance to this new form of caregiver sent by her son, Roberto.

Stacy is programmed to assist Aislin in living as long and healthy a life as possible while learning from Aislin along the way. She also yearns to learn as much as she can about humanity from Aislin, wanting to get as close as she can to that point within the limits of being a robot.

 

You will walk away from this play contemplating themes including the future of technology with artificial intelligence and machine learning, family, relationships, what it means to be human, health, loneliness, quality of life, death, and grief. All of that in the space of a couple of hours. What a journey!

There is so much lovely comedy intertwined within the dialogue of this play. Caroline and Lucy really carried these comedic moments, having the audience switch from laughter to tears and back again in the blink of an eye.

It was an absolute joy to watch these two actors work together. Caroline and Lucy both portrayed their characters with so much depth, nuance, and humanity—yes, even the robot! The accents were flawless, and subtle characterisations were well-engrained into each character. Lucy’s quick switches between Stacy the robot and Roberto were mesmerising to watch.

The staging was perfect for what this play needed. A nice, simple set was more than enough to still have the audience buy into the world of Aislin and Stacy, with the entire play taking place in the living room of Aislin’s very drab and dilapidated apartment. This really is a play not to be missed.

Your Name Means Dream is on at the Red Stitch Actors Theatre from October 26 to November 24. Tickets may be purchased @ https://www.redstitch.net/your-name-means-dream-2024

Photographer: James Reiser

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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Kid Sister Film Review

JIFF

Kid Sister Rating

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Kid Sister: What a masterfully funny and refreshing television series.

Created and written by Simone Nathan, who also brilliantly portrayed the lead role of ‘Lulu’ in the series; ‘Kid Sister’ is the kind of comedy I love to watch.

Lulu is a young woman living with her family, who are all strongly connected to a small Jewish community in New Zealand. We soon discover the dilemma she faces between tradition and modern life issues and the drama and comedy of navigating relationships along the way.

There were such strong performances across the entire cast, with each actor portraying their characters honestly but with so much comedic heart.

The comedy was tied in with a strong focus on Jewish traditions. For people like myself who have extensive Jewish ancestry but who are not actually Jewish ourselves, this really kept me captivated not only by the human stories but also by all of the Jewish traditions highlighted. Let’s just say I learned a lot!

 

The overall storyline was somewhat predictable, but Nathan really made the show her own by leaning into the strong focus on the Jewish traditions and family values. That, alongside the tremendously witty humour and extremely strong writing created a unique and enjoyable series.

Having Lulu’s inner thoughts pop in at times as a voiceover truly lent to strengthening the show’s comedic aspect.

Like all good binge-worthy shows, I was left hanging on for each new episode. It really is the kind of show that makes you want to keep watching and learn more about each of the characters and their lives outside of the main storyline.

‘Kid Sister’ really is a brilliant television series. Look no further if you are looking for a comedy that will entertain and keep you engaged. I would watch more of this in a heartbeat.

‘Kid Sister’ is screening in the 2024 Jewish International Film Festival across Australia between October and December. To find out when and where it will be screening in your state, go to: https://www.jiff.com.au/resources/jiff-2024-web-program.pdf

To book tickets to this or other films, click https://www.jiff.com.au/

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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Veronica’s Room

Veronicas Room

Veronica’s Room Rating

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Who is Veronica? Who is Susan? Is it 1973? Or is it 1935?

These and so many other questions are explored and eventually answered in the expertly written psychological thriller by American novelist Ira Levin (many of whom will be familiar with his works as the author of ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, ‘Deathtrap’, and ‘The Stepford Wives’).

Eltham Little Theatre has expertly brought this intricate play to life. Director Drew Mason has done a brilliant job at the helm, both in casting and in staging this intense story.

Veronica’s Room grabs you from the start, with so many twists and turns that will truly make you question everything that has happened. You’ll be on the edge of your seat from the opening scene right up until the very last moment of the play.

The cast of four actors navigated their challenging characters exceptionally, with powerful performances delivered across the board. Susie Sparkes plays ‘the Woman’, George Benca plays ‘The Man’, Briana Collier plays ‘The Girl’ and Joshua Massarotti plays ‘The Young Man’.

The moments of humour written into the script were integrated beautifully by all four actors, giving the audience little reprieves from the otherwise heavy nature of the play. And the character nuances were so lovely to watch, as we, the audience, were drawn into the various complexities of all the characters and their roles within the story.

 

Veronicas Room

The entire play is set inside Veronica’s bedroom. The stage was expertly set, with the most intricate details and beautiful furniture and props utilised. It really brought the play to life, almost acting as a character in its own right.

Veronica’s Room is a play that needs to be seen, as any further details on the story-line would just ruin it for those who are not familiar with the play. This is not a plot you want to give spoilers for; it’s just far too good!

So, whether you know the play well and would like to see a great staging of it, or you are not familiar with it and would like your curiosity piqued; you’ll just have to head out to Eltham Little Theatre and see the show for yourself!

The theatre itself is a lovely space, and patrons have the option of booking classic theatre-style rowed seating towards the front, or cabaret-styled tabled seating at the rear, where you can bring your own snacks and drinks.

From ticketing to the bar/snack station, everyone at the theatre was extremely friendly and welcoming, making for a thoroughly enjoyable night of community theatre.

For tickets, book @ https://www.elthamlittletheatre.org.au/what-s-on

Veronica’s Room is running at Eltham Little Theatre from 6th – 21st of September. Make sure not to miss this brilliant play.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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Mad Nun Productions Presents Flick

Flick

Flick Rating

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4

From the moment ‘Flick’ (Madelaine Nunn) walked on stage, the entire audience was drawn into her captivating story and exploration of life, love, loss, and grief.

Brilliantly written, with a humanly comedic through-line, this one-woman show is exactly what we want to see in theatre.

The somewhat extraordinary, yet in other ways, quite ordinary and very relatable storyline was so beautifully crafted and conveyed by Madelaine. It felt like we were there with her; every awkward, funny, hopeful, or devastatingly sad step of the way.

‘Flick’ follows the story of a 30-something year old a palliative care nurse, who comedically draws the audience into her world of working with those at the end of their life. All whilst juggling her own experiences of love, lust, friendship, death, grief, and loss through various relationships she has in her own life.

With a blank stage, a single stool, and the most basic of lighting and sound, Madelaine’s performance alone took us deep into Flick’s world. The only visual hint for the audience, being that she is dressed in her work scrubs. It just goes to show that when the writing and acting is en pointe, there is no need for fancy sets, lighting, or sound. The performance speaks for itself, and the audience’s imagination is enough.

For anyone like myself, who has worked in healthcare (and even moreso, for those of us who have worked in end-of-life healthcare), so many relatable moments were expertly and honestly written into the show (in the often unexpectedly humorous ways that they present themselves in real life).

And even to those who have not had those lived experiences, the truth and honesty of the storytelling and character relationships were in and of themselves fundamentally relatable to our own human behaviours.

If I wasn’t genuinely laughing at the (often far too!) relatable moments, I was drawn to tears on more than one occasion through the very real moments of the deep sadness that come with grief and loss.

This show brilliantly explores and highlights the dichotomy and often seemingly non-sequitur nature of our human emotions and experiences: how there is so often unexpected humour in the face of death, melancholy in happiness, or how sometimes our behaviour in grief may just be a little bit (or a lot) on the crazy side. And what a wonderful way to remind people that these are all very normal aspects of the human experience.

Each character explored through the lens of Flick was so honest and relatable: from her co-workers, to her the patients, to her best friend, or her mother. I could very easily place real people from my own life into each character.

It’s not very often that you walk out of a show and think that you’ve been a part of something quite special. But walking out of the opening night of ‘Flick’, with a full-house, and a standing ovation, I had that feeling.

For a one-woman-show to draw in and captivate an audience for over an hour through one continuous story arc is a great achievement. Madelaine’s performance did just that, and we all experienced a rollercoaster of emotions and relatable human experiences alongside ‘Flick’.

I would love to say to go and get tickets to this show at La Mama, but being a part of the ‘Explorations’ program, there are only three performances, all of which have unsurprisingly sold out.

But I get the feeling that this is not the last we will be seeing of ‘Flick’ and Madelaine Nunn. So, keep your eyes peeled for where it goes next. And then make sure to get a ticket, as this is a show not to be missed.

This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.

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