theatre - Whats The Show

Skating In The Clouds

9 December 20248 December 2024 Karen Yee

Skating In The Clouds Rating

★★★★★

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Clare Mendes’ current play “Skating In the Clouds”, directed by Emily Farrell, brings her passion for saving the environment to the fore but also shows her passion for people and relationships. Two years in the making, with assistance from a Malcolm Robertson grant, Mendes explores the responses we make, as individuals, as generations and as a society to that big topic, climate change.

I say “we” because, through the actors on stage, we see ourselves represented. Summer and Autumn, in solid performances by Katrina Mathers and Rebecca Morton, are like two sides of a coin. Together, they are facing a world that is changing, but they have opposing coping mechanisms. Autumn, a scientist, wants to fix it but despairs at her inability to get to the root cause. Summer would rather hide in her daydreams, imagining a perfect future unaffected by such changes, yet the truth hits her in small moments every day. How will they navigate the future together? Can they reconcile their differences?

The play makes more sense when viewed as a morality play, with the symbolically-named Summer and Autumn together being our Every(wo)man (or Every person). Described as a “magic-realist romp”, there is a disconnect from a specific time and place. The beautifully simple set by Bianca Pardo is timeless, and despite Melbourne’s locations being mentioned, we imagine it to be in the clouds. Whilst we are told that our ladies are turning 70 in 2040, we don’t feel like we are fully in 2024 either. Props are oversized. It’s all very dreamy.

Performers El Kiley and Shamita Sivabalan ably support the action with youthful energy in scenes that punctuate the main storyline. Their physical embodiment of various characters reveal different societal responses to the climate crisis: politicians, journalists and rich corporate workers as examples.

For me, the highlight of the play was the confrontation scene between Mathers’ Summer, and Sivabalan, playing Summer’s daughter, Toby. After the discussion of ideas that dominate Summer and Autumn’s conflict in the previous scenes, we finally see raw emotions we can relate to. Summer has to face her fears for her daughter and mourns the simplicity of life when she was young; she wonders how we got into this mess that includes the overproduction of disposables. Toby believes herself and her generation innocent and rages against the undeserved burden, directing it at her mother. But the argument is pointless. The problem remains and mother and daughter must find hope for the future by finding small ways they can contribute to change. The passion in this scene has stayed with me, both its rage and its hope, and is a testament to the writing and the performances of the actors.

The lighting design by Natalia Velasco Moreno and the sound design by Sharyn Brand supported the action effectively but, along with all the creative team including set/costume, actors and movement (Lucy Payne) I would have liked to have seen more of their stamp on the whole production. The amount of talent in the creative team is immense, and the “magic-realism” element could have been leaned into even more, allowing the story and its deeper emotional meanings to unfold in the spaces between the words.

“Skating in the Clouds” is on at Theatreworks, Acland St, St Kilda, until Saturday, December 14th.

To book tickets, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2024/skating-in-the-clouds

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.

Karen Yee

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Irish Theatre Players

8 December 2024 Poppy Rogers

The Twelve Days of Christmas Rating

★★★★★

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While pantomimes aren’t a well-known concept to some, they are a Christmas tradition for many families in the UK. It’s also the one-time audience participation in the theatre that is not only expected but encouraged. Oh no, it’s not, I hear you say. Well, oh yes, it is!

The Irish Theatre Players’ production of The Twelve Days of Christmas takes us to the enchanting village of Old Dimpley Bottom, where the Royal family are planning a grand Festive Ball to bring joy to all the villagers. To mark this splendid occasion, a giant advent calendar with 12 doors is constructed on the Village Green, with one door to be opened each day until Christmas.

However, the festive spirit is threatened when Wizbad, the wicked wizard (Adrian Mills), steals the keys to the advent calendar and scatters them across the globe. Aided by the good Fairy (Anna Sirotkina), the characters embark on an exhilarating race against time, travelling to the world, from South America to Ireland, in their quest to retrieve the missing keys.’

The set got everyone in the Christmas spirit and saw clever use of a single flat interchanged as the residents of Old Dimpley Bottom travelled far and wide in search of the keys to save Christmas. The stage lights would go down, and when they were lit again, we had been transported to a new exotic destination with singing, dancing (yes, of course, some of it Irish) and a range of well-considered props to confirm where we were.

The Twelve Days of Christmas is fun for the whole family. It has the right amount of innuendo to keep the adults laughing, but the kids especially will love it. The audience was clearly well versed in their role, with the expected booing, hissing, and ‘he’s behind you’ happening from the very start.

The cast embraced their roles and hammed it up. The traditional pantomime dame, Gertie Gusset (Peter O’Connor), was a crowd favourite, and relatable local council workers Stampit and Clampit (Nathan Holland and Amanda Walker) were appropriately annoying as they provided fines for inappropriate parking of a wheelbarrow and an announcement after the interval that given its Christmas, instead of wheel clamping audience members’ cars, they’d been nice and had them towed.

Having a reasonably large cast, often on stage at the one time, and with children making up half of the ensemble, things could become a bit of a mess but the action was well choreographed and made great use of the space available, sometimes extending out into the crowd.

The costumes were fabulous and plentiful, keeping some of the main characters’ outfits simple but adding accessories such as Queen Cupcake’s headband…you guessed it, a cupcake. Every different country travelled to in search of keys featured costumes to suit, from French berets to leprechaun outfits.

With Christmas less than three weeks away, what are you waiting for? Head down to The Irish Club of WA in Subiaco to get yourself in the Christmas spirit. There’s even a bar should you need some spirit of a different kind.

Performance Dates: December 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15
Thursday, Friday & Saturday’s at 7.30pm
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 1.30pm.
Book your tickets quickly here:- TAZ Tix.

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.

Poppy Rogers

The Glass Menagerie: Heartfelt and Poignant

5 December 2024 Emma Bennett

The Glass Menagerie Rating

★★★★★

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Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie is a cornerstone of American theatre, a work filled with haunting memories, fragile dreams, and deep emotional truths. The weight of such a classic can be intimidating for any director, but in his directorial debut, Clinton Nitschke has managed to navigate these challenges with finesse. Nitschke has delivered a performance that feels both fresh and deeply moving. The intimacy of the Little Theatre invites the audience into a world that resonates with timeless relevance and contemporary sensibilities.

Jessica Merrick’s portrayal of Amanda Wingfield, the mother at the centre of this emotional storm, stands out. Merrick brings elegance and charm to the role, finding the perfect balance between grace and desperation. She masterfully navigates Amanda’s dual identity: a fiercely proud woman clinging to memories of a more glamorous past while simultaneously fighting to secure a better future for her children. Merrick gives a multi-dimensional performance, capturing Amanda’s humorous, demanding nature while also revealing the vulnerability of a mother who has been abandoned by her husband and is now left to care for two grown children with uncertain futures. Her portrayal is as full of heart as it is heartbreak.

Connor Duncan’s Tom Wingfield is a masterclass in technical precision and emotional depth. Duncan skilfully conveys Tom’s internal turmoil, balancing the character’s restless, frustrated energy with moments of quiet resignation. There is an aching authenticity in his portrayal as Tom grapples with his dreams of escape and the torment of being the sole provider for his fragile family. Duncan’s performance is particularly poignant in his interactions with his sister, Laura. His moments of connection with her are understated but powerful, embodying the quiet, unspoken love and tension beneath their relationship.

Livingston-Pearce’s Laura is the perfect embodiment of fragility and innocence. Her performance is imbued with a demure, otherworldly quality that captures the essence of the character. Laura’s emotional vulnerability is beautifully showcased, especially in her interactions with her brother and, later, the gentleman caller. Livingston-Pearce brings a touching, almost ethereal presence to the stage.

The final pivotal performance comes from Liam Warmeant, who plays the gentleman caller, Jim O’Connor. O’Connor offers a wonderfully nuanced portrayal of the role, elevating the second act into something genuinely moving. Jim’s charm, warmth, and sincerity stand in contrast to the desolate world of the Wingfields, and his interactions with Laura feel honest and deeply touching. O’Connor’s portrayal infuses the character with a quiet confidence yet never undercuts the delicate fragility of the play’s emotional landscape. His scenes with Livingston-Pearce are particularly moving.

The set created by Nitschke subtly evokes the confined, suffocating space of the Wingfield apartment. At the same time, the lighting design heightens the emotions with the changing colours matching the mood, from anger and frustration to an ethereal atmosphere that highlights the play’s dreamlike qualities.

Overall, Clinton Nitschke’s version of The Glass Menagerie is sensitive, powerful, and emotionally resonant. It offers a compelling exploration of family, dreams, and the enduring struggle for something better in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. It is a deeply human story, brought to life with immense heart and skill.

The Glass Menagerie season runs from December 4th through December 7th, with sessions at 7:30 p.m. at the Little Theatre, University of Adelaide.

To book tickets to The Glass Menagerie, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1192057

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.

Emma Bennett

Esther Hicks: So….What’s it like in the Vortex?

3 December 2024 Jules Hart

Esther Hicks is Vibrationally Speaking Rating

★★★★★

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Last night I joined Esther and Jerry along with their ethereal counterpart ‘Abraham’ for “Esther Hicks is Vibrationally speaking” at the intimate PIP theatre space in Brisbane. The show is an engaging and quirky parody of the real-life teachings of American inspirational speakers Esther and Jerry Hicks.

From the very outset – and before we even take our seats, we’re allocated participant lanyards and instantly plunged into a simulated workshop that promises closer alignment to the vibrations inside the vortex and the laws of attraction!

The audience buzzed with playful anticipation of what was ahead of us. In just under an hour, award-winning director Elizabeth Millington cleverly guides us through the simulated interactive self-help workshop. Woven into this timeline is Jerry and Esther’s behind-the-scenes journey to inspirational speaking, which also hints at their increasingly tense relationship.

Claire Pearson (actor, writer, producer, comedian) and Kyle Walmsley (actor, comedian and RAW National finalist, 2012) hilariously bring Esther and Jerry Hicks to life with heart and conviction. Claire’s adept ability to morph into the entity ‘Abraham’ with such physical intensity made it impossible not to laugh! The show’s interactive nature encouraged the audience to ‘co-create’, ‘manifest’, and, in a mantra-like style, engage in a call-and-response communication, highlighting the powerful conformity of group behaviour.

Opposite Claire, Kyle delivers a strong portrayal of Jerry Hicks, the Ex-Amway businessman focused on sales, who grounds Claire’s whimsical Esther in the earthly plane.

The chemistry between Claire and Kyle is so palpable and convincing in their delivery that at one stage during the ‘workshop’ I found myself, along with other audience members reaching under our seats to find that elusive latest release book, which they hinted was there. They drew the audience into their world effortlessly, creating a shared experience that felt communal but also individual.

The minimalist set used subtle lighting to divide the stage, ensuring Esther and Jerry could be the central focus. They seamlessly moved from the cooler ‘on-stage’ left side to the warmer, soft purple glow of their home on the right side. The use of projected wall images effectively supports real-life excerpts of writings, teachings, and even a real video clip of Esther Hicks speaking.

The apt use of sound effects and music reminded me of the vibrations of a theremin instrument with an overlay of heartbeat sounds, adjusting the mood and pace of the show. The music signalling the show’s end was much more joyous and almost childlike.

Whether you’re a fan of self-help teachings or a curious sceptic, this show will resonate and make you laugh. Whilst there have been other iterations of inspirational teachings and books over the years, “Esther Hicks is Vibrationally Speaking” makes a brave move in highlighting the absurd attempts people make to find their true happiness.

If Abraham could speak to us now, he might say: “Are you ready to launch your rockets of desire and find your bliss?” With a blend of humour, tension, and unforgettable ‘mantra’ moments, “Esther Hicks is Vibrationally speaking” will leave a lasting impression and will likely resonate with audiences long after.

“Esther Hicks is Vibrationally Speaking” was performed as part of Pip Theatre’s annual Toucan Club festival, running until 21st December. For more details, visit www.piptheatre.org/toucanclub/.

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.

Jules Hart

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