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Where Harmony Meets Healing: The Heartbreak Choir

14/09/202614/09/2026 Jules Hart🥉

The Heartbreak Choir Rating

★★★★★

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Opening to a robust audience at Brisbane’s PIP Theatre, The Heartbreak Choir by the late playwright Aidan Fennessy explores the healing power of song while deeper tensions simmer beneath the surface of a country community.

Deftly directed by Sherryl Lea Secomb, The Heartbreak Choir invites us into the world of a small group of choristers who splinter from their established choir, incensed over a matter of principle. With a new name, a new space to rehearse and a public debut looming, the newly formed choir is determined to right the wrongs of the past. As the first act unfolds, snippets of dialogue and moments of interaction hint at an undercurrent of tension, gradually revealing the basis of this moral divide by Act One’s conclusion.

The play opens in a tired community hall on the outskirts of a rural Australian town. Hannah Page’s sound design is immediately immersive as a woman enters, flicks on a buzzing fluorescent light and coaxes the only radiant bar heater to life. The simple set features a kitchenette, worn metal fold-up chairs and a stock standard piano. It’s not too long before the eclectic mix of characters arrive for their first breakaway choir rehearsal under their leader Barbara (Catarina Hebbard).
Anchoring the choir group is Barbara, exuding a faded elegance and grounding warmth. She is level headed and guides the group with gentle authority.

Straight talking and bustling farmer Mack is brought to life by Gemma Galley. Her refreshing authenticity and ability to burst into a room and inject it with a bombastic energy sets you back in your chair. There’s a stark contrast between Mack and child Savannah (Micheal Enright), who selectively communicates non-verbally. Similarly affected by anxiety, this contrast highlights how differently people can express their inner turmoil.

Though often quiet, Savannah carries a presence impossible to ignore; sassy and stubborn, yet intensely observational. With angelic singing voice and signing, Enright’s portrayal compels you to lean in further to interpret their messages.

Diedre Grace portrays Totty—frighteningly organised, a delightfully brazen inability to read the room, and getting about in Hi-Viz gear for no obvious reason. Diedre’s unfiltered delivery of lines in tense situations never fails to pop the bubble of tension, bringing a fresh swell of energy to the scene.

Assini, the soulful, heavily pregnant Zimbabwean woman emits the necessary warmth to the group. Through her poignant stance and pragmatic reactions, Brightholly Nininahazwe is unafraid to quietly stand her ground in spaces of moral division.

Nervously gatecrashing this new tight knit bubble of choristers is senior police offer Peter (played by Bradley McCaw), burdened with both the weight of his past and reservations about what his future holds. There’s a humble vulnerability McCaw brings to the role, which ultimately acts as a catalyst for the choir to deal with their past.

Benjamin Cole, as son of Peter, perfectly aids McCaw in displaying the contrast between the different impacts of grief on a person. Both racked with shock from recent events; they convey the significance that trauma holds in shaping who you are and how you act.

Although Beau’s transformation is slow, his character arc feels rewarding to watch unfold. And with few lines, Cole successfully utilised body language and unspoken interpersonal dynamics to illustrate his unacknowledged emotional story.

The plays’ darker themes are balanced remarkably well with humour and quirky characters, testament to the strong ensemble cast. It’s difficult to pick a clear standout performer—each brings such heart and believability to their role that the play wouldn’t feel complete without any of them.

While the underlying message of this production is quite a serious one, most of the show is surprisingly funny, with plenty of classic Aussie slang, humorous ramblings, and raw character interactions sparking moments of laughter around the room.

With the finale song Our Little Town, composed and arranged by Bradley McCaw, and in collaboration with local choir Ignite, led by Harmony Woollet, the production provides a joyous tribute to the power of connection through community.

PIP Theatre’s The Heartbreak Choir is performing till the 19th September. For tickets please visit: 2026 | The Heartbreak Choir | PIP Theatre

To book tickets to The Heartbreak Choir, please visit https://piptheatre.org/heartbreak-choir/.

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The Sunshine Boys – The Rep

13/09/202613/09/2026 Rob McKinnon🌟🎭

The Sunshine Boys Rating

★★★★★

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The Rep presents Peter Goers’ excellent version of Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys at the Arts Theatre featuring outstanding performances by Robert Cusenza, Robin Schmelzkopf and Tom Tassone with their best New York accents.

The Sunshine Boys is about the vaudevillian comedy duo Al Lewis (Robin Schmelzkopf) and Willie Clark (Robert Cusenza) who for 43 years performed the act known as The Sunshine Boys. However, 11 years prior Al retired from the act and Willie has been struggling to earn a living in show business since the split even taking work in TV commercials

Willie’s agent is his nephew Ben Silverman (Tom Tassone) who is finding it hard to get Willie any work particularly as his aged uncle battles to remember his lines and names. Ben visits Willie every Wednesday bringing him the latest edition of ‘Variety’, low salt food and cigars. The TV network CBS is planning to produce a history of American comedy and wants the duo to reform to perform one of their classic sketches.

Ben grapples to get the belligerent Willie to agree to the reunion, even with the big fee offered by CBS, but after much argument Willie agrees, and Ben arranges for them to rehearse in Willie’s hotel apartment. Al is dropped at Willie’s apartment by his daughter, who he lives with at her New Jersey house, but their reunion begins cooly then becomes argumentative and their big break reformation becomes in doubt.

First impressions of the production, which opens in Willie’s hotel apartment, sets a high bar with Goers’ first-rate set design especially with the large backdrop of seating in an old theatre, then continues with Laura Doheny’s splendid costumes. These impressions continue as Cusenza and Tassone begin Simon’s impressive script as the humour begins to hit with the audience and the play brilliantly unfolds. Simon’s script is sometimes demanding with its back-and-forth dialog, but all are skilfully handled by the cast especially Cusenza, Schmelzkopf and Tassone.

With its long history from the original Broadway production in 1972 to the 1975 feature film with Walter Matthau and George Burns, in his Oscar winning role, then a Woody Allen film in 1997 and even a version of the play on the West End starring Danny DeVito in 2012, The Sunshine Boys is a classic and well-loved play. This version does justice to the play’s long history and Peter Goers, Assistant Director/Co-stage Manager Brian Wellington, the superb cast and crew deserve high praise for this exemplary production.

Reviewed by Rob McKinnon

Rating; 5/5

The Sunshine Boys runs 10 September – 19 September 2026

Venue: Arts Theatre, 53 Angas Street, Adelaide

Tickets: https://artstheatresa.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/159440

To book tickets to The Sunshine Boys, please visit https://adelaiderep.com/season-2026/the-sunshine-boys.

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Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – There’s Always Love And Music

13/09/202613/09/2026 Linda Lokhee🏆💎🔥🦉🎭

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Rating

★★★★★

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“Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”, originally a novel written by Louis der Bernieres in 1994, was adapted for stage by Rona Munro. The Genesian Theatre Company are no strangers to presenting a diverse genre of plays and has been a staple in Sydney’s theatre scene delighting audiences since its first play in 1945, notably after the war and the time period this play was set. I have tremendous respect for The Genesian Theatre, having seen many of their productions at their previous home in Kent St, inside a church built in 1868, where they had performed for 70 years. Their new era began at their new home in Rozelle in 2025.

“Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” takes the audience back in history to 1941, set during the second world war on a beautiful Greek island, Kefalonia. Opening to a peaceful seaside scene, people are living a happy life, unaware that their lives are about to be changed. Dr Iannis (David Stewart-Hunter) and his daughter Pelagia’s goat (Hope Selim) are breathing in the ocean’s fresh air. The goat proceeds to nibble on his paper while Dr Iannis’ back is turned, and Selim’s wide eyed goat was very amusing as Dr Iannis continued to berate the animal, who clearly did not understand a word he was saying. I wondered if this was a prelude to the following hardships of war, where the oppression and suffering of innocent people fall on deaf ears of those responsible.

Dr Iannis’s daughter Pelagia (Isabelle Serafim) is engaged to Mandras (Maximillian Choma). Her character is feisty and headstrong; she is a character with strong opinions. The first act builds up to the arrival of Captain Corelli, and lays the historical foundation and significance of the war. It shows traditional Greek life on the island and the importance of family, with scenes showing Mandras’ relationship with Pelagia and with his mother, Drosoula (Phillipa Coleman).

The background to the arrival of Captain Corelli and his soldiers is told through the relationships of the people living on the island and also through the character Carlo (Brodie Chong). Chong’s Brodie addresses the audience directly and through scenes onstage, and tells of his own experiences in the war as an Italian soldier, and his relationship with Francesco (David Newton). There are touching scenes showing simple joys amongst the horrors of fighting in the war, these being with Francesco keeping a pet mouse secretly in his pocket and the importance of companionship between the two soldiers, and with the pet mouse, as well.

The second act was longer than the first act, which felt like it dragged a little, and moved at a faster pace. It told the story featuring human relationship elements, with Captain Corelli and the Italian soldiers who invaded the island, and were living inside the Greek islander’s houses. Mandras had left Kefalonia to fight in the war. Captain Antonio Corelli (Dimitri Armatas) arrived with a rather easygoing manner, and appeared as a breath of positivity with his love of music and his mandolin, in a time of wartime struggles. Food was scarce and the Greek people were under occupation. At first reluctant and hostile towards Captain Correli, Pelagia begins to soften and eventually a romance begins. This of course brings complications and Stewart-Hunter embodies the caring father role fully as he delivers advice to Pelagia. He warns that although he does like Captain Corelli as a person, she is betrothed to Mandras and by her being with the “enemy” it will likely bring negative judgements and make her a social outcast in their community. One of his lines was poignant and was delivered by Stewart-Hunter perfectly. “Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like a volcano and then it subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have been so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.”

Captain’s mandolin, which he named Antonio, from the play’s title, had a starring and important role, particularly towards the end which I won’t disclose. Not only was the mandolin a star, but music itself and the power of it to lighten and transport people away, if only for a short while. Well done to the sound and lighting designer Michael Schell, for creating the atmosphere of not only the sounds of the bombs and frightening aspects of wartime in red flashes and strong white headlight lighting, but also for the gentler parts of the play such as the ocean waves, and the understated spotlight on Carlo to highlight his heroism during an important scene. The music chosen throughout the play and during the many scene changes immersed the audience into the 1940’s. The song “Pelagia’s March” was touching and represented the depth of love Captain Correlli had for Pelagia. Kudos to Armatas for playing the mandolin live onstage. I liked how the song he wrote for Pelagia started so simply with a few plucks, and then we were able to hear the full orchestral song later when he became a successful musician.

Susan Carveth’s costume design brought the characters alive out of the page into wartime and showed the traditional Greek culture on the island.

The script was quite wordy and I am sure it was not an easy task to incorporate the complexities of many themes into one play. Well done to the main and supporting cast! Co-Directors Rose Frasca and Roger Gimlett pulled together both the large 24 person cast and crew cohesively to create a serious play showing the frail balance of life on a beautiful Greek island, how families and relationships are forever affected by forces out of their control and the struggles of putting love before loyalty. And music. Always the beauty of music.

Captain Correlli’s Manolin is playing from 4 September – 10 October 2025 at The Genesian Theatre. 2B Gordon St, Rozelle Sydney

Running time: 2.5 hours, including a 20 minute interval

Tickets: www.genesian.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/156354

To book tickets to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, please visit https://genesiantheatre.com.au/events/captain-corellis-mandolin/.

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Genre Perfection

12/09/202612/09/2026 Elegant Larrikin The🆕

Table Manners Rating

★★★★★

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The team at Toyota got it right with the Camry, yes, almost certainly a car enthusiast probably finds them bland, but the general consumer sees them as incredibly reliable, comfortable and economical – perfection.

The sweeping magnificent twin lead guitars of ‘Hotel California’ are undoubtedly a masterpiece, yet in terms of pop music, the perfect package is probably the Pomus, Leiber, Stoller song, ‘She’s Not You.’ Pleasantly innocuous on paper, the recorded package with brilliant studio musos and the Jordanaires backing Presley’s soaring tenor voice, turns the ballad into perfection, which leads me to Barry Park’s production of Alan Ayckbourn’s TABLE MANNERS, currently playing at the Old Mill Theatre, South Perth.

Ayckbourn churns these plays out seemingly to order (92 so far). TABLE MANNERS is the first play in a trilogy making up THE NORMAN CONQUESTS, featuring the same characters in different situations. You know what you’re getting with an Ayckbourn play – classic late 20th century English tragicomedy, inevitably skewering the middle class, a genre that has become the go – to staple for theatre groups in the UK and Oz.

Certainly TABLE MANNERS is a very safe choice for the Old Mill, indeed I am told the season was sold out before opening night. Without exception, audience members I talked to on opening night were loving the play. One chap telling me they come often to the Old Mill Theatre for exactly the sort of play Ayckbourne writes.

Whilst the play is very definitely suited to an older, more traditional audience demographic (there were a lot of UK accents in the audience), Barry Park and his team have put together a masterclass in theatre production. Like Toyota’s Camry and Presley’s song, the play may not be to everyone’s taste, however it is meticulously crafted, staged and presented – perfection.

George Boyd, along with Barry and Julie Gordin, have created a startlingly good, clever, clean, effective set and Mark Nicholson as lighting designer got it right – simple and crisp is never as easy as it sounds.

Park’s casting is impeccable, as indeed is the blocking – director and actors need to know what they’re doing with backs to the audience – hats off to Samuel Yeo and Ian Staunton for that scene. I found it hard to fault any of the cast – comic timing was excellent, a shirt catching on a chair, a napkin falling to the ground were handled with beautiful aplomb.

Emily Howe plays the frustrated Annie, the only one of her siblings burdened with caring for her mother, (who we never see, but quickly understand is hard work). Emily’s facial and body movements seemed a touch exaggerated in the first act, but otherwise she gives a faultless performance. Alinta Carroll as Sarah spoke so quickly and constantly, during the first act, that I wasn’t sure what she was saying and my head began to spin. I eventually realised she was perfectly in character, as her long suffering husband, Reg, played to perfection by Christopher Hill, dolefully complained. Samuel Yeo as the hapless vet Tom and Ian Staunton as the lecherous Norman (THE NORMAN CONQUESTS!) played marvellous comic foils. The last to appear was Louis Fishwick as Ruth, Norman’s career – obsessed wife, wonderfully believable.

I found the first act a bit tedious and slightly difficult in terms of working out who was who – a script issue rather than anything to do with the actors and I should confess I’m not an Ayckbourn fan. However the second act appealed more and I found myself laughing at several lines, as the characters were exposed. Everyone seemed to gel in that second act, the pace picked up and lines flowed perfectly. But hey, this was opening night, I suspect act one will tighten right up on the second night, these are top notch actors.

Merri Ford has costumed the cast perfectly – I took the era to be late 60s / early 70s and stage management under Andre Beidatsch was seamless. It would also be remiss of me not to mention the well-matched music score written by local composer, Myles Wright.

It really was very satisfying to see such smooth, professional expertise in action. If I was teaching drama, I’d bring my students to this production. Congratulations to everyone involved. Genre perfection.

Greg Ross

To book tickets to Table Manners, please visit https://www.oldmilltheatre.com.au/2026season.

Photographer: Cam Dobie

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