Currently on at Qpac,“The 39 Steps” is originally a book written in 1915. A spy novel about a man living in London, who becomes entangled in murder and espionage. In 1935 it became a film by Alfred Hitchcock, and he was given 3 love interests. In 1996 when it was adapted for theatre it became a four -hander and this version by Patrick Barlow appeared in 2005.
Using a Film Noir stylized set characterized by a pessimistic tone, dark urban settings, stark lighting with high-contrast shadows that alone made the play impressive. Lighting and sound effects were spot on as were the scene changes and use of a cinematic backdrop. The furniture was painted in muted grey tones and white light used.
From apartments to bedrooms to trains to hotel rooms to sidewalks, the ever-changing sets were flawless. And how the audience enjoyed it – laughing, chuckling, clapping and totally engaged. All ages and a full house for opening night – a well-deserved standing ovation at the finish.
The actors had to play 130 characters between them, a whirlwind of costume and scene changes. From cops and robbers to innkeeper and bellhop, this play has it all.
The Umbilical Bros are two very talented and diverse actors. It feels wrong to separate them but such comedic powerhouses – facial expressions, voices, mimics, nuances that just kept the pace frenetic and enjoyable.
David Collins has a long list of acting credits, and he was more than capable of pulling off the multiple roles and physical chases that just kept coming – such a comical face and the voices, with trademark curly hair adding to the characterisation of mad cap farce reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin.
Shane Dundas is also a fantastic comedic actor well suited to the physical, playing his multiply roles of serious (in a comedic way) characters that meant playing madams and spy. Wearing a multitude, yes, many, hats, and a faint essence of John Cleese does come to mind.
Lisa McCune commanded the stage and her hero’s attention, from her femme fatale to a” butter couldn’t melt in her mouth” character she was mesmerizing. Her opening costume was reminiscent of the Golden days of Hollywood – only in a silver-coloured way. So good to see her stretch her wings and showcase how talented she is.
Ahh our hero – Richard, played by Ian Stenlake. Was he naïve, was he hiding something or heck does the hero get the girl in the end. Wow to be running that much and not get too breathless to speak, just fantastic.
All in all, a show not to be missed – Kudos to the director Damien Ryan and his team. This is a very clever and flawless performance.
I Promise This Isn’t About You (Even If It Feels Like It Is) Rating
★★★★★
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I Promise This Isn’t About You (Even If It Feels Like It Is) is an adventure even before the drama starts. Ticket holders meet in the Trades Hall courtyard and find themselves led down a side alley into a space that is a functional carpark by day, an open air theatre by night, naturally decorated by concrete beams and colourful street art.
Here you will be treated to a theatre in the round experience, set entirely in a share-house bathroom during an end-of-lease house party. Five young people explore the nuances of adulthood, from crushes, relationships, sexuality crises and mental illness to learning how to fix a toilet and desperately trying to keep your agapanthus alive.
I Promise This Isn’t About You has set itself high standards, being the first Fringe show this year to sell out (don’t worry, they have since added extra capacity!) and it doesn’t fall short. The set alone is a treat for theatregoers, with functional plumbing and drawers stuffed full of secret props. It’s also worth noting the incredible tech work of Georgie Wolfe and Ryan Hamilton who have managed to stage fully developed light and soundscapes in a carpark.
It would be remiss to review this play without noting the incredible work of the five actors. Mads Lou, Jo Jabalde, Eliza Carlin, Rueby Chippek, and Ally Long work perfectly together as an ensemble, creating deep complicated relationships and refusing to let the energy on stage drop for even a moment.
From quotable one liners, immaculate comic timing and amusing costume to emotional breakdowns, romantic connections and desperation, this show cycles through every emotion in a thoughtful, developed way that shows off the writing talents of author Sarah Matthews and is a must watch for anyone who’s ever attended a messy house party (or anyone who’s ever wanted to).
The Bogong’s Song: A Call To Country at Bangarra Dance Theatre is an ingenious new production developed by Yolande Brown and Chenoa Deemal. It is sure to be another award-winning success following their previous highly acclaimed work Waru – Journey Of The Small Turtle which engaged thousands of children last year. The Bogong’s Song presents a truly unique, culturally significant and entertaining performance.
The inclusion of puppets and shadow puppets was captivating and worked seamlessly with Justin Harrison’s fabulous video designs and projected images. Vanessa Ellis excelled as the puppet master and maker; her expertise elevated and transformed the performance into something unique and magical.
The music by Brendon Boney and Yolande Brown, who was also the songwriter and composer, was atmospheric and illuminating. It perfectly complemented the dance choreography with First Nations cultural influences interwoven beautifully throughout. I immensely appreciated the inclusion of Australian bush sounds and animals and First Nations instruments such as tapping sticks and the didgeridoo. These intricate details highlighted and celebrated the cultural significance of the performance.
The lighting by Ben Hughes and Eben Love allowed the audience to transcend into the dreaming experience with mystical effects and timely poignant moments. Particularly impressive was the green lighting for the grass and the beautiful starry scattered lighting.
The performers Benjin Maza and Tjilala Brown-Roberts delivered a majestic performance. They both showcased exquisite artistry in their dancing, acting and singing. They showcased the artistic choreography by Yolande Brown which was an eclectic fusion of First Nations influence combined with hip hop and contemporary dance. Benjin wowed the audience with fabulous strength in his acrobatic tricks and tight, clean movements throughout. Tjilala likewise delivered a flawless performance with soft smooth elegance. Benjin and Tijala both excelled in engaging audience participation and in delivering meaningful heartfelt messages and raising awareness to pressing community issues.
The story highlights environmental concerns of Australia’s endangered Bogong Moth. It interweaves fascinating information which will hopefully inspire discussions and awareness to save this admirable insect. The content also delves into unsettling concerns of juvenile detainment and spreads awareness that children as young as ten years old are being imprisoned. This is heartbreaking and our nation can and should do better by our children. There are infinitely superior ways to help children grow and learn to be respectful and responsible future adults.
The performance also highlights our younger generation’s phone addiction and how they are sadly spending less time being at one with the outdoors and nature. They discuss how essential it is to one’s health and well-being to feel grounded to the earth and mother nature.
The Bogong’s Song at Bangarra Dance Theatre is a thoroughly entertaining cultural experience to be enjoyed by all ages. They beautifully capture First Nations culture in the past, present and future and take the audience on a remarkable dreaming experience. The Bogong’s Song is a meaningful and rewarding performance not to be missed.
Playing at Clayton in Melbourne 10-19 October 2025 with Encore Theatre. Written by Neil Anthony Docking. Directed by David Krause.
The play is set over the course of one evening, in a room above a pub, eight months after the 1966 Aberfan Disaster in Wales.
Much more than just a difficult story to tell. 116 children were killed (mostly aged 7 – 10) when a landslide engulfed their school. Teachers were taken with them and including some others the death toll total pulled out of this mining catastrophe at 144.
Heavy rain hit the region and a coal waste tip spilled down the hill in slurry to the town directly below. Exactly in its pathway was the Pantglas Junior School where 109 children fell victim of a chronic example in poor decision making and grossly ignored warnings. The National Coal Board were found to have been extremely negligent in its handling of the coal tips, built on unstable ground and known to be on top of springs.
‘The Revlon Girl’ is about a group of local women tragically having lost their child or children in the devastating occurrence and also having grown up together themselves. They organise a ‘Revlon’ make-up representative to come out to see them at one of their get-togethers for some uplifting ‘beauty tips’. She arrives in a fancy car and brings her product samples of new colours and shiny lipsticks along with friendly education of how to look and feel better, but can these things actually make a difference? These women are going through what no mother should ever have to endure.
The play opens with pictures from the actual event, video and sombering sound effects, so anyone watching can clearly visualize and feel in the pit of their stomach that awful day. However, gratefully, it isn’t long before little funny moments too are presented in the script and such continues all the way through the play, bringing welcome lightheartedness reprieve from serious darkness.
Perfectly cast, the personalities of the women are all very different; it appears that Sian is organised and more positive, Rona is loud and overpowering, Jean holds onto the power of prayer, Marilyn is delicate and showing intense grief. ‘The Revlon girl’ is just there trying to make a difference in whatever way she can; after donating to the disaster memorial fund, she volunteered with the company to visit the women – beauty cases in tow, but Charlotte’s own story of loss will come to be told amongst the bereavement later.
Though we immediately know that Marilyn is still suffering immensely as she uneasily steps into the room, it quickly becomes apparent that all these mothers, having been dealt the same tragic experience, are dealing with the event’s aftermath as best they can, whilst trying to be supportive to each other. They do not agree on everything, they have different perspectives on what is now important and what should be done, but they all tell a story of their child/ren, the hopes they had for them, their very special and unforgettable memories that will never leave their hearts or minds.
Watching this play as a mother myself was challenging at times; the acting of all women is very real and each character has both tenderness and fierceness that every mother can empathize with – hopefully we never experience to this velocity. You send your children to school and they don’t come home. Nothing would hit you faster and harder.
It is no wonder that Marilyn still waits for her two girls to come home (the way that line was delivered will stay with me). No surprise that Rona does not want to queue for anything anymore after waiting in line for an eternity to view her son’s body. It is confusing to Jean as to why God has given her another baby on the way (a ‘surprise’ conceived just before the disaster), but took the one she wanted. Sian wants another baby, she wants her husband to look at her again, to share again, to love again.
These women all miss their beloveds more than they’ll ever verbally be able to express. The play shows how much and how differently they cope, but they do cope, they do help one another. It’s NOT just lipstick!
The play is set in a simple one room scene; couch, chairs, pictures and a leaky skylight causing some concern (rainwater understandably heightens anxiety here), though I barely noticed what was around the well-designed stage set and in the accurate costuming of 60s clothing in detail, because the actual grit story being told by these excellent actresses is one I couldn’t take my attention away from. You may want to sometimes, but I doubt you can. It’s an important message on top of the actual happening, and an honour to have produced in the memory of all those lost and the parents and loved ones left behind.
All in all, I highly recommend!
Cast: Bella Barker as Revlon Keziah Gillam as Rona Kate Lawson as Marilyn Emma Spencer as Sian Kelly Williams as Jean
Venue: Clayton Theatrette, 9-15 Cooke St, Clayton. Easy parking and access for wheelchairs. Running time: 90 mins (no interval) Tea and Coffee is served after the show and this group are always up for a chat about how the show was decided upon, set put together and worked on – they are a lovely bunch of people and anyone can be involved doing something on their excellent productions: https://encoretheatre.com.au/get-involved/
Note: This production includes themes of child loss and grief. If you have lost a child and require support, please reach out: https://projexj.org/ https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
