Naturally I kept a list of all the shows I saw and below I present my top ten of 2017. If I reviewed the show then a link to the review is also provided.
2018 is shaping out to be the time of innovative and exciting theatre, so make sure you go and see some of it. While it's nice to make a night out of seeing some big name performers and shows, remember to also support your independent theatre makers and venues where some shows can cost you as little as $15 per person.
Here is my list:
- review
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| Grant Cartwright and Dushan Philips. Photo Credit: Sarah Walker |
Abrahams brings together a remarkably talented ensemble of actors to tell this story, which despite being set in the American 80s still has extreme relevance and prevalence today regarding social stigma of homosexuality and AIDS.
Some of the strongest performances of the year were present here including those from Simon Cornfield, Grant Cartwright, Emily Goddard, Helen Morse and Dushan Philips, with the evocative sound and lighting providing greater insight into the minds and thoughts of the various characters.
Also, can't not mention how amazing that wooden four-poster bed was by how it was utilised and what it represented during the show. If there were an award for best use of a single prop, this would be the winner.
Put simply, Angels In America was gripping, powerful and affecting theatre at its best.
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| Janine Watson and Catherine Davies. Photo Credit: Pia Johnson |
Stephen Nicolazzo's direction explores the eroticism and deeply tender moments of the story with some outstanding performances from Janine Watson and Catherine Davies. Eugyeene Teh and Katie Sfetkidis' gorgeous set and lighting designs strengthened these emotions in ways that could only be seen and felt.
The Happy Prince allowed the audience to take everything in and really focus on what the two characters were feeling. It was a performance that stayed with me long after the final scene, especially when you consider that I saw this during Midsumma Festival way back in January.
*Can't wait to see their take on The Nightingale and the Rose at Theatre Works in June 2018 and to see what Nicolazzo does with Abigail's Party at MTC in August 2018.*
*Can't wait to see their take on The Nightingale and the Rose at Theatre Works in June 2018 and to see what Nicolazzo does with Abigail's Party at MTC in August 2018.*
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| Roby Favretto and Caitlin Spears |
Roby Favretto and Caitlin Spears have crafted a unique show where despite the big smiling faces, adorable costumes and the stage decorated with brightly coloured props, there are still glimpses of something darker at play.
Favretto and Spears never compromise the integrity of the narrative or their characters for the sake of a laugh, with each joke going further into exposing their personalities or what they love/hate about the other person. Hearts are broken and lives are irrevocably damaged in this original and captivating show that dares to take risks and reaps all the awards because of it.
*Cactus and The Mime will be performing at Perth Fringe World in February 2018.*
4. Monkey See, Monkey Do
- review
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| Richard Gadd. Photo Credit: Mat Brooks |
Gadd uses his own personal experience with assault as an opening for a wider conversation on mental health and masculinity.
When that monkey appears in your life, it is bloody hard work to escape it, and this is something that Gadd seems to have succeeded in doing. Monkey See, Monkey Do is an unflinchingly honest yet entertaining show that encourages people, women and men, to talk about their feelings.
5. Biladurang
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| Joel Bray. Photo Credit: Pippa Samaya |
Joel Bray's site-specific show, Biladurang, is an intimate and beautiful look at identity through movement and story. Set inside the Sofitel hotel, this show for 12 people has Bray exploring his homosexuality and his Indigenous heritage.
Bray exposed his vulnerability to us, opening up on his attempts to connect with himself and with others. He finds tenderness and comedy in the smallest of moments and his words and movements generate vivid images in your mind.
The hotel room is used to its full capacity, from the outside red tower-light that shines through the window onto the wall, the views looking out into the Yarra and selected personal items that lay scattered throughout the room. The audio and visual elements throughout the performance are just as thought out and used exceptionally well, particularly during the moments of Bray taking a bath.
Biladurang is a flawless example of the effect that theatre can have on people and the community that can be created because of it.
The hotel room is used to its full capacity, from the outside red tower-light that shines through the window onto the wall, the views looking out into the Yarra and selected personal items that lay scattered throughout the room. The audio and visual elements throughout the performance are just as thought out and used exceptionally well, particularly during the moments of Bray taking a bath.
Biladurang is a flawless example of the effect that theatre can have on people and the community that can be created because of it.
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| Gravity & Other Myths |
The teamwork, flexibility and trust that lies within this troupe is clearly evident, as bodies are thrown from one side of the
stage and caught on the other and three person human towers are constructed.
Geoff Cobham's impeccable laser and lighting design includes a rig beaming across the stage and shining down from above with light refracting
off mirrors hanging from the ceiling creating mesmerising patterns and
stunning images on stage.
Backbone is an extraordinary accomplishment that takes circus beyond the concept of just tricks and acrobatics.
*Gravity & Other Myths return to Arts Centre Melbourne with A Simple Space in January 2018, and you can read my interview with performer Jascha Boyce here.*
Backbone is an extraordinary accomplishment that takes circus beyond the concept of just tricks and acrobatics.
*Gravity & Other Myths return to Arts Centre Melbourne with A Simple Space in January 2018, and you can read my interview with performer Jascha Boyce here.*
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| Mari Ando, Izumi Aoyagi & Yo Yoshida. Photo Credit: Bryony Jackson |
The cast of three - Izumi Aoyagi, Mari Ando, Yo Yoshida - deliver deeply
nuanced performances in roles that on the surface do not seem to demand much, but the subtleties of their characters and the delicate words spoken are where the complexities of hope and
hopelessness are brought to the surface. There is a significant emotional detachment present by the performers throughout the show that is well balanced and effectively manifested on stage.
Time's Journey Through a Room
is an entrancing production where you find yourself both slipping
into the moments that are being so vividly described on stage and allowing them to trigger memories
of your own. Its exploration on hope is stirringly captured and gently
insists we consider a different perspective when tragedy occurs.
8. The Basement Tapes
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| Stella Reid. Photo Credit: Maxwell Gutterman |
Premiering at the New Zealand Fringe Festival this year, The Basement Tapes follows a girl who tends to her recently deceased Grandmother's house and begins to clean out her basement. She discovers a tape recorder with a series of recording made by her grandmother that leads to her questioning what she has come to know to be true.
Stella Reid gives a strong and focused performance as she gradually discovers that things are not what they appear to be. Aided by some exceptional lighting and sound design, the intensity begins to build and the story really burrows its way into your mind and then begins to play tricks on you in a truly terrifying theatrical experience. There were moments where I genuinely thought I was seeing things that were not possible because of how this story sinks its teeth into you.
Hopefully this team make it back to Melbourne in the future, as I would love to see what they come up with next.
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| Photo Credit: Marc Coudrais |
Ingarsten's work considers the pleasure - and the pain - the body can provide and the difficulty in being able to enjoy one's own body when faced with constriction and conflict. The set design is simple and familiar, with a living room consisting of a few chairs, a table, coffee table and a pot plant. Its familiarity is what sets you at ease...except for the giant sculpture of naked bodies forming in a back corner that slowly begin to move.
7 Pleasures is a highly intimate work that acknowledges the sexual joy the body is capable of providing. However, the pleasure that it refers to is more from the self-discovery and the surprises that our own bodies can give us if we are brave enough to go exploring.
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| Photo Credit: Jim Lee |
To speak of the adventures and tribulations shared would be to break the pledge of not gossiping about what's discussed that we take before the show begins. However, this is more than just titillating stories of sexual escapades, and while sex - and all its manifestations - plays a big part in each of these people's lives, All The Sex I've Ever Heard is an opportunity for those over 65 to be heard - really heard - and for their sex lives and sexuality to be as respected as younger generations' are and not be mocked or ridiculed.
After traversing 80 years of highs and lows of these people's lives, we exited to the foyer where each cast member had personal items on display that provided us with a further understanding of who they were. It was a fitting way to end a heart-warming evening of human connection that crossed genders, sexualities and age.
And just because rules were made to be broken, here are the shows that were pipped at the post:
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