Noises Off review

It's been 34 years since playwright Michael Frayn penned his farcical comedy Noises Off and I have patiently waited decades to see this production on the stage. As part of its 2017 season, Melbourne Theatre Company has fulfilled my wish and the production does not disappoint with this wild and witty play-within-a-play.


While this is a fast-paced farce, one of the strengths of Frayn's script is that we are still provided time to get to know the characters and understand the relationships between them all. Once these are established, the laughs begin to build until the absurd and ridiculous circumstances the cast get themselves into hit peak hilarity. The second act where we are privy to the goings on behind the scenes are the most entertaining of the show, as the actors struggle to separate the drama of their personal lives with the drama happening on stage.

SHIT review

Nicci Wilks, Peta Brady and Sarah Ward
Photo by Sebastian Bourges

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that Patricia Cornelius' SHIT would be the theatrical equivalent of The Wolf of Wall Street, in holding the record for the most amount of expletives used. Beyond this, SHIT is raw, compelling and honest in its portrayal of not only three women who are on the outs of society, but how women who subvert societal expectations are treated and seen. And it is fucking brilliant.

The three women, Billy, Sam and Bobby (Nicci Wilks, Peta Brady and Sarah Ward) have grown up together living in and out of residential care units. They really are shit people and if the opening conversation between them isn't enough to convince you with its barrage of swearing and aggression, then stick around, as there's plenty to come. The idea that they have lost their womanhood because of their behaviours and appearance is explored throughout SHIT. It's no coincidence that Cornelius has branded them with traditionally male-gendered names and the point is driven home when one of the characters begins to refer to women as "them", leading to one of - if not the most - powerful scene of the night. 

The Beast: A monster of an awful show.

DISCLAIMER: If you are planning on seeing The Beast, I do mention examples of the "humour" used so if you want to go in completely unawares, it's best to read this piece afterwards.

Just back from opening night of The Beast at Melbourne Theatre Company and never has a show left me feeling so angry and so frustrated at what has been passed off as satire and humour. I was so deeply pissed off by this show that I could not even bring myself to clap at the end and for the majority of the second act I sat there grim faced wondering just how low this could go, and at each scene I was more and more surprised by the answer.