Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen review | Arts Centre Melbourne

A 36 year old comedian walks onto a stage and tells us he's about to kill his boyfriend. A dark comedy centered on vulnerability, love and truth, Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen is a flawless piece of theatre that finds the perfect balance between generating plenty of laughs and plenty of heart. 

Marcelo Dos Santos has written an engrossing script full of razor-sharp humour and candid observations on contemporary living, particularly as a gay man. The story moves at a swift pace, but it simultaneously allows time to have us care for The Comedian and to reflect on our own similar stories and experiences, regardless of what our gender or sexuality may be.

Glory Down The Line review | The Butterfly Club

At times, Tully Jones' Glory Down The Line plays like an M. Night Shyamalan script, where ordinary people get caught in extraordinary situations. Here, two strangers wait in a remote town for a bus to take them on a hike. Where's the tour group? Why are they the only ones there? Who keeps calling them on a seemingly broken payphone? Naturally there's additional surprises to be revealed along the way but that would be falling into spoiler territory.

Julia Gasparini and Henry Stephensen deliver admirable performances as Simone and Brayden. There are instances where the direction could have pushed the actors to go further in eliciting appropriate responses to the story. As the plot unfolded, Simone and Brayden's acceptance of what is happening without showing concern or worry came across as inauthentic. Gasparini and Stephensen share good chemistry and play off each other well, particularly in the opening moments of the narrative.

Top 10 Shows of 2024

Another year gone, another year of extraordinary theatre created and performed in Melbourne. I only managed to get to 111 shows (the shame!), due to being out of the country for four months, but as I have been doing for over a decade, I must compile a top ten list.

I say this every year but it's something that deserves repeating every year: sometimes the show that you remember for a long time after, is not the big splashy extravagant piece with recognisable names and a huge budget, but the one that was on for four nights with ten people in the audience. Support your independent theatre makers and venues - some can cost you as little as $20 and can be the most original, inspiring and thought-provoking performances you might see.

There's already plenty to get excited about in 2025, so I urge you to take a risk, seek something new, unknown and different in the new year.

And here are my top ten shows of 2024:

Skating in the Clouds review

Summer and Autumn are two women in love, but despite appearances, all is not well in their fairy tale world. Written by Clare Mendes, Skating in the Clouds invites us into this whimsical space where fanciful skating parties are given the same level of urgency as our ever-growing environment and climate problems.
 
Rebecca Morton and Katrina Mathers play Autumn and Summer with great commitment. They distinctly show how different they are - with Autumn constantly trying to solve a leaking pipe whereas Summer remains fixated on the guest list for her decades away 70th birthday - yet also ensure we understand how they can be so drawn to each other.

Muse review

Merlene Hutt on the cyr wheel

When people see circus artists, they are generally left in awe by witnessing what the human body is capable of and how they are genuinely putting themselves at risk for our entertainment. But why do they do it? What drives them to want to perform in circus? The graduating class from the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) are here to tell us with their final year showcase Muse.
 
The show is devised as an exploration of where their ideas spark from. Jesse Holden officially kicks off the twelve acts with his hoop diving as he is constructing an IKEA-esque furniture. It's a strong opening with Holden executing smooth acrobatic sequences with his structure, while telling a humorous yet compelling story about finding inspiration from the unknown and going with the flow.