David Bravos - Page 5

Backing up the encore season Legally Blonde, HAMA Productions have not wasted any time getting straight back to it with THE LITTLE MERMAID opening at the Regal Theatre. Whilst the cast featured many familiar faces from the Perth theatre scene, it is fair to say that it showcased the depth of talent in Perth, with many of the cast excelling in roles unlike other roles they've been in recently. The result is a wonderful reimagining of the classic Disney movie, with plenty to entertain any audience member, young or old.

The play JULIUS CAESAR may be one of the more noted Shakespeare plays, full of memorable lines and often run on stage and screen. The third year WAAPA students-in their last production before graduating- were not content with a mere rerun, however, and gave the setting and themes of this classic a contemporary feel.

UNHEIMLICH, roughly translated from German, means uncanny. The work stems from world-renowned artist Tarryn Gill's Guardian series of sculptures, and is brought to life with the help of acclaimed director Katt Osborne. I spoke to Katt about the process behind bringing it to life and what we can expect when UNHEIMLICH opens.

Gregg Daniel is an award winning actor, director, and teacher. Most recently, he appeared in an intriguing one man show, THE DUAT, about an FBI informant grappling with his past in the Egyptian afterlife. We caught up to discuss his career, his character in THE DUAT, and how he finds balance.

Anatomical Heart productions rather fittingly closed their debut performance just as National Science Week was kicking off. Their performance of EMILIE: LA MARQUISE DU CHATELET DEFENDS HER LIFE TONIGHT was a treat as much for theatre enthusiasts as it was for science enthusiasts.

It is 21 years since Steamworks Productions made their debut performance with SAVAGE GRACE. To celebrate their birthday, they returned to their inaugural production, bringing along the original creatives and cast to make it happen. The result is a triumph that speaks as much to where Steamworks is as it does to where it started.

Genevieve McCarthy and Amy Manford are no strangers to big performances and big stages. In a coup of sorts, the two have become the first all-female team to be granted rights to perform Disney songs, which they will showcase in DISNEY IN CONCERT: A DREAM IS A WISH in October.

Chances are you haven't heard of Emilie. She made contributions to science and philosophy, but she is most well known simply for being Voltaire’s lover. Anatomical Heart Productions are seeking to change Emilie’s place in history, and Alan Gill who plays Voltaire stopped to chat about the play, the company, and history's problematic view of women.

In 2001 Sally Richardson founded Steamworks Arts. Their first wort was a hit, enjoying two runs in Perth before being invited to Sydney, as well as being recorded for ABC Radio Drama. Steamworks are returning to SAVAGE GRACE with the same cast and crew to celebrate and reflect upon how the company, the people, and the world have changed since.

MINNEAPOLIS, a play by Will O'Mahony packed Subiaco Arts Centre for each of its performances. It is dramatic and confronting at different points and in different measures. The sum of those often-contrasting parts is a brutal and unrelenting look at toxic masculinity and gender dynamics that brought the audience to laugh and to think.

At Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is what was the quietest room in the world. The silence is unbearable, and the weight of silence was something Will O’Mahony wanted to work with when he was writing MINNEAPOLIS, which opens at Subiaco Arts Centre on July 27th. I had the chance to chat with Will before MINNEAPOLIS opens.

The Addams Family has an enduring legacy originating as a single frame cartoons to now having spawned several TV series and movies. The musical follows in a similar vein and Zealous Productions brought together a most impressive team of performers and creatives to ensure that THE ADDAMS FAMILY hits every mark with an entertaining production.

In music, there is difficult second album syndrome (the ‘sophomore slump’). Arise have proven that, in musical theatre, there is definitely no difficult second show syndrome, bringing an emotionally charged and thematically complex show to stage and ensuring that amongst so many things, it is entertaining and thought provoking.

The eagerly anticipated Opera Australia production of WEST SIDE STORY opened at Crown Theatre this week and nothing was lost from postponements and audience restrictions. The talented cast brought the audience on a rollercoaster of emotion with their brilliant acting and singing, whilst the famously complex dance sequences played out perfectly.

Sophie Salvesani and Nigel Huckle are no strangers to the roles of Maria and Tony in WEST SIDE STORY, having played the leads in 2019. Now playing the show in Perth and Brisbane, the two stars share their thoughts on the show, their characters, what’s changed since 2019, and how the themes in the show are still relevant today.

Organisers of the first Perth International Cabaret Festival saw opportunity in the cancellation of shows and brought together all the big names from the festival to end it “with a bang.” It is fair to say that a huge bill of stars did that, and the curtain was drawn on the inaugural festival with a gala show that had everything.

The inaugural Perth International Cabaret Festival may have been winding down, but there was still time for Louise Anton to dazzle Downstairs at the Maj with her show ONE WOMAN, ONE PIANO, ONE VOICE. It was nothing but Louise and her piano, wowing the crowd with her show that seemed perfectly suited to the intimate setting on closing night.

The first ever Perth International Cabaret Festival has taken over His Majesty’s Theatre and is currently in full swing with a blockbuster line up of performers. Artistic director Michael Griffiths took a break from his crowded schedule to chat about how the festival is going and what he has in mind for the upcoming shows and the festival overall.

WAAPA's 3rd year acting students tackled the dramady GLORIA, a play that was a finalist in the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Whilst the larger themes in GLORIA are less thought about in Australia, the talented team deliver an absorbing, thought provoking, and entertaining performance that focusses on trauma and ambition in the working world.

The disappointment of WAAPA’s 2020 mid-year musical being cancelled was but a distant memory as they roared back with an energetic rendition of CRAZY FOR YOU. This is WAAPA’s first production to be staged at His Majesty’s Theatre, and the cast and crew showcased the full suite of their talents in this up-beat and entertaining production.