Australia - Brisbane Theatre Newsroom Page 22

The After Hours Cabaret Club is like stepping into turn of the century underground soiree with live jazz music, glamorous showgirls and a bevy of award-winning performers hand-picked from Australia's best in cabaret, burlesque, sideshow, circus and of course… other things that must be seen to be believed!

Following an action packed 2018 Camerata - Queensland's Chamber Orchestra - promises to deliver another exceptional year for Queensland audiences in 2019.

The After Hours Cabaret Club is like stepping into turn of the century underground soiree with live jazz music, glamorous showgirls and a bevy of award-winning performers hand-picked from Australia's best in cabaret, burlesque, sideshow, circus and of course… other things that must be seen to be believed!

Written by David Williamson, Nearer the Gods not merely about the greatest leap forward in human knowledge; Newton's discovery of the laws that govern the motion of the universe, and how Edmund Halley, an enthusiastic young astronomer, wrangled his discovery out of him, but about human behaviour and the politics of our mind. It is a story that explores the themes of rivalry, rationality, decency, love, kindness and most importantly the politics surrounding the power of knowledge, all in just two hours and ten minutes.

Sometimes we forget or dismiss the questions that children ask us, especially if they're questions about growing up; if they're questions about us adults. Or go to response is I'll tell you when you're older or that's a silly question. But the inquisitive nature of child doesn't just disappear because you don't respond, but in fact, it fuels them to ask even more questions, like why you didn't reply to the last question they asked you, or the one before that? Are you having a bad day? Do you not want your child to become the next Einstein? But director Daniel Evans hasn't ignored their questions. In fact, him and his masterful creative team have formed a work in which not only is it okay for kids to ask a lot of questions, but they have a voice. And adults all over the world, including one in Russia, have heard their voice answered and they for sixty delightful minutes, they share their newfound knowledge with the audience.

Legs on the Wall's Man with the Iron Neck is one of the most significant new works of theatre in this past decade. It is a piece which centres around the taboo of youth suicide in the Aboriginal community, with playwright and actor Ursula Yovich (Mamma Rose) claiming in the post-show Q&Q that 'almost every aboriginal you'll come across will have experienced this certain issue'. Cast member Caleena Salsbury (Evelyn) continued on by saying that 'the statistics of aboriginal people committing suicide is ridiculous...Australia doesn't know about that [the number of suicides] and no one talks about it.' She said that putting this work on stage means that Indigenous Australians are able to have that conversation and I couldn't agree more.

The world masters of magic are returning to Brisbane with their spectacular production, The Illusionists: Direct From Broadway materialising in the Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) for a strictly limited season from 9 January 2019, with tickets on sale from Friday 28 September 2018.

Written by Katherine Lyall-Watson and directed by Caroline Dunphy Rovers is a contemporary, post-dramatic work which uses the lens of comedy to explore the heart lines of fearless performers Barbara Lowing and Roxanne McDonald's lives and the uproarious misadventures of their female relatives who have inspired them to be who they are today. These stories included the one of Barbara Toy, who crossed desserts and warzones in her Land Rover as well as stories that warn us about the mysterious Bogeyman.

An ode is a lyric poem devoted to the praise of a person, animal or thing, often written in an elevated style and expressing deep feeling. It's no wonder that Emma Mary Hall called her work 'Ode to Man', as she spends 55 minutes on stage conversing about the history, persona and psyche of the modern man and romantic ambition in which women supposedly dare dream to have it all. Whether she hates or adores men is unclear, but her dedication and hours of research spent on this project indicates that it's a topic close to her chest. Over the course of 55 minutes, Hall takes us through fifteen chapters all focusing on a different aspect of men often linked with one of her previous experiences with men. In partnership with director Prue Clark, Hall has created a very innovative work, with each chapter having its own unique style; some chapters are presented as slam poems, stand-up comedy works, as an interior monologue and often, as your traditional university lecture. But no matter what style, Hall commands the stage with her calming, narrator-esque tone and somehow makes you feel like you are having a one on one conversation with her. Video and projection artist Lindsay Cox heightens Hall's imagery through transforming it into stunning virtual 3D imagery which plays on the screens behind Hall, as well as a picture frame she holds close to her chest. My favourite image was the projection of a horse above her heart in the final chapter and watching it fly away at the closing of the piece. It was both a beautiful and haunting image which left me wondering as to whether the entire performance was about justifying a personal heartbreak. But alongside investigating the very definitions of men through an array of psychologies, chief theorists and published works, the piece additionally explores the very definition of performance and what the notion of performance has evolved to in our contemporary, post-dramatic world. This piece is brutally honest and Hall truly bares her soul on stage each night. Whether you love men or hate men, whether you're a male or a female, this is a piece that will you make think. It will make you think not only about the relationship between men and women, but reflect on our post-dramatic world that we live in. Ode to Man Presented by Brisbane Festival and QUT Performed Theatre Republic - The Loft

Even though his father may have forgotten him, we certainly haven't. Hamnet died on the 11 August 1596 and was forgotten. Until now. Presented by Dead Centre, Hamnet is a contemporary work which explores the notion of grief, the selfish nature of an artist, the significance of the relationship between father and child, the idea of greatness, the need to do something with our lives and the very definition of love, with childhood at its heart. The innocence of children, their playful nature, their trust in others, their need for heroes and, most importantly, their need for affection.

Homer's Illiad is referred to as the 'goriest' of the ancient poems, in which Greek and Trojan warriors meet their fates in violent, bloody and graphic ways. Alice Oswald's Memorial is a visceral and faithful adaptation of the poem which has the oral history of the dead (or 'oral cemetery' in her words) at the moral centre of the work. Presented by Alice Oswald and Brink Productions, Memorial is one of the most stunning pieces of live theatre I have ever seen.

Presented by Ausdance and Harlequin Floors, the 2018 Australian Dance Awards were held at Brisbane Powerhouse on Saturday 8th September alongside an exciting display of Australian dance.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Review Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is an existential, absurdist tragicomedy written by Tom Stoppard, which takes place 'in the wings' of Shakespeare's Hamlet, expanding upon the exploits of courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The central characters are trapped in waiting game of death and watch events unfold in Hamlet's life and psyche which they hadn't seen before, and they are full of Questions.

"I'm going shopping in the village,' George's mother said to George on Saturday morning. 'So be a good boy and don't get up to mischief. This was a silly thing to say to a small boy at any time. It immediately made him wonder what sort of mischief he might get up to". Throughout his years, Dahl had held a profound respect for doctors and especially those who pioneered new treatments and hence, dedicated his book to 'doctors everywhere'. Some may argue that this book is a precursor for our modern times, with numerous new advancements in scientific remedies being referred to as a magic, just like George's potion. Shake & stir theatre company have created a kid's paradise on stage, with just five actors and a spectacular creative team. The piece is a modern adaptation of Roald Dahl's book of the same name and follows the misadventures of eight-year-old George Kranky in attempting to make a medicine that transforms his Grandma into a nice person. In this potion, George adds everything he can get his hands including shoe polish, engine oil and toothpaste, boils it and gives it to his Grandma, who grows the size of the set. In a recent interview, director Ross Balbuziente claimed that 'the book was one of [his] favourites growing up as a kid and his passion is reflected in the quality of the work on stage and in his direction of his actors. Nick Skubij played such a believable mischievous eight-year-old boy, that it's hard for me to believe that he could be capable of playing such a powerhouse villain like Dracula, who I've been delighted to have seen him play both times the production came to Brisbane. From the gestures, to the facial expressions, to his changes in tone...you could tell that Skubij had committed hours of research to the role, to bring such truth to his portrayal. Leon Cain's depiction of Grandma was perhaps not as dark as Dahl intended, but on old grouch nonetheless who to me, read as a satire on adult-kind's often unrealistic expectations from children. Nelle Lee and Tim Dashwood played George's parents and added much humour for both the children and especially the adults. They were both buzzing on stage with energy and it was a joy to watch them interact with each other. However, the star of the show, was Johnny Balbuziente as Nugget, whose physicality was seamless. Consequently, it was very sad to see George's mother (Nelle Lee) swallow him up whole when the marvellous medicine had transformed him into a chicken nugget. Moreover, John McInTosh's set design is very clever and probably the most versatile set design I have ever seen. It's construed of a plethora of jumbled shelves representing George's farmhouse, crammed with an assortment of items associated with domestic life. Attached to the shelves was a series of moving panels, large enough for the actors in weave in and out of as they seamlessly transitioned from room to room, and quite often climbed on top of it as well. It was like an enormous jungle gym and all the kids (and adults) in the audience were yearning to play on it. Jason Glenwright's lighting design features a kaleidoscope of colours, with the walls of the set being decorated with an array of lights which flicker on and off throughout the performance, especially throughout the hilarious banter on stage. It further aids to create the magical atmosphere of Dahl's picturesque world on stage. 55 minutes in this Dahlian world is enough to fill up with enough colour and imagination to last a lifetime. Rating: 5 stars George's Marvellous Medicine Directed by Ross Balbuziente Performed by shake & stir theatre company Cremorne Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Running until 5th September 2018 Tickets: https://www.qpac.com.au/event/george_marvellous_medicine_18/

It's been nearly two weeks since Queensland Theatre released this 2019 season, and it's taken me nearly two weeks to comprehend exactly how colourful and formidable next year is going to be. A few days before the season launch, I had the pleasure of having doing a phone interview with Strong, who had just come from the closing celebrations for the company's successful run of Jasper Jones.

I am speechless. Awe-struck. At a loss of words. What an astounding production. I don't know how I'll fit all of my thoughts in one review. But I'll give it my best shot.

Jasper Jones is one of my favourite works of Australian literature. When I first read it, I couldn't put it down. I was waiting with Charlie for Jasper Jones to appear and struggling to keep it together like Eliza when she tells Charlie the story of what lead her sister to her death. Directed by Artistic Director Sam Strong, Queensland Theatre's production of Jasper Jones left me wanting more.

Get set to be swept away on a magic carpet ride as Disney's Aladdin officially opens in Queensland Performing Arts Centre's, (QPAC's) Lyric Theatre today Friday 23 February, running until Sunday 3 June 2018.

Co3 Australia represents the state with four nominations at the upcoming Australian Dance Awards in September 2018.

The Book of Mormon, Broadway's smash hit musical written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez, is coming to Brisbane and Adelaide.

Get set for a very special music concert event as award-winning Icelandic musician, composer, and producer Ólafur Arnalds performs for the first time at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) on Tuesday 27 November 2018.