Cultural Binge – independent theatre reviews from Sydney, Australia (mostly).
-
Holding Achilles ★★
Written by David Morton. Sydney Festival. Carriageworks. 19-22 Jan, 2023. High flying multidisciplinary show Holding Achilles comes to Sydney Festival after a successful run at Brisbane Festival last year and it’s a real mixed bag. But there’s one thing for certain… The acrobatics are graceful but the script is clunky! Young, troubled, too-smart-for-his-own-good Patroclus is…
-
Blue ★★★★
Written by Thomas Weatherall. World Premiere. Sydney Festival. Belvoir St Theatre. Jan 14 – Jan 29, 2023. Thomas Weatherall (Heartbreak High) cements his place as an Australia talent to watch by writing and starring in his own one-man show, Blue, at Belvoir St Theatre. And it’s good! Very good! As you enter the upstairs Belvoir…
-
Room ★★★★★
Written by James Thiérrée. Sydney Festival. Roslyn Packer Theatre. 11-25 Jan, 2023. The phrase you’re looking for is “What the fuck did I just watch?” but not said in a bad way, said with a mixture of awe and discombobulation and respect. Room, now inhabiting the Roslyn Packer Theatre as part of Sydney Festival, is…
-
Happy Meal ★★★★
Written by Tabby Lamb. Sydney Festival. Eternity Playhouse. 17-24 January 2023 Tabby Lamb’s Edinburgh Fringe hit, Happy Meal, is bringing showers of joy to Sydney Festival (before heading to the Perth Festival in Feb). This sweet trans-romantic two-hander is a bright, bubbly piece of confection that blends the sour with the sweet to really hit…
-
Boxing Day BBQ ★★★★1/2
Written by Sam O’Sullivan. World Premiere. Ensemble Theatre. Dec 5, 2022 – Jan 15, 2023 All shows should be this good. Boxing Day BBQ may look like a light, festive comedy from the outside, but once you pop the hood you’ll find a tight family drama that is finely tooled and smarter than it needs…
-
Interview: Sam O’Sullivan, writer of Boxing Day BBQ at Ensemble Theatre
Ensemble Theatre currently have two festive shows running, A Christmas Carol, and the new comedy, Boxing Day BBQ by Sam O’Sullivan. “It’s Sydney. It’s Boxing Day. And it’s stinking hot. Grandad Stephen was the family’s BBQ king and his adult children have gathered to honour his memory. Wine snob Peter and cynical Connie reluctantly get…
-
2 Weeks & 10 Shows in LA & NYC
I managed to squeeze nine (well, technically 10) shows into a recent holiday to the United States. A week in Los Angeles (yes, I went to L.A. and watched theatre), and a week in New York provided a lot of chances to see shows and friends. But mainly shows… 2:22: A Ghost Story ★★★1/2 The…
-
A Christmas Carol ★★★1/2
Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Adapted by Hilary Bell. World Premiere Ensemble Theatre Nov 25 – Dec 29, 2022. Christmas has come to Ensemble Theatre and a classic is being revisited with an air of freshness I wasn’t expecting. Australian legend John Bell leads a troupe of performers in retelling Charles Dickens’…
-
RBG: Of Many, One. ★★★★
Written by Suzie Miller. World Premiere. Sydney Theatre Company. Oct 29 – Dec 17, 2022. There is a calculation to Suzie Miller’s new play, RBG: Of Many, One, now playing at Sydney Theatre Company. The calculation of a very intelligent woman (far more intelligent than I) looking ahead to the next step. This exploration of…
-
The Lovers ★★★★
Based on A Midsummer’s Night Dream by William Shakespeare. Writer, composer Laura Murphy. Bell Shakespeare company Oct 23 – Nov 20, 2022. Have you ever seen a show that is a hair’s-breathe close to being just perfect? The Lovers by Bell Shakespeare is so close to being a bona-fide five star slam-dunk I can taste…
Cultural Binge 