Theatre Archive

Life wasn’t meant to be easy, and there’s certainly a lot of unease in this tale. Two 19-year-olds, incapable of looking after themselves, have a baby. The authorities step in, led by a veteran social worker, and declare neglect (always a potentially …

If Stephen Karam didn’t have Tolstoy’s famous phrase “each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” in his head when he was writing The Humans, then he missed a trick. Because this family of humans is exceedingly unhappy, each one of …

Oh, what a night! A rags to riches story, amazing singers and dancers, slick choreography, enthusiasm and a huge cache of hit songs that will have you singing all the way home. What’s not to like? Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie …

In short: Fabulous! I have never enjoyed a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream more. It’s joyful from start to finish and the venue is a treat in itself. Now, for some more information. It is not often that a Shakespeare play …

Standing Ovations for an Outstanding Performance One man show extraordinaire, and founding member of the Ensemble Theatre, Reg Livermore, introduces us to the charismatic theatre jack-of-all trade’s actor Arthur Kwick (with a KW) whose career has been unremarkable despite a surprisingly notable …

As anyone who has ever set foot in a Centrelink office can testify, it’s not a happy experience. But when Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore, who wrote and star (yes, star!) in Unqualified, meet on their different job quests in such an …

“Music is a thing we turn to when we abandon the kingdom of reason” Richard Wagner’s music (somewhat unluckily for the composer) is inextricably bound with Hitler and the Third Reich, the Fuhrer idolising Wagner’s work and eventually using it to open …

When it premiered in Los Angeles in 2014, Marjorie Prime was reviewed as a comedy. At the Ensemble, under the very able direction of Mitchell Butel, there are certainly some funny moments but the treatment of Jordan Harrison’s play, which takes the …

There is so much to like about this new Australian play. Written by Joanna Erskine and performed at the artist-run Old 505 with a great ensemble cast, it is full of life, occasionally laugh-out-loud hilarious, and all about death! Ultimately, it’s how …

Soldier, maid, madwoman, saint, misguided teenager? The powers that were had difficulty working her out in the 15th century, so how can we hope to do better? Joan heard voices (the Archangel Michael, virgin martyrs St Catherine and St Margaret) and they …