What Did She Think?

What: The Play That Goes Wrong When: 22 February - 11 June Where: The Comedy Theatre Written by: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields Directed by: Mark Bell Composed by: Rob Falconer Performed by: Darcy Brown, Francine Cain,Adam Dunn, Luke Joslin, George Kemp, James Marlowe, Jordan Prosser, Brooke Satchwell, Nick Simpson-Deeks, Tammy Weller, and Matthew Whitty. Set by: Nigel Hook Costumes by: Roberto Surace Lighting by: Ric Mountjoy Luke Joslin, Nick Simpson-Deeks, George Kemp and Darcy Brown (falling) The Play That Goes Wrong is the hot and hilarious West End show which has made it's way to the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne. Sporting an all Australian cast headlined by Satchwell , this production is an exact duplicate of the show which has been wowing English audiences since 2015 and now it is our turn to have a good laugh. The Play That Goes Wrong is a type of theatre we don't see that much of in Australia anymore. It is an English drawing room m

What: Erasers When: 6 - 17th February Where: The Owl and Cat Theatre Written by: Jake Arky Directed by: Gabrielle Savrone Performed by: Jesse Badger, Khema DeSilva, Ellen Grimshaw, Victory Ndukwe, Finn Orson, Barnaby Pollock, Jayden Popik, and Erin Shay. Set by: Gabrielle Savrone and Izzy Summers Sound by: MBYRO Barnaby Pollock and Orson Finn The Owl and Cat Theatre brings us one of the most powerful pieces of theatre you will see this year with their production of  Erasers . Arky's depiction of the disaffected youth of today and Savrone's playful yet sensitive direction packs a wallop which will leave you reeling at the end. Erasers tells the story of a well to do family from the East side of town. The father ( Badger ) is a workaholic and the mother ( Shay ) wants to be her sons' friend. The two boys, Jordan ( Popik ) and Nathan ( Orson ), have become completely disconnected from their parents and each other. Both boys yearn for connection to somethi

What: Sad Digger Mad Mary When: 3 - 5 February Where: La Mama Courthouse Written by: Tom Halls Directed by: Yvonne Virsik Performed by: Tom Halls Design by: Anastassia Poppenberg Lighting by: Jason Crick Tom Halls Sad Digger Mad Mary is a masterpiece of stream of consciousness Absurdist theatre. Playing now at the La Mama Courthouse you need to be quick because it closes on Sunday. 2015 was the year of centenary celebrations - what an odd word to use - to commemorate the diggers who fought and died in the wildly inappropriate (absurd?) landing at Gallipoli. Whilst that year began with a profusion of pomp and propaganda with a well funded myriad of overtly nationalist and fantastical tales of heroism, bravery, and patriotism as the year came to a close we came to start seeing and hearing more honest, less grand and honorable stories. As the mists of national delusion cleared we began to hear real stories from real diggers who thought the whole thing was basically a load

What: The Rambling Feminist When: 1 - 5 January Where: The Butterfly Club Written and Performed by: Shona Anderson Shona Anderson A one woman monologue, Shona Anderson tells a montage of travel stories in The Rambling Feminist . The downstairs stage of The Butterfly Club is actually the perfect venue for this tale as the mirrors on the wall act as a metaphor for the reflections Anderson is engaging in as she 'rambles' through her travels across Europe with her boyfriend. The downstairs stage is what might euphamistically be called intimate and usually I feel it is too small for the work being presented on it, but somehow Anderson has managed to make it feel huge. With a tent covered in green transparent netting and a red star cloth behind the space becomes evocative of openness and possibility. Anderson has a lot of talent as a writer and her facility with metaphor is inspiring. From the very beginning we hear this as she described being dropped of in Byr

What: Free Admission When: 31 January - 5 February Where: Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne Performed by: Ursula Martinez Ursula Martinez Free Admission is a solo show which is not stand up nor burlesque although these provenances are evident throughout. I guess in drama school it would be called a dramatic monologue, but I prefer to think of it as one of the most complex and dynamic pieces of theatre I have seen in a while and you can see it too right now at the Fairfax Studio. Sometimes I like to go to the theatre. Sometimes I see shows which are okay. Sometimes I see shows which blow my mind. Free Admission is one of those shows. Ursula Martinez  calls herself a performance artist. She has a strong background in burlesque and is known for creating work which has alternatively been called brilliant and disgusting. You know it is good when it evokes such strong reactions on either side of the spectrum. You know it has a message and you know people are feeling it.