What Did She Think?

What: Project Exiles - The Return Of A Man Called Ulysses When: 28 - 30 September 2018 Where: MC Showrooms Written by: Jaime Dorner Performed by: Georgina Bright, Reuben Daamen, Jaime Dorner, Austen Keating, Pranav Mahesh, Lily Thomson, Roxana Paun Trifan, and Savanna Wegman, Roxana Puan Trifan, Reuben Daamen, Austen Keating, Savanna Wegman, Lily Thomson and PranavMahesh Project Exiles: The Return Of A Man Called Ulysses is the inaugural production of Praxi Theatre and is one of the shows rounding out the 2018 Melbourne Fringe Festivals. It is only on for 3 nights at the MC Showrooms in Prahran so blink and you'll miss it which is a huge shame. Project Exiles: The Return Of A Man Called Ulysses is a play written by Chilean playwright and director Jaime Dorner. A piece of fan fiction riffing off the Odyssey of Homer (Ulysses is the Roman name for the Greek hero Odysseus) Dorner explores many concepts of distance and isolation. Dorner focuses his work on the experience

What: Julia, A Lesbian When: 28 - 30 September 2018 Where: Speakeasy HQ Created by: Allanah Avalon and Nathalie Kozak Directed by: Allanah Avalon Performed by: Nathalie Kozak Nathalie Kozak Julia, A Lesbian is one of the shows finishing up the Melbourne Fringe Festival this year. Playing in the main theatre of Speakeasy HQ , it is brought to us by the edgy arts collective Tooth N' Fang. Julia, A Lesbian has been borne out of a student partnership between Avalon and Kozak who both studied theatre in Abu Dhabi. The show was originally presented there earlier this year with full production on a proscenium stage (see the photo above). They have brought it down to Australia for Fringe and the challenges have been great indeed. The Speakeasy HQ stage is a small vaudeville set up, so even with less than a third of the props of the original production, the playing space spills onto the floor. Kovak and Avalon have mastered these constraints extremely well I think. Julia,

What: Willem Richards IRL When: 25 - 30 September 2018 Where: The Dock, Courthouse Hotel Created and performed by: Willem Richards Willem Richards Willem Richards is a sketch comedian who has been gracing our Comedy and Fringe Festival stages for a couple of years now. This Fringe Festival he is in the incredibly intimate venue of The Dock at The Courthouse Hotel . The Dock is possibly the tiniest space I have ever encountered and for a man who likes to work with props - large props - in his comedy routine, it was a very untenable space for Richards. Having said that, he made good use of what little space he had. Willem Richards IRL is probably not his best work. The ideas were random and transitions were awkward to say the least. Having said that, watching him perform had a warmth, charm and good will which reminded me of when you help your best mate prepare for a performance or a big speech or some such. It was awkward but we were all cheering him along. Richards had s

What: Dudebox When: 26 - 28 September 2018 Where: Ballroom, The Lithuanian Club Created and performed by: Beau Heartbreaker, Becky Lou, Lily Fish, Po Po Mo Co, The Travelling Sisters, et al Beau Heartbreaker Dudebox is a fun celebration of feminist comedy surrounding the concept of 'the dude'. Playing at The Lithuanian Club as part of this years Melbourne Fringe Festival, a group of like minded comediennes bring us a frolicking gallery of masculinity which will have you laughing from beginning to end. Not the most technically perfect show you've ever seen, Dudebox is incredibly rich in ideas with a barrel full of gender commentary and feminist question marks which will give you something to think about once all the laughter subsides. Investigating issues around masculinity and femininity, this cohort of comic and clowning colleagues take us on a wild ride which will leave you amused, bemused, bedazzled, and with a feisty pep in your step. The Travelling Sister

What: The Date When: 24 - 30 September 2018 Where: Downstairs, The Butterfly Club Created by: Dean Robinson Performed by: Stephanie Lewendon-Lowe, Dean Robinson and Megan Scolyer-Gray Dean Robinson, Megan Scolyer-Gray and Stephanie Lewendon-Lowe The Date is back at The Butterfly Club for Melbourne Fringe Festival after a successful season in January. With the same cast (different accompanist) the show is a jaunty and ultimately heart-warming journey through the angst of preparing for a first date. Set in the traditionally ramshackle bedroom of a single man, The Date explores Justin's ( Robinson ) nervous preparation for a first date - as we learn later in the show, it is his first on a couple of very important layers. In the olden days your friend used to come around and help you prepare for important moments such as this but with unlimited talk and text plans the modern version involves sending pictures to your friend and speaking to them on speaker phone for an hour

What: The Phoenix Rises - The Second Cuming of Juniper Wilde When: 20 - 25 September 2018 Where: Errol's Created and performed by: Alexandra Hines Alexandra Hines The Phoenix Rises is the follow up cabaret to Hines' successful Comedy Festival show I.M. Immortal earlier this year. Playing at Errol's it is the next step in Juniper Wilde's (Hines) career which sees her moving from pop icon to New Age transcendental meditation guide. Juniper Wilde has escaped from an enlightenment camp - a step up from the rehabilitation institutions she was in and out of previously - and found her new purpose in life. Juniper has found peace and centredness and has built a new Vegas megashow of which she is giving us a preview version - a very, very, very, reduced version. "It's a blessing." The room is filled with smoke and incense (health warning) as the audience enter and are seated and Juniper greets everyone individually, making us feel welcome and relaxed

What: Pinky Promise When: 21 - 26 September 2017 Where: LongPlay Written and directed by: Rebecca Perich Performed by: Holly Dodd and Emily Joy Holly Dodd and Emily Joy I think I just stumbled across the next big name in Australian theatre last night when I saw  Pinky Promise  at  LongPlay . Amazing actors working with great detail and delicacy on one of the most intriguing plays I have seen in a long time and directed to perfection by the playwright,  Perich. Pinky Promise  is the story of two sisters, but the tale is told backwards and in a sort of zig zag motion. I was totally enthused by Perich's way of telling this story, giving us little snippets, moving on, and then returning to backfill information. It was an amazing post-truth reminder that there is a difference between what we see with no context and how things change when context is applied. The play starts by B  (Joy ) showing A ( Dodd ) a jewelry receipt she found in her boyfriend's pocket and wh

What: Beasts When: 19 - 30 September 2018 Where: La Mama Courthouse Written by: Juan Radrigan Directed by: Jaime Wilson-Ramirez Performed by: Camilo Cortissoz, Alejandra Marin, Natalia Nazir and Samantha Urquijo-Garcia Design by: The Bridge Sound by: Abraham Dunovitos Video and stage management by: Luis Gaitan Samantha Urquijo-Garcia, Alejandra Marin, and Natalia Nazir It is always exciting to see the stories of other cultures played on Melbourne stages, and even more so when they have the authenticity of being performed and produced by that same culture. Beasts , which is playing at La Mama Courthouse until the 30th brings us all of that authenticity and satisfaction even though the story is one of great pain and desperation. An English adaptation of the Chilean play Las Brutas by Juan Radrigan , Beasts is the dramatisation of a real family of three sisters who lived in an intensely remote community in Chile and were found hanged one day in 1974 tied together and hu

What: Night Terrors When: 14 - 30 September 2018 Where: Bluestone Church Arts Space Written by: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Briony Kidd, Edgar Allan Poe, and Saki Directed by: Simon J Green Performed by: Caitlin Mathieson Design by: Jaz Wickson Caitlin Matheison Night Terrors is a spooky night of story telling in the great English tradition. Taking place in the Bluestone Church Art Space in Footscray, Mathieson tells four toe-curling stories which will make your hair stand on end and then giggle to release the tension. Night Terrors is in its third Melbourne Fringe iteration, with the others taking place in 2014 and 2016. In both previous productions the narrator was concept creator Stefan Taylor, but this year Taylor has stepped aside and Caitlin Mathieson takes over the reins with skill, confidence and a great deal of aplomb. Each time the show is produced, the stories change a bit. I don't know if it was Taylor or Green who chose this year, but this wonderful q

What: Stark. Dark. Albert Park When: 14 - 22 September 2018 Where: Studio Theatre, Gasworks Concept by: Clare Mendes Written by: Russell Bywater, Alec Gilbert, Clare Mendes, Mazz Ryan, and Bruce Shearer Directed by: Elizabeth Walley Performed by: Emma Cox, Alec Gilbert, Cosima Gilbert, Isabella Gilbert, Kyle Roberts and Mazz Ryan Cosima and Isabella Gilbert - photo by John Edwards Monologues are all the rage on Melbourne stages this year it seems, but to be fair, Melbourne Writers' Theatre (MWT) have a long tradition of exploring this performance form. This year, as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival this creative team bring us a wonderful collection of 5 short form monologues celebrating the local area in Dark. Stark. Albert Park . On a bright, sunny day Mendes took the MWT team to Albert Park for inspiration and then sent them to their writing desks, pen in hand, to explore their ideas and Stark. Dark. Albert Park is the result. Exploring both the history and the p

What: Make Your Move When: 19 - 22 September 2018 Where: Studio Theatre, Gasworks Concept by: Gemma Flannery Performed by: Louisa Carpentri, Tara Kennedy, Luke Livermore, Hayley Marlow, and Robyn Mclachlan Tara Kennedy, Robyn Mclachlan and Hayley Marlow Make Your Move is a devised piece of theatre created around the idea everyone has a moment or moments in their life when they must make a decision which will alter the course of their lives forever. It is playing at Gasworks as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival for four nights only, so blink and you'll miss it. Since moving to Melbourne Flannery has taken to teaching devised theatre and has created Make Your Move with a group of people interested in exploring this form in more depth. Working in the mode established by companies such as Frantic Assembly and Forced Entertainment, Flannery gathered this ensemble together and explored the idea as well as the individual skills and talents each performer brings to come

What: Dog Show When: 14 - 22 September 2018 Where: The Warehouse, Arts House Created by: Simone French, Cassandra Fumi, Tom Halls and Alex Roe Directed by: Cassandra Fumi Performed by: Simone French, Adam Ibrahim, Cassandra Kumashov and Alex Roe Alex Roe Dog Show is a volatile cocktail of canine energy which can normally only be found at a dog show. Riffing along similar lines to the 2000 movie Best In Show, Hotel Now have brought their manic and outrageously hilarious show to this years Melbourne Fringe Festival. I suspect Tom Halls and Simone French have a bit of a fascination with the year 2000 because the other two works I have seen from Hotel Now also have their roots in that year. Both What's Yours Is Mine and How To Kill The Queen of Pop (a hit of last year's Fringe Festival) referenced that year as well, although this one could be a coincidence... Dog Show had it's first iteration as part of La Mama's 'Explorations' series in Decemb

What: Fuckboys - The Musical When: 18 - 23 September 2018 Where: Ballroom, The Lithuanian Club Written and directed by: Savannah Pederson Composition and music direction by: Nishaa Carson Performed by: Brittany Bennett, Glenn Lorandeau, Alexander Mrazek, Maeghin Mueller, Savannah Pederson, Erin Robere, Kasea Seabrook and John Sparling Alexander Mrazek, Kasea Seabrook, Maeghin Meuller, and Savannah Pederson Fuckboys: The Musical has come all the way from Orlando, Florida to entertain us this year at the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Playing in the Ballroom at The Lithuanian Club, the show is a brief scream of frustration about the state of modern romance before settling into a tender homage to love, respect, and facing up to whatever life throws your way. There are a couple of things Americans do really well and Fuckboys brings us two of their greatest strengths - musicals and ensemble friend comedies. Conceived by Pederson after a bad breakup, Fuckboys centres around a gro

What: Ross and Rachel When: 18 - 23 September 2018 Where: Theatre Works Written by: James Fritz Directed by: Faran Martin Performed by: Jessica Stanley Jessica Stanley Ross and Rachel is a monologue about Ross and...but it's not about... It is a piece of fan fiction which investigates a relationship 10 years on. Playing at Theatre Works this week as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, the play never explicity mentions names and perhaps it is a coincidence he is a professor of dinosaurs... Despite it's sitcom provenance, content warnings apply. He has a tumor and she is at the end of her rope. Unlike the television show, Ross and Rachel does not have a happy ending. Or does it? It's all a matter of perspective I guess. Last week, in my review for Alone Outside , I said I do not enjoy just watching people on stage talking - it is not theatrical enough for me - so you may be surprised to here me say there is a lot I liked about this performance despite so m

What: Anti Heroine When: 13 - 18 September 2018 Where: Errol's Created and performed by: Heather Bloom Heather Bloom Anti Heroine is a fun and cheeky spin on comedy cabaret taking being reprised at Errol's as part of this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival. Having debuted at The Butterfly Club in 2107, Heather Bloom gives Melbourne audiences the opportunity to experience her superb singing voice whilst also reminding us of the impressive Disney catalogue of female villains. We always hear about the Disney princesses, and we do get to meet Elsa from Frozen in some fun pre-performance framing, but the really exciting women of Disney are definitely the evil no-gooders rather than the pretty little do-gooders in pastel frocks and hair down to their ankles. The premise to Anti Heroine is Disney is casting for another Blockbuster and they are having a really hard time finding a villain for their new movie so they are re-auditioning some of the stately women of evil in

What: Alone Outside When: 14 - 29 September 2018 Where: Studio 2, Arts House Written by: Liz Newell Directed by: Lyall Brooks Composed by: Grace Ferguson Performed by: Sharon Davis Sharon Davis - photo by Theresa Harrison Alone Outside is a long format monologue and is showing in Studio 2 at Arts House as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. It is the story of a country girl who leaves for the big city by continually finds herself compelled to return home. This visit is a little different from the rest. The stakes are higher and truths emerge. Alone Outside first premiered as part of 2017 Fringe World in Perth to rave reviews. Lab Kelpie have brought it to Melbourne Fringe, and having recently seen Oil Babies I was expecting great things. As with Oil Babies , the production elements are immaculately produced. A gleaming white geometric floor with nothing but a single old tractor tyre in the dark void of a black end stage set up. Very visually striking. This is w

What: Sleepover Gurlz When: 15 - 23 September 2018 Where: Private residence, North Fitzroy Created and performed by: Vidya Rajan and Emma Smith Sound by: Xanthea O'Connor Vidya Rajan and Emma Smith Every girl loves a pyjama party and, let's be honest, every woman loves them too - we have just given in to the idea that grown women don't do that kind of thing. In this sentence lies the kernel of the ideas behind Sleepover Gurlz , which is a semi-interactive/immersive theatre event in this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival. Created as a seething indictment on the strictures and absurdities placed on women to conform to societal expectations, Rajan and her alter ego Smith take us on a sleepover journey from the magic and excitement of being an 8 year old, to the mania and elasticity required to be a career woman in 2018. As a child we are all so desperate to grow up and when we grow up we just become desperate to survive. Sleepover Gurlz has their pre-perform

What: The Mouse When: 18 - 23 September 2017 Where: MC Showrooms Written by: Clancy Fraser Directed by: Bianca Lyndon Performed by: Cassandra Bleechmore, Clancy Fraser, and Dominic Westcott Clancy Fraser and Dominic Westcott Clancy Fraser is one of Melbourne's most talented stage writers of psychological thrillers and this Fringe she has brought us another gem - The Mouse . The Mouse is showing at The MC Showroom in Prahran until the 23rd. If you like your theatre spooky and nail biting this is the show to see. I first came across Fraser's work last year with Amnesia and I love the writing in The Mouse just as much. I was thoroughly engaged right up to the very last moment and my mind was constantly second guessing itself as the story unfolded. The Mouse is a classic Hitchock style thriller investigating the relationship between two sisters. Claire (Fraser) is the more successful of the two and has gone on to get married and run her own business. Beth ( Ble

What: Blood Is Thicker Than Hummus When: 13 - 23 September 2018 Where: Siteworks Created by: Pearce Hessling and Catherine Holder Performed by: Pearce Hessling, Catherine Holder, and Melina Wylie Pearce Hessling and Catherine Holder - photo by Sarah Steiner Blood Is Thicker Than Hummus is a fun family affair which will leave you with a big smile on your face. It is an immersive Fringe experience at Siteworks and only 10 people at a time can indulge. Luckily they are doing 2 shows a night! Holder and Hessling delight in creating intimate personal experiences for their audiences such as Sonder which Holder presented in 2017. Blood Is Thicker Than Hummus is not quite as intimate but perhaps in many ways it is just as personal. In Blood Is Thicker Than Hummus you are attending a family dinner and you become the family. Eschewing your real identity at the door, you take on the name of a person in the Parker family and as you wait for dinner to be served (think Waiting For Go

What: Two Animals (that don't traditionally get along) When: 10 - 16 September 2018 Where: Downstairs, The Butterfly Club Written by: Rian Howlett Performed by: Jessica Ciancio, Mitchell Holland and Rian Howlett Mitchell Holland and Jessica Ciancio Two Animals (that don't traditionally get along) is a punny take on Satre's No Exit , with a super-objective of attempting to overcome racism. It is being played at The Butterfly Club all this week. A simple technique to help the audience avoid a sense of threat and defensiveness with challenging work is to use puppets, alter-egos, or - in this case - turn the cast into animals. Howlett does this by making his characters a giraffe ( Holland ) and a penguin ( Cianco ). The giraffe Harold - no relation - and the penguin Franky - formerly Pingu - have escaped from the zoo and are making their own way in the world now that they are free to do and be what they want. With his head in the clouds, Harold has become an acad