What Did She Think?

What: Heathers - The Musical When: 26 October - 3 November 2018 Where: St Martin's Theatre Written by: Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe Direction and lighting by: Jack Wilkinson Musical direction by: Peter Verhagen Performed by: Elyse Batson, Matthew Bertram, Tess Branchflower, Antoinette Davis, Matt Di Nardo, Morgan Dooley-Axup, Houston Dunlevy, Edu Herrera, Alexandra Knight, Cody Leggett, Peter Levey, Grace Maddern, Jayla McLennan, Timothy Ian McMullin, Jack Michel, Amy Nguyen, Alexander Palamara, Madeline Pratt, Dean Robinson, Oliver Ryan, Edward Seiffert, Alison Shuttleworth, Sean Smyth, and Tess Walsh Choreography by: Grace Maddern Alexandra Knight, Jayla McLennan (keys), Grace Maddern and Morgan Dooley-Axup - photo by Matthew Howat It's all about everything Heathers this spring. The cult 1988 movie never gets old, the spinoff TV series is all the rage right now, and Heathers: The Musical is popping up on stages around Melbourne. Right now you can see it

What: Bohemian Rhapsody Release date: 1 November 2018 Written by: Andrew McCarten Directed by: Brian Singer Featuring: Lucy Boynton, Ben Hardy, Gwilym Lee, Allen Leech, Rami Malek, and Joseph Mazzello Rami Malek and Gwilym Lee We have been waiting a long time for Bohemian Rhapsody to be made and released but now the wait is over and on 1 November the people of Australia will get to walk in the footsteps of Freddie Mercury and his travels with the mega group Queen . A rhapsody itself, honoring the life of Mercury ( Malek ), Bohemian Rhapsody is Queen's homage to the man who pushed them into realms they were willing to explore. Much of the publicity suggests secret insights into the life and times of Mercury but I admit I didn't feel I discovered much I didn't know. Not being British, I was perhaps not as aware of the racial slurs heaped upon him - he was constantly called a 'Paki' although in fact he is a Parsi - and this undoubtedly was a battle he had

What: Tinder Tales When: 24 - 28 October 2018 Where: The Loft, Chapel Off Chapel Written by: Mattie Mcleod Composition and musical direction by: Thomas Bradford Directed by: Clary Raven Performed by: Thomas Bradford, Amy Cumming, Paige Easter, Gordon Li, Tom New, Ashlee Noble, Francesca O'Donnell, Edie Testro-Girasole, Callum Warrender, and Anna Wilshire Choreography by: Kirra Sibel Design by: Rachel Mclean Lighting by: Jason Crick Stage managed by: Kyra Von Steigler Francesca O'Donnell, Tom New, Ashlee Noble, and Eadie Testro-Girasole Tinder Tales is an energetic new musical being performed at Chapel Off  Chapel this week. A micro interogation of the online dating world Mcleod, with a lot of help from the musical stylings of Bradford , takes us on a Tinder journey which is perhaps more of a nightmare than it is living the dream. Tinder is regular comedy fodder in the cabaret scene and there are at least two other musicals about the subject ( Tinder! - The Mus

What: Jugg Life When: 18 - 21 October 2018 Where: Melba Spiegeltent Created and performed by: Byron Hutton and Richard Sullivan Byron Sutton and Richard Sullivan Jugg Life is a juggling act which has been around since 2014. In 2016 Sullivan left to develop his skills in Europe, but he is back now and the show is totally fabulous. Playing at the Melba Spielgeltent as part of the Sidesault program, Sullivan and Hutton have a show which is witty, vibrant, and both adult and child friendly. One of the aspects which sets this juggling performance a step above many others is the understanding that juggling is all about rhythm. Embracing this element Jugg Life incorporates the tom and the snare to set the marching orders of the juggling, and also incorporate the rings (and sometimes other objects) as percussive full stops and sonic players themselves. Add in sampling and looping and you have a full spectrum audi and visual feast. The idea of a 50 minute juggling show sounds ex

What: One And The Other When: 17 - 28 October 2018 Where: La Mama Courthouse Devised by: Debra Iris Batton and Sue Broadway Directed by: Clare Bartholomew Musical direction by: Teresa Blake Performed by: Debra Iris Batton, Sue Broadway, and Teresa Blake Designed by: Emily Barrie Lighting by: Sarah Platts Debra Iris Batton, Sue Broadway, and Teresa Blake It feels like circus is everywhere at the moment. ' Sidesault ' has taken over the Melba Spiegeltent, Rock Bang is about to explode into the Merlyn and One And The Other has just opened at La Mama Courthouse for two weeks. What is exciting about this current fever of circus activity is the breadth and spectrum on display. From the newbies at the Speigeltent, to the master craftspersons in the Merlyn , and to the maestro pioneers at La Mama, the entire spectrum of modern circus - origins to outcomes - are filling the stages for audiences to marvel at and admire. One And The Other is perhaps the icing on the cake

What: Hell Is Other People When: 18 - 21 October, 2018 Where: Melba Spiegeltent Created and performed by: Jess Love Jess Love You would almost not recognise Jess Love in her new show Hell Is Other People, playing as part of Sidesault at the Melba Spiegeltent this week Eschewing her fast paced hilarity as a genius of the hula hoop and skipping rope (amongst other apparatus), in this full length solo show Love bares her soul - and her body - as she takes us through a kaleidoscope of relationship experiences, a couple of which are not for the faint-hearted. The quote 'hell is other people' comes from the Sartre play No Exit . Whilst often misrepresented, what Satre is talking about is the gaze of the other and what it does, what it signifies, and what it manifests in the self. Love understands this and in her show of the same name she exposes herself body and soul to our gaze as she lives and relives key relationships in her sexual maturity and talks about how she exp

What: Feed The Horse When: 18 - 21 October, 2018 Where: Melba Spiegeltent Created and performed by: Radish By Night Radish By Night Feed The Horse is one of the three experimental circus shows which opened for the second week of the Sidesault festival at Melba Spiegeltent last night. I haven't been able to find out details of the cast members but they all worked as a very tight ensemble. Feed The Horse is billed as being a Dadaist/Surreal/Butoh performance. It is supposed to be immersive and shock the senses. I am not convinced it lives up to the marketing but what I will say is Radish By Night have an incredibly strong visual aesthetic and some great circus skills. Dadaism and Butoh were essentially created out the the same impetus although in different parts of the world at different times. Both movements were about breaking down the traditional ideas of what art (or dance in the case of Butoh) is/was. They are both a form of 'anti-art' movement. They are b

What: Laser Kiwi When: 10 - 14 October Where: Melba Spiegeltent Created and performed by: Degge Jarvie, Zane Jarvie and Imogen Stone Zane Jarvie, Imogen Stone, and Degge Jarvie I don't know if I have ever had so much silly, ridiculous, outrageously dorky fun as I did watching the Colossal show Laser Kiwi at Melba Spiegeltent . One of the acts in the 'Sidesault' festival, I have to tip my hat to our neighbours in the land of the long white cloud who showed us how to have a whole lot of good, clean fun just for the purpose of laughing our heads off. The name of the show, Laser Kiwi, comes from one of the quirkier entries in the flag changing referendum New Zealand held in 2015. Unsurprisingly, it didn't win (although it should have, I reckon). Colossal have taken the outrageous and audacious humour of this flag and turned it into a comedy/circus hybrid which - for all the same reasons boaty mcboatface won the ship naming competition in the UK - captures the i

What: Summer & Smoke When: 3 - 14 October 2018 Where: Good Shepherd Chapel Written by: Tennessee Williams Directed by: Tanya Burne Performed by: Alice Bishop, Helen Doig, Leah Filley, Joseph Green, Cecilia Low, Ryan Murphy, Cariad Wallace, and John Wood Costumes by: Emily Harvey and Amanda Hitten Lighting by: Natalia Velasco Music and sound by: Julian Lyngcolm and Peter McKeown Stage Managed by: Joey Burford John Wood, Helen Doig, and Leah Filley Summer & Smoke is a play written by Williams at the beginning of his golden era of play writing. It has never been a play produced in Australia, but White Horse Collective have changed that and have put on a season at the Good Shepherd Chapel in Abbottsford. Produced on stage in 1948 (just after A Streetcar Named Desire ), Summer & Smoke was made into a film in 1961. All of Williams' plays are considered to be autobiographical and Summer & Smoke clearly delves into his family situation. Williams' m

What: Zelos Digital release date: 13 October 2018 Written by: Claire J Harris Directed by: Jo-Anne Brechin Featuring: Shannon Ashlyn, Ainslie McGlynn, and Ben Mortely Shannon Ashlyn and Ben Mortely Zelos is the Greek work for both passion and jealousy and Harris ' film of the same title is about that and so much more. Having won a slew of awards from film festivals across the globe, the film has its digital release today in iTunes Store, Amazon Prime, and Google Play. Zelos is the first feature film for both Harris and Brechin . Originally a short story by Harris, the two of them developed the idea into a film script when they met at AFTRS . Two years after graduating they finally had the film in the can so to speak. In 2017 it was released on the big screen and now it is available for general consumption through your favourite digital outlet. Zelos is the story of a thirty-something middle class couple who are literally crossing the threshold to live together. It co

What: This-That When: 8 - 13 October 2018 Where: Upstairs, The Butterfly Club Written and directed by: Kotryna Gesait Performed by: Kristina Benton, Candice Lillian, and Ryan Stewart Kristina Benton and Candice Lillian This-That is the latest offering from writer/director Gesait and has been playing at The Butterfly Club this week. Perhaps slightly inaccurately billed as an anti-rom-com rom-com, the show is nevertheless a good two-hander and well worth seeing for the great acting and intriguing character studies. Let's get the tedious part over with first so I can get onto the good stuff. It is not a comedy. This-That is a dramatic piece of theatre which has funny moments. The funniest of those are in the meta-structure when they step outside the drama to tell us what the next step of the show would be if it was a real romantic comedy. The internal structure of the play is, however, quite a deep and sensitive interrogation of how two women cope with the realisation

What: My Sight - Their Sight When: 11 - 14 October 2018 Where: Melba Spiegeltent Performed by: Ryan Darwin, Romain Hassanin, and Abby Madden Ryan Darwin Blindful is a dance/circus venture created by Abby Madden and the show My Sight - Their Sight is a part of this year's Sidesault festival. Exploring the question of how the loss of sight affects a person's understanding of space and safety, this show kicks off the nightly program at the Melba Spiegeltent. My Sight - Their Sight is an idea Madden was interested in exploring and for which she created the company Blindful. Born with glaucoma, Madden was interested in how sight (and the lack of it) affects physicality and interconnection. Madden is a contemporary dancer. Joining her on this journey is another dancer and parcour specialist (!) Hassanin , and circus artist Darwin. For the most part, My Sight - Their Sight is a dance show. Hassanin has a love of break dancing so it is no surprise there is a lot of fl

What: BOSS Squad When: 11 - 14 October 2018 Where: Melba Spiegeltent Performed by: Marina Gellman, Lisa Goldsworthy, Flick Lannan, Marcela Sheuner,  and Amy Stuart Lisa Goldsworthy, Amy Stuart, Flick Lannan, Marcela Sheuner and Marina Gellman BOSS Squad is a joint venture between Point & Flex Circus and Madhouse Circus. Together they have created a crazily energetic show which celebrates the strength of women and it is on show at the Melba Speigeltent until this Sunday as part of Sidesault. Dressed in the purple, green and white of the suffrage movement, this ensemble of insanely strong and vibrant women have just enough black to remind us there are no powder puffs here. This troupe mean serious business. BOSS Squad is a glorious array of circus acts and a few sideshow elements which take us back to the glory days of freak shows and the idea of the super human.  This show debunks the myths of femininity being a synonym for fragility, delicacy, and weakness. These w

What: Dance Hall - The Diva Carousel When: 10 - 14 October Where: The Famous Spiegeltent Performed by: Mama Alto, Paul Codeiro, Maude Davey, Moira Finucane, Kathryn Neische, Willow Sizer, Clare St Clare, and James Welby Clare St Clare, Paul Codeiro, Moira Finucane, James Welby, Mama Alto, and Maude Davey With all the glitter, grace, thrills and chills of an amusement park, Finucane and Smith bring Dance Hall: The Diva Carousel to Melbourne. The Famous Spiegeltent has raised it's big top in Luna Park and Dance Hall: The Diva Carousel brings all of the dreams, desire and daring of the fun park onto the stage. Finucane and Smith have been touring Dance Hall across regional Victoria and are taking a moment to allow Melbourne into the glory and glamour of humanity celebrating itself with a richness of ideas and urgencies which need to be expressed. The amazing doyenne, Moira Finucane , begins the night with a quote from the iconic revolutionary Emma Goldman - "If I

What: Just A Boy, Standing In Front Of A Girl When: 4 - 14 October 2018 Where: La Mama Courthouse Written by: Jane Miller Directed by: Beng Oh Performed by: Keith Brokcett, John Marc Desengano, Annie Lumsden, Andrea mcCannon and Glenn van Oosterom Design by: Emily Collett Lighting by Dans Maree Sheehan Sound by Zac Kazepis Andrea McCannon, John Marc Desengano, Glenn van Oosterom and Keith Brockett Just A Boy, Standing In Front Of A Girl is a mouthful of a title, but it is the name of the new play written by  Miller and directed by Beng Oh  being performed at La Mama Courthouse until 14 October. Such an unassuming sounding play is a smokescreen for a show which packs a wallop, sizzles with energy and takes you places you have no idea you are heading for. It is suprisingly rare to see shows with this much energy outside of VCA theatre student productions - Hotel Now is the only other group in Melbourne which springs to mind and they actually are VCA graduates so this 15 M

What: The Magnolia Tree When: 4 - 6 October 2018 Where: Kingston Arts Centre Written and directed by: Michael Gray Griffith Performed by: Ezra Bix, Rohana Hayes, Michelle Robertson and Bruce Whalley Stage managed by: Jessica McKerlie Ezra Bix, Rohana Hayes, and Michelle Robertson The Magnolia Tree is a play which has captured the imagination of Melbourne since it's initial production at La Mama in 2017. Since then it has gone on to be performed at Gasworks and Queanbeyan . In its current iteration it is touring Kingston , Knox and Doncaster throughout October. In The Magnolia Tree Griffith has teased out a contentious and sensitive issue which all of Generation X are having to face about their Baby Boomer parents. In a society obsessed with life at all costs, the question about the quality of end of life services and options is on the forefront of the personal and political agenda. Griffith has written a play which places the questions surrounding palliative care