What Did She Think?

 What: My Father's Story When: 25 February 2023 Where: La Mama Courthouse Written and directed by: Marty Monstar Performed by: Ian Rooney Lighting and Sound by: Giovanna Yate Gonzales Ian Rooney - photo by Marty Monstar A large portion of the current population in Australia now fall into the category of senior citizens. What this means is we are in danger of losing a lot of our witnessed history and stories. There are many initiatives taking place to try and capture those stories and one such project has been started by Ballarat writer Marty Monstar . Who better for him to begin this journey with than his very own father? My Father's Story , which played for one performance only at La Mama Courthouse is exactly what it says on the label, his father's story as told to him by his father, Neville. The format is clean and simple which is important as the intention is to take the show on a regional tour. Performed by Ian Rooney , we find Neville asleep on his armchair with a Da

What: Songs of the Flesh When: 14 - 18 February Where: Theatre Works (Explosives Factory) Written by: Chris Beckey Directed by: Stephen Mitchell Wright Performed by: Josh Blake and Scott Middleton Lighting by: Sidney Younger Costumes by: Kristine Von Hilderbrant Scott Middleton and Josh Blake - Photo by Tom Noble Every so often a show comes along, and you know from the very first moment that it was created by people who know nothing other than originality backed by a ridiculous understanding of storytelling. Songs of the Flesh , currently running at the Explosives Factory as part of Midsumma , is one of those shows. Songs of the Flesh has been twice written by Chris Beckey and is an ode to love, a plea to humanity, and a dirge to innocence. This tragic tale takes us from bucolic wonder into a steamy urban world of lust and - eventually - love. We all know that love is hard, and for some demographics the community makes it outrageously more difficult and painful. Does love die? I don&

What: Burgerz When: 8 - 18 February 2023 Where: Theatre Works Written by: Travis Alabanza Directed by: Kitan Petkovski Composition by: Rachel Lewindon Lighting by: Katie Sfetkidis Performed by: Kikki Temple Kikki Temple - photo by Daniel Rabin Trigger warning: I will be writing this review, for the most part, from a theatre making perspective. As such, because of the sensitivity of the content, some of you may find this review to not be a safe place. That is not my intention, but I am aware that reviews can be taken/read out of context so before you read on, please consider this. Midsumma is in full swing and our theatres are filled with stories which chronicle the challenges, loves, celebrations and abuses of the LGBTQIA+ community. This week at Theatre Works we are honoured to be presented with an Australian/Aotearoan adaptation of the internationally acclaimed UK hit show Burgerz , written by Travis Alabanza . In 2016 Alabanza had a burger thrown at them in public and nobody appea

 What: Trophy Boys When: 2 - 12 February 2023 Where: Fortyfivedownstairs Written by: Emmanuelle Mattana Directed by: Marni Mount Designed by: Ben Andrews Performed by: Emmanuelle Mattana, Leigh Lule, Gaby Seow, and Fran Sweeney-Nash Stage Managed by: Oliver Ross   Fran Sweeney-Nash, Gaby Seow, Emmanuelle Mattana, and Leigh Lule - photo by Ben Andrews Wow. Mind Blown! Can't speak!... But this is a review so I must try and string a few words together for this most amazing, hilarious, powerful, painful, and revelationary show. It has to be Best in Fest for sure! Trophy Boys is an original play written by Emmanuelle Mattana (who also plays Owen). Presented by The Maybe Pile and doing a return season at Fortyfivedownstairs as part of this year's Midsumma Festival , Trophy Boys is a black comedy performed in drag. It addresses the problems Melbourne (and probably the rest of the world) is dealing with regarding private school boys and their understanding of how to treat females.

What: House of the Heart When: 5-12 February 2023 Where: Museum of Chinese Australian History Created by: Moira Finucane & Jackie Smith Performed by: Paul Fabian Cordeiro, Shirley Cattunar, Zitao Deng, Moira Finucane, Dave Johnston, Sophie Koh, Rachel Lewindon, Lois Olney, Raksha Parsnani, and Xiao Xiao Lois Olney It has been just over a year since Victoria's strict pandemic lockdown and work from edicts ceased. Yes, we are moving on, and yes, society's rhythms are returning - slightly retuned but beginning to play at something approaching vivace if not the preceding prestissimo. In the midst of our fermata, however, we had the opportunity and the will to take a look around us and consider what is important to us. Locked in the little cells of our domeciles we also took stock of what is house and what is home. Finucane & Smith have taken this intensely intimate introspection we all faced and created a cabaret study called House of the Heart . Intriguingly, and importan

 What: A Year of Dating When: 3 - 11 February 2023 Where: The MC Showroom (Mainstage) Written by: Lucy Holz Directed by: Lyall Brooks Sound Design & Composition by: Tom Backhaus Lighting & AV Design by: Gabriel Bethune Performed by: Emma Jevons and Seon Williams Emma Jevons and Seon Williams - photo supplied I am not going to lie. Every year there is a new show (several new shows) about dating across the stages/festivals of the world. You can get jaded by it or you can accept that as a species, every year there are around 5 years worth of youths looking to find love/partnerships/hookups - and that doesn't include the mature, post-divorce crowd! Dating is a part of the human experience so it can be intriguing to see how it shifts and moves as the years roll by. A Year of Dating , written by Lucy Holz , is the current instalment and is being presented at The MC Showroom as part of the Midsumma Festival . Hannah ( Emma Jevons ) and Holly ( Seon Williams ) are housemates. Holl