Peter Maddern

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CABARET FESTIVAL – Lady Beatle – 4K

Lady Beatle is a stirring walk down memory lane that ends in ostensible displays of audience pleasure that highlight the spread of ages that both this show and the music comfortably traverses. 4K

THEATRE – 1984 – Her Majesty’s – 4.5K

This new adaptation is a visually stunning assault on the senses with the video design perhaps the highlight of the staging. 4.5K

THEATRE – Private Peaceful – Bakehouse – 5K

It is hard to overstate the quality of Francis’ performance. His is a performance worth cancelling all prior engagements for. A stunning one man debut! 5K

THEATRE – Mr Burns: A Post Electric Play – State Theatre and Belvoir – The Space – 4K

Bold and ambitious and not for anything but a skilled cast and crew Mr Burns poses useful questions about the impact of current pop culture. The more one is in in tune with such shows and referencing the more this will delight. 4K

THEATRE – M. Butterfly – St Jude’s Players – 3K

When a show like this clicks over into its fourth hour, this reviewer at least reckons some pruning of the script would have been in order. 3K

THEATRE – Before The Party – Independent Theatre – 3.5K

While full of the warmly received IT gloss for which Rob Croser and David Roach have long been renowned, Before The Party is not exactly their most challenging production of recent years with its messages less poignant than others. But a good night’s entertainment is assured.

THEATRE – Long Tan – Brink – Space – 3K

Chris Petridis’s lighting is a highlight with Luke Smiles’s soundscape excellent as well. Nikd Krieg, Mémé Thorne and Chris Pitman do well but like battles and war themselves much of the others’ characters were lost in the fog. 3K

THEATRE – The Play That Goes Wrong – Her Majesty’s – 4K

It’s all great fun for every age and it’s great seeing an Australian cast so seamlessly pulling off farce on this scale. But spare a thought for the stage manager who has put the set back together after each show. 4K

Glittery Clittery – GOUD – 4K

  Tessa Waters, Rowena Hudson and Victoria Falconer-Pritchard have come together to deliver a all singing, all dancing spectacular. This show is three very funny ladies talking about serious and important issues in a humorous way. That’s not to say they are making light of or belittling the significance of these issues. The core issue is …

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FRINGE THEATRE – The Girl Who Jumped off the Hollywood Sign – Botanic Gardens – 5K

Joanne Hartstone gives a masterful performance. In short, nothing detracts from the magic of this production. 5K