A German Life and Wolf Lullaby were among the highlights of the theater | Canberra weather
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This year there have been long stretches of not going out at night and no theater was operating and again realizing that no camera had ever replaced the human eye in a live theater filled with an audience. (The film is a different animal). It was difficult to keep track because the seasons and the tours were hectic, cut short, postponed. But there were also times when performances became possible and despite the masks and the aloofness and gloom of homes that often lacked a bar or even a program vendor, there were some good live shows. And when it comes to programs, are we witnessing the death of print, with a growing expectation that you are supposed to dig up information online? What happens to the historical recording? A miraculously timed short trip to Sydney in June gave birth to the exuberant and sensitive musical Come From Away, about the people of Gander who boarded planes full of stranded people in the aftermath of 9/11. Any chance of entering the historic old Capitol Theater is good too, with its statuary and light show and starry ceiling. Canberra will see this show next year. Up the hill at the Belvoir Theater, a strong and somewhat surreal take on The Cherry Orchard was complemented by Peter Carroll’s performance as Old Servant Firs. (He’s gone with the Elves and lives in a different era, but it’s devastating when he’s left behind.) Back in ACT, one of Canberra Rep’s planned season hold-ups was an elegantly strained take of Rope, the Patrick Hamilton play on which Alfred Hitchcock based his film, with a first-rate double act by Pippin Carroll and Josh Wiseman as amoral protagonists. Some great musicals have made their way through the postponements; Family favorite Queanbeyan Players, The Sound of Music, the haunting Jersey Boys of Canberra Philharmonic and Mamma Mia, a great happy life of Free Rain! At the Q in Queanbeyan, Echo Theater provided a tense evening with Hilary Bell’s grim tale of a child murderer in Wolf Lullaby, and visiting the New Zealand crazies A Slightly Isolated Dog gave us an offbeat improvisation on the gothic horrors of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in the now much more flexible Bicentennial Hall. The Playhouse was visited by the Fangirls of Belvoir Street, a rather fabulous room that turned the tide on the image of the screaming fan. John Bell sat in an armchair ruminating economically on Shakespeare in One Man in his Time. Drew Forsythe made a haunting Queen Elizabeth II in The Wharf Revue: Can of Worms, already forgetting Phillip’s death. And Robyn Nevin was terrified as a woman who worked for Goebbels in A German Life. Then there was the tumultuous energy of Elaine Crombie doing great things with Indigenous history and experience in Sydney Theater Company’s The 7 Stages of Grieving, contrasted with the writing and performance of Milk by Dylan Van Den Berg, a powerfully introspective piece on his Tasmanian heritage. Last seen this year, Chiaroscuro, David Atfield’s moody take on artist Caravaggio’s life and vision, and a valiant Dickens piece with A Christmas Carol filling the empty space at the Canberra Rep Theater. An empty year? Tough, but look at all the good things that have fallen through the cracks, thanks to the resilience and perseverance of theater makers in the face of a challenge that strikes right at the heart of performing arts. Our reporters work hard to provide local and up-to-date news to the community. Here’s how you can continue to access our trusted content:
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This year there have been long stretches of not going out at night and no theater was operating and again realizing that no camera had ever replaced the human eye in a live theater filled with an audience. (The film is a different animal). It was difficult to keep track because the seasons and the tours were hectic, cut short, postponed.
But there were also times when performances became possible and despite the masks and the aloofness and gloom of homes that often lacked a bar or even a program vendor, there were some good live shows.
And when it comes to programs, are we witnessing the death of print, with a growing expectation that you are supposed to dig up information online? What happens to the historical recording?
A miraculously timed short trip to Sydney in June resulted in the exuberant and sensitive musical Come from afar, about the people of Gander who put on planes full of stranded people in the aftermath of 9/11. Any chance of entering the historic old Capitol Theater is good too, with its statuary and light show and starry ceiling. Canberra will see this show next year.
Up the hill at the Belvoir Theater, a strong and somewhat surreal interpretation of The Cherry Orchard was crowned with the performance of Peter Carroll as Old Firs Servant. (He’s gone with the elves and lives in a different era, but it’s devastating when he’s left behind.)
Back in the ACT, one of the holdovers from Canberra Rep’s planned season was an elegantly strained take Rope, the Patrick Hamilton play on which Alfred Hitchcock based his film, with a first-rate double act by Pippin Carroll and Josh Wiseman as amoral protagonists.
Some great musicals have made their way through the postponements; The cheerful family favorite of Queanbeyan players The sound of music, the haunting Jersey Boys of the Canberra Philharmonic Orchestra and the beautifully optimistic love of life of Free Rain Mom Mia!
At the Q in Queanbeyan, Echo Theater provided a tense evening with Hilary Bell’s dark tale of a child murderer in Wolf Lullaby, and touring the New Zealand madmen A Slightly Isolated Dog gave us a makeshift, offbeat take on the gothic horrors of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the now much more flexible Bicentennial Hall.
The Playhouse was visited by Belvoir Street’s Fangirls, a rather fabulous piece that turned the tide on the image of the screaming fan. John Bell sat in an armchair ruminating economically on Shakespeare in A man in his time. Drew Forsythe made a haunting Queen Elizabeth II in Til Wharf Revue: Can of Worms, already forgetting Phillip’s death. And Robyn Nevin terrified as the woman who worked for Goebbels in German life.
Pippin Carroll, left, and Josh Wiseman in Rope. Photo: Helen Drum
Then there was the tumultuous energy of Elaine Crombie doing great things with Indigenous history and experience in the Sydney Theater Company. The 7 stages of mourning contrasting with the writing and performance at the Street Theater of Dylan Van Den Berg Milk, a powerfully introspective piece about his native Tasmanian heritage.
Last seen this year were chiaroscuro, David Atfield’s moody take on the life and vision of artist Caravaggio, and a valiant piece by Dickens with A Christmas Carol fill the blank space at the Canberra Rep Theater.
An empty year? Tough, but look at all the good things that have fallen through the cracks, thanks to the resilience and perseverance of theater makers in the face of a challenge that strikes right at the heart of performing arts.
Our reporters work hard to provide local and up-to-date news to the community. Here’s how you can continue to access our trusted content: