Category: Whats On

Cabaret, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: PINOCCHIO RESTRUNG

Clever and illuminating rethinking of classic tale

By Myron My

We all know the “traditional” tale of Pinocchio: the wooden puppet who just wanted to be a real boy. Created as a grim Italian children’s novel by Collodi, and sanitised for the Disney movie, emerging theatre company A_tistic have cleverly re-imagined this story as part of the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival in quite a different way and with some brilliant results.

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A_tistic aim to tell stories that highlight the experiences and create an understanding of autism spectrum disorders so writer and director Tom Middleditch has adapted Pinocchio’s tale as an allegory for a boy with autism who is attempting to become a “real boy”. Middleditch, himself on the autism spectrum, has created a thoughtful intelligent story that not only looks at the anxieties and difficulties people with autism can experience but also those their parents undergo in attempting to understand and accept their child as they are.

Matt Alden as Pinocchio is very comfortable with the character and material, and his mannerisms and body language do well in conveying the thoughts and feelings a person can have with autism. The visual cues of how someone with autism processes information are done simply yet highly effectively, such as when the ‘running puppet’ is deciding upon his name. Similarly, Edan Goodall and Sam Barson are entertaining to watch as Geppetto and Crichton, particularly Goodall as his character tries to find a way to build a relationship with Pinocchio.

The naturalistic costuming that highlights the personalities of these characters is well thought-out, however I feel some subtle creative touches could have benefited the characters of the Blue Fairy (Sophie Jevons) and Fox (Kristiane Burri). The same can be said about the set design and its painted cardboard backdrops. However, due to Middleditch’s strong engaging narrative, the weaker design actually supports the play by allowing our focus to easily remain on the characters without any of our attention wavering.

With Pinocchio Restrung, A_tistic accomplish exactly what they set out to do. With accessibility and inclusivity such an important aspect of the arts, it’s great to see theatre companies putting on works that not only open up discussion on issues people may be less familiar with, but also allows those less often represented to see themselves on stage.

Venue: Metanoia at the Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydey Rd, Brunswick, 3056
Season: until 17 September | Thurs – Sat 6.00pm, Sat 2.00pm
Length: 90 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image by William Anderson WA Photography

Cabaret, Whats On

1812 Theatre Presents RUBEN GUTHRIE

Facing demons in powerful Aussie play

By Sally McKenzie

Ruben Guthrie, written by Brendan Cowell, is a hard-hitting Australian play which deals with the perils of alcoholism and drug abuse as experienced by Ruben Guthrie himself and the people around him.

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In this production, presented by the 1812 Theatre in conjunction with FizzWack Theatre Company, Travis Handcock played the lead role of Guthrie, as well as taking on the role of director – an ambitious project indeed, and Handcock managed to satisfy both roles quite successfully. Guthrie rarely leaves the stage, and Handcock was quite masterful in his portrayal of the struggling Creating Director of ‘Subliminal’ Advertising Agency. He opened the show by immediately breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience as though we were members of an ‘alcoholics anonymous’-style meeting. I felt Handcock was a little more hesitant in these moments. He really hit his stride when connecting with the other characters on stage, as he dealt with his struggle with sobriety.  It was difficult not to empathize with his feelings of helplessness as those close to him failed to support him. Handcock did a superb job of handling the enormity and sensitivity of this role.

Jeanette Coppolino played Guthrie’s Czechoslovakian fiancé Zoya. Her accent was strong and consistent and her role well-executed. As was the intention, I felt much distaste for the manner and business-driven character of Guthrie’s boss and father-figure, Ray, played by Andy Mellor – a job well done! David Runnels as Peter, Guthrie’s father, was perfectly suited to his role, all the way down to his safari shorts and loafers. He depicted the wine-loving, self-centred, mid-life-crisis Aussie male with just the right balance of realism and humour.

Stephanie Morrell as Virginia (Guthrie’s second love interest) served as a great contrast to the conservative super-model Zoya. Her opening scene with Guthrie was particularly lovely with one of the few heart-warming and more light-hearted scenes as they faced those first few ‘awkward’ moments signalling the start of a relationship. Steve Young played Damien, one of Guthrie’s best friends: a great casting choice, as he was impressively consistent with his over-driven personality and ‘unlikable’ corruptive influences on Guthrie. Stephanie King gave a good performance as Guthrie’s alcoholic mother, and her final scene as a confessing alcoholic was particularly poignant.

The set was simple: a series of white vertical wooden panels in colourful graffiti, reminiscent of the chaos of Guthrie’s life, a couch, and the occasional stool or chair. Cast appeared between the panels as providers of props, extra clothing items, and then the various forms of alcohol, profoundly symbolic of Guthrie’s ‘enablers’, while lighting and sound was most effective in illustrating the abrupt change from the meetings to Ruben’s real life. This was all that was needed. The focus was where it needed to be – on the actors, their personal demons and the ways they dealt or chose not to deal with them.

For me, the only questionable direction decision was the choice to include nudity. I felt this was unnecessary, and only a distraction to the overall tone of the play. In addition, a fault of the script was its length: the play had well and truly made its point, whereupon I felt the last 20 minutes only served to almost disconnect us from the characters, and added choreographed movement and montages that seemed out of style with the rest of the production.

Overall however, this was an insightful and thought-provoking production, with a highly impressive cast – well worth a visit to the foot of the Dandenongs this week.

Ruben Guthrie is playing at the 1812 Theatre, Rose St, Upper Ferntree Gully for one week only – from Wed 7th-Sat 10th Sept. Tickets at www.1812theatre.com.au or by phoning 9758 3964. Please be warned that this play contains violence, drug and alcohol use, nudity, sexually explicit action, coarse language and adult themes.

Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

Melbourne 2016: WE WILL ROCK YOU

Yes, they will

By Jessica Cornish

In true Melbourne style, the first evening of Spring was ushered in by cold wind and rain, but this was no deterrent to the buzzing opening night crowd of We Will Rock You at the Regent Theatre. The show was incredibly vibrant, energetic and visually spectacular.

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We Will Rock You utilises the well-known music of Queen to tell the quirky story of a society that is becoming more and more virtual, with the looming presence of Global Soft trying their best to stamp out all forms of bohemian life and of course the dreaded music of rock and roll. Despite the evil corporation’s best efforts, a small group of rebels strive for a world reunited through classic British rock.

Director Ben Elton, musical director Dave Skelton and choreographer Arlene Phillips combined forces to create a powerhouse production team. This creative strength was further complimented by a mesmerising lighting design by Willie Williams and excellent scenic design by Mark Fisher as the entire show being incredibly punchy and dynamic owed much to a set and lighting rig that was constantly moving. Box truss, LED screens and scaffolding flew in and out throughout the evening and the lighting rig was robust and well-planned. The show was consistently visually exciting and the stage looked stunning: there was even some pyro and confetti thrown into the mix, so no complaints here.

Bobby Aitken’s sound design was forceful, clear and generally well balanced. A couple of times the female vocals were drowned out in the mix by their male counterparts, although this could also be in part due to the challenging low vocal range the female performers were required to perform in the occasional bottom-heavy (pun intended) Queen songs.

Equally strong were the lead cast members and ensemble. They were all terrific triple-threat performers that were on the ball all night. Relative musical-theatre newcomer female lead Erin Clare (Scaramouche) sang beautifully and seemed to slip effortlessly in to the rebellious role. However, I felt her male counterpart Gareth Keegan (Galileo) lacked a contemporary edge to his performance which made him seem slightly wooden and not as believable as the dreamy love interest. Other leads, Jaz Flowers (Oz) and her muscly counterpart Thern Reynolds (Brit) did not miss a beat and were a pleasure to watch. Every movement and note was perfectly executed. Former 80’s rocker Brian Mannix (Buddy) was well received by the crowd and performed well however it was the former Australian Idol champion Casey Donovan who stole the show. She was – hands down – the standout performer of the evening as the glorious Killer Queen. She was charismatic and demanded attention every moment she was on stage. She gave an incredibly strong performance, and I couldn’t take my eyes off this bodacious babe, particularly in her rendition of fat bottomed girls framed by an array of women in leather and pink feather dusters.

We Will Rock You does not disappoint. It is a great starting point into the world of theatre, especially for the younger audience and of course all those with a love for Queen, and an impressively dynamic show that is both well-polished and well-executed. How can you pass this up?!

VENUE: REGENT THEATRE

SEASON: TO 30 OCTOBER

PERFORMANCE TIMES: TUES 7PM, WED–SAT 8PM, SAT MATINEE 2PM, SUNDAY 1PM & 6PM

BOOKINGS: TICKETMASTER.COM.AU OR PHONE 1300 111 011 GROUPS 8+ CALL 1300 889 278

Image by Jeff Busby

Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

Pursued By Bear Presents FIRST DATE

Crass, cluey, and relentlessly funny

By Amy Planner

That awkward blind date feeling should definitely be avoided at all costs, so when someone decides to dedicate a musical to it, there are bound to be a few uncomfortable and unfortunately relatable moments. Enter First Date: The Musical (book by Austin Winsberg and music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner) – this is the show dedicated to bringing those dreaded memories back and managing to make you both laugh and cry at them.

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When slightly nerdy blind date newbie Aaron (Jordan Mahar) is set up with tattoo-toting blind date veteran Casey (Rebecca Hetherington), their obvious differences make for an interesting and incredibly awkward first date. Along for the ride are a number of family members, potential children, ex-lovers and a best mate or two to give their albeit not always helpful advice – in musical form of course.

The Small Timber Café was the setting of this first date disaster, with the audience invited to sit at the café tables and even order coffee from the stage before the show. Cast members lingered around, blending in with baristas and immersing the awaiting audience in this distinctive setting.

There were a few sound issues in the beginning but after some level adjustments and once those opening night nerves were settled, this show had the audience laughing, clapping and even hollering at times.

This small cast were incredibly entertaining from lights up to lights down. Their energy was outstanding as was their enthusiasm for the show bubbling over. Hetherington and Mahar took the lead with their well-characterised vocals, even contriving to sober the boisterous audience with their serious solos.

The five-man ensemble; Nicole Melloy, Danielle O’Malley, Adam Porter, Stephen Valeri and Daniel Cosgrove, were the energetic life force of the show. Each performer had such a unique take on their characters, which made for a hilariously bumpy ride.

Other than those few audio hiccups, this show was pretty seamless. Director Mark Taylor took an Americanised script and made it fit perfectly into an Australian setting and by taking a few ‘lewd’ chances, has put together a genuinely hilarious production.

First Date’s musical score is very modern and unexpected but has indisputable flow and vigour, and no successful musical would be complete without a great Musical Director – and Stephanie Lewendon-Lowe was just that. Her artistic verve manifested in equally witty tunes and great musical moments. The band had nowhere to hide, set upstage in full view of the audience, disguised as café patrons and a chef hat-totting drummer behind the pass.

Sarah Tulloch’s production design was satisfyingly realistic and unbelievably innovative. The set dressing was simple but effective and the ease with which backstage crew could be disguised as waiters and move items around was a sneakily brilliant thought.

First Date is comically crude and toe-tappingly upbeat, and it even slips in a few serious moments to make you remember some things are all too real and unavoidable. As someone who has seen the Broadway original, this definitely stacks up and does Melbourne proud.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel

Season: September 2-11, Mon-Sat 8pm & Sun 5pm

Tickets: $39 Monday only, $49 Full, $39 Concession (+ transaction fee)

Bookings: chapeloffchapel.com.au

Dance, Review, Whats On

Mourad Merzouki’s PIXEL

Marvellous

By Myron My

Fans of contemporary dance are in for a real treat with Mourad Merzouki’s Pixel being performed in Melbourne for a very limited season. Mixing dance and interactive video images projected onto a black scrim screen, it is a poetic blending of two worlds – technology and nature – and how they must find a balance to co-exist in harmony.

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The light projection by Adrien M / Claire B Company is perfectly executed and visually captivating. There are exciting moments occurring throughout, at one point a wall of digital white pixels come crashing down outward towards the audience and crushing the dancers on the stage. There are scenes where the dancers struggle to pass through the haze of stars and overpowered but then there are also moments of whimsy and nostalgia as the points of light gently fall through to the floor. It is this mutual respect that is being explored throughout Pixel.

The performers display a variety of dance skills including hip hop, break-dancing, capoeira, body-contortion, acrobatics and even rollerblading. Merzouki’s choreography is complex and varied, but the dancers execute every move with confidence and enthusiasm. Their break-dancing at times is so incredibly fast you almost don’t see their feet or hands touch the ground. On its own, this is challenging enough, but ensuring they are keeping in time with the digital projections and working alongside them adds a whole new layer to the intricacies of the show.

Composer Armand Amar‘s long history of working with contemporary dance choreographers is evident with this production. His music allows the dancers the freedom to experiment with what their bodies can do, and forges a relationship with the digital projections to be able to tell the same story to the audience.

Pixel is a highly elegant and entertaining show – both from a technical and an artistic point of view. It is a superb example of how two seemingly very different art mediums can come together organically and result in cast, creatives and audience considering the possibilities that are out there, just waiting to be explored.

Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre, 219 Exhibition St, Melbourne
Season: until 4 September | Thurs – Sat 8pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 3pm
Bookings: Ticketek 

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Redfox 3 Presents THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Plenty to both love and dread in classic ghost tale

By Myron My

I will admit there was some trepidation as I sat down to see Redfox 3 Theatre Company‘s production of Susan Hill’s much loved ghost story The Woman In Black. It was not due to the anticipated horror of the novella-turned-play, but the hopes that the newly established company would be able to tell the tale just as masterfully as it has been told in the West End for over three decades.

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I remember seeing Stephen Mallatratt‘s adaptation of the play for the first time in 2008, and feeling something I have never felt in theatre before; terror and fear. A genuine emotion of unease rippled throughout the audience and the walk home that evening was not a joyous experience. This experience repeated itself upon my second, third and fourth viewing of the play, and it’s fair to say that The Woman In Black is my favourite theatrical performance of all time.

Fortunately, in this local production, director Justin Stephens has maintained the overall apprehension and dread that slowly builds into the story, while also creating some original moments that even had me surprised at how certain events were executed. His direction of the woman in black herself ensures there are palpable “jump in your seat” moments and the relationship he creates between Kieran Tracey and Chris McLean‘s characters feels highly authentic.

Tracey’s switches from the Actor to the younger Arthur Kipps are well defined and he manages to keep the two characters distinct in mannerism and speech. As the story develops and the mystery deepens, Tracey expertly shows how both these men begin to be haunted by their experiences. McLean delivers a convincing effort as present-day Arthur Kipps, however I felt there needed to be a stronger weariness and alertness to him considering all he has endured. McLean’s portrayal of the various townspeople and minor characters were too often played for laughs rather than attempting to keep the serious nature of the story, though this is more a comment on the direction than McLean’s acting.

Set designer Merinda Backway‘s clever use of the space and darkness allows the audience to run off with their imagination. Lighting – or lack of – is imperative to a show like this and lighting designer Callum Robertson does an impeccable job in literally keeping the audience in the pitch dark while being able to see the actors on stage. Unfortunately, the use of the projections in Act 1 felt very much out of place with the rest of the performance and their use seemed to be more to manipulate the audience into feeling scared rather then letting us feel the terror organically. Considering they are never to be seen again in Act 2, perhaps it would even be better to leave them out completely.

Despite the mentioned issues, Redfox 3 Theatre Company has taken on an ambitious gamble in staging this classic book, and this production of The Woman In Black pays off handsomely. This conventional yet highly entertaining ghost story is full of chills and thrills that is bound to have people sleeping with their lights on.

Venue: The Memo, 235 Marrondah Hwy, Healesville, Victoria, 3777
Season: 4 September | Sun 2pm
Tickets: $28 Full | $24 Conc
Bookings: The Memo

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Eddie Perfect’s THE BEAST

Relentless satire and fiercely funny

By Bradley Storer

Eddie Perfect’s The Beast, under the direction of Simon Phillips, has made its return to Melbourne at the Comedy Theatre, and set its sights squarely on the Australian middle class. A vicious and satirical examination of class warfare of this ilk hasn’t been seen since the like of Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage – be warned, there will be (literal) blood.

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The piece seems particularly suited to a Melbourne audience – the skewering of the affluent and aspirational upper middle class and their conflicts of status anxiety were met with uproarious laughter and applause, with a sense that these people were entirely familiar to those in the crowd.

Alison Bell as the acerbic outsider Marge drew big laughs with her biting wit, and a bone-dry sarcasm that was wielded to maximum effect in every scene. The warmth underneath the barbs was obvious in her interactions with her husband Baird, played by Perfect in addition to writing the text. Perfect touchingly conveys an average man doomed to the eternal ridicule of his pretentious friends while never fully understanding why – the character’s reversal of fortune in a cunning coup later in the piece, while satisfying to watch, feels almost too contrived and convenient to the plot.

Rohan Nichol was astonishingly awful as the smarmy self-appointed ‘leader’ of the male trio Simon, managing to elicit groans with his overbearing sense of entitlement and arrogance, while Christie Whelan Browne as his put-upon wife Gen was the perfect mixture of air-headed sweetness and burning resentment that exploded into some truly hilarious antics during the dinner party scene.

The only weakpoint of the sextet is the third couple – Toby Truslove as the rapidly crumbling Rob manages to find the underlying sweetness and sensitivity of the character but it never fully coalesces into a full characterization beyond the character’s overall oddball escapades and quirks. Heidi Arena as Sue fully commits to her character’s smiling and cheerful hypocrisies but has been directed to play so big that it feels self-consciously artificial to the point of caricature. Peter Houghton ably plays a variety of smaller roles, managed to shift chameleon-like into different characters so diverse that he is almost unrecognizable between them.

While the middle section of the play is wonderfully structured and cleverly written, with a scene involving the slaughter of a cow that had the audience falling out of their seats laughing, the opening scene and the underlying mystery which it wraps around the rest of the piece appears so out of place (and is dealt with so quickly at the conclusion) that it seems almost unnecessary to have them.  Watching these characters scrap and vie for dominion is so entertaining in itself and artfully depicted that I would have gladly watched it all night!

Venue: The Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Date: 25th August – 10th September

Times: Wednesday – Saturday 7:30pm, Saturday 2pm, Sunday 1pm & 5pm

Prices: $79.90 – $129.90

Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au, Ph: 1300 723 038, at the box office.

Image by Ken Nakanishi

Cabaret, Performances, Whats On

Ellis Productions Presents AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

Frantic and frivolous fun

By Rebecca Waese

Adapted from Jules Verne’s 1873 novel, this production of Around the World in 80 Days (reinvented for the stage by Toby Hulse and directed by Terence O’Connell) is light-hearted, silly, and farcical fun. While the tone is inescapably dated in its colonial attitudes of English superiority, it has much to offer viewers who like slapstick comedy and don’t take stereotypes too seriously.

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The play is self-aware, tongue-in-cheek and colludes with the audience at the impossibilities and the joys of staging such a massive production with just three actors playing 39 parts. Full of frenetic adventures and running gags, the play transports you back to the Great Victorian Age where Englishman Phileaus Fogg, (Ian Stenlake) wagers a fortune that he can circumnavigate the globe in just 80 days with his servant Passepartout (Pia Miranda) by his side. They are pursued throughout the adventure by Inspector Fix from Scotland Yard (Grant Piro) who is convinced that Fogg is a bank robber on the run.

Pia Miranda, as Passepartout, brings animated energy to the role and shows a knack for physical comedy. Grant Piro, is a stand-out as the obsessive Inspector Fix but even more captivating in his role as the storyteller with an illuminated map hat who guides the audience to imagine the journey through time and space, conjuring up so much with so little. Stenlake is a steady Fogg who may have been overshadowed on the night by the zeal and energy of the other outrageous characters but conveys a sense of the importance of order convincingly.

Merinda Backway’s set design is inventive and versatile using only a few crates and railings to create the elaborate transcontinental train, a ship, and one particularly delightful and wild hidden surprise. Lauren Richie’s gorgeous hats are worth a mention, adorned by miniature trains, binoculars, and other intricate symbols of the Victorian age.

Undoubtedly, Fogg’s Orientalist view of the world is outdated in 2016, and the Indian and Chinese accents rely on age-old wince-worthy stereotypes that reflect the time in which the novel was written. However, the scene in which Grant Piro plays the Indian Princess in drag at the end of the play is, unexpectedly, one of the finest moments of the show. Pico’s Indian Princess and Stenlake’s Fogg carry the audience’s hopes up in the air with them as Fogg leaves behind some of his earlier inhibitions and enjoys, with some subversive self-reflexivity, a bit of romance that has the audience rallying for him and his masculine princess.

The play is suitable for older children and fans of slapstick and physical humour but one scene may not be appropriate for young children, where the Indian princess widow is drugged and just about to burn on her husband’s funeral pyre before Passepartout performs a dramatic rescue. If old-fashioned farce is your cup of tea, this is fun physical humour from a simpler time of storytelling.

Around the World in 80 Days is playing at Alex Theatre in St. Kilda, Tues Aug 23- Sept 4 at 7:30 with matinees on Sat (2 pm) and Sun (3 pm).

Tickets: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=AROUNDTH16

Image by James Terry

Rebecca Waese is a Lecturer in Creative Arts and English at La Trobe University.

Music, Performances, Whats On

Finn and Porter’s THE FIERY MAZE

Sink into the music

By Leeor Adar

Twenty years later and the unburied treasure of Tim Finn and Dorothy Porter surfaces into a smoky, enchanted space at the Malthouse’s Beckett Theatre. It’s a minimalist space with a ring of lights surrounding the performing trio, Tim Finn, Brett Adams, and Abi Tucker.

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Tucker howls and serenades us with Porter’s visceral and haunting words, as if the very spirit of Porter possesses Tucker. Tucker’s performance is moody and earthy, and she breathes life with her voice into the stories of the stormy, moon-gazing kind of love that evokes something forgotten in her audience. Like quicksand, we are enveloped into the private world of Porter.

Finn’s music is gorgeous, and we expected it. Brett Adams on guitar is a revelation, and a perfect suitor for the music. The real core shakers, This World, My Magic Friend and Black Water are interspersed with the jagged energy of New Friends, Bride Doll and Making You Happy. Each song delivers a truth behind the kind of love that we remember and carry even if it’s not in our very present. Porter’s words are utterly relatable, even if we can’t admit it. Like in January, we hope for a tomorrow that may bring us something new, something better. Understandably, even decades later, Tucker asked after Black Water, wanting to revisit the music and words that never left her from that recording in 1995.

As an audience we feel no different. With Black Water still swimming in my veins, I too want to return to the balmy darkness of The Fiery Maze.

It’s a real treat for those seeking a soulful experience with this unique blend of poetry and music by world-class artists.

The Fiery Maze continues until 4 September at the Malthouse Theatre: http://malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/the-fiery-maze

Image by Pia Johnson

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Q44 Theatre Presents SEX WITH STRANGERS

Writers meet, and the story unfurls

By Myron My

In Laura Eason’s Sex With Strangers, a female novelist meets a male blogger at a bed and breakfast in rural Michigan. She loves books, he prefers ebooks. She likes reading the classics, he prefers living writers. She prefers to keep her private life private, he lives his life on-line. Despite their differences, the two are drawn to each other and are forced to question the choices they’ve made in their lives and the ones they are going to have to make in the future.

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Will Atkinson offers a strong performance as Ethan, finding the right balance of brashness, cockiness and arrogance to his sweet, charismatic and endearing nature. Ethan is the type of guy that many of us despise but secretly want to be, and it’s Atkinson’s work in Sex With Strangers that really has you debating that position.

Atkinson’s pairing with Carissa McAllen as Olivia is a great casting choice and the two play off each other well. McAllen convincingly portrays the uncertainty and insecurities Olivia feels in being judged by the public on her writing; however, there were scenes in which I felt McAllen needed to express her character’s anger and frustrations more deeply than what was displayed on the night I attended.

While the space at Q44 Theatre is on the small side and the set itself is more compact than other productions, directors Gabriella Rose-Carter and Casey-Scott Corless use it to their advantage. They adroitly create an intimate world for Olivia and Ethan, that – while certainly influenced by outside factors – ensures the important moments of their lives are captured within the confines of the four walls.

The set and lighting design by Corless and sound design by Justin Gardam effectively show the differences of the two lifestyles being featured. We witness what feels like a battle between a time when life involved face-to-face interaction and real talent being rewarded, and present-day life with its iPhone obsession and the ability to be famous for being famous.

In the bed and breakfast, there is no television and the Internet has dropped out, wherepon an incredulous Ethan exclaims, “How will I look stuff up?” as he repeatedly checks his phone in vain. The environment here is therefore quiet and calm, just like our initial impressions of Olivia. The transition between scenes occur with a flash of light from an imagined Polaroid camera and the photo developing, often capturing an embrace or a kiss shared before the lights dim and calming music plays as the actors perform a quick costume change or set up the next scene.

By contrast, the second act in Olivia’s Chicago apartment has both characters constantly on their phones or their computers. They are no longer giving each other their undivided attention and it’s this technology that could be the doom for their relationship. The scene changes now occur with thumping club music and a red strobe light, reminiscent of an alarm warning of impending danger.

Q44 Theatre is fast building a reputation for producing a varied repertoire of excellent shows, and Sex With Strangers is another success story. Despite being first performed in 2009, the play still has plenty of relevance in the struggles to find meaningful connections – not only in what we do, but also with each other. In a society where there is a constant cacophony of ringing, buzzing and tapping, making these connections and having these experiences is becoming more difficult, ultimately leaving us wondering what we have missed out on, much like Ethan and Olivia.

Venue: Q44 Theatre, 550 Swan St, Richmond
Season: Until 3 September | Wed- Sat 7:30pm, Sun 6:00p
Tickets: $35 Full | $30 Con
Bookings: Q44 Theatre