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Published: Friday, 04 June 2021 09:58

Written by Bob Figg

Is there anywhere better in the world to be in these difficult times than Western Australia?

It’s okay that’s a rhetorical question. The answer is yes.

If you have to be stuck somewhere, then WA is the place to be.

With holiday choices limited we decided to try and see some iconic WA sites in one week. The rule was keep the shared driving to daylight hours. Seriously, don’t drive after dark in WA’s north. The kangaroos are big, but the cattle are even bigger. In daylight we had three cattle come across in front of us in different spots.

Our trip began in Perth and our first stop was Cue. We did an overnight stay at the Queen of the Murchison. A guest house, this is the ideal stop off point on the way to Karijini National Park.

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Published: Friday, 14 May 2021 08:52

Written by Greg Letts

Upon heading to Perth's newest performing arts venue – Burt Hall on St Georges Terrace – I was struck by how intimate the setting is. Nestled in one of the rooms underneath the main hall, it is a perfect setting for giving the audience that real “fly on the wall” experience, since even the back row is only a few metres from the elevated stage.

This feeling of really being there works wonderfully well in Theatre 180's production of I and You, Lauren Gunderson's two-hand story of teenage angst, pain, hope and love. Set in 17 year old Caroline's bedroom, you really do feel that you are perched in a corner, watching the story unfold.

Caroline is currently sick at home, waiting and hoping for a desperately needed liver transplant. She is ill, tired and understandably bitter about her situation, isolated in her bedroom with only a mobile phone as a lifeline to the outside world. 

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Published: Friday, 14 May 2021 08:29

Written by Nita Teoh

We sat within the cosy interior of the Burt Hall on the Terrace awaiting a double act by Theatre 180 - the first act up being "The Children".

My partner and I were pleased to have an evening together at the theatre – it was a bit of a treat to be out for the night after the recent covid restrictions in Perth.

The story unfolds as we meet couple Hazel (Jenny Davis) and Robin (Andrew Lewis) – who have retired and settled into life in their British seaside cottage after surviving a serious nuclear power plant meltdown.

They receive an unexpected visit from old friend and ex-colleague Rose (Vivienne Garrett), and that is when sparks fly for a myriad of reasons as her arrival disrupts their peaceful retirement.

Regrets, sacrifices, a life well lived with or without children, the pursuit of careers, love and passionate affairs – satisfying lives, moral and ethical dilemmas. The characters explore many themes in the kitchen of their simple cottage, reflecting on their behaviours (past, present and the future) and weighing up their personal gains against the greater good of humanity.

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Published: Wednesday, 05 May 2021 09:20

Written by Lee-Ann Khoh

Whoa.

That was my immediate reaction after Playthings. For various, mostly COVID-related reasons, I hadn’t gone to the theatre in over a year so it was good to get back into it with a production that exemplifies just how brilliant it can be.

Amidst Perth’s lockdown, there had been doubt about whether this show would go ahead. And with everyone in attendance required to wear masks, the threat of COVID lingered in the air. One of the first things we noticed when we took our seats was the eerie shadow of the trees arching over the two houses, setting the scene for what was about to unfold.

At the start of Playthings, 13-year-old classmates Lucy (played by Courtney Henri) and Arnold (Daniel Buckle) sneak away from home to meet in the bush. “Have you ever seen a dead body?” Lucy casually asks, before showing Arnold a dying kangaroo.

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Published: Thursday, 18 March 2021 17:23

Written by Greg Letts

The grounds and buildings of Dalkeith's Sunset Hospital provide the perfect faded grandeur for Black Swan State Theatre Company's adaption of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. Set amongst dilapidated old buildings that appear abandoned, as well as outdoors on land with million dollar views, it is ironic that the destruction of Ranyevskaya's cherry orchard for summer cottages would no doubt be repeated on these heritage grounds if local developers were given half a chance!

While Chekhov himself described his play as a comedy, there are no doubt plenty of tragic elements within it.

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Published: Tuesday, 16 March 2021 11:25

Written by Nita Teoh

Teenager Yuri is on a quest to save his housing estate from being blown up.

That is the theme of the multi award winning French movie “Gagarine”.

Living under challenging circumstances every day, he dreams to launch into space - taking inspiration from his namesake Yuri Gagarin who was the first cosmonaut to launch into space back in 1961.

Directors Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh depict life on a social housing estate with stark reality as well as conveying the aspirations, mood and turmoil of Yuri’s inner life perfectly.

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