TRENT'S LOVE STORIES (PLAY)

 

Additional Writing and Story: Trent Dalton and Fiona Franzmann

Directed by Sam Strong

General Management by Alex Woodward and Sophie Watkins for Woodward Productions on behalf of Brisbane Festival and QPAC

Canberra Theatre, Canberra Theatre Centre to 27 September

 

Reviewed by Len Power 25 September 2025

 

‘Can you please tell me a love story?’ Journalist, Trent Dalton, spent two months in 2021 gathering stories on his sky-blue 1960s Olivetti typewriter, on a prominent street corner in Brisbane’s CBD. Speaking to Australians from all walks of life, he asked them that one simple thing. Published in 2022, his collected ‘Love Stories’ has become a much-loved best-seller.

Produced by the Brisbane Festival and QPAC, the book is now on stage in a highly imaginative and unique production with a cast of 11.

Before the play begins, the theatre auditorium’s seats are seen in a live onstage projection. It’s a bit disconcerting suddenly seeing yourself larger than life sitting there. It’s a clever idea, reminding us that the play’s content has come from members of the public.

For lovers of the book, the content of multiple love stories comes as no surprise. All aspects of love are presented, many joyful and happy as expected, but there is sadness and heartbreak, too. Beautifully played by the cast, there is an extraordinary depth in their performances. In many cases, it’s gestures not words that are moving.

Jason Klarwein and Anna McGahan give fine performances as the journalist and his wife. The project of gathering love stories causes them to examine their own relationship. Rashidi Edward is Jean Benoit, a delightfully cheeky character who slips in and out of the action unfolding on the stage.

The 8 member ensemble play multiple characters of the stories.  Some we get to know very well as the stories unfold. With no program or photographs, it is not possible to single out individual actors who deserved praise. All were effective in their roles.

As well as the fine acting, the strength of this production is in the staging by director, Sam Strong.. The use of video and projection, both live and pre-recorded, is fresh and imaginative. You quickly forget that it’s performed mostly on a bare stage with minimal props.

With it’s striving to present the voices naturalistically, there were times where the dialogue was too quick to catch what was being said and at other times the actors spoke so softly that they could not be heard at all, even though they were miked. Maybe this aspect would be better in a smaller auditorium that the Canberra Theatre.

As the 16^th century French writer, Rabelais, once said, ‘Gestures, in love, are incomparably more attractive, effective and valuable than words.’ This charming production showed that his words still hold true today.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

 

LEND ME A TENOR (PLAY)

 

Written by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Cate Clelland

Free-Rain Theatre Presentation

ACT Hub Theatre, Kingston to 27 September

 

Reviewed by Len Power 17 September 2025

 

Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, American playwright Ken Ludwig’s farce is a crazy story of mistaken identity, misconception, mistakes and mis-everything. First performed in London’s West End and on Broadway in the 1980s, the play has been an international success.

Although the Cleveland Grand Opera company are delighted to have secured world-famous tenor, Tito Merelli, to sing Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci for one evening in 1934, his late arrival sets off a chain reaction in which everything possible goes wrong.

On a substantial hotel two room set cleverly squeezed into the ACT Hub Theatre, set designer and director, Cate Clelland, has delivered a high-energy farce with fine performances.

Left to right: Michael Sparks (Saunders), Justice-Noah Malfitano (Bell-hop), one of the Pagliaccis (I lost track of who was who about here), Sally Cahill (Julia), Christina Falsone (Maria), Megan Stewart (Diana) and Maxine Beaumont (Maggie)

Michael Sparks is Saunders, the opera company’s general manager and a nervous wreck with an explosive temper. Maxine Beaumont as Maggie, his daughter, is not as innocent as she seems. John Whinfield, Max, her intended, is also the long-suffering assistant to Saunders. Sally Cahill is Julia, very much the grande dame chairwoman of the opera company. Meaghan Stewart is the glamorous, man-eating soprano, Diana, and Justice-Noah Malfitano is an opera-mad bell-hop. William ‘Wally’ Allington is the temperamental Italian opera star, Tito Merelli, and Christina Falsone is Maria, his formidable and fiery Italian wife.

John Whinfield (Max) and William 'Wally' Allington (Tito Merelli) - no wonder I was confused!

Everybody in the cast is at the top of their game, performing with extraordinary energy and finely-honed comic timing. Both Whinfield and Allington display fine singing voices with their opera duet from Don Carlos.

Fiona Leach has designed excellent and eye-catching period costumes. The most outstanding is Sally Cahill’s sparkling gown which fails to impress the general manager, resulting in one of the funniest lines in the play, delivered to perfection by Michael Sparks.

There’s nothing like a classic stage farce done well and Free Rain Theatre’s new production of Lend Me Tenor is as close to perfection as you can get.

 

Photos by Janelle McMenamin

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs

THE CADAVER PALAVER: BENNETT COOPER SULLIVAN ADVENTURE (PLAY)

Written and performed by Christopher Samuel Carroll

Presented by Canberra Theatre Centre New Works

The Courtyard, Canberra Theatre Centre to 14 September

 

Reviewed by Len Power 12 September 2025

 

Before Indiana Jones, there was Bennett Cooper Sullivan, gentleman adventurer and rakish raconteur. Upholding the finest ideals of the British Empire, Sullivan takes us on a breathless tour of his turn of the 19^th century adventures involving a mad scientist, imprisonment in Afghanistan, a scarab brooch, a host of cadavers, a monosyllabic Scotsman and torture by analgesic. And that’s not all!

Christopher Samuel Carroll, an actor, director, and playwright from Ireland, trained at Trinity College Dublin and Ecole Jacques Lecoq, Paris. Since moving to Canberra in 2016, he has become one of its most prolific and celebrated theatre artists.

Christopher Samuel Carroll (Bennett Cooper Sullivan)

In his one-man show, Christopher Samuel Carroll presents a dashing hero’s adventures that owe a great deal to Sherlock Holmes, Richard Hannay, Phineas Fogg and other well-known characters from the literature of the period.

Written by Carroll, the clever story unfolds at breakneck speed with danger at every turn, colourful characters and hair-breadth escapes, all told with a wit that Oscar Wilde would have been proud of.

On a simple stage setting, Carroll’s performance as this gentleman adventurer is highly polished. Although presented at a bewildering speed, his clarity of diction is impressive, his comic timing is impeccable, and the physical aspects of his performance combine to produce a highly charming and attractive hero as well as the many other characters. The subtle lighting design by Ash Basham adds extra atmosphere at carefully judged moments.

Already presented in successful seasons at the Adelaide Fringe, The Butterfly Club, Melbourne, and the Edinburgh Fringe, Carroll’s play is hugely enjoyable from start to finish. Bennett Cooper Sullivan, gentleman adventurer, is vividly brought to life by Carroll in a memorable and delightful performance.

 

Photo by Novel Photographic

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

 

 

LIZZY, DARCY & JANE (PLAY)

Written by Joanna Norland

Directed by Alexandra Pelvin

Canberra REP production

Canberra REP Theatre to 20 September

 

Reviewed by Len Power 5 September 2025

 

This year marks the 250^th birthday of Jane Austen and Canberra REP celebrates it with a production of Canadian playwright, Joanna Norland’s 2006 play, “Lizzy, Darcy & Jane”.

Mashing together elements of Austen’s novel, “Pride and Prejudice”, with aspects of her own life, interesting parallels come to light as characters and incidents from the novel step in and out of Austen’s own life experiences and imagination. A knowledge of the novel’s plot and of Austen’s life might be an advantage, but the cleverly woven action of the play is enjoyable on its own terms.

Lydia Milosavljevic (Jane Austen) and Dylan Hayley Rosenthal (Elizabeth Bennet)

Lydia Milosavljevic gives a fine central performance as Jane Austen, capturing her spirited character, humour and powers of observation. Dylan Hayley Rosenthal is a nicely strong-willed, intelligent Elizabeth Bennet and the four other cast members, Sterling Notley, Marco Simunec, Rachel Hogan and Elaine Noon, play multiple roles from Austen’s life and her novel, bringing their colourful characters to life very well.

Sterling Notley, Lydia Milosavljevic, Elaine Noon, Dylan Hayley Rosenthal and Rachel Hogan

The costumes by Eliza Gulley are nicely in period and the substantial period set, designed by Kayla Ciceran, with a clever lighting plot by Nathan Scibberas, assists the movement between Austen’s real life and imagination and the characters of her novel. Director, Alexandra Pelvin, has ensured that the spirit of Jane Austen and her world shines brightly in this production.

Centuries after it was written, Austen’s novel, “Pride and Prejudice”, remains one of the most beloved novels of all time, inspiring an extraordinary number of interpretations, plays and films. “Lizzy, Darcy and Jane” is a refreshing and entertaining way of looking at the novel as well as at the author, Jane Austen, herself.

 

Photos supplied by the production

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

 

  

ROMEO & JULIET (PLAY)

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Peter Evans

Bell Shakespeare

The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre to 7 September

 

Reviewed by Len Power 31 August 2025

 

Believed to have been written between 1591 and 1595, Shakespeare’s tragedy of ‘a pair of star cross’d lovers’ and their feuding families is one of his most popular plays.

The new production by director, Peter Evans, combines contemporary and traditional elements to bring clarity to both text and performance. The shining, dark set and basic black costumes, both designed by Anna Tregloan, make it clear that we are watching the play from a contemporary point of view.

The addition of colourful and traditional items of costume, as the play progresses, draw us back into the time and place of the story. The forest of overhead lighting, designed by Benjamin Cisterne, keeps the contemporary feel of the play while providing the atmosphere necessary for the various scenes. It is an attractive and successful overall design.

The contemporary aspects extend to the choice of actors, too. Age and gender have not driven the casting. Surrounding the young lovers are actors of similar age playing Juliet’s parents, the Friar, Mercutio, the Prince and others, stressing that we are watching a contemporary version of the play. While the story of the play never fails to involve, the style of production allows us to keep a slight distance, providing an opportunity to observe the play with great clarity.

There are some fine performances in this production. Madeline Li is a feisty, intelligent Juliet and Ryan Hodson appeals as an impetuous and personable Romeo knocked off balance by his sudden deep love for Juliet, leaving his youth behind. Both gave finely balanced and emotionally believable performances during their balcony scene. The final scene as they meet their deaths was superbly played and very moving.

Every performer in the ensemble was impressive with outstanding performances by Merridy Eastman as the Nurse, Khisraw Jones-Shukoor as the Friar and Brittany Santariga in the dual roles of the Prince and Mercutio.

Regardless of how many times you have seen it, Shakespeare’s play never fails to move an audience. This production is particularly successful because of its clarity and fine performances.

 

Photo by Pierre Toussaint

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.