In this radio review spot on Arts Weekly, 3MBS on Sat 15 Nov 2025, I talk to Nick Tolhurst briefly about Much Ado About Nothing at MTC, and preview A Christmas Carol directed by Matthew Warchus and adapted by Jack Thorne.
This is a very short spot: 5min 20.
This is my final radio review slot for 2025. You'll hear me again in 2026!
THEATRE
By William Shakespeare
By Melbourne Theatre Company
At The Sumner, Southbank Theatre until 19 Dec 2025
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 29 Nov 2025. KH
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| Alison Bell, Fayssal Bazzi. Photo by Gregory Lorenzutti |
Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is often celebrated for its nimble repartee, tender romance and dark undercurrents, but this MTC production, directed by Mark Wilson, pushes the comedy pedal to the floor—at the cost of the play’s emotional ballast. What begins as a promising collision of wit and slapstick gradually dissolves into a frenetic parade of gags that smother the subtler shifts in Shakespeare’s tonal landscape.
Set in Messina, the play follows
two intertwining love stories The young lovers, Hero (Miela Anich) and Claudio (Remy Heremaia), prepare for
marriage until the villainous Don John (Chanella Macri) engineers a
cruel deception that leads Claudio to publicly shame Hero. Meanwhile, the
sharp-tongued Beatrice (Alison Bell) and the swaggering bachelor Benedick (Fayssal Bazzi) are tricked into
confessing their secret affections. In the end, misunderstandings unravel,
villains are exposed, and love—bruised but intact—wins the day.
The opening ten minutes bode well, with the competitive, satirical sparring between Beatrice and Benedick capturing the lyrical wit and verbal acrobatics that make Shakespeare sparkle. Bell, deliciously wicked and razor-sharp, shapes the language with clarity and confidence, while Bazzi brings a boyish, audacious charm to her adversary.
But Wilson’s production soon tilts into excess and overacting. Every scene, every character—even those written without comedic intent—becomes a vessel for a visual gag, pratfall or slapstick antic. The audience roars, certainly, but often at moments that beg for gravitas. Hero’s shaming and ensuing feigned death—an episode that sits close to tragedy—is played with parody that feels inappropriate and dramatically tone-deaf. The Prince’s (John Shearman) absurd dance-lament at Hero’s tomb undermines one of the play’s moments of sincerity.
Shakespeare’s darker or dramatic elements traditionally counterpoint the comic, giving depth to the merry chaos. Here, that balance is lost. The relentless push for a laugh every thirty seconds mistrusts the ability of the audience to accept the drama or, perhaps, to understand the interdependence of comedy and drama.
The production’s most obvious misstep is a prolonged and lurid, simulated sexual encounter on the balcony that is the start of Don John’s malicious deception. Rather than revealing the nastiness of the trick, the staging cheapens the moment and distracts from its emotional fallout.
The inimitable Julie Forsyth is the unmistakable highlight. As Dogberry and Ursula (among other characters), she delivers a performance that is both meticulously detailed and hilarious. Her every entrance is a relief. Yes, the trademark Forsyth rasp remains, but each character she crafts is etched with distinct eccentricity, rhythm and physical precision. Her performance is a masterclass in how to play broad comedy without flattening nuance.
The sprawling open stage—with costumes changes and backstage action visible—offers potential, but ultimately feels conceptually adrift. And the screen projection of a giant female portrait (Is it Pamela Anderson?) seems to bear no discernible relationship to the production’s themes or aesthetic.
Despite an ardent, cheering opening-night crowd, this Much Ado lacks the dramatic balance that allows Shakespeare’s romantic comedy to breathe, bruise and charm. The play’s layers are there, but the production just won’t sit still long enough to let us see them.
by Kate Herbert
CAST
· Alison Bell - Beatrice
· Fayssal Bazzi - Benedick
· Julie Forsyth -Dogberry / Ursula / Others
· Miela Anich - Hero / Borachio
· Remy Heremaia - Claudio
· John Shearman - Don Pedro (The Prince)
· Chanella Macri - Don John/Margaret
· Syd Brisbane - Leonato
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Creative Team
· Mark Wilson - Director
· Anna Cordingley - Set Designer
· Kariné Larché - Costume Designer
· Joe Paradise Lui - Lighting Designer
· Michelle Heaven – Choreographer –
· Voice Coach - Geraldine Cook-Dafner
· Lyndall Grant - Fight / Movement Choreographer
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| Erik Thomson & Cast in A Christmas Carol 2024 |
Click this link (Correct link now): A Christmas Carol 2024 REVIEW
I'm reposting my 5-star review of the 2024 production of A Christmas Carol.
I also reviewed it in 2023 with Owen Teale in the lead and that was also 5 stars.
KATE
"Matthew Warchus’s exhilarating production of A Christmas Carol, adapted by Jack Thorne from Dickens’ ripping yarn, is a very Christmassy feast of carols, choral harmonies, mass bell ringing, snow, faith, hope and charity and even a veritable feast of fruits, vegetables, meat platters, puddings and breads all sliding down from the balcony along draped sheets to the stage and into wicker baskets. Yes, real food – mostly.
"The pre-show musical entertainment includes actors dispensing mince pies and mandarins to audience members who wave furiously at actors to get their hands on the Chrissy nosh.
Thorne’s version of Dickens’ story extracts crucial moments, takes licence with some dialogue, and omits some characters and scenes because, let’s face it, Dickens’ book would take many hours to perform in full."
The following list is this year's 2025-2026, cast and creative team. asterisks indicate returnng cast members. I can't find the band list yet.
CAST
Lachie Hulme – Ebenezer Scrooge
*Felix Star -Young Ebenezer (also cello)
Daniel Frederiksen - Bob Cratchit
*Tony Cogin - Father / Marley
Andrew Coshan - Fred
*Stephanie Lambourn - Mrs Cratchit (Mandolin)
Natasha Herbert - Ghost of Christmas Past
*Samantha Morley - Ghost of Christmas Present
Emily Robinson - Little Fan
Claire Warrilow - Belle
Nicholas Kong - Fezziwig
Jack Van Taveren – Nicholas/Ferdy
Jonathon Gardner -George
*Kaori Maeda-Judge – Jess
Tiny Tims - *Mira Friedman, *Wynton Inman, Emelia di Gianvincenzo, Noah Sherburn
Swings: Hanlon Innocent, Amber Langman
CREATIVE TEAM
Jack Thorne - Adaptation
Matthew Warchus - Director
Rob Howell - Set & Costume
Christopher Nightingale - Composer & Arranger
Vicky Jacobs - Australian Musical Director
Hugh Vanstone -Lighting
Simon Baker - Sound
Lizzi Gee – Movement
Simon Baker – Sound
Campbell Young Assoc- Hair, wigs, make-up
In this radio review spot on Arts Weekly, 3MBS on Sat 15 Nov 2025, I talk to Nick Tolhurst and Phillipa Edwards about how to write a 10-minute play: concept, outline, structure, dialogue, characters etc.
It is not a comprehensive guide, but rather a roving chat that we plan to continue at a later date
KATE HERBERT Arts Weekly 3MBS Sat 1 Nov 2025 https://youtu.be/aK8ruNbCkU0
In this radio review spot on Arts Weekly, 3MBS on Sat 1 Nov 2025, I talk with Nick Tolhurst, producer, and Phillipa Edwards, host, about Hair the Musical at Athenaeum Theatre and The Crucible with Steve Coogan on National Theatre at Home.
Written by Arthur Miller
Produced by National Theatre (2023)
Now streaming on National Theatre at Home
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ★★★★½ (4.5)
This review is published exclusively on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 1 Nov 2025.
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| Erin-Doherty--Brendan-Cowell--Rachelle-Diedericks--Credit-Johan-Persson |
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a disturbing, timeless and profoundly relevant play. Lyndsey Turner’s 2023 National Theatre production is gripping, intelligent and deeply unsettling.
Miller’s 1953 play, though set during the 1692 Salem witch trials, is an allegory for the anti-communist hysteria of McCarthyism in the 1950s. Its themes of fear, suspicion, and mob mentality still resonate alarmingly in today’s world of political polarisation and conspiracy-driven rhetoric.
A group of young girls, led by the sneering, manipulative Abigail Williams (Erin Doherty), are discovered dancing naked in the forest, summoning spirits. To deflect punishment, they accuse women—and eventually men—of witchcraft. Abigail’s motives turn personal when she targets Elizabeth Proctor (Eileen Walsh), wife of the man she desires, John Proctor (Brendan Cowell).
The town descends into chaos as hysteria grips the Puritan community. The religious, legal and governing bodies fuel the frenzy, condemning the innocent to hang. The escalating paranoia, wilful blindness, and pious cruelty are terrifying in their familiarity. One cannot help but see echoes of present-day America—the MAGA movement, the religious right, and the echo chambers of social media—where delusion and accusation override reason.
This is an exceptional ensemble. Brendan Cowell’s John Proctor is powerful, complex, and burdened by guilt over his affair with Abigail. His performance grows in stature as Proctor fights for truth and redemption. Erin Doherty is magnetic and menacing as Abigail, her false piety and vindictive passion chilling to watch. Eileen Walsh gives a tender, grounded portrayal of Elizabeth Proctor, her quiet dignity heartbreaking. Karl Johnson provides texture and humanity as the old farmer, Giles Corey, whose humour and integrity become casualties of the madness.
Es Devlin’s austere grey set, punctuated by muted colour and framed by Tim Lutkin’s shadowy lighting, conjures a world suffocated by fear and repression. Caroline Shaw’s eerie score heightens the tension, while Lyndsey Turner’s direction is taut, lucid, and unsparing.
Even knowing the tragic conclusion, we yearn for reason to prevail. But in Salem—as too often in our own world—the juggernaut of ignorance and injustice rolls on, destroying those brave enough to stand in its way.
Reviewed by Kate Herbert
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| Erin+Doherty +cast- Image Credit-Johan+Persson |
Brendan Cowell – John Proctor
Erin Doherty – Abigail Williams
Eileen Walsh – Elizabeth Proctor
Karl Johnson – Giles Corey
Fisayo Akinade – Reverend Marsh
Nick Fletcher – Reverend Parris
Rachelle Diedericks – Mary Warren
Matthew Marsh – Deputy Governor
Creative Team
Director – Lyndsey Turner
Set Designer – Es Devlin
Costume Designer – Catherine Fay
Lighting Designer – Tim Lutkin
Composer/Arranger – Caroline Shaw
Fight Director – Bret Yount
THEATRE ONLINE
Adapted by Ben Power from Charles Dickens’ novel Our Mutual Friend
Songs by PJ Harvey & Ben Power
National Theatre, 2023
Viewed online via National Theatre at Home – 26 Oct 2025
Running Time: 3 hours 15 minutes (approx.)
Streaming: National Theatre at Home
Stars: ★★★ (3)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 1 Nov 2025. KH
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| brandon-grace--jake-wood--ami-tredrea- image-marc-brenner |
At a hefty three hours and 15mins, this is a marathon of a play. Around forty-five minutes could be trimmed without losing either plot or character development.
The story follows multiple threads exploring the lives of Londoners and their differing relationships to the River Thames: the impoverished underclass who rely on the river for survival, and the wealthy who live far from its fetid banks.
Condensing Dickens’ intricate narrative and his vast array of characters into one stage production is a formidable task. Power’s script strives to encompass too much, resorting to narration to explain plot points that could be shown more effectively through performance. The dialogue can be verbose, and as the play progresses, the tone edges toward melodrama.
The ensemble is committed and versatile. Bella Maclean brings vitality and wit to the ambitious Bella Wilfer, while Ami Tredrea lends quiet dignity and emotional depth to Lizzie Hexam. Accolades must go to the petite and vivacious Ellie-May Sheridan who steals the stage when she appears as Jenny Wren, Peter Wight is a warm, generous Noddy Boffin, and Joe Armstrong exudes menace as the crooked Rogue Riderhood.
Ian Rickson’s direction is fluid and imaginative, and Bunny Christie’s sparse yet evocative design conjures the grimy, shadowed streets of 19th-century London. The river itself—through lighting, sound, and movement—emerges as a living, breathing presence: murky, dangerous, and unrelenting.
PJ Harvey’s songs, unfortunately, are the production’s weakest link. They neither illuminate the characters nor advance the story. Too many sound alike, many are sung in unison, and the limited harmonies expose the cast’s uneven vocal skills. As the production wears on, the arrival of another song becomes wearying.
London Tide is striking to look at and often beautifully performed, but it needs judicious editing of script and score to become a more cohesive and compelling work and to achieve the emotional clarity and narrative drive Dickens deserves.
By Kate Herbert
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| Bella-Maclean in London Tide-- image-marc-brenner |
Creative Team/Production Details
Writer / Adapter: Ben Power
Based on: Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
Songs by: PJ Harvey & Ben Power
Director: Ian Rickson
Set & Costume Design: Bunny Christie
Lighting Design: Jack Knowles
Music Direction: Ian Ross
Sound Design: Tingying Dong & Christopher Shutt
Movement Direction: Anna Morrissey
Video Design: Hayley Egan
Fight Direction: Terry King
Casting Director: Bryony Jarvis-Taylor
Voice & Dialect Coach: Simon Money
Associate Set Designer: Verity Sadler
Staff Director: Yasmin Hafesji
Cast:
Brandon Grace as Charley Hexam,
Scott Karim as Bradley Headstone
Bella Maclean as Bella Wilfer
Tom Mothersdale as John Rokesmith,
Ami Tredrea as Lizzie Hexam
Peter Wight as Noddy Boffin
Beth Alsbury as Lavinia Wilfer, Joe Armstrong as Roger Riderhood, Crystal Condie as Miss Potterson, Laura Cubitt as Nancy, Miya James in the Ensemble, Stephen Kennedy as Reg Wilfer, Joshua Lacey as Inspector Bucket, Penny Layden as Mary Wilfer, Eric Mok as understudy Charlie Hexam, Liam Prince-Donnelly in the Ensemble, Georgia Silver as understudy Bella Wilfer, Ellie-May Sheridan as Jenny Wren, Jonathan Dryden Taylor as Mr Cleaver, John Vernon as understudy Reg Wilfer/Noddy Boffin/Mortimer Lightwood, Jamael Westman as Eugene Wrayburn, Jake Wood as Gaffer Hexam and Rufus Wright as Mortimer Lightwood.
In this radio review spot on 3MBS Arts Weekly on 18 Oct 2025, I talk about three shows with Nick Tolhurst and Phillipa Edwards:
Rebecca, at MTC, based on Daphne Du Maurier’s novel;
MJ the Musical, Melbourne production; and
Jane Austen Improvised, by Impro Melbourne.
IMPROVISED THEATRE
By Impro Melbourne
Melbourne Fringe Festival 2025
At Impro Melbourne venue, 21-23 Stanley St West Melbourne until 19 Oct 2024
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: 3***
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 18 Oct 2025. KH
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| Brenna Dixon & Adam Hembree in Wooings & Misdoings |
Wooings and Misdoings might well be an unpublished novella by Jane Austen, but it is not. Rather, it is a fully improvised play in the style of Miss Austen, complete with shy ingenue, and her bolder, older sister, their mother ambitious for their them to make good marriages to wealthy and eligible suitors. Fortunately, said suitors are available in the environs of the coastal town of Bath, where the story takes place.
Although all the narrative and dialogue is completely improvised, and therefore unrehearsed, there is one scene that benefits from a little well-placed preparation prior to performance: a structured 19th century dance that allows couples to talk in snatches as the dance progresses.
The Misses Edwards, retiring and socially anxious Cassandra (Brenna Dixon) and her outgoing, supportive older sister, Abigail (Jess Lu), are the belles seeking partners.
Their ambitious mother (Jenny Lovell) smooths their path in society, while their gouty father secretes himself in his study until he is required for a merry carriage chase.
Captain Campbell (Adam MacKenzie), a sea-faring chap, loses out to the taciturn Mr Preston (played by the honey-tongued, Adam Hembree), who is erudite but unversed in the ways of love.
Wealthy Mr. Brunswick (Katherine Weaver) seems untouched by love or lust, until he meets feisty Abigail.
Yes, this entire narrative and all the characters and dialogue are totally improvised ,and this fine cast captures a style, period and wit of an Austen novel. Every show, every night has a different cast and a completely new narrative based on a a simple title, such as Wooings and Misdoings.
Cast
Brenna Dixon as Casandra Edwards
Jess Lu as Abigail Edwards
Jenny Lovell as Mrs Edwards & Marguerite Boulier
Adam Hembree as Mr Preston
Adam MacKenzie as Mr Edwards & Captain Campbell
Katherine Weaver as Mr. Brunswick
MUSICAL
THEATRE
Music by Michael Jackson. Book by Lynn Nottage
At Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, until Sun 1 Feb 2026
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This review appears only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts
Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 18 Oct 2025.MJ The Musical_credit_Daniel Boud_
Michael Jackson’s dazzling catalogue of hits is the true star of MJ the Musical, which bursts with energy from its opening number and never lets up. Songs such as Thriller, Bad and Beat It! are delivered with infectious vitality by a slick ensemble and a vibrant band that channels the pulse of Jackson’s unique sound.
Ilario Grant carries the weight of portraying Michael Jackson, a monumental task that he shoulders with skill and commitment. He replicates Jackson’s dance moves and vocal style convincingly, his physicality capturing the singer’s signature blend of fragility and precision. Grant’s singing is outstanding, but his limited acting range and sometimes muffled dialogue detract from a fully nuanced portrayal.
As the show’s narrative anchor, Derrik Davis is exceptional. He brings warmth and empathy to Rob, the loyal director of Jackson’s Dangerous tour, while delivering a blistering turn as Joseph Jackson, the domineering patriarch whose greed and brutality scarred his son for life. Josslynn Hlenti Afoa provides balance as Katherine, the devoted mother who turns a blind eye to Joseph’s violence, her bold voice lending emotional heft to the family scenes.
Director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon drives the production with seamless, high-octane dance numbers that echo Jackson’s iconic video choreography. The ensemble shines in these moments, executing Wheeldon’s complex routines with precision and flair. However, the spoken
scenes are static and lose momentum, highlighting the musical’s uneven rhythm between spectacle and storytelling.
Derek McLane’s elaborate set and Paul Tazewell’s vibrant costumes elevate the production visually, conjuring the glitz of Jackson’s world. The framing device—a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals for the Dangerous tour—interweaves with flashbacks to Jackson’s childhood, his early fame with the Jackson Five, and his struggle against an abusive father and an insatiable appetite for grandeur.
Lynn Nottage’s book offers insight into Jackson’s obsessive artistry and fragile psyche but avoids confronting the darker controversies that shadowed his later life. References to “those accusations” are fleeting, keeping the narrative firmly within the realm of admiration rather than investigation.
Ultimately, MJ the Musical is a lavish, nostalgic celebration for devotees of the King of Pop—less a warts-and-all biopic than a pulsating homage to his genius and enduring cultural impact.
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| Ilario Grant, Josslynn Hlenti Afoa -MJ The Musical_credit_Daniel Boud |
Cast: Ilario Grant, Derrik Davis, Josslynn Hlenti Afoa, and ensemble.
Creative Team: Director & Choreographer – Christopher Wheeldon; Book
– Lynn Nottage; Set Design – Derek McLane; Costume Design – Paul Tazewell.
cc
THEATRE
Adapted by Anne-Louise Sarks from the novel by Daphne du Maurier
At The Sumner, Southbank Theatre until 5 Nov 2025
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 18 Oct 2025. KH
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| Nikki Shiels, Pamela Rabe,. REBECCCA MTC Photo by Pia Johnson |
Daphne du Maurier’s gothic novel Rebecca steps off the page in this stylish and unsettling stage adaptation by Anne-Louise Sarks for Melbourne Theatre Company.
From the opening moments, Sarks evokes an eerie, forbidding atmosphere that seeps through the sparse but elegant design by Marg Horwell. The set cleverly suggests both the glittering luxury of Monte Carlo and the shadowy grandeur of Manderley, the Cornish mansion that becomes the story’s emotional battleground.
Nikki Shiels is luminous and affecting as the young, unnamed narrator, whose girlish pride and awkward delight in her sudden romance with Maxim de Winter soon curdle into anxiety and dread. Initially the timid companion to the wealthy and acerbic Mrs Van Hopper (Pamela Rabe), she is swept into a marriage with the sullen, distant widower Maxim (Stephen Phillips) and taken to his estate, Manderley.
The ghost of the first Mrs de Winter, the beautiful Rebecca, haunts every corner of the house and every gesture of its inhabitants. Her presence is maintained — even exalted — by Mrs Danvers, played with icy precision and quiet ferocity by Rabe. Her silent scrutiny and barely suppressed contempt create a tension that is palpable.
Shiels’ character evolves convincingly from naive young bride to a woman tempered by fear, jealousy and hard-won self-possession. Phillips captures Maxim’s brittle restraint and concealed torment, while Toby Truslove provides a welcome spark of wit as the genial Frank and rakish Jack Favell.
As with many literary adaptations, compressing du Maurier’s intricate, psychological narrative into a two-hour stage play presents challenges. The final thirty minutes, built from short, episodic scenes, attempt to unravel the mystery and moral complexity of the novel’s conclusion but feel hurried and theatrically thin.
Despite this, Rebecca remains an evocative and atmospheric interpretation, rich with foreboding, desire and danger. Sarks’ production captures the timeless allure of du Maurier’s gothic world where love and obsession intertwine, and the past refuses to die.
by Kate Herbert
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| Nikki Shiels, Pamela Rabe, Stephen Phillips. REBECCCA MTC Photo by Pia Johnson |
Cast:
Nikki Shiels - Woman
Pamela Rabe – Mrs Van Hopper, Mrs Danvers/ Beatrice
Stephen Phillips -Maxim
Toby Truslove – Frank/Jack
Creative
Team:
Director – Anne-Louise Sarks
Designer – Marg Horwell
Lighting Designer – Paul Jackson
Composers & Sound Designers – Grace Ferguson & Joe Paradise Lui
Voice & Dialect Coach – Geraldine Cook-Dafner
