Henry 5 Bell Shakespeare, REVIEW, 14 May 2025 ***1/2

 THEATRE

by William Shakespeare, by Bell Shakespeare

At Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne until 25 May 2025

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Stars:***1/2 (3.5)

This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 17 May 2025. KH

JK Kazzi as Henr5- Bell Shakespeare-image Brett Boardman

Bell Shakespeare’s Henry 5, directed by Marion Potts, is a gritty, muscular reimagining of Shakespeare’s history play. Staged with a lean cast and modern edge, this production uses the First Folio version as its base, with scenes trimmed and some characters merged to tighten the narrative for a contemporary audience.

 

The opening tableau sets the tone: a band of young nobles, clad like streetwise brawlers, engage in boxing, wrestling and press-ups, establishing a raw, physical energy that pulses throughout the performance. Masculinity, in this world, is gritty and performative—even when played by women. 

 

This warrior code is the backdrop against which JK Kazzi’s Henry emerges—a tough, youthful king surrounded by a gang of loyal, dangerous followers who feel more like a street gang than a royal entourage. Ella Prince as Essex and Alex Kirwan as Westmoreland are Henry’s doughty, noble pals, adding grounded strength and camaraderie to his otherwise volatile circle.

 

Kazzi’s Henry is compelling in physical presence—bristling with energy and volatility—but falters when it comes to delivering the weight of Shakespeare’s great speeches. His renditions of “Once more unto the breach” and the St. Crispin’s Day monologue lack the vocal finesse needed to elevate the verse. His vocal delivery, particularly in moments of intensity, is harsh and unsupported, with audible gasps between lines that disrupted the rhythm and robbed the language of its poetic power. The editing of the script didn’t help, leaving some emotional and narrative gaps.

 

Despite its spare staging, the production makes effective use of technology. Microphones are used intermittently to amplify key monologues and add vocal distortion for dramatic effect, while rear projections display the dates and locations of battles and provide French-to-English translations. These additions enhance clarity and atmosphere without overwhelming the minimalist aesthetic.

 

The production shines in its French court scenes. Jo Turner is a standout, delivering a hilariously dry and erudite performance as the cleric explaining Salic Law, then shifting into a palpably anxious and human King of France. Mararo Wangai brings quiet dignity to the French herald Montjoy, while Jack Halabi’s Dauphin is hilariously smug and Ava Madon and Odile le Clézio balance playfulness and sincerity in Katherine and Alice.

 

Nigel Poulton’s fight choreography is tight and visceral, making great use of Anna Tregloan’s modular, industrial set. The muddy tubs scattered across the stage add a visceral texture to the battles—soldiers literally sink into the filth of war. The haunting image of Henry crawling from beneath a pile of blackened corpses is one of the production’s most powerful moments.

 

Though not without flaws, Potts’ Henry 5 is a brave and visceral take that foregrounds the brutality of war and the fragility of leadership.

 

By Kate Herbert

 

 

Henry 5 cast Bell Shakespeare- image Brett Boardman

Cast:

·       JK Kazzi as King Henry

·       Jack Halabi as Dauphin

·       Alex Kirwan as Westmoreland

·       Odile le Clézio as Alice

·       Ava Madon as Princess Katherine

·       Harrison Mills as Michael Williams / Scroop

·       Ella Prince as Exeter

·       Jo Turner as King of France / Canterbury / French Soldier

·       Mararo Wangai as Montjoy

·       Rishab Kern as Grey / English Soldier / Understudy

·       Ziggy Resnick as Grey / English Soldier / Understudy

Creative Team:

·       Director: Marion Potts

·       Set and Costume Designer: Anna Tregloan

·       Composer and Sound Designer: Jethro Woodward

·       Lighting Designer: Verity Hampson

·       Movement, Intimacy, and Fight Director: Nigel Poulton

·       Voice Director: Jack Starkey-Gill

 

 

Hadestown REVIEW 9 May 2025 **** (4)

 

MUSICAL THEATRE

Music, lyrics & book by Anais Mitchell, developed with and directed by Rachel Chavkin

At Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne 29 June 2025

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Stars: **** (4)

This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 17 May 2025. KH

 

Abigail Adriano, Christine Anu and Noah Mullins in Hadestown-image Lisa Tomasetti.

From the energetic, opening ensemble number, Road to Hell, Hadestown captivates its audience with its inventive blend of myth, music and modern storytelling. At this media preview performance, Noah Mullins plays Orpheus, while Eliza Soriano replaces Abigail Adriano as Eurydice, bringing fresh energy and nuance to this tragic love story.

 

This modern musical is a major feat of theatrical writing with music, lyrics and book written by the supremely talented Anaïs Mitchell and developed with director Rachel Chavkin. The narrative merges two Greek myths: Orpheus and Eurydice, and Hades and Persephone.

 

Mitchell’s genre-blending score fuses 1920s jazz, rhythm and blues, popular ballads, and aching love duets. The opening ensemble number is a foot-tapping feast, immediately immersing the audience in the show’s gritty, mythical world.

 

Mullins brings wide-eyed naivete and endearing gaucheness to the role of Orpheus, the musical and poetic genius whose songs seek to reshape the world. His vulnerability is heartfelt, particularly in the devastating Epic III. 

 

Opposite Mullins, Soriano is a feisty, emotionally raw Eurydice who captures the character’s internal damage with moving clarity. Their duets are soulful and enchanting, especially All I’ve Ever Known, delivering a tenderness that underscores the story’s tragic stakes.

 

Adrian Tamburini is a towering highlight as Hades. His rich, dark velvet bass and statuesque presence make him both a menacing and strangely magnetic god of the underworld. Elenoa Rokobaro is phenomenal as Persephone, lighting up the stage with her powerhouse vocals and effervescent charisma as the goddess who brings summer to the world above.

 

In contrast, Christine Anu feels miscast as Hermes. While her vocals match the show’s style, her limited acting range struggles to carry the weight of the narrator, especially when placed alongside the emotional depth of other performances.

 

The trio of Fates — Sarah Muir, Jennifer Trijo, and Imani Williams — provide a compelling chorus. Echoing ancient Greek theatre, they foretell doom with eerie beauty and are in perfect harmony, both musically and dramatically.

 

The ensemble of singer-dancers injects every moment with energy, filling the stage with multiple characters, vivacious choreography (David Neumann) and  layered vocal harmonies. The on-stage band is exceptional, with memorable solos from trombonist Griffin Youngs.

 

This production of Hadestown doesn’t just retell a myth — it reanimates it with heart, heat and haunting harmony. Mullins and Soriano sing a story of doomed love that feels devastatingly alive. We desperately wish that the ending will be different, but we all know this story; To quote Mitchell’s lyrics, “It’s a love song. It’s a sad song’”.

by Kate Herbert

 

Cast

• Hermes: Christine Anu
• Orpheus: Noah Mullins
• Eurydice: Abigail Adriano
• Persephone: Elenoa Rokobaro
• Hades: Adrian Tamburini
• The Fates:
• Sarah Murr
• Jennifer Trijo
• Imani Williams
• Workers:
• Eliza Soriano
• Afua Adjei
• Sam Richardson
• Iosefa Laga'aia
• Devon Braithwaite
  

  

  Hadestown cast -Adrian Tamburini on balcony- image Lisa Tomasetti

  
  
• Swings:
• Molly Bugeja (Dance Captain)
• Jessie Monk (Assistant Dance Captain)
• Jack Lyall
• Joshua Kobeck
  

  ---

Creative Team

• Music, Lyrics & Book: Anaïs Mitchell
• Director: Rachel Chavkin
• Choreographer: David Neumann
• Scenic Design: Rachel Hauck
• Costume Design: Michael Krass
• Lighting Design: Bradley King
• Sound Designers: Nevin Steinberg & Jessica Paz
• Music Supervisor & Vocal Arranger: Liam Robinson
• Arrangements & Orchestrations: Michael Chorney & Todd Sickafoose
• Dramaturg: Ken Cerniglia
• Associate Director: Tiffani Swalley
• Associate Choreographer: Alex Lugo
• Musical Director: Laura Tipoki
• Associate Lighting Designer: Trudy Dalgleish
• Associate Sound Designer: Shelly Lee

---

This production is presented by Opera Australia and JONES Theatrical Group, with original Broadway producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy.

 

 

KATE HERBERT Arts Weekly3MBS Sat03 MAY 2025

In this radio review spot, I talk about Andrew Scott's remarkable solo performance in Vanya, now on National Theatre at Home. 

Then we talk about The Lord of the Rings - a musical tale, which has some highlights and some less successful moments.

.

The Lord of the Rings-A Musical Tale -REVIEW 2 May 2025 ***1/2 (3.5)

MUSICAL THEATRE
Book & Lyrics by Shalin McKenna and Matthew Warchus, adapted from JRR Tolkien’s novels

Music by A.R. Rahman, Värttinä & Christopher Nightingale

At Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, until 8 June 2025

Stars: ***1/2 (3.5)

This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 3 May 2025. KH

Lord of the Rings, Melbourne cast

 The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, is an ambitious and vivacious stage adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s beloved novels that brings Middle-Earth to life through a creative fusion of music, song, puppetry, projections, illusions and movement.

 

As the audience enters the theatre to take its seats, a crowd of Hobbits sing and romp cheerfully on stage and  rove amongst the audience, adding a lively pre-beginning to the production.  

With direction by Paul Hart, the multi-talented cast of actor-singer-dancers performs with energy and conviction and many also play instruments for the folk music infused score, giving the production a vibrant texture.

 

Puppetry is used to striking effect, especially in the depiction of the Dark Riders. These ghostly, spectral horses are genuinely haunting, gliding across the stage with eerie elegance and creating some of the most memorable visuals in the show. The giant spider in Act Two is less successful.

 

Among the performances, Laurence Boxhall as Gollum is a show-stealer. Played with muscular physicality and a guttural, disturbing vocal tone, the character’s split personality is compelling and deeply unsettling. Although it is clearly inspired by Andy Serkis’s iconic film portrayal, Boxhall brings it to life with his unique stage presence.

 

Rarmian Newton as Frodo Baggins, the Hobbit, provides a strong emotional core to the story as he journeys not only over Middle-Earth but from naivete to strength and courage. Frodo is tasked with taking the Ring to the Fires of Mordor, and he carries this burden of the Ring with vulnerability and resolve.

 

Terence Crawford’s Gandalf is suitably majestic and authoritative, providing moments of warmth, wisdom and startling magic throughout the journey. Jemma Rix brings power and beauty to Galadriel, the Elvish queen, and her appearance and song were highlights.  Rob Mallett’s Aragorn is compelling, dignified and rich-voiced.

 

The production is successful in many ways, but there are some noticeable issues.

 

The staging is overly cluttered at times and, although some of the choreography (Anjali Mehra) is effective, other dance and movement routines feel amateurish or awkward and do not serve the narrative or characters. Galadriel's appearance lacks the elvish magic she deserves, and her costume is disappointing; it looked like a gold, 70s jump suit!

The Elvish characters’ dance moves lean oddly into 1960s hippy territory, undermining the mystical, ethereal quality often associated with elves in Tolkien’s world.

 

While not without its flaws, The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale is a bold and heartfelt retelling of Tolkien’s classic. It may take creative liberties, but its ambition and moments of theatrical magic make it a production worth experiencing.

 

KATE HERBERT

 

 

Cast

Laurence Boxhall as Gollum

Andrew Broadbent as Elrond

Hannah Buckley as Pippin

Stefanie Caccamo as Arwen

Rohan Campbell as Boromir

Jeremi Campese as Merry

Ruby Clark as Rosie

Terence Crawford as Gandal

Wern Mak as Samwise Gamgee

Rob Mallett as Strider

Connor Morel as Gimli

Rarmian Newton as Frodo Baggins

Conor Neylon as Legolas

Jemma Rix as Galadriel

Ian Stenlake as Saruman

 

Ensemble: Georgia Anderson, Gianna Cheung, Nicholas Cunningham, Cameron Davey, Natasha Dumlao, James Frampton, Anthony Garcia, Jonathan Gardner, Matt Hourigan, Esther Lukins, Jayme Jo Massoud, Patrick Schnur, James Whiting and Zayneb Zerzouri.

 

Creative Team

Director – Paul Hart

Musical Direction – Andrew Bevis

Choreographer & Movement Director – Anjali Mehra

Lighting Designer- Rory Beaton

Projection Designer - George Reeve

Original Sound Designer -  Adam Fisher

Fight director – Dani McCallum

Puppet Designer – Charlie Tymms

Magic & Illusions – Adam Mada

 

 

 

 

 

VANYA National Theatre at Home REVIEW 24 April 2025 ***** (5)

 ONLINE THEATRE

Vanya adapted by Simon Stephens from Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya

Online by subscription at National Theatre at Home (UK)

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Stars: ***** (5)

This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 3 May 2025. KH

Andrew-Scott-in-VANYA.-Photo-by-Marc-Brenner

 

Andrew Scott’s performance in Vanya is nothing short of gobsmacking! It is a master class in solo performance that displays virtuosic skill, subtlety and nuance, dynamism and stamina, physical and vocal dexterity and complex characterisation. Scott populates the stage with a parade of characters and one forgets there is no other cast! It’s remarkable!

 

Scott plays all the characters in Simon Stephens’ intelligent, updated version of Chekhov’s play, Uncle Vanya, with impeccable but deceptively simple direction by Sam Yates.

 

Without shifting to vocal extremes to create accents, or changing physicality in complex ways, Scott performs all the dialogue between characters with tiny subtle shifts of voice, body and gesture; often, a single, simple prop conveys the essence of a character.

 

For example, his Sonia clasps a dusting cloth and expresses a timid quality in face and voice.

Vanya sports sunglasses, Elena plays with her necklace. Michael, the moody doctor, is a fast speaking, mean drunk, but Scott lowers his vocal register when Michael talks about his forest, his existential despair or about his love for Elena.

 

Alexander the formerly great film artist, is slower and more pedantic. The other two characters, the housekeeper and the ignored worker, are equally complex, even if not central to the plot.

 

This Vanya  is an astonishing feat of acting by Scott in a cleverly written and unobtrusively directed production. It is worth the subscription to National Theatre at Home, even for a month.

 

By: Kate Herbert.

 

Performed by Andrew Scott - all characters 

 

Creative Team

Sam Yates – Director

Simon Stephens – Writer

Rosanna Vise - Designer.

KATE HERBERT RADIO REVIEWS Arts Weekly3MBS SAT19April2025

 In this radio spot on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 19 April, I chat with Nick Tolhurst (producer) about Fritz, a children’s clown show by Emilie Bloom, and Present Laughter by Noel Coward by National Theatre at Home and starring Andrew Scott. 9 mins

FRITZ - Kids' Clown - REVIEW 8 April 2025 ***

CHILDREN'S THEATRE / CLOWN

Performed by Emilie Bloom

At Northcote Town Hall Arts Studio, only 8-10 April 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 19 April.2025. KH

Emilie Bloom as Fritz image supplied

 What does a clown do when a recalcitrant child in the audience calls out, “I want to go! I hate her!”? She hauls him on stage, puts bunny ears on him, gives him a carrot and makes him the centre of attention. Child dissatisfaction solved. (See note below re. theatre etiquette.)

 

Emilie Bloom is Fritz, a cheery, anxious clown in a saggy rabbit suit, bunny ears and wearing oversized, bucky-front teeth that keep inconveniently dislodging, causing giggles from everybody.

 

Bloom emerges, bunny ears first, from an enormous upside-down, magician’s top hat, and clown-bunny hops around the stage squeaking in search of help to find the missing main act.

 

Fritz is the rabbit-in-a-hat assistant to Madame Magika’s magic show, but Madame has been delayed in La Vegas! Yep! Las Vegas! So, Fritz is on her own and mayhem follows as Fritz valiantly attempts to do magic that isn’t her bailiwick at all.

 

Once she’s conjured (not literally) a magician’s costume, Fritz, with the assistance of audience members, including the “I wanna go“ kid, wrangles a sort of magic show with plenty of comical errors, slapstick, object comedy and stumbles her way through a menu of very silly and intentionally incompetent magic.  

 

This includes a card trick, a disappearing mum, mind reading and the final stunt, the levitating rabbit, in which Fritz – now a stick puppet – floats away attached to a giant whoopee cushion and disappears into a marvellously planetarium-like starscape. The kids went wild over the flying clown rabbit.

 

The Fritz show is for children 5-13, although the younger end of the range is more suitable. It runs about an hour and Bloom really starts to hit her stride around the middle.

 

By: Kate Herbert.

 

Note: Kids don’t know theatre etiquette. If we (adults) hate a show, we must bite our lip, or count the lamps in the lighting rig, or recite Shakespeare’s sonnets in our head, then slope off quietly at interval – unless you’re reviewing, of course, in which case, you have to stay till the bitter end. K

 

Performed by Emilie Bloom

Directed by Clare Bartholomew

Present Laughter NT at Home REVIEW 15 April 2025 ****

THEATRE

by Noel Coward 

by National Theatre at Home (2019 production)

Online with subscription or to rent:www.ntathome.com/videos/present-laughter-full-play

Reviewer: Kate Herbert.

Stars: **** (4)

This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 19 April 2025. KH

Andrew Scott, in Present Laughter- -image supplied

Noël Coward’s Present Laughter receives a vibrant, sharply staged revival in this National Theatre at Home production, with Andrew Scott delivering a magnetic, multi-layered performance as the egotistical actor Garry Essendine. It's a lively, stylised take that revels in Coward’s wit, though not all its modern touches fully pay off.

 

Scott is in blistering form — flamboyant, funny, and unexpectedly fragile. His Garry is theatrical to the bone, but never merely cartoonish. Beneath the extravagant posturing lies a man teetering on the edge of crisis, and Scott mines that with precision and charm. The counterpoint to Gary’s histrionic, actorly behaviour is his deep-seated despair and dissatisfaction with his shallow life; he feels like  a lost boy – nothing more than a shell which is achingly represented in the final moments of the play.

 

The production’s decision to reimagine some of Garry’s romantic entanglements as male rather than female introduces a fresh, fluid sexuality into the narrative, which feels natural given Coward’s own life. However, at times it feels like the play is straining to retrofit this queerness into a structure that wasn’t quite built for it — interesting, but not always seamless.

 

Sophie Thompson is a scene-stealing delight as Garry’s fretful secretary Monica, delivering deadpan quips with perfect timing. Indira Varma exudes effortless charisma as Garry’s ex-wife Liz, bringing a grounded wit to balance the surrounding chaos. Luke Thallon also impresses as the unnervingly intense Roland Maule, and Enzo Cilenti adds a slick, smarmy edge as Joe, one of Garry’s reimagined lovers.

 

If the farcical energy occasionally boils over into shouty hysteria — particularly in the final act — it feels more jarring on screen than it might in a theatre. The high-pitched chaos can undercut some of the more subtle character work and emotional beats.

 

Still, under Matthew Warchus’s direction, this is a smart, stylish production with a standout ensemble and a tour-de-force from Scott. It’s funny, fresh, and full of flair — even if not every note quite rings true.

 

By: Kate Herbert.

 

Cast

Sophie Thompson - Monica

Indira Varma - Liz

Luke Thallon - Roland Maule

Enzo Cilenti – Joe

 

Creative Team

Matthew Warchus -Director

Present Laughter- Andrew Scott, Indira Varma-image supplied