My Brilliant Career RE-POST of 2024 production ***1/2

MUSICAL

My Brilliant Career 2024 

Book by Dean Bryant & Sheridan Harbridge, music by Mathew Frank, lyrics by Dean Bryant 

Adapted from the novel by Miles Franklin

By: Melbourne Theatre Company 

At Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, until 18 Dec 2024

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 16 Nov.2024. KH

6 Kala Gare, My Brilliant Career. Photo by Pia Johnson

Based on Miles Franklin’s 1901 novel of the same name, My Brilliant Career is a brave, new Australian musical with a vivacious lead performer in Kala Gare who shone playing Anne Boleyn in SIX the musical. 

 

This exuberant production, energetically directed by Anne-Louise Sarks, has many vibrant and engaging moments, several bold and compelling songs, and strong and compelling performances from the entire cast of multi-skilled artists.

 

The narrative, like the novel, focuses on Sybylla Melvyn, a restless, young girl who aspires to be a writer but she feels that the world conspires against her ambition. Sybylla lives on her family’s failing, drought-stricken farm and the impressive set design (Marg Horwell) transports us into the dry, desolate heart of the Australian outback.

 

Kala Gare is ebullient, audacious and full voiced as Sybylla, and belts out the songs about her ambition, dissatisfaction, her barely concealed contempt for her father, her disappointment in her mother and her delight at getting away to live with her gran. Gare makes a feast of her big leading role.

 

The exceptional versatility of the cast is a highlight of this production who are acting, singing, playing instruments and even dancing. Christina Smith is sensitive and sympathetic as Sybylla’s disheartened mother, and it is a pity she didn’t sing more than just one solo; she is a musical theatre star with a fine voice and magnetic presence.

 

The show is not without some drawbacks: the narrative and song lyrics became repetitive, and the show was spinning its wheels for the last 20 mins. It felt too long and might benefit from an edit and restructure. The character of Sybylla did not develop or change a great deal in the story.

 

Comparisons with Judy Davis in her breakout role as Sybylla in the movie of 1979 are inevitable, but this is an entertaining, ambitious and exuberant production and the writers deserve praise for bringing us a new and original Australian musical: a unicorn. Give it an audience.

 

by Kate Herbert 

My Brilliant Career. Photo by Pia Johnson

Cast

Frank/Ensemble Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward
Jimmy/Horace/Ensemble Lincoln Elliott
Ensemble Victoria Falconer
Sybylla Melvyn Kala Gare
Harry/Peter/Ensemble Raj Labade
Father/Jay-Jay/M'Swat/Ensemble Drew Livingston
Gertie/Blanche/Ensemble Hany Lee
Grannie/Rose Jane/Ensemble Ana Mitsikas
Mother/Helen/Mrs M'Swat/Ensemble Christina O'Neill
Ensemble Jarrad Payne

CREATIVE TEAM 

Director Anne-Louise Sarks
Musical Director Victoria Falconer
Choreographer Amy Campbell
Set & Costume Designer Marg Horwell
Lighting Designer Matt Scott
Orchestrator / Vocal Arranger James Simpson
Sound Designer Joy Weng
Assistant Director Miranda Middleton
Assistant Musical Director Drew Livingston
Assistant Set & Costume Designer Savanna Wegman
Additional Music Arrangements Victoria Falconer 
Voice & Text Coach Matt Furlani 
Track Producer (‘Make A Success’) Jarrad Payne
Specialist for Whip Cracking/Blanket Throw Nicci Wilks

Offsite Standby Cover Alister Kingsley
Offsite Standby Cover Imogen Moore

Stage Manager Whitney McNamara
Assistant Stage Managers Tom O'Sullivan, Annie Gleisner

 

Duck Pond by Circa REVIEW 15 Jan 2026 ****

Duck Pond by Circa

At Princess Theatre until Sun 25 Jan 2026

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 7 Feb 2026. KH

Circa-Duck Pond_photo Pia Johnson

Duck Pond by Circa is a witty, sly, muscular and visually striking collision of ballet myth and contemporary circus invention. Directed and designed by Yaron Lifschitz, the work gleefully splices Swan Lake with The Ugly Duckling, creating a quirky narrative through-line that is less faithful retelling and more playful reimagining of familiar tales.

 

Circa’s trademark multi-skilled circus performers are the engine of the show. Their technical precision is consistently impressive and includes flowing tissu sequences, tender yet powerful adagio work, and a series of human towers that climb to dizzying heights with three and even four bodies stacked with nerve-jangling control. These feats are never just decorative; they are woven into the emotional and narrative fabric of the piece.

 

The production is clearly divided into three parts—The Palace, The Lake, and The Theatre—each with its own tone and physical vocabulary. Libby McDonnell’s costumes cunningly echo classical ballet silhouettes while allowing freedom for extreme physicality, and Jethro Woodward’s pulsing, cinematic score gives the work both momentum and atmosphere.

 

At the centre are the three lead characters: Odette, Odile, and the Prince. Their shifting alliances and desires propel the story to a clear and dramatically satisfying conclusion when the two women united. It’s a bold and emotionally gratifying ending—yet one that is deliberately undercut by the final scenes. In a mischievous move, the fantasy is deconstructed literally on stage before our eyes as performers strip off costumes, dismantle the set, and pack away the gear. We are tossed mercifully back into reality.

 

That final gesture may divide audiences, but it is unmistakably Circa: self-aware, intelligent, and anarchic. Duck Pond doesn’t just retell a story—it pulls it apart, flies it high, and then reminds us it was all a beautifully constructed illusion.

 

 By Kate Herbert

Circa Duck Pond_photo Pia Johnson

 

Peter Quince presents Shakespeare’s Best Bits ASC REVIEW 6 Jan 2026 ***1/2

OUTDOOR THEATRE

Peter Quince presents Shakespeare’s Best Bits inspired by & based on William Shakespeare

At Southern Lawn, Botanical Gardens until 17 Jan 2026 (finished)

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 Sat7 Feb 2026. KH

Peter Houghton and Maddie Somers & others-image Ben Fon

 

On a balmy January evening on the Southern Lawn of the Botanic Gardens, Peter Quince presents Shakespeare’s Best Bits shows the Australian Shakespeare Company in buoyant, knockabout form. Glenn Elston’s production is a fast-moving romp through the canon that shows Shakespeare is funniest, and more theatrically potent, when the text is treated as a collaborator rather than a punchline.

 

The first half is a little hit-and-miss. Some early scenes chase gags without fully landing their concept, and a few ideas feel sketched rather than shaped. Yet even here, the cast’s comic fluency and physicality keep the audience engaged.

 

 After interval, the production sharpens its focus to deliver a second half that is more confident, coherent and rewarding.

 

A shadow-screen Romeo and Juliet is unexpectedly tender, letting the verse speak while images express the emotion. The recorded narration sounds eerily familiar —could the voice be that of the late Ross Williams?—and the question itself adds poignancy to the scene. 

King Lear as hip hop is far better than it has any right to be; rhythmically smart, narratively clear, and respectful of Shakespeare’s muscular language. The four-minute operatic Othello is well-pitched absurdity, while Macbeth performed with puppets turns vaulting ambition into something gleefully macabre.

 

Antony and Cleopatra is reimagined as a glitzy Vegas floorshow, all sequins and swagger, cleverly framing epic romance as showbiz spectacle. A potted War of the Roses, involving two audience assistants, compresses dynastic chaos into messy but funny comedy.

 

The most effective parodies are those that draw generously from Shakespeare’s actual text and maintain a clear, consistent style, resisting the drift into pastiche or gag-driven excess. When the production trusts the Bard, it sparkles.

 By Kate Herbert  

Jackson McGovern and Alex Cooper-image Ben Fon

Cast

Francis Flute the Bellows Mender – Alex Cooper
Nick Bottom the Weaver – Peter Houghton
Peter Quince the Carpenter – Jackson McGovern
Robin Starveling the Tailor – Hugh Sexton
Snug the Joiner – Maddy Somers
Tom Snout the Tinker – Scott Jackson

 

Creative Team
Director – Glenn Elston
Musical Director – Paul Norton
Choreographer – Sue-Ellen Shook
Lighting Designer – Peter Amesbury
Costume Designers – Kaspa & Karla Erenbots

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Anastasia REVIEW 28 Dec 2025 ***1/2

  

MUSICAL THEATRE

Book by Terrence McNally, Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

At Regent Theatre, Melbourne until 20 Feb 2026

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 7 Feb. 2026. KH

Rodney-Dobson-Georgina-Hopson--Robert-Tripolino-ANASTASIA.-Photo-by-Jeff-Busby

 

Anastasia at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre is a glossy, well-voiced production that ultimately feels more like a gilded fantasia than a gripping musical theatre experience. Despite strong performances that showcase impressive vocal talent, the show’s structural weaknesses and mawkish narrative keep it from soaring.

 

Georgina Hopson’s Anya carries the score with a pure tone and crystalline high notes that buoy many of the show’s most memorable songs. Robert Tripolino (Dmitry) and Joshua Robson (Gleb) provide handsome, assured sounds in their duets and ensemble moments.

Veteran musical theatre artist, Nancye Hayes, brings warmth and seasoned presence to her role, while the inimitable Rhonda Burchmore provides sass and hilarity. The ensemble’s harmonies are consistently strong, with some younger cast members bringing strong musicality to the scenes.

 

Yet beneath the vocal sheen lies a production that often feels diffuse and padded. The book relies heavily on cliche and a tendency toward sentimentality makes some dialogue awkwardly mawkish rather than poignant.

 

Structural imbalance is evident: sequences that should propel character development often stall, and too many musical numbers echo each other rather than building contrast or narrative momentum. The result is an evening where standout numbers like Journey to the Past and Once Upon a December are memorable for their vocal quality, but not necessarily for dramatic propulsion.

 

Creative choices—including generous use of projections and scenic spectacle, including a quirky, moving train carriage—add visual flourish, but they cannot wholly disguise a narrative that wavers between historical fantasy and fairy-tale tropes without wholly committing to either.

 

 Still, with voices this compelling and moments of genuine musical and visual beauty, there is pleasure to be found for lovers of classic Broadway glitz, even if the heart of the show feels just out of reach. 

 

By Kate Herbert

 

Robert-Tripolino--Georgina-Hopson--ANASTASIA.-Photo-by-Jeff-Busby

 

Cast (Melbourne)

·       Georgina Hopson (Anya)

·       Robert Tripolino (Dmitry)

·       Joshua Robson (Gleb)

·       Rodney Dobson (Vlad)

·       Rhonda Burchmore (Countess Lily)

·       Nancye Hayes (Dowager Empress)

·       Sophia Bae, Elliot Baker, Billy Bourchier, Nicholas Cunningham, Davis Giotopoulos Moore, Todd Goddard, Stephanie Kurlow, Keian Langdon, Bella Minniti, Nathan Stafford, Alexis Van Maanen, Annie Wilson, Deone Zanotto, Andrea Zappacosta; Swings: Manon Gunderson-Briggs, Iosefa Laga’aia, Nathan Pinnell, Emma Russell.

 

Creative Team

·       Book: Terrence McNally

·       Music: Stephen Flaherty

·       Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens

·       Director: Darko Tresnjak

·       Choreographer: Peggy Hickey

·       Original Musical Supervisor: Tom Murray

·       Scenic: Alexander Dodge

·       Costume: Linda Cho

·       Video: Aaron Rhyne

·       Lighting: Donald Holder

·       Sound: Peter Hylenski

·       Wigs & Hair: Charles G. LaPointe

·       Orchestrations: Doug Besterman

·       Vocal Arrangements: Stephen Flaherty

·       Dance Arrangements: David Chase; Resident Choreographer: Nathan Pinnell; Musical Director: Anthony Barnhill, et al.

Wind in the Willows RE-POST of review of 2020 production

CHILDREN’S THEATRE

Adapted by Glenn Elston from book by Kenneth Grahame

Australia Shakespeare Company

At Botanical Gardens, Current season (Jan 2026) until 25 Jan 2026

Links: The Wind in the Willows - Melbourne

Enter via F Gate - Corner Birdwood Ave & Dallas Brooks Drive Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Please note: This is a re-post of my review of the 2019-2020 summer production of The Wind in the Willows. There will be a new cast and probably some changes for this season. KH

Photo Supplied

The most treacherous creatures for outdoor children’s performers are the kids themselves, and actors in The Wind in the Willows in the Botanical Gardens sometimes contend with little ones mobbing the stage.

 

Their participation is encouraged, albeit controlled, in Otis Elston’s production of Kenneth Grahame’s beloved story of Toad of Toad Hall (Ryan Hawke) and his creature cronies.

 

The enthusiastic children sing ‘Waggle your ears, wiggle your nose,’ and ‘Quack quack quackady-quack’, roar laughing at the antics of Weasel (Paul Morris) and Head Chief Rabbit (Callum O’Malley) , then go on a dangerous mission with Ratty (Isaac Broadbent) and Badger (Chris Asimos) to rescue little Portly the Otter (Cierra Shook/Kempton Maloney) from the Wild Wood.

 

This 2020 production includes some recasting, new comic bits and some more updated pop songs with witty lyrics for the adults.

 

Morris is the hilariously sly and sleazy Weasel who invades Toad Hall with his weasel mates, wielding giant water pistols filled with ‘weasel wee’, to the children’s delight.

 

O’Malley hosts the show as a youthful and charming Head Chief Rabbit, leading songs, playing guitar and, with Morris as Weasel on mandolin, entertains the parents with witty new lyrics to pop tunes.

 

Wearing a suitably gaudy green and pink outfit, Hawke is gleefully flamboyant as the vain and manipulative twit, Mr. Toad, who is obsessed with every sporty fad from canoeing to motorcars and gets himself arrested and sentenced to 40 years for car theft.

 

Broadbent is playful as the down-to-earth, river-dwelling Ratty who loves ‘messing about in boats’, while Alex Cooper plays Otter as well as a smug Policeman and a doddery Judge.

 

Asimos is suitably pompous and long-winded as the black and white Badger who – according to Weasel – looks like a renegade from Kiss or, worse, a Collingwood supporter, while Chloe Bruer-Jones is sprightly as the timid Mole.

 

Willows is ideal summer family entertainment so, pack a picnic, but guard your snacks and wine with your life, because Rabbit and Weasel will raid your hamper.

 

by Kate Herbert

 

KATE HERBERT Arts Weekly 3MBS SAT 29 NOV 2025

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!

 

 

Much Ado About Nothing REVIEW MTC 19 Nov 2025 ***

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

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 ­

John Shearman, Remy Heremaia, Fayssal Bazzi, Syd Brisbane, Julie Forsyth, Alison Bell, Chanella Macri, Miela Anich. Photo by Gregory Lorenzutti

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