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- Written by: Greg Letts
- Category: Arts & Culture
The last time I saw CATS was on a VHS videotape borrowed from my sister, so I was looking forward to checking out the show again when it came around to Perth for the 40th Anniversary Tour. My partner had never seen it at all (gasp!), so I was also interested to see what she would think about this theatre classic.
Walking into the Crown Theatre, the stage curtains were open so we were greeted by the sight of the fabulous set that has been put together for the production. Enigmatic greens and purples glowed invitingly as the scaled up to cat size junkyard beckoned us forward. Old stoves, car wrecks, drainage pipes and more made a multi-level playground and performance space for the acrobatic cast.
The audience were a wide ranges of ages, from silver-haired elders who can remember the original launch of CATS way back in 1981, all the way through to young kids with wide eyes about to watch it live for the very first time.
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
The sun is shining in Perth, and you’ve got a nice picnic basket packed ready to go to spend time with your better half, friends or family. But where to go?
Here are our suggestions for places to picnic out and about in Perth, some of which are easy to get to by public transport if you are not travelling by car.
Queens Gardens
One of my favourite parks in Perth – Queens Gardens is a popular spot for picnickers on the weekend and just about every day. It’s located just on the outskirts of the city, on the east side of the Perth CBD, and is a lush park with ponds that have beautiful lily pads in bloom that provide a spectacularly picturesque backdrop for your picnic.
Other points of note are a special bench (near the wooden bridge) that is a replica of the bench from the famous romcom movie Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Previously, it was thought that the bench was the original from the movie, but this myth has been debunked recently!
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- Written by: Greg Letts
- Category: Arts & Culture
On a mild Friday night my partner and I went to the State Theatre Centre of WA to see the opening night and world premiere of Tivoli Lovely, the latest musical comedy from Eddie Perfect (Beetlejuice, Shane Warne: The Musical). We were looking forward to seeing how this 3 year collaboration between WAAPA’s 2025 Music Theatre graduates, director Dean Bryant and Zara Stanton (music direction) would stack up against the slick professional work of other high end productions that we have seen performed at the Health Ledger Theatre.
Waiting for the doors to open, the hall outside was jam-packed with all the usual suspects, plus a healthy sprinkling of mums, dads, family and friends of the cast and crew. The word was that tickets for the opening night were rarer than hens’ teeth, and it certainly looked that way as we found our seats amidst the throng. There was a buzz in the air as well as a cacophony of noise from down in the orchestra pit as the musicians tuned up. And then Charlotte (Zoe Davidson-Wall) stepped on stage and away we went.
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
On a mellow Friday evening my partner and I headed to the Subiaco Arts Centre looking forward to watching “Heart is a Wasteland” by the Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company.
An interesting title for a play which caught my attention – about two strangers who meet in outback Australia – Raye (Claire Fermo / Wilman Noongar), a country music singer doing the pub rounds in remote towns, and Dan (Maitland Schnaars / Nyaki-Nyaki), a FIFO worker with a mysterious past.
As we waited for the play to begin – I enjoyed admiring the striking visuals on the stage – the harshness and redness of the outback dust and the vivid blue purple coloured background of the sky.
Raye kicked off with a song strumming on her guitar – and the show began.
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
I was lucky enough to preview Familiar Touch by Sarah Friedland before it opened at Luna.
The trailer caught my attention as I have been quite aware of how the circle of loved ones that surround you can change quite suddenly – having lost two loved ones recently – one a relative and one of the furry friend variety.
Familiar Touch explores the life of Ruth Goldman (Kathleen Chalfant), an octogenerian with dementia who moves into assisted living with the help of her son and with her consent – even though at times she forgets the fact that she had agreed to it.
We experience first hand what it might be like to be in the shoes of Ruth – learning to adapt to her new circumstances with her memory loss and of finding her sense of self again.
Interestingly, the film is advertised as a “coming of age” movie, ...
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
Sharing details below from Roxy Lane Theatre :
" MOMENTS IN MOTION – A ONE ACT SEASON
Three One Act Plays consisting of:
THE BIRTHDAY
by Peter Flanigan. Directed by Tim Riessen
It is Mrs Little’s 89th birthday. She is in a coma, in a hospice room.
Her 4 children attend. There is reminiscence from them over their growing up.
It is this personal journey that is central to the play.
From Robyn as the oldest, through to Phil as the only boy, to Gail the youngest.
As noted, this is the first time this play has been performed.
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
As we headed into the State Theatre Centre of WA with the light pattering of rain, we were looking forward to watching Speaking in Tongues by Black Swan State Theatre Company.
Having enjoyed watching the movie Lantana a couple of decades ago, I thought it would be interesting to see the original play written by Andrew Bovell performed on stage.
The bed set lands on the stage, silently hoisted down on its 4 steel thin poles, and we were off. It was an attention grabbing start as the 4 main characters spoke in unison – questioning their relationships, infidelities and innermost thoughts with their respective spouses.
Despite being set in the era before mobile phones, Speaking in Tongues remains a contemporary Australian play, and the issues and challenges faced by the two couples are reflective of common relationship problems faced today.