Gatz

Adelaide Festival

Elevator Repair Service

Her Majesty’s Theatre

Saturday 14th March

Season Closed

Reviewed by Samara Purnell

As the audience settles in for this eight and half hour theatrical marathon, we see the stage is set as a dated (late 80s early 90s perhaps) cluttered office, boxes piled high along shelves, a corridor, and a smaller enclosed office, maybe a reception area. Louisa Thompson’s set design includes, in a strange choice, both a typewriter and a cordless phone, diffusing a definitive timeframe, but which didn’t hint visually at the 1920s setting of the novel. We become aware of a man dressed in non-descript clothes and sitting at a small desk to one side of the stage, where he shall remain for the duration of the play. At first glance, he appeared to be the perennially “there” co-worker, who keeps to themselves, works late, holds little to no ambition of promotion, and is, in general, rather boring. It is revealed as the show unfolds that he is also the sound mixer.

We are introduced to the man (Scott Shepherd) who shall narrate F Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” in its entirety, morphing into the central character of the novel, Nick Carraway. 

Scott Shepherd in the NY production

Gatz, directed by John Collins, has been mounted around the world by this American company (Elevator Repair Service), since 2006 and now it’s our turn, and the opening lines are read: In my younger and more vulnerable years...

Gatz begins out of curiosity and procrastination by a bored office worker, who casually starts to read a random book he finds under a pile on a desk while hoping his computer will actually start, but who quickly realises that this book provides much more interest and satisfaction than his tedious job - his mundane office contrasting with the flashy parties of Gatsby. 

Slowly we are introduced to work colleagues who float around, casually acting without dialogue, who eventually become the characters in The Great Gatsby, at first through glimpses, small parallel actions, then primarily the central characters of Jordan (Susie Sokol), Tom (Gary Wilmes), Daisy (Australian actress Lucy Taylor) and Gatsby (Jim Fletcher), amongst the cast of 13. 

There is intentional humour in the lack of physical accuracy of some characters - Jim Fletcher’s Gatsby is significantly older than the 32 years he is written as. So is Shepherd as Carraway. And Susie Sokol’s Jordan doesn’t match the physical description or mannerisms as written, but elicits laughs from her demonstrations of them. Sokol looked most obviously transported from office to East Egg, Long Island. Most of the cast seemed firmly entrenched in their Gatsby roles. At times an action took place before the words describing it were read, providing another comedic element, careful to toe the line between light hearted and groan.

Scott Shepherd (Nick Carraway) and Susie Sokol (Jordan Baker)

The proliferation of alcohol and ditzy characters in The Great Gatsby had some scenes in the second act descend into almost slapstick comedy with Tom and Myrtle (Laurena Allan) entertaining guests in a small apartment. The couch on which much of the drunken farce at the party ensues, is positioned behind the table and office desk, but we managed to see most of what was happening on it. 

Through a multitude of alcohol-fuelled parties and interactions, the ultimately meaningless and emptiness of social status is examined and dynamics in relationships, not just between the husbands, wives and mistresses, but the seemingly vapid interactions between female friends and the observations by men of other men’s lives is described in detail. With a glimpse into the relationship of Gatsby and Carraway with their respective fathers as well. The patriarchy is in full swing and the hypocrisy of Tom Buchanan is glaring, bordering on ridiculous to a modern audience. 

Comedic moments, aside from that contained in the novel itself, come in the form of office gags that punctuate the story here and there. Switch computer on and off, count to ten, press all the things, call IT guy who asks if it’s plugged in, until Frank Boyd (George in Gatsby-cum-office IT guy) dismantles the keyboard and computer altogether. The jokes are daggy but still elicit genuine laughter, much like the start to the second act, where the old “boobies” on the calculator pun appears. 

F Scott Fitzgerald’s writing is flooded with delicious adjectives and a rhythm that, when presented like this, almost made the wishing of one’s daughter to have an easy life by becoming “a beautiful fool” sound like something to aspire to. 

To be able to delight in the actual words of the writer as well as the action, gave the story a different richness. 

To hear and observe a character thus, we see the elusive Gatsby for the pedantic, overthinking, over compensating, and sadly pathetic man that he is, despite the persona he has constructed. For the first time, it crossed my mind that he may in fact be on the spectrum…

Jim Fletcher as Gatsby

So much of the characters’ existence swelled around rumours and illusions, unfurled in vignettes of parties, vapid conversation and affairs, going about their time in a world where dishonesty is dismissed like shooing a fly and death, indeed murder, is treated flippantly. 

I was told during one of the breaks (that were announced by Shepherd’s character on stage - one of the several times the actors broke the fourth wall), that Scott Shepherd has the book memorised in its entirety. No doubt this is partly why the timing, which is required to be executed perfectly, worked so well, as every “He said” and “She said” remains, verbatim, in the script. However, several of the mic switches were late in this performance. 

Towards the end of the play, Shepherd's voice grew slightly weaker, softer, faster - perhaps it was the hours of speech, perhaps the character, now recounting days gone by. Real cigarettes are smoked in the production too during a serious conversation. As props were removed, desk dismantled, I wondered if we would be returned to the office at the finish, but it really was more of a starting point, visited less as time went on. 

As adults, the pleasure of being read to is all too rare. This production allows an audience to revel as much in the language as the acting, be as much in your imagination as observing what is unfolding in real time on stage. To delight in the vivid poetry and casually acerbic descriptions and analysis of each character. The imagery of being “pulled back from the edge of a theoretical abyss” or a man’s wife “appearing at his side like an angry diamond” that can’t be vocalised or acted, along with Daisy’s onstage offer to her husband - “I’ll make you a mint julep, then you won’t seem so stupid to yourself”. It really is the best of both worlds. 

If the chance arises to experience Gatz, to see this directorial and acting feat, to become reacquainted or perhaps enjoy a classic novel for the first time, in the dark with a theatre full of people, take it. We lost track of time, right up until the final line, when the audience leapt to its feet to applaud this novel (in more ways than one) and entertaining undertaking of The Great Gatsby. It stayed with me, satisfyingly, much longer than the length of the show itself.   

 

ALMOST, MAINE

 

Written by John Cariani

Directed by Zac Bridgman

Mockingbird Theatrics production

Belconnen Arts Centre to 28 March

 

 

Reviewed by Len Power 18 March 2026

 

In the play, Almost, Maine, identification is easy with the emotions of a group of young people quietly getting on with the business of love. Declarations of love are made at the wrong times, peoples’ jumbled emotions suddenly work in their favour and others experience lasting hurt. The small, almost town of Almost, Maine - we’ve been there or we’re going there.

John Cariani’s American play, first produced in Maine in 2004, explores love and loss in 9 short stories happening at the same time in a mythical town in northern Maine in the depths of a cold winter. The emotional journeys in the situations presented are universal.

Alexander Wilson & Wendy Wakwella

At the beginning of the play, a warmly dressed young couple are together on a park bench in a wintry and icy outdoor set under the stars. The setting, designed by Chris Baldock, is so effective, I began to wish I’d brought a jumper with me.

Alastair McKenzie & Wendy Wakwella

The cast of four, Alexander Wilson, Wendy Wakwella, Jayde Dowhy and Alastair McKenzie each play multiple personalities in these short stories. Their performances are very effective as each character they portray has to be established quickly. They handle overlapping dialogue skilfully, giving their characters an emotional honesty. They display fine comic timing and an exceptional ability to play non-verbal moments that are charged with meaning.

Alexander Wilson & Jayde Dowhy

Director, Zac Bridgman, has guided his cast through the various stories with great skill. He ensures the characterizations are well-balanced emotionally, and each story is visually effective and naturally paced.

The lighting and sound designs by Rhiley Winnett and Zac Bridgman are particularly atmospheric.

This play is a charmer. It’s both funny and painful but each of the characters are recognizable people, maybe even ourselves.

 

Photos by Chris Baldock and Zac Bridgman

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.

 

A CONCISE COMPENDIUM OF WONDER ADELAIDE FESTIVAL 2026

 

The Wandering Hall of Possibility

 A CONCISE COMPENDIUM OF WONDER.

Part one; The CHILDHOOD OF THE WORLD written by Jennifer Mills. Based on Hansel and Gretel by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Part Two: THE GIANT’S GARDEN written by Ursula Dubosarsky Based on The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde.

Part Three: THE TREE OF LIGHT written by Ceridween Dovey. Based on The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

CREDITS: Co-created by: Director Andy Packer Performers Elizabeth Hay, Nathan O’Keefe, Ren Williams Development Collaborator Kate Cheel Composer Quincy Grant Set and Costume Design Ailsa Paterson Environment Design Wendy Todd Lighting Design Chris Petridis Projection Design Mark Oakley Production Manager David McLean Technical Manager/Operator Darian Tregenza Stage Manager Jess Wolfendale Sound Engineer Patrick Pages-Oliver Venue and Site Technician Alex Hatchard Technician Reece Vidler Original recorded music The Horizon Orchestra Piano Michael Ierace Clarinet Mitch Berick Horn Emma Gregan Guitar Dylan Woolcock Harp Suzanne Handel Percussion Sami Butler Violin Alison Heike Violin Alison Rayner Violin Zoe Freisberg Viola Mikey Robertson Cello Tom Marlin Bass Harley Gray

Vocals: Suzanne Wilson, Brooke Zabrowarny, Kim Worley, Jonathan Bligh Voiceover Poppy Berick (The Childhood of the World)

Clara Gillam Grant, Hannah Gray (The Giant’s Garden). Miranda Gillam Grant (The Tree of Light).

The Wandering Hall of Possibility in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Adelaide Festival.  February 18- March 15 2026

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

The credits alone are enough to suggest what an ambitious undertaking Slingsby Theatre’s tryptych A Concise Compendium of Wonder is. Director Andy Packer and his cast and creatives have worked for three years to bring all three parts of A Concise Compendium of Wonder to fruition at the Adelaide Festival. I have seen all three in workshop over the past years of development. Unfortunately because of a change of scheduling, I was unable to see The Giant’s Garden this year. But The Childhood of the World and The Tree of Light offered sufficient indication of Packer’s vision for what is to be Slingsby’s final Adelaide ,production. The three parts of Slingsby’s compendium, written by three different writers, based on three classic fairy tales and performed by the same three actors are linked by themes that young people will be facing throughout their lives, which is why the production is aimed at young people from Years 4 to 12 and adult audiences. They will not be threatened by oppression and hunger as are brother and sister Re (Elizabeth Hay) and Crann (Nathan O’Keefe) in The Childhood of the World or barred from enjoying Nature’s playground by a bullying ogre in The Giant’s Garden or being cast from Earth to live on the Moon because of pollution and over population in The Tree of Light. Three cautionary tales remind us of the dangers that we face if we ignore the abuse of power, the threat of displacement and the dangerous consequences of environmental damage by the people of our planet. In the world of fairy tales there are happy endings but the warning is never far away for us to learn.

Ren Williams, Elizabeth Hay and Natan O'Keefe in The Childhood of the World

Myth, fable and nostalgia are the tools of Slingsby’s storytellers. They teach us how we should confront opposition and emerge triumphant and wiser. In The Childhood of the World Re understands that if we are to change circumstances for the better it is necessary to return home from the safety of the community that protected her in the forest.  In The Giant’s Garden it is the kindness of the snail Quill and her young owner Ida that is necessary to thaw the hardest heart. Grandmother Tree is the last surviving link with the Earthworld and it is the Little Match Girl, Ida, who has the courage and the curiosity to breathe in and breathe out and take the time to listen. Then it will be possible for Earthkind and Moonfolk to make the world a better place.

The Giant's Garden

To stage three separate but connected works in a wooden structure set amongst Nature’s beautiful environment in the Botanic Gardens is not without its challenges. Unlike the workshops versions that I have seen over the years, Packer’s direction assumes a technical sophistication to express the mythical adventure of The Childhood of the World, the fabled imagination of The Giant’s Garden and the Sci Fi sophistication of The Tree of Light. Chris Petridis’ lighting designs on Ailsa Paterson’s set designs create an effective design partnership, highlighting the different moods of each piece, or at least the two that I saw. The mood of each piece is evocatively selective and distinctly unique in Quincy Grant’s composition.

The writing varies considerably as each writer approaches the brief given them by Packer. I found Jennifer Lewis’s story and writing engaging with a hint of danger and the excitement that a journey in search of safety and survival can create. Ceredwin Dovey’s sci fi piece is less engaging and effective. Based as it is on a Hans Christian Andersen story it lacks the charm of Andersen’s story, set as it is in a very different and more nostalgic time. I found the plot too didactic and lacking in the dramatic conflict necessary to evoke empathy and excitement.

The Giant's Garden

Packer’s actors give solid performances in the confines of the Wandering Hall of Possibility but it is a space that can restrict the sense of escape, exploration and danger. It is by its nature intimate, and at times I felt limiting for the actors. Hay, O’Keefe and Williams are well cast in the various roles. O’Keefe, although appearing much older than Re’s brother is an experienced enough actor to maintain believability  while also having to double as the father.

The Tree of Light

Packer’s dream has come to an innovative and successful conclusion.  His vision of a world that can be changed through awareness, courage and the will to make a difference finds hope and purpose in each of the works. Having followed and applauded Slingsby’s work over many years I left the Wandering Hall of Possibility, somewhat saddened by the realization that one of Adelaide’s most significant companies should be now bidding its final farewell when there is still so much to address and create. If A Concise Compendium of Wonder has instilled wonder in its audiences and inspired them to wonder how they can build a better world free of the Hunger, surrounded by the joy of Nature and living in an environment that does not have to find refuge on the moon, then A Childhood of the World, The Giant’s Garden and The Tree of Light will be an important legacy to leave behind.

Photos by Eyehood

GATZ ADELAIDE FESTIVAL 2026

 

GATZ

Created and performed by Elevator Repair Service. Her Majesty’s Theatre. Adelaide Festival. March 13-15 2026.   Text The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Director John Collins. Associate Director Steve Bodow. Producer Hanna Novak. Original Set Design Louisa Thompson. Costume Design Colleen Werthmann. Lighting Design Mark Barton. Sound Design Ben Williams. Sound System Designer and Engineer Jason Sebastian. Production Stage Manager Maurina Lioce. Company Manager Becky Hermenze Production Manager Libby JVera.

Cast: Nick: Scott Shepherd, Jay: Jim Fletcher, Lucille: Maggie Hoffman, Jordan: Susie Sokol Daisy: Lucy Taylor, Tom: Gary Wilmes, George: Frank Boyd, Myrtle: Laurena Allan, Catherine: Kristen Sieh, Chester: Vin Knight, Michaelis: Gavin Price, Ewing: Mike Iveson, Henry C. Gatz: Terence Crawford.

 Images Mark Barton

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

Jim Fletcher (Jay) and Scott Shepherd (Nick) in GATZ

Elevator Repair Service’s production of Gatz offers a master class in directing and acting. The very name of the company suggests something different, a way of looking at the world that will give us a different perspective on others and ultimately on ourselves. This is why Elevator Repair Service’s reading and performing of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s elegiac comment on morality, wealth and privilege in his classic novel The Great Gatsby is such a revelation. It opens our eyes in a way that it is impossible for us not to engage with Scott Fitzgerald’s story of the privileged and moneyed people of East Coast Long Island. But this is no mere staging of a well-known novel. Director John Collins with his remarkable cast and creatives present designer Louisa Thompson’s ordinary rather bland set of an office with cheap furniture, an old typewriter and early computer. Shelves are stacked with boxes alongside a filing cabinet. It presents an image far removed from the home of self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby. A man enters the office. He moves to the table and attempts to switch on his computer. It doesn’t respond and a technician appears to carry it away to be fixed. The man reaches for a book and begins to read.: “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people of this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’ ”

Jim Fletcher as Gatsby in GATZ

These are the opening lines of The Great Gatsby, spoken by narrator, Nick Carraway, who is writing a book looking back on the events of twenty years earlier, when he knew Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jodie Baker, poor George and Myrtle Wilson. For the next eight hours, minus a ninety-minute dinner break and two short intervals actor Scott Shepherd continues to read the text. Apart from moments when life in the office intrudes on his reading actor Scott Shepherd is subsumed in the role of Carraway and the story is as much about him as about the other characters. As Shepherd reads the narrative, dialogue is picked up by the other people in the office who then assume the roles of the characters. Gradually office life and Fitzgerald’s world merge and as they do the audience becomes totally immersed in the complex and fractured lives of the characters. All the while, Nick’s self-reflection becomes a window to Gatsby and Daisy’s tortured love, Buchanan’s arrogance and garage owner Wilson and his entrapped wife Myrtle’s struggle to survive.

Scott Shepherd as Nick and Susie Sokol as Jordan in GATZ

The decision to read every word of the novel, ironically perhaps enriches the experience. It embellishes the lives of the characters through Nick’s eyes and Shepherd’s reading of Scott Fitzgerald’s description of both the characters and the world they inhabit. Nor does the single office set detract in any way from the shifting locations. Whether it be the drunken scene in a New York Hotel turned violent, the lavish parties in Gatsby’s huge mansion, Wilson’s run down garage or the grave site, the production is a vivid enactment of the descriptive prose and dialogue of F Scott Fitzgerald’s story. So much so that we accept that Daisy (Lucy Taylor) and Gatsby (Jim Fletcher), seated on two office chairs, are in Gatsby’s car or the couch becomes Gatsby’s swimming pool. Not a word of Scott Fitzgerald’s novel remains unspoken or unread. The actors morph convincingly from office workers to distinct and perfectly captured characters in Fitzgerald’s epic saga. There are moments of hilarious comedy when Michaelis (Gavin Price) plays the piano, moments of violence when Buchanan (Gary Wilmes) assaults Myrtle (Laurena Allan),moments of love’s complexity between Carraway and Jordan Baker, the golfer (Susie Sokol)

Vin Knight (Chester), Scott Shepherd, Susie Sokol in GATZ

Gatz is a labour of love and intense scrutiny. The idea has percolated down the years and various casts have contributed to its development. Director John Collins has scrutinized every moment, every action and reaction. Not a moment passes without meaning. The timing of response to Shepherd’s narration is impeccable. There is a tone to the reading and to the actors’ delivery that echoes through time. Listening to Fitzgerald’s text transports us to the early years of the twentieth century. The voices of the actors resonate with the individual emotions of their characters. A gesture defines the office worker in action and response, never intruding on our belief in Fitzgerald’s characters.

Scott Shepherd as Narrator and Nick Carroway in GATZ

“On your imaginations work” implores the Chorus in Shakespeare’s Henry V. Elevator Repair Service’s performance of Gatz ignites our imagination, and we see as if by magic every moment of this evocatively told story. Shepherd closes the book and delivers Carraway’s words by rote. Gatsby’s father Henry C Gatz (in a moving performance by local South Australian actor Terence Crawford) appears for his son’s sparsely attended funeral.  We too are witness to the moral of a story in which the promise of greatness or the fulfillment of hope is so easily vanquished by the failings of the human spirit.

Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz is a revelation, engrossing, powerfully told and leaving us, like Nick, with “the capacity to wonder.” The greatness of Gatz is in the production’s gift to theatre and the work of America’s great observer of human nature and its power to destroy and divide. The performance, sadly exclusive only to the Adelaide Festival is incentive enough to immediately read or reread F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

 

 

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE - Canberra Philharmonic Society

 

Sterling Notley and the cast of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

THE 25^TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE – Canberra Philharmonic Society.

Music & Lyrics by William Finn – Book by Rachel Sheinkin

Directed by Nathan Patrech – Musical Direction by Samara Marinelli

Choreographed by Lachlan Ruffy – Set Design by Nathan Patrech & Ian Croker

Lighting design by Nikki Fitzgerald – Sound Design by James McPherson

ACT Hub – 12^th – 28^th March 2026. - Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

There’s a certain magic in watching a show that knows exactly what it is, and The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee wears its quirky heart right on its sleeve.

Set in a fictional school gymnasium, the show follows a group of eccentric young contestants as they compete for the coveted spelling bee trophy, and in the process, reveal their insecurities, dreams and personal quirks.

Nathan Patrech’s direction is resourceful and imaginative, encouraging the audience to feel like they’re sitting on bleachers, watching friends and neighbour compete for glory. This is enhanced by the inclusion of four guest contestants, chosen from the audience each performance, ensuring that no two performances are exactly the same.

Ella Colquhuon as Mercy Park

Each of the characters in the show is drawn with such specificity that you can’t help rooting for them. From Ella Colquhoun’s overly intense overachiever whose performance of “I Speak Six Languages” is a genuine showstopper, to Amelia Andersson-Nickson’s shy newcomer whose love of words is sweetly expressed in her solo “My Friend, The Dictionary”, the characterisations are exaggerated yet deeply relatable, with each given a moment to shine through catchy, character-driven songs.

Amy Kowalczuk is pitch perfect as the gushy contest moderator, a former winner of the 3^rd Putnam Spelling bee and deeply invested in the outcome of the contest. Michael Cooper as the official word pronouncer, and Tim Stiles as the comfort councillor, provide hilariously dubious support.

Dave Collins plays a contestant with an unusual memorising technique. Two fathers pamper Meaghan Stewart’s contestant. Joe Mansell is an eccentric who finds himself a contestant in the contest by accident, while Sterling Notley’s chances are thwarted by an unfortunate, uncontrollable affliction. All delight with improvisational flourishes, which keep the energy electric with humour that is quick, sometimes absurd, but never cruel.

Sterling Notley as Chip Tolentino

Musically, William Finn’s score is a playful as it is heartfelt, featuring catchy melodies and clever lyrics. The lively choreography by Lachlan Ruffy, rich with classic cliche dance moves, especially for his spirited staging of “Magic Foot”, adds energy to the production and is enthusiastically performed by the cast.  

Despite its delightful absurdities, by the time this musical reaches its inevitable conclusion, you realise that The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee isn’t about winning or losing. It is about the messy, beautiful business of growing up, finding your voice, and spelling it out for the world to hear.

If you’re looking for a night of theatre that will make you laugh until your cheeks ache, a then unexpectedly tug at your heartstrings, then this delightfully exuberant production by the Canberra Philharmonic Society at the ACTHub is a bee is well worth buzzing over.    

                            Photos supplied by The Canberra Philharmonic Society

     This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 13th March 2026.

 

 

THEATRE OF DREAMS ADELAIDE FESTIVAL 2026

 

 

Theatre of Dreams.

Choreography and music Hofesh Shechter. Lighting design Tom Visser. Costume design Osnat Kelner. Associate Artistic Director Bruno Guillore. Music Collaborator Yaron Engler. Set Collaborator Niall Black. Images Tom Visser. Cast: Dancers Alex Haskins, Robinson Cassarino, Tristan Carter, Frederic Despierre-,Keanah Simin, Juliette Valerio, Chanel Vivent. Musicians Norman Jankowski, Bartłomiej Janiak ,James Keane. Additional Music: I Remember. Written by M. Drake (Reservoir Media Management/Mushroom Music). Hofesh Shechter Company. Festival Theatre. Adelaide Festival Centre. Adelaide Festival. March 13-15 2026.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 We notice the man standing in the second row. He climbs onto the stage and sneaks towards the black curtain. Curiosity extends his arm towards the curtain that he slowly opens. There is a flash of light on the figure within the gap. The body appears to jerk, sudden and spontaneous and the curtain closes. The man, now more curious than ever, once more draws the curtain aside. As swiftly as before more dancers appear revealed in a beam of red light. The movements are spasmodic, sharply etched and the man is lured into the dance. Choreographer Hofesh Shechter’s imagination is ready to break free of the darkness and into a dreamscape of the human psyche. Theatre of Dreams opens our minds to a world beyond the conscious, and yet instantly recognizable through Shechter’s electrifying choreography. His dancers transcend convention and expectation. Their dance, like our dreams, defies the expected and thrusts us into the world  of fear and wonder, driven by Dyonisian supplication to the celebration of the theatre of the dance.

 Shechter’s vision is photographic, flashes of imagery through the aperture of the curtain, sometimes narrow catching a glimpse of a dancer alone or with only a few or at other moments widened to reveal the company, captured in the lens of our amazement. Each dancer is the lead actor in their own creative expression of the moment or the theme. And then as if by some unimpelled force they are swept into a community of dance, instinctively forming a unified expression of Hechter’s choreography. It is mesmerizing, carrying the audience along and into a hypnotic world of astonishing physicality. There is no moment to escape the hold that Hechter’s company has. We are at once transfixed and transformed as Tom Visser’s lighting design dazzles us with flashes of red to capture the frenetic gesture or nightmarish fear. At another moment a flash of stark white creates a momentary freeze frame which morphs quickly into another company movement, impulsive and dynamic.

 A lone dancer becomes an Emcee, inviting us to the Theatre of Dreams. At the side of the stage three musicians appear beneath another shaft of red light that bathes trombonist, drummer and keyboard player in the cabaret world of dreams. A lone figure watches the dance unfold until he too is drawn into the company, twisting and turning into the community. The movements are supple, expressive and dynamic. Like a dream we are possessed in the moment, captured by Shechter’s idiosyncratic score. Theatre of Dreams is a journey into the uncontrolled regions of our subconscious. It can be real, a wave of panic or a tender moment that lulls us into a state of calm security. The various movements of Hechter’s choreography encourage the diversity of experience and an invitation to share the euphoria. The dancers build the tempo as if at a disco or a rave and invite the audience to join in and clap their hands. The invitation needs little urging as the entire audience leaps to their feet and begins to dance with the company. It is the dance of liberation. Finally the Theatre of Dreams like all dreams comes to an end in front of elegantly hung scalloped curtains, reminiscent of the curtains that hung in front of the old movie houses. 

 Like a dream, the unexpected, the mysterious, the fearful and the exciting all fade into the darkness or the waking and Hechter and his phenomenal dancers lead us from the fantasy to the reality of the light. There is a catharsis that only a total commitment to the experience can create. This is the exhilarating magic and power of Theatre of Dreams. It comes as no surprise that some I know bought tickets to return for another night at Theatre of Dreams’ all too short and unforgettable season.

Photos by Andrew Beveridge