OVATION - Canberra Theatre

Producer: Karen-Lee Goody – Production Manager: Alex Stoner

Musical Director/ accompanist: Andrew Ross

Musicians: Karoline Kuti, Atillia Kuti, George Vi, Karen Columbine

Canberra Theatre 21^st February 2026. Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

Andrew Ross (Piano) - Michael Cormick - Silvie Paladino - Marina Prior - David Hobson - String quartet 

Not only is this concert an ovation to the four acclaimed musical theatre artists who perform it, it is also an ovation for careers that have spanned decades.

Marina Prior, Michael Cormick, Silvie Paladino and David Hobson have headlined national tours of major musicals both within Australia and internationally for probably more years than they care to be reminded.

This concert not only provides them with the opportunity to revisit their many triumphs, some quite recent, others early in their careers, but also for their admirers, who packed the Canberra Theatre for the inaugural concert of this national tour, the opportunity to relive cherished performances, as well as for the first time for many, experience the  interpretations from favourite artists of roles from productions missed.

David Hobson - Marina Prior - Silvie Paladino and Michael Cormick in "Ovation"

Marina Prior, for instance, has starred in more than 40 musicals, including the original Australian productions of The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Cats, The Pirates of Penzance, and Mary Poppins. There seems to be no role in musical theatre in which she doesn’t excel.  

She originated the role of Mrs Banks in the original 2010 Australian production of Mary Poppins. Only Melbourne got to see her portray the Bird Woman in the 2023 revival of this show. Prior rectifies this, by offering an exquisite rendition of “Feed the Birds” in this concert.

In the original 1987 Australian production of Les Misérables, Prior originated the role of Cosette and played the role of Fantine at certain performances. In this concert she sings “I Dreamed a Dream” from that show.  

In 2025, she took on the role Madame Thenardier in the Australia performances of the Arena Spectacular World Tour. She later repeating this role on the West End for the 40^th Anniversary performances.

If you can’t imagine Marina Prior as Madame Thernardier, then you shouldn’t miss this concert when it gets to your city, because Prior brings the house down when she performs “Master of the House” with, David Hobson as her Thernardier. 

Michael Cormick and string quartet in "Ovation".

  

Michael Cormick possesses one of the most beautiful baritone voices in the business, which he demonstrates in a shimmering version of “If I Loved You” from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, and again, duetting with Marina Prior with  “All I Ask”, from Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera.

The Phantom of the Opera has also loomed large in Cormick’s career having played Raoul for three years on London’s the West End. He’s played The Phantom in Australia, including Free Rain Theatre’s production in the Canberra Theatre, and more recently, the manager, Firmin in the original  Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour for Opera Australia. Therefore, it was no surprise that his powerful rendition of “Music of the Night” from that show, was one of the highlights of the night.

However, it was his virtuoso combination of “Sweet Tranvestite” from The Rocky Horror Show and “I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folle that really demonstrated his versatility and had the audience demanding more.

Silvie Paladino - Michael Cormick - String Quartet in "Ovation" 

Recently Silvie Paladino played Norma Desmond in Opera Australia’s production of the musical, Sunset Boulevard, alternating the role with Sarah Brightman. For those who didn’t get the opportunity to see her interpretation, she performs “With One Look” from this show.

She also performs “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from Evita; a thrilling version of “Winner Takes it All” from Mamma Mia; and two beautiful duets with Marina Prior, “I Know Him So Well” from Chess, and a captivating duet arrangement of “Memory” from Cats.

In fact, the duets scattered through the program provide many of the most memorable moments. In addition to the ones already mentioned; Paladino and Cormick with “Beauty and the Beast” from the show of the same name; Paladino and David Hobson with a ballad associated with Pavarotti and sang in Italian, “Non Ti Scordar Di Me” (Don’t Forget About Me), and especially Cormick and Hobson with “Lily’s Eyes” from The Secret Garden.

Marina Prior - David Hobson and string quartet in "Ovation". 

Although he has done his fair share of musicals, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Follies and Funny Girl, David Hobson is renowned for his high lyric operatic tenor. He demonstrated this gift with an opera medley early in the show. His musical theatre solos included dynamic renditions of “I Am the Pirate King” from The Pirates of Penzance, “Man of La Mancha” from the musical of the same name, and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” from My Fair Lady.

Ovation began with a medley from West Side Story sung by the full cast. They also joined forces to sing the operatic party song, “Libiamo” from “La Traviata” to end the first act. The second half opened with the full cast singing “Love Changes Everything” from Aspects of Love and ended with a long medley of songs from Les Misérables.

Throughout, the concert was accompanied by Andrew Ross on piano, conducting an excellent string quartet which somehow managed to sound like a full symphony orchestra when required.

Michael Cormick - Silvie Paladino - Marina Prior - David Hobson in "Ovation"

However, despite the ecstatic reception given to the performance by the capacity audience, and the best efforts of the cast, there was no escaping the fact that this first performance appeared under-rehearsed and self-directed.  Even artists of this calibre need a director to ensure that that everything around them supports their performance.

Although the lighting design was generally satisfactory, the sound balance was initially harsh, and took time to settle, and the use of hand mikes throughout compromised the efforts of the artists to recreate the magic of which they are capable.

It was a pity Marina Prior, a vision in a spectacular red dress, had to perform “Send in the Clowns” sitting on a kitchen chair beside the grand piano, rather than a settee, or even a cabaret stool, which would also have been useful for the other soloists.

A prop here and there, and some thoughtful staging, may have prevented the artists from resorting to waltzing together whenever there was a music break in the middle of a duet. And surely there is a better way of staging “Libiamo” than having the artists standing around the piano waving imaginary champagne glasses.

Hopefully, these blemishes will have been attended to by the time you see this treasury of showtunes, because, as good as it already is, Ovation has the potential to be one of those shows to look back on as a treasured memory.   

  

                                                            Photos by Karen-Lee Goody

This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW.     www.artsreview.com.au

 

 

  

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

 

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. 

Directed by Karen Vickery. Lakespeare. Glebe Park. Saturday February 21-28 Playing at various venues. Bookings at www.lakespeare.com 

A Commentary by Peter Wilkins

Anneka van der Velde, Alice Ferguson, Giuliana Baggoley and Yanina Clifton
in The Taming of the Shrew-the Patrick White Lawns at the National Library 

Not even the incessant drizzle could dampen the sheer exuberance of Lakespeare’s bold troupe of performers. Even the audience determinedly braved the weather in Glebe Park to witness Karen Vickery’s lively production of Shakespeare’s battle of the sexes comedy, The Taming of The Shrew. But when the drizzle turned into a shower and the shower threatened a downpour it was time to confront the fears of electrocution and call the production off.

Yanina Clifton as Grumia. Ylaria Rogers as Petruchia in
The Taming of the Shrew

Having seen only half of this production and being unable to see it in its other venues over the next couple of weeks, I am unable to offer a fully informed review. However, what I was able to witness in the hour was a fresh and vibrant production of Shakespeare’s comedy, the likes of which I have never seen. I do not say this lightly. I have seen many productions of “The Shrew” from the RSC to the big screen. However, the Lakespeare production is considerably different. Director Vickery and her creatives have staged a production for our time. Vickery has decided to reverse roles and turn Petruchio into a feisty, wilful, staunchly independent Petruchia (Ylaria Rogers), out to tame the grumpy, belligerent Christopher (Michael Cooper) into a compliant, agreeable Kit. Shakespeare’s wit, banter and situation serve the reversal well. It is Shakespeare’s universality that reveals the eternal struggle for power whether that be between Shakespeare’s Kate and his Petruchio or Vickery’s Petruchia and Christopher. The accusation of misogyny levelled at Shakespeare by more recent critics and academics is absolved by this act of reversal thus enabling the audience to judge the relationship in the context of their own age. I have no doubt that the master of antithesis would heartily approve. 

Blue Hyslop (Biondello) and Anneka van der Velde (Trania)
in The Taming of the Shrew

What this production allows an audience to do is revel in the comedy. “What fools these mortals be.”  Folly flourishes in the realm of comedy and the open air setting of the production is an ideal location to liberate the absurd antics of Shakespeare’s characters and their grave concerns with wealth, status and the necessity to secure oneself a spouse. Vickery’s cast gives faultless performances, exquisitely costumed in Helen Wojtas’s grandiose period costumes adorned with milliner Rachel Henson’s elaborate hats and headwear. The tables are turned with gender swapping but it is easy to imagine that we are seated in the Forest of Arden as the actors romp merrily through Shakespeare’s satire on class and matrimony.

The rain is heavy now and I will never get to see how Christopher handles that closing monologue of contention, an apparent equivocation of complete subservience to the lord or in this case the lady’s will. That is something that audiences fortunate enough to see this wonderful production under a clear sky will need to decide. Role reversal or no role reversal, the speech may portent more than it seems.

 

Shontae Wright (Lucentia), Anneka van der Velde (Trania) and 
Alastair James McKenzie (Bianco) in The Taming of the Shrew

Finally, the cast is to be thoroughly commended for bringing Shakespeare’s comedy so vibrantly to life. There is no confusion with the text, delivered so truthfully and trippingly on the tongue. Vickery infuses the action with energy, and the cast respond with performances that are accessible and highly entertaining. The entire cast deserve commendation: Ylaria Rogers as Petruchia, Michael Cooper as Christopher, Yanina Clifton as Petruchia’s clownish maid Grumia, Giuliana Baggoley as Baptista, the mother of Christopher and Bianco (Alastair James McKenzie), Christopher’s brother, Alice Ferguson as Bianco’s aged suitor Gremia, Shontae Wright as Lucentia, Bianco’s secret love, Anneka van der Velde as Trania, Lucentia’s servant, Blue Hyslop as Biondello, Claire Noack as Hortensia and Jill Young as Vincentia.

Lakespeare is a Canberra institution bringing powerful and entertaining productions of Shakespeare’s plays to Canberra audiences.  I may have only seen half of this year’s production of TheTaming of the Shrew, but I am left as the rain fell with a feeling of envy for those who would be able to return to see how this outstanding production of Shakespeare’s comedy of sexual and social politics turns out. With accolades galore I expect. 

 

  

 

 

Garabari

The Playhouse

Joel Bray and BlakDance

Season Closed

Reviewed by Samara Purnell

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this review contains the name of a deceased person.

The anticipation of being on stage with the performers - learning, dancing, being right in the middle of the action and being able to partake in Garabari - Wiradjuri for Corroboree, was an exciting prospect.

This is a creation story, gifted by the late Uncle James Ingram, about the making of the Murrumbidgee River.

Dancer Luke Currie-Richardson briefed the audience, who were clearly keen for this experience, on the production and participation requirements before recalling his time dancing here with Quantum Leap and how he has come full circle. Unfortunately, creator and choreographer Joel Bray wouldn’t be joining the performance that night. Following the casual and light-hearted introduction, the audience was led to the stage. 

This playful experience invited everyone - young and old, indigenous or not, to learn a story connected to the area surrounding Canberra and to interact directly with the dancers.

It was particularly satisfying to see and admire, up close, the striking and textural costumes by Wiradjuri designer Denni Francisco (Ngali) - the six dancers were all in white costumes, some with macrame-esque fringing and ropes, quilting and delicate white feather armbands.

The dancers of Garabari, costumes by Ngali

Surprisingly, cameras were allowed, although most people were keen to focus on moving and watching. That said, Currie-Richardson did pose for photos if he noticed one being taken. 

People were encouraged to fill and move around the whole stage area, though a handful of seats were provided for those unable to stand or be directly involved. The stage was divided by a sheer curtain, coloured with projections by Katie Sfetkidis. Participants were invited to move through it and make shadow projections on it at will. A handful of props - a fire, spears and a digging stick were placed at the front and a soundscape of birds and water slowly built to a beat.

The dancers swirled and moved through the large group of people on stage, at times coming together to perform synchronized routines or perform lifts. Depending on where one was standing, the dancers could be observed directly, or, strikingly, as shadows through the curtain, which allowed exaggerations in size and was a novel way to watch the combat scenes unfold. 

Buluhna fights the men on Mt Tumut

A dancer sat among some of the people and told them the story of Buluhna: Fed up with the men hogging the water from the animals and women, Buluhna climbs up Mt Tumut to confront them and ask them to share the water. On the way she meets a man who gives her a digging stick. The men refuse to share the water, so Buluhna pierces the mountain with the digging stick and water flows forth from it, creating the Murrumbidgee River. 

The story is told through several mediums - dance, spoken word, animation. The performance does not unfold in a linear way, rather creating elements for and by the audience, that are combined at various points. 

In between, the audience claps, mimics calls, moves in circles and is shown the postures and gestures of several animal totems. As the pace and music built, a round of limbo ensued! The men performed dance-offs, with the support of the circle. It’s said that stomping on the ground is to connect to the heartbeat of Mother Earth. 

A catchy, pulsating soundtrack composed by Byron Scullin was played by a DJ positioned off to one side. The music intensified, the beat quickened, the lights dimmed, everyone embodied a totem or just danced and moved around the stage as the corroboree merged into a techno dance party, complete with strobe lights. A couple of lines of song in native language were repeated throughout the performance. 

Gradually the pace slowed, the music became softer and in a fascinating instance of group instinct, everyone knew what to do, without being led, slowly lowering to the ground, everyone began humming the tune of the lyric and gently thumping their heart as the music and lights faded completely. In that moment, I felt a wave of unexpected emotion. To be part of a positive mob mentality, to tap into the universal heartbeat, to be for a moment at one and at peace with this group of strangers and to meditate on the recurring tune as humming replaced music felt very uniting.

A note that there is the potential for the immersive experience to be intense for people with sensory processing sensitivities. 

Garabari is a chaotic blend of elements to tell a local story and to integrate everyone more intimately in the telling of it, with culture being woven into a dance party. It is almost guaranteed everyone left feeling uplifted and with a sense of joy. I walked out into a hot Canberra twilight, still humming the tune, and couldn’t help but smile as the bats flew across a crescent moon. 

Participants being told the story 
of the Murrumbidgee River creation

Photos by Samara Purnell taken during the performance at The Playhouse

CANBERRA CABARET FESTIVAL

  

Canberra Cabaret Festival.

Facilitator Anne Somes. Set design Cate Clelland. Sound design. James McPherson. Lighting design Craig Muller. ACT HUB.  The Causeway Hall. Spinifex Street. Kingston.February19-21 2024. ACTHUB>COM>AU.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

Janie Lawson on the search for Papa in
DNA THE CABARET

The lyrics sing in my head. “What good is sitting all alone in your room, come hear the music play. Life is a cabaret old chum. Come to the cabaret.” ACT HUB hosts its second Canberra Cabaret Festival at the old Causeway Hall in Kingston. I attended the final night last Saturday to see two of Canberra’s finest music theatre performers present two hours of first class entertainment. If Janie Lawson’s DNA the Cabaret and Dave Collins’s Dave 101 are anything to go by next year’s festival is a treat not to be missed.

Janie Lawson finds herself in
DNA THE CABARET

I have to express some surprise. I was expecting an hour of entertainment. What I got instead were two cleverly devised cabaret performances performed with professional panache by Lawson and Collins. Lawson’s DNA The Cabaret is an intriguing account of Lawson’s discovery that her DNA results indicate that she is 50% Italian which comes as quite a shock given that her mother led her to believe that she was in fact Scottish, much darker than her fair-haired sibling brothers but Scottish nonetheless. And so begins a fascinating search to discover the true identity of her father. Interspersed with songs and accompanied by virtuoso musical director Callum Tolhurst-Close on keyboard Lawson shines as chanteuse, comedienne and captivating storyteller . Her journey from her Scottish roots (Skye Boat Song) leads her on a desperate search for her father (Papa Can You Hear Me from Streisand’s Yentl, soulfully rendered from the heart) to her mother’s comment “He had a hat” which segues into The Man With A Hat, with lyrics rewritten to Sondheim’s The Ladies Who Lunch from Company” until she finally unites with Italian sisters and triumphantly sings her rousing rendition of self discovery, I Am What I Am from Jerry herman’s  La Cage Aux Folles. DNA The Cabaret is sheer enchantment. Lawson’s personal story is fascinating in itself, and every audience identifies with the need to know one’s true identity. Lawson’s audience is gripped in a state of enchanted engagement. The performance is intriguing, funny, uplifting and heartwarming. It deserves a longer season.

Dave Collins and Amelia  Andersson-Nickson get happy in Dave 101

Where Lawson ends with a triumphant number, Collins opens his personal story with a powerhouse rendition of Kander and Ebb’s When You’re Good To Mama from Chicago. Dave 101 is Collins’s attempt to write the recollections of a troubled life of poor choices from Queanbeyan Public School to the APS and a hopeful dating app. It’s a sad sack life but you can’t help liking the doleful Collins. He’s the kind of character you would like to care for. His performance is magnetic. His longing for love and acceptance touchin in the tradition of the sad clown. 

Dave Collins and Kara Murphy navigate HR in DAVE 101

 In his search for a happy relationship, a satisfying job and acceptance, Collins is joined by HR colleague Kara Murphy with The Temp and the Receptionist by Kooman and Dimond and a vivacious Amelia Andersson-Nickson who lets him know that Happy days Are Here Again and he should Get Happy. It’s not that easy when you are in love with the same guy as Louiza Blomfield. They deliver another great duet from Chess,  I Know Him So Well ( Tim Rice and Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus). Dave 101 will never get written as Collins devours the torn pages but he brings his performance to an end in the knowledge that it’s OK to be a Screw Loose (Music by Adam Schlesinger. Lyrics by David Javerbaum) And that’s cabaret!

 

Dave Collins does cabaret with DAVE 101

Lawson and Collins command the space and a full house clapped and cheered. I didn’t get to see Deborah O’Toole who performed her show on the first night. Facilitator of the festival Anne Somes is aiming for a two week festival next year. I have often commented on the remarkable musical and music theatre talent that exists in Canberra and Queanbeyan and I urge everyone to be swept away by the stories and the performances that make cabaret such an exhilarating night at the theatre. Only a more aesthetic design, décor and setting in the cabaret tradition could have created a more intimate and atmospheric space in the century old Causeway Hall.

Dave Collins and Louiza Blomfield in DAVE 101

From small things big things grow and I predict that the ACT HUB Canberra Cabaret Festival could be the place to go to for the best of local talent that Cabaret has to offer. This year’s offerings are proof enough that talents like Lawson and Collins are a shining promise of great things to come.

Photos by Ben Appleton - PHOTOX

 

 

BEDROOM FARCE

 

Written by Alan Ayckbourn

Directed by Aarne Neeme

Canberra REP production

Canberra REP Theatre, Acton to 7 March

 

Reviewed by Len Power 20 February 2026

 

Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Bedroom Farce’ was first performed in 1975 at the height of his most successful period of commercial success in England. He has written over 90 plays of which more than 40 have been produced in London’s West End.

In the play, three very different couples are seen in their bedrooms on a particular evening – an elderly couple preparing to go to their wedding anniversary dinner at a favourite restaurant, a couple who enjoy practical jokes preparing to host a party and a third couple who have been invited to that party but only the wife can attend because her husband is in bed with a bad back. A fourth unhappily married young couple also invited to the party will create a night of memorable chaos involving all three of those couples.

This play shows Ayckbourn at his best, commenting on the foibles of human behaviour and marriage in a very recognizable way. We all know people like this. Director, Aarne Neeme has ensured that the individual characters of the play are grounded in reality, allowing the humour to flow naturally.

Pat Gallagher (Ernest) and Sally Reinveld (Delia)

There is fine work from each of the performers. Pat Gallagher and Sally Rynveld are very effective as a couple who have been together for a long time and are aware of each other’s faults while managing to remain close. Rob de Fries and Azerie Cromhout are very funny as a couple where he is unwell and needy while she is not as sympathetic as he would like.

Antonia Kitzel (Kate) and Lachlan Abrahams (Malcolm)

Lachlan Abrahams and Antonia Kitzel deftly capture the fun of a practical joking couple as well as their growing frustration as their evening is ruined. James Grudnoff and Lara Connolly give fine characterizations of a warring married couple who go through life selfishly unaware of their impact on others.

Rob de Fries (Nick) and James Grudnoff (Trevor)

Andrew Kay’s striking set design of three bedrooms side by side cleverly shows aspects of each of the characters and the costume designs by Cate Clelland suit each of the characters perfectly.

This is a very funny play about recognizable married couples which has not dated at all. You might even see yourselves on that stage.

 

Photos by Cathy Breen

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/.

 

BEDROOM FARCE

 

 

 

Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn.

Directed by Aarne Neeme AM. Set design by Andrew Kay. Costumes by Dr. Cate Clelland. Lighting design Mike Maloney. Sound design James Macpherson. Properties and set dressing Mandy Brown. Production Manager Anne Gallen. Stage Manager Paul Jackson. Canberra Rep. Theatre 3 B February 20 – March 7 2026 Bookings 62571950 www.canberrarep.org.au

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins.

Pat Gallagher (Ernest) and Sally Rynveld (Delia) in Bedroom Farce

Bedroom Farce is classic Ayckbourn. The master of British domestic comedy, Alan Ayckbourn’s prolific output for over more than fifty years exposes the absurdity of middle-class social manners. In Bedroom Farce Ayckbourn once again juggles location and relationships to probe the farcical nature of married life. The physical comedy of the piece draws on the elements of hilarious farce while the characters reveal the foibles and the frailties of the human condition as exposed in their marital life.

Kate (Antonia Kitzel) and Malcolm (Lachlan Abrahams)
in Bedroom Farce

Director Aarne Neeme in Rep’s very cleverly staged production focuses more on the farce and less perhaps on the serious aspects of relationships within the marriage. Director Neeme has chosen to emphasise the comical absurdity of behaviour rather than the more serious aspects of the four marriages presented in Bedroom Farce. The flaws are apparent, but we are more consumed by the comedy than the deeper insight into the marital state. In Rep’s production currently being staged at Theatre 3 it makes for a very entertaining evening with plenty of laughs that may for some members of an audience disguise the more serious side of the couple’s relationship. Ayckbourn’s witty experiment with cut across situations and interconnected relationships is more akin to the farcical circumstance that occurs on the stage than Ayckbourn’s possible commentary on his tribe. For some in the audience on opening night, Bedroom Farce was belly laugh comedy, while others adopted a more pensive interest in the plight of characters caught in unexpected situations.

Lara Connolly (Susannah) Pat Gallagher (Ernest) and
Sally Rynveld (Delia) in Bedroom Farce

Designer Andrew Kay has managed to follow Ayckbourn’s invention of three separate bedrooms on the stage, belonging to three very different intergenerational couples. Ernest (Pat Gallagher) and Delia (Sally Rynveld are an older couple. They have a hyperactive son Trevor (James Grudnoff) who is married to the highly strung Susannah (Lara Connolly). In the second bedroom middle aged couple Malcolm (Lachlan Abrahams) and Kate (Antonia Kitzel) keep their marriage alive by playing pranks on each other.  In the third bedroom Nick is confined to bed with a bad back so that his wife Jan decides to go alone to a party being held at Malcolm and Kate’s, which Trevor and Susannah also attend.

Rob De Fries (Nick) and Trevor (John Grudnoff) in Bedroom Farce

The scene is set for a series of ridiculous carryings-on. Neeme and his strong cast make the most of every hilarious comic moment.  Rob De Fries’s fall from the bed and agonizing attempt to return had a group near me in stitches. Anyone who has tackled an IKEA flat pack would sympathise with Abraham’s portrayal of Malcolm’s attempts to put together a present for Kate. Young couple Trevor and Susannah represent the kind of guests who would create chaos wherever they went and Grundoff and Connolly perfect the art of infuriation.

 Neeme ensures that Bedroom Farce is packed with comic physical business, madness, movement and mayhem. Rep’s production of Bedroom Farce is amusing, though I wonder whether Ayckbourn’s satirical bite has lost its sting. If it’s an entertaining night at the theatre that you are after then Bedroom Farce will fill the bill.

Photos by Cathy Breen

NEVER CLOSER - Off The Ledge Theatre - Courtyard Studio - Canberra Theatre Centre.

Emily O"Mahoney (Deidre) - Breanna Kelly (Mary) - Tash Lyall (Niamh) - Pippin Carroll (Harry) - Joel Hrbek) in "Never Closer".

Playwright: Grace Chapple - Produced, Directed, Set & Lighting designer: Lachlan Houen

Costume design: Winsome Ogilvie – Sound designer/composer: Marlene Radice

Co-Lighting designer: Joshua James – Stage Manager: Lucy Van Dooren

Intimacy Coordinator: Jill Young

Courtyard Studio – Canberra Theatre Centre until 28^th February 2026.

Opening Night performance on 19^th February reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

Breanna Kelly (Mary) - Tash Lyall (Niamh) - Pippin Carroll (Harry - Joel Hrbek (Jimmy)
Emily O'Mahoney (Mary) in "Never Closer"

Set in Northern Ireland in the 1980’s, Australian playwright, Grace Chapple’s debut play Never Closer follows a group of childhood friends, Deirdre, Mary, Niamh, Jimmy and Conor, who all reconnect unexpectedly at Deidre’s home on Christmas Eve, a decade after their last meeting.

On that occasion, having finished their schooling, the friends drank whisky, shared ghost stories and fantasised about their future ambitions. All had plans about what they hoped to do but were unsure about how to put those plans into action, except for Niamh who planned to go to London to study medicine.

Ten years on and grieving her mother’s passing, Deidre (Emily O’Mahoney) is in a relationship with Conor (Nick Bisa), who is trying to drink away his own grief at the murder of his father during the ongoing struggle for a united Ireland.

Emily O'Mahoney (Deirdre) - Joel Hrbek (Jimmy) in "Never Closer"

Jimmy (Joel Hrbek) is the first to arrive, surprising Deidre. Previously there had been a hint of a relationship between the two, but ten years on, Jimmy finally reveals to Deidre his regret at choosing to stay on his family farm in the hope that she would eventually want to be with him.

Next caller is Mary (Breanna Kelly) effervescent as always, and anxious to share with her friends, her pleasure in her new job for which she moved to Dublin.

But, surprising them all, Niamh (Tash Lyall), who had failed to stay connected during the time she had been London. However, not only has Niamh succeeded in her ambition to become a psychiatrist, but she has also brought her English fiancé, Harry (Pippin Carroll) to introduce to her friends.

What should have been a happy re-union becomes a battleground when Mary’s attempt to ease tensions by suggesting a party-game involving drinking, erupts with revelations of festering tensions and accusations.

Lachlan Houen has assembled an excellent, deeply invested, ensemble cast, then guided each to mine Chapple’s absorbing script to bring authenticity and nuance to their characterisations.

Emily O’Mahoney’s Deidre is snappy, highly strung, and easily offended, often so much so, that one wonders why her friends would put up with her.  Her response to Jimmy’s revelation, however, is beautifully managed and believable.

Joel Hrbrek is quite superb as the dependable, though deeply repressed, Jimmy, who finally gets the opportunity to show his true colours and humanity when confronting Conor’s murderous rage.

Nick Bisa (Conor) - Tash Lyall (Niamh) in "Never Closer). 

Nick Bisa oozes menace and is outstanding as the deeply conflicted Conor who deals with his festering resentment for his father’s murder by committing an unthinkable act of vengeance.   

Resisting the temptation for easy laughs by making his English barrister, Harry, a caricature, Pippin Carroll opts for authenticity, depth and nuance with a characterisation that garners more than his fair share of laughs, particularly with his depiction of Harry’s predicament managing an oversupply of whisky.

Breanna Kelly is sheer delight as the effervescent Mary, constantly defusing difficult moments with wisecracks and silliness, while investing her character with admirable warmth and wisdom.

Tash Lyall confidently portrays Niamh, a friend who has always understood her own direction and thoughts, never allowing her background to limit her.

Houen’s prop -heaving setting, depicting an Irish working-class kitchen, looks attractive and authentic. His direction of his cast within it, thoughtful and well-managed. The well-chosen costumes and carefully selected background music also enhanced the storytelling.

A pity then that Houen’s solution to the problem inherent in the script, for significant changes within the setting to denote the passage of time needed for the prologue and epilogue, required long breaks for stage-management and cast to re-arrange decorative and often unnecessary props, proved a disappointing blemish on an otherwise absorbing evening of excellent theatre.   

                                              Photos by Ben Appleton - PHOTOX

        This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. wwwartsreview.com.au