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

    

NEVER CLOSER

 

 

Never Closer by Grace Chapple.  

Directed by Lachlan Houen Off The Ledge Theatre. Courtyard Studio. Canberra Theatre Centre. February 19-28 2024. Bookings 62752700. www.canberratheatre.com.au

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

Emily O'Mahoney as Deirdre. Natasha Nyall as Niamh.
Carroll as Harry. Breanna Kelly as Mary.

Recently formed Off The Ledge Theatre is making an impressive mark on Canberra’s busy theatre landscape. Never Closer by playwright Grace Chapple is Off The Ledge Theatre Company’s second production. At its opening night the fledgling company took an ambitious leap with Chapple‘s remarkable debut  play and landed triumphantly on its feet.

 

Emily O'Mahoney (Deirdre). Joel Hrbek (Jimmy)

Never Closer is set in Belfast in 1987 during the Irish conflicts with Margaret Thatcher as Britain’s iron prime minister. Five schoolfriends gather in Deirdre’s kitchen on Christmas Eve.  During the course of the evening friendship flowers one moment and bristles with tension the next. Surprise sends shocks with the revelation of unexpected plans  to move away and the close bond is further endangered when Nyve (Natasha Lyall) brings her English fiancée Harry (Pippin Carroll) to a reunion. For Connor (Nick Bisa), whose father was killed by the British, it is the fuse to light the tinderbox of festering tensions in a play that ricochets with suspenseful tension and ironic humour. Deirdre (Emily O’Mahoney) is a tightly coiled spring ready to snap at the slightest hint of a threat to her constant world. Mary (Breanna Kelly) is the conciliatory intermediary, ready to defuse the situation while Bisa’s Connor fills the room with threatening disquiet. Nyve finds herself torn between two worlds and Jimmy (Joel Hrbek) struggles with the dilemma of his love for Deirdre and his desire to leave for Dublin to seek a different life. Carroll’s Harry, as the outsider, provides the unintended comedy of insensitive ignorance and the fuse for Connor’s explosion. It is the power of Chapple’s writing to chart the course of the play’s central conflict of hanging on to the old accustomed tradition while confronting the impact of change. 

Breanna Kelly (Mary) Emily O'Mahoney (Deirdre)
Natasha Lyall (Neve)

In the intimate surrounding of the Courtyard Studio there are three main reasons why the audience is lured inescapably into the characters’ world. Chapple’s dialogue is gripping, resonating with authenticity, as though Chapple personally knows and understands each of her characters, even though her play is set almost forty years in the past. She has created a world that is instantly familiar. One recalls the intense and changeable bond of friendship, the eerie nights relating ghost stories or mysteries of the supernatural, ouija boards on a dark winter’s night, the drinking game or the times of frustration and disappointment. Chapple’s writing is not only visceral. It is immediately identifiable and constructed with the remarkable maturity of a far more experienced playwright. She is already establishing herself as a leading playwright.

Nick Bisa as Conor. Natasha Lyall as Niamh

Director Houen’s cast is outstanding. Each actor thoroughly inhabits the character. It is to Chapple’s credit that she is able to imbue each of her characters with a unique individuality, which each member of the cast assumes with utmost conviction. Five entirely different characters are brought to life by a highly talented ensemble. Keep your eyes out for these actors in the future. Each performance is filled with the promise of great things to come. You may need a few minutes to attune to the Irish accents but judging by the laughter in the theatre, many of the audience picked up the brogue easily.

Breanna Kelly (Mary),Natasha Lyall (Niamh) Pippin Carroll (Harry)
Joel Hrbek (Jimmy) Emily O'Mahoney (Deirdre)

That each actor is able to thoroughly embrace the role and breathe life into Chapple’s characters is largely due to Houen’s intelligent and meticulous direction. Timing and pausing are skillfully managed, heightening the suspense and the tension and then releasing it in an instance of dark humour. There are funny moments, as well as moments of pathos as characters are confronted by their own flaws or frailties. Bisa’s tortured Conor evokes pity and empathy. Houen orchestrates emotion and intellect with precise and purposeful direction of his cast. He is assisted in this by his team of Sophie Hope-White, the set designer, Marlene Radice, composer and Winsome Ogilvie costume designer. Houen with Joshua James maintains the atmosphere of a simple lighting design. There is no distraction to interfere with the power of the text and the performances.

Nick Bisa (Conor), Natasha Lyall (Niamh)
Pippin Carroll (Harry)

Off The Ledge’s Never Closer is unforgettable, absorbing and visceral theatre. It presents real people, tackling the feelings and pressures of life with a truthfulness that speaks to our own experience. The season is limited and I urge everybody to see a production that promises bright futures for the actors, the playwright and the director and his creative team.  

 Photos by PHOTOX

 

 

Shakespeare in Love - Mockingbird

 

 Shakespeare in Love, adapted by Lee Hall from the Oscar-winning screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman. 
Mockingbird Theatrics at Belconnen Arts Centre, Canberra, February 11-28, 2026.

Reviewed by Frank McKone
Feb 17

I had an argument the other day with a Richard III fanatic who blamed William Shakespeare for getting his history wrong.  But, I said, who is the more important to us today?  

Here’s the play that proves what Shakespeare can do for all of us – it shows how important theatre is in a play that can make us believe in love.  And don’t we need it in today’s fractious world?

But, you might say, Tom Stoppard was an absurdist – remember Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead?  How can we take him seriously?  Mockingbird is the obviously rightly named company to do the trick.

And they absurdly succeed in their riotous Shakespeare in Love, acted out in a small-scale living theatre with the immediacy actually more like backstage on the spot with Will in writing and rehearsing the Romeo and Juliet story than when watching the justifiably famous 1998 movie.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes are one thing on film.  Asha Forno and Tom Cullen are up to their mark on stage.  The movie is described as a “romantic period comedy-drama”, by the Shakespeare Network on Youtube, but I think Mockingbird’s irreverent farce is more true, not only to Stoppard but to us, sitting in amongst the action, laughing at the absurdity, while dealing with the issues of women’s rights (to perform as themselves equal to men), the nature of government (Liz St Clair Long’s Queen Elizabeth matches Judi Dench), sexist behaviour and funding for the arts.

I’m (privately) told director Chris Baldock, like several characters, may wave his arms saying “It’s a mystery” and “It’ll be alright in the end”.

And it is.  Highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

MUSIC & MAYHEM: REBELLION

 

Jazida in "Music & Mayhem: Rebellion.

Conceived, produced and directed by Jazida.

Louie, Louie – 14^th February 2026. Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

Canberra’s very own Queen of Burlesque, Jazida, has been steadily building an international reputation for her work as both performer and producer of shows featuring gender diverse performers.

Apart from being a headlining member of the Finucane and Smith Collective, Jazida has performed at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas in 2018, 2020 & 2021 and for three years in a row, been included among the top 50 most influential burlesque figures globally in 21^st Century Burlesque Magazine.

She has headlined at the Perth International Burlesque Festival, was a feature act at the Australian Burlesque Festival and headlined and taught on the Australian Burlesque Cruise.

Her many accolades include a Canberra Critics Circle ACT Arts Award in 2022 for her show “Exotic Hypnotica”; Outstanding Performing Arts Award in the 2021 Canberra Local Business Awards; Best Dance in the 2020 Adelaide Fringe Festival for “Catch Jazida” and Entertainer of the Year in the Miss Burlesque Australia Grand Final in 2016.

Jazida was nominated for ACT Woman of the Year in 2020 and currently serves as a member of the ACT Minister for Arts Creative Council.

Jazida & Company - "Music & Mayhem: Rebellion".

This latest show, Music and Mayhem – Rebellion, which drew a capacity audience to Canberra venue Louie, Louie, prior to performances at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, was created in 2023 with funding from the Office of LGBTQIA+Affairs. It was recently upgraded and redeveloped with funding from ArtsACT.

Accompanied by a three-piece band, Nonbinarycode, consisting of The Hardman (lead guitar), Bass Guitar (Kiroy) and Drums (Rasco),and fronted by lead singer, Ink Bits, who also shared compering duties with Jazida, the show commenced with a rousing version of David Bowie’s “Rebel, Rebel” which introduced the full cast resplendent in Vivienne Westwood inspired costumes which set the tone for what was to follow.

Based around the theme of Rebellion, Ink Bits, reading from a script, began a history of the rise of gay pride, commencing  with an explanation of the evolution of the LGBTQIA+ Pride flag, following which August Peach, a certified twerk technician, performed an eyepopping demonstration of a skill for which there is unlikely to be many competitors, to an original composition by Nonbinarycode entitled “Gender Revolution”.

Another original song written and performed by Nonbinarycode, “Hey Let’s Play”, was the accompaniment for a dazzling display by Jazida’s Fabulous Fan Dancers (Jazida, Cherrybomb, Sara Martini and Artemis Seven) manipulating rainbow silk veil fans. This quartet, in 2025, became the original and only Australian troupe of performers to compete at the Burlesque Hall of fame in Las Vegas.

Rocking a bright red outfit, thigh-high boots and moustache, First Nations Drag artist, Tina Cox, the reigning Miss Photogenic 2025, performed Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” backed by Jazida, Sara Martini and Cherrybomb, carrying large pink triangles.

Following a riveting slow-motion entrance trailing a long black train, Butoh artist, Icky, performing to a Moody Blues composition, “Knights in White Satin”, offered a dramatic tribute to lesbians who supported gay men dying of AIDS.

Jazida returned to the stage, for a nail-biting demonstration of her extraordinary skill and professionalism with a fire-eating act that threatened to set herself and the theatre alight, performing to the Bangles composition “Eternal Flame”.

Not to worry, as the reigning Miss Burlesque ACT, 2024, was there to quell the flames with her classy item, performed in a giant martini glass to another original piece by Nonbinarycode, “Break Free”; following which a former Miss Burlesque ACT, Artemis Seven, again raised the temperature with her performance of a song by Garbage, “Queer”.

Icky returned to stage to terrify Cherrybomb with a heart-stopping display of target whip-cracking to the Peaches epic “The Boys Wanna be her”, before Ink Bits shared her personal story of addiction and recovery in a heartfelt rendition of K Flay’s “High Enough”.

The entire cast returned to the stage to perform Nonbinarycode’s original composition, “Shout out”, which despite the presence of Icky and Cherrybomb with their angle-grinder guitars and Jazida’s breath of fire, felt a bit of an anti-climax to an otherwise impressive presentation.

"Music & Mayhem: Rebellion" company.
Cherrybomb - Jazida - Artemis Seven - Sara Martini - Tina Cox - Icky



Photos by Tobias Price - Glasslens Photography

     

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE - Mockingbird Theatre Company - Belconnen Arts Centre

Tom Cullen (William Shakespeare) - Asha Forno (Viola de Lesseps) and company in
  "Shakespeare in Love".

Adapted by Lee Hall from the original screenplay by Tom Stoppard & Marc Norman

Direction, Choreography, Set and Sound design by Chris Baldock

Assistant Director: Zac Bridgman- Lighting Design by Rhiley Winnett and Chris Baldock.

Costumes by Maya Hadfield, Sian Harrington, Liz St Clair Long.

Stage management by Lottie Leahy – Intimacy co-ordination by Steph Evans.

Belconnen Arts Centre: 11^th – 28^th February 2026.

Opening night performance on 11^th February reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

Some of the company of Mockingbird Theatre's production of "Shakespeare in Love"

Having spent 2025 cementing his company, Mockingbird Theatre, into the Belconnen Arts Centre as its resident theatre company with an attention-grabbing program of productions which have won himself and his company numerous awards during the year, Chris Baldock has chosen Shakespeare in Love for his first production for 2026.

The play is a witty adaptation by Lee Hall of the original screenplay written by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman for the Academy Award winning film of the same name.

The plot revolves around an imagining of a fictional love affair between playwright, William Shakespeare, and a noblewoman, Viola de Lesseps, during a period when Shakespeare supposedly suffered writer’s block during the writing of Romeo and Juliet.

The play is set in 1593, and involves characters based on historical figures, among them Christopher Marlowe, Lord Wessex, Richard Burbage, Lord Edmund Tilney and Queen Elizabeth 1. The plot also incorporates many of the characters, lines and plot devices that turn up in Shakespeare’s plays.

Sachin Nayak (Lord Edmund Tilney) - Anto Hermida (Henslowe)- Bruce Hardie (Lord Wessex) in
"Shakespeare in Love"

Given the size of the Studio Theatre at the Belconnen Arts Centre, the idea of presenting such a sprawling play in this confined environment was no doubt an intriguing challenge for Baldock to set himself.

So, drawing on the abilities of no fewer than 23 actors of wildly varying abilities, a mixture of experienced senior actors and students from his acting classes, he has applied his celebrated directorial skills and ingenuity to producing a sometimes challenging, but very watchable entertainment.

Tom Cullen (William Shakespeare) - Asha Forno (Viola de Lesseps) in "Shakespeare in Love".

Heading the cast as Will Shakespeare and the object of his affections, Viola de Lesseps, Tom Cullen and Asha Forno are a delightful pairing, easily believable as the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, whose story, their own appears to duplicate.

 James Phillips is also well cast as Shakespeare’s friend and confidant, Kit Marlowe, who, if you believe this play, deserves more recognition for his contribution to Romeo and Juliet, than previously recognised.

Strong performances from Sian Harrington (Nurse), Bruce Hardie (Lord Wessex), Richard Manning (Richard Burbage), Anto Hermida (Henslowe), Sachin Nayak (Lord Edmund Tilney) and particularly Liz St Clair Long who dominates every scene in which she appears as the imperious Queen Elizabeth 1, all add gravitas to the proceedings.

Liz St Clair Long as Queen Elizabeth 1 in "Mockingbird Theatre's production of
"Shakespeare in Love".

But despite the enthusiasm of the large cast, the variance in stagecraft among the cast becomes a distraction to the success of the storytelling.

Baldock’s attractive setting, while appropriate, even evocative, also proved a hindrance to keeping abreast with changes in timelines and locales. Having only two points of access compromised exits and entrances.  

Similarly with the costumes. Adhering to the Bridgeton aesthetic of eschewing historical accuracy for appearance, many costumes were quite splendid. But when worn besides others that looked very ‘make do’, exampled by the extraordinarily unconvincing disguise for Forno as Thomas Kent, not only was the effect of opulence dissipated but also, any semblance of a consistent overall vision.

Asha Forno (Thomas Kent) - Sian Harrington (Nurse) in "Shakespeare in Love".

Also, while it is accepted, that in Shakespeare’s day, male actors performed the female characters, it’s hard to imagine bearded actors being cast in these roles.

There is much to be enjoyed with this production; especially its audacity, the exuberance of its cast, and the obvious talent and skill that has been lavished on it by its cast and creatives. However, when compared to the award-winning standard set by Mockingbird Theatre with its 2025 program, the end result rarely rises above that of a good student production.

However, when considering the huge restrictions placed on the concept by the size of the Studio Theatre, perhaps preventing the style, polish and attention to detail usually associated with a Baldock production, given its entertainment potential, perhaps the Belconnen Arts Centre could consider a Main Stage revival of this production to allow it to be enjoyed by the wider audience it deserves.

                                                        Photos by Chris Baldock   

 

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

 

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

 

 Shakespeare in Love. 

Original screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman. Adapted for the stage by Lee Hall. Director, set designer and sound designer Chris Baldock. Assistant director Zac Bridgman. Stage Manager and Lighting Operation. Lottie Leahy. Set realisation. Chris Baldock and cast. Lighting design. Rhiley Winnett and Chris Baldock. Costumes. Maya Hadfield. Sian Harrington, Liz St. Clair Long. Props Lottie Leahy, Chris Baldock and Cast. Publicity and Photography – Chris Baldock. Intimacy Coordination – Steph Evans. Mockingbird Theatre Company and Acting Studio. Belconnen Arts Centre February 11 – 28 at 7.30 p.m. Bookings   https://www.belcoarts.com.au/shakespeare-in-love/.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

Tom Cullen as Will Shakespeare Asha Forno as Thomas Kent.

Award-winning Mockingbird Theatre Company has chosen to open its 2026 season with Lee Hall’s bright and breezy stage adaptation of Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman’s uplifting  screenplay of Shakespeare in Love. The play’s the thing and if you loved the film you will delight in the fun and frolic of Chris Baldock’s production for Mockingbird. Stoppard’s wit and intellect sparkle in this mischievously inventive juggling game with Shakespeare’s theatre. Playwright  Lee Hall ensures that the comedy of errors and mistaken identities and true love’s foibles are not lost on an audience. 

Asha Forno as Lady Viola De Lesseps

Will Shakespeare (Tom Cullen) is struggling to write his comedy Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter. Richard Burbage (Richard Manning) demands a play for his theatre. Kit Marlowe (James Phillips) helps the struggling Shakespeare to find the words for Sonnet 18 to woo the beautiful Viola De Lesseps (Asha Forno) (Could she be the Dark Lady of the Sonnets?). Viola disguises as Thomas Kent to play the part of Romeo and face the ire of   Lord Edmund Tilney (Sachin Nayak), Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth 1st. (Liz St. Clair Long). Today’s feminists would howl down the sexist suitor Lord Wessex (Bruce Hardie) as Shakespeare once again proved that the course of true love never did run smooth.

Sian Harrington as the Nurse

Director Baldock has taken on a huge task to direct Shakespeare in Love with a mix of experienced actors in the key roles while encouraging emerging actors in less prominent roles. With a cast of twenty or so, it is a bold and brave move by Canberra’s renowned director of Mockingbird Theatre in his intimate studio under the auspices of Belconnen Arts Centre. Opening night delivered the entertaining promise of greater things to come. It is no mean feat to bring Stoppard and Norman’s witty, funny and ingeniously clever insight into Shakespeare’s life, times and work to life. It begs the question, “Can the intimate Mockingbird studio contain the vasty deeds of the Bard’s wide world. On opening night it was clear that much thought and imagination had gone into lending authenticity to the play. This was in no small way due to some excellent performances and much spirited gusto in Baldock’s company of revellers.

Ethan Wiggin as Sam. Asha Forno as Thomas Kent 

Baldock has cast well. Cullen’s Will Shakespeare and Forno’s Viola/Juliet as the play’s romantic couple are a delight to watch, whether as the struggling playwright or the lady who would act upon the Elizabethan stage. There is both charm and truth in their performance and they are well supported by the dashing Darcy Worthy‘s Ned Alleyn as Mercutio. As Will’s Muse James Phillips’s deliciously camp Kit Marlowe begs the debate about who wrote the Bard’s plays. Other notable performances are Sian Harrington’s flustery Nurse, Ethan Wiggins’s comical boy actor Sam as Juliet and Sachin Nayak as a Malvolio-like Lord Chamberlain. Experienced actors Richard Manning as the bombastic Richard Burbage, Bruce Hardie as the villainous misogynist Lord Wessex and Liz St. Clair Long, resplendent and powerfully authoritative as the  Virgin Queen command the stage with assured presence.

Liz St. Clair LOng as Queen Elizabeth 1st.

Aficionados of the Bard’s life and work will delight in spotting the references in a play that offers the perfect opportunity to brush up your Shakespeare. Baldock directs with a keen sense for the dramatic and the melodramatic from Anto Hermida’s art of coarse acting with his grimacing and heavily accented Henslowe, Ashton Casha’s stuttering Adam or the moments of tender love and reverence at the sad news of Marlowe’s fate. Mockingbird’s production is more than a cascade of mishaps and misconceptions, interspersed with a serious assortment of faithfully performed moments from Romeo and Juliet. It is both a love letter and a protest. It decries the injustice of society’s assertion that actors are mere rogues and vagabonds or the assumption that if women were permitted to tread the stage they would be nothing more than prostitutes.

Comedy and tragedy remain the Janus faces of the human condition and Mockingbird’s production of Shakespeare in Love is the laughing face of life that masks a lesson for us all.

 

 

 

 

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

 

Adapted by Lee Hall from the screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman

Directed by Chris Baldock

Mockingbird Theatre Company

Belconnen Arts Theatre to 28 February

 

Reviewed by Len Power 11 February 2026

 

 

Sometimes a stage adaptation of a much-loved movie can be a disappointment, but with Lee Hall’s adaptation and Chris Baldock’s inventive and fastidious direction, this production of ‘Shakespeare In Love’ is a colourful love letter to theatre, Shakespeare and the art of creation.

The wit and cleverness of the screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman remain in this Elizabethan tale of an author desperately trying to overcome writers’ block with his fledgling play, Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter. The colourful background of the theatre and its inhabitants of the time provide distraction and inspiration as well as an unexpected romance for the author.

Members of the Company

On a simple but effective set that evokes the theatre of the period, Chris Baldock has assembled a large group of performers who bring this entertaining story skilfully to life. Although the major characters of the story dominate the action, everyone on that stage presents a fully developed and colourful character. It really is ensemble acting at its best.

Tom Cullen (Shakespeare) and James Phillips (Kit Marlowe)

Tom Cullen is a sensitive and appealing Shakespeare, while James Phillips gives playwright, Kit Marlowe, a sly and biting intelligence. There are also fine performances by Anto Hermida as Henslow, Asha Forno as Viola de Lesseps, Richard Manning as Richard Burbage, Bruce Hardie as Lord Wessex, Sachin Nayak as both Lord Edmund Tilney and Sir Robert de Lesseps, Sian Harrington as Nurse, Mia Dimovski as Mistress Quickly and Peter Fock as Fennyman.

Left: Tom Cullen (Shakespeare) and Right: Asha Forno (Viola de Lesseps) with members of the Company

Liz St Clair Long is a standout in her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I. Making the most of her short appearances in the plot, she commands the stage with the Queen’s imperiousness as well as her underlying sense of humour.

The costumes by Maya Hadfield, Sian Harrington and Liz St Clair Long are nicely detailed, colourful and correctly in period.

The director keeps the action fast and furious throughout, ensuring that everyone in this enthusiastic cast presents a strong characterization. This is theatre of a high standard, clever, funny and enormously entertaining.

 

Photos by Chris Baldock

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/.