Meteor Shower by Steve Martin. Directed by Chris Baldock. Mockingbird Theatre. Belconnen Arts Theatre. June 26 - July 5. Reviewed by Alanna Maclean.

Photo: Chris Baldock

Meteor Shower is a wild piece set in California among what  looks like the idle Californian middle class in a glossy suburbia. Outside, the heavens are lit up; inside two couples play mad suburban games.

Corky (Jess Beange) and Norman (Sachin Nayak) are welcoming Gerald ( Anto Hermida) and Laura ( Maxine Eayrs) for what looks like a small gathering to watch the meteor show happening in the skies above. But this is a script by comedian Steve Martin, so the growing slide into the manic and surreal is not unexpected.

It looks initially as if the visiting couple will prove the more powerful. Corky and Norman look no match for the somewhat socially overpowering Gerald and Laura. The visitors are eventually upstaged as the gears shift and the play slides into alternate time lines and a good deal of manic comedy.

Beange’s Corky goes from a slightly diffident hostess to a rip-roaring embracer of changes in the time line. Husband Norman (Nayak) sheds an initial reticence for a near death scene and a bit of aggression. Hermida’s Gerald reveals timidity and sensuality as well as a manipulative streak and Eayrs’ Laura is not necessarily as confident and controlling as she might appear at first.

It’s all played on a thrust stage with a screen full of the universe and a ceiling full of little lights for stars. The meteors are never far away.

If there is a problem it is in the swing and the flow of the piece overall. Martin’s brand of comedy can have its introspective side but this play has a bit more in common with the Marx Brothers and could use more of that kind of pace.

However, it’s a good entrant in Mockingbird’s ongoing repertoire which seems to be pleasingly happy with plays that are a challenge.              

 

 

 

 

 

 

METEOR SHOWER - Mockingbird Theatrics

"Meteor Shower" - Maxine Eayrs (Laura) - Anto Hermida (Gerald)

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Written by Steve Martin - Designed and Directed by Chris Baldock

Lighting Design and stage management by Rhiley Winnett

Sound Design by Chris Baldock - Stage management by Rhiley Winnett

Presented by Mockingbird Theatrics - Belco Arts – Belconnen June 26 – July 5^th, 2025.

Opening Night performance reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

"METEOR SHOWER" 
Jess Beange (Corky) - Maxine Eayrs (Laura) - Anto Hermida (Gerald) - Sachin Nayak (Norman)

Since he and his theatre company Mockingbird Theatrics became theatre-company-in- residence at Belco Arts, Chris Baldock has been exciting Canberra theatregoers with the excellence of his productions.

Memorable productions of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and When the Rain Starts Falling have paved the way for this latest production with which Mockingbird Theatrics have achieved something of a coup by staging the first Australian production of Meteor Shower.

Steve Martin wrote Meteor Shower in 2016. When it was presented on Broadway in 2017 it won its star, Amy Schumaker, a Tony Award for her performance as Corky, the role being played in this production by Jess Beange.  If Schumaker was even half as good as Beange in this role, then her Tony Award was richly deserved.

"Meteor Shower" - Anto Hermida (Gerald) - Jess Beange (Corky)

However, this production is very much an ensemble show, with each of the four actors carefully cast and brilliantly directed.

Set in California in 1993, the play follows married couple Corky (Jesse Beange) and Norman (Sachin Nayak) who invite another couple, Gerald (Anto Hermida) and Laura (Maxine Eayrs) over for dinner in their home, ostensibly to watch a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower.

Corky and Norman evidently do not know their guests, nor each other, very well. As they anxiously prepare their sophisticated starlit dinner party with the intention of impressing their guests, their conversation takes on a philosophical tone, revealing underlying tensions.  

With the arrival of Laura and Gerald, whose strategy in one-upmanship is to damn with faint praise, matters rapidly, and hysterically, descend into chaos.

Steve Martin’s play has the potential to be an elegant drawing-room comedy filled with sophisticated and witty dialogue. However, this production diverges significantly from that expectation. While the witty dialogue remains, Martin employs an imaginative approach to handling timeframes and common sense.

Baldock and his actors, are perfectly aware of this and take advantage of every opportunity to push absurdity to the limit.

"Meteor Shower" - Maxine Eayrs (Laura) - Anto Hermida (Gerald)

 

Played out in a luxurious multi-level setting, representing an elegant lounge room and outdoor patio, with the audience seated around three sides, there is nowhere for the actors to hide. Nor do they want to.

The physical comedy is as delicious as the verbal and this quartet know exactly how to play it without descending into buffoonery. 

Jesse Beange shines as Corky, the determined wife trying to support her pretentious husband Norman, played by Sachin Nayak. Norman struggles to maintain calm while hoping his wife can find solutions.

Meteor Shower - Sachin Nayak (Norman)

Maxine Eayrs and Anto Hermida both deliver outstanding performances as Laura and Gerald, their sophisticated guests. These characters intrigue their host not only with their keen observations but also with perhaps deeper intentions beyond mere discussions of meteors.

The set decoration was superb, and the projections, sound, and lighting effects executed by Rhiley Winnett were outstanding. These included an impressive simulation of a meteor storm.  

Although the storyline may initially seem perplexing, once it becomes clear that the playwright is unconcerned with realism or conventional logic, one can appreciate the creative manner in which Baldock, and his actors have embraced the comedic potential of the material. Their efforts have culminated in a refined production distinguished by its exceptional production values and execution. This production is highly recommended for anyone seeking a diverting, high-quality theatrical experience.

                                                       Photos by Chris Baldock

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

  

THE NUTCRACKER Act 11k and other works. The Australian Ballet - Orange Civic Theatre

The Nutcracker - The Australian Ballet

 

THE NUTCRACKER Act 11 and other works. The Australian Ballet -Orange Civic Theatre

Choreography by George Balanchine, Lucy Guerin and Paul Knobloch

Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky, Alfred Schnittke, Daniel Avery & James Greenwood.

Set Design by Kat Chan – Lighting Design by Ronald Bates, Perry Silvey, and Paul Lim.

Costume Design by Karinska, Kate Davis, Kristian Fredrikson, Hugh Colman, Hugh Liang & Louisa Fitzgerald.

Orange Civic Theatre, June 28^th 2025.  Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

"Diamonds" - Mio Bayly & Adam Elms

 2025 is a year for celebrating dance milestones. The Canberra Theatre Centre last week marked the 60^th year of its establishment by presenting The Australian Ballet’s production of “Carmen”.

The Orange Civic Theatre is also celebrating 50 years since its establishment with a program by The Australian Ballet; “The Nutcracker Act 11 and other works”.

And to add further to the synchronicity, it is with this program that the Australian Ballet is having its own celebration:  40 years of touring regional centres with programs featuring dancers of the Australian Ballet together with dancers from the Australian Ballet School, for which the centrepiece is a re-imagining of The Nutcracker Act 11 by former Canberra dancer and choreographer, Paul Knobloch.

"Allegro Brillante" Belle Unwin & Alain Juelg

I was fortunate to be able to attend both performances of this program which commenced with a sparkling performance of George Balanchine’s “Allegro Brillante”, a ballet which the choreographer famously described as being ‘everything I know about classical ballet in thirteen minutes.   

Balanchine's ballet demands strong dancing and precise timing as it explores choreographic development. It compresses extended classical vocabulary into restricted time and space.

Performing to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3, with Belle Unwin and Alain Juelg (matinee) and Samara Merrick and Henry Berlin (evening), dancing the virtuosic principal roles; the ten dancers performed the ballet with such joie de vivre that the challenging intricacies simply looked like fun.  

"Diamonds" Adam Elms & Mio Bayly

Another Balanchine masterpiece followed. This time the grand pas de deux from ‘Diamonds’, the third act of his masterpiece “Jewels”. Stylishly performed by Mio Bayly and Adam Elmes (matinee) and Alexandra Walton and Harrison Bradley (evening), both couples invested the demanding choreography with the solemnity and attention to detail befitting its Imperial Russian style.

Both ballets were enhanced by being danced in the elegant costumes designed for them by Balanchine's renowned designer, Karinska.   

Ground Control - Belle Unwin -Harrison Bradley - Alexandra Walton - Alain Juelg

 

A complete break in style came with “Ground Control” a brand-new work created especially for this tour by Lucy Guerin.    

Four dancers, Alexandra Walton, Belle Unwin, Harrison Bradley, and Alain Juelg (matinee) and Samara Merrick, Mio Bayly, Henry Berlin, and Adam Elmes (evening) evening, displayed their versatility by demonstrating Guerin’s playful exploration of how to exist between the pull of gravity and the effort to escape it.

Ground Control commenced with the four dancers, each costumed individually by designer, Kate Davis, absorbed in executing unique movements to a persistent driving soundtrack.

Their activity was interrupted by a red veil floating from the ceiling, heralding sounds from a heavenly choir and a complete change of mood and movement style.

Ground Control - Alexandra Walton - Alain Juelg

One couple performed a pas de deux entwined in the veil, then the others joined in for a series of solos and group dances until the work resolved in a mesmerising conclusion.

As captivating as it was unexpected, the work received enthusiastic responses from both audiences.

The major work of the program was Paul Knobloch’s enchanting re-imagining of Act 2 of “The Nutcracker”.

Grounding his choreography in the Petipa original, Knobloch has refashioned the familiar second act of this ballet favourite into a stand-alone work clarifying the storyline to be enjoyed without knowledge of the events that originally led Clara visit to the Kingdom of the Sweets. He has also reworked the character dances so that Clara participates in them rather than simply observing.  

Kat Chan’s pretty, abstract setting frames the activity, with a lavish appearance being achieved by interpolating historic costumes designed by Kristian Fredrikson, Hugh Colman and Hugh Laing for previous productions among lovely new costumes designed for the Floral Fairy, the Mirlitons and others by Louisa Fitzgerald.

The character dances were thoughtfully restaged, and beautifully danced to produce many stand-out moments. However, Gracie Clark's rendition of the Arabian dance was particularly extraordinary at both performances. Her serene presence and beautiful line, along with the attentiveness of her attendants Paddy Lum and Rory Taylforth made this divertissement a captivating highlight.

Based on the talents demonstrated by these young dancers, Australian Ballet audiences can look forward to many more exciting performances like these in theatres around the country.

Ground Control - Belle Unwin - Harrison Bradley - Alexandra Walton - Alain Juelg

                                                             Photos by Kate Longley

             This review published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 1st July 2025

True: Kevin Gilbert 1933 – 1993

Visual Art Exhibition Review | Brian Rope

True: Kevin Gilbert 1933 – 1993

Tuggeranong Arts Centre | 13 June – 9 August 2025

Kevin Gilbert, Wiradjuri, is best known to many Australians as an activist, a First Nations human rights defender. He was born on 10 July 1933 to the Wiradjuri Nation on the banks of the Kalara (Lachlan) river near Condobolin, New South Wales. His father’s ancestry was English and Irish, and his mother was of Aboriginal and Irish descent. His childhood was one of intimate connection with his mother’s Country. When he was seven his father killed his mother then himself. A biography of Gilbert here provides extensive background which perhaps explains the reasons why he was passionate about the need for activism.

What may be less known by many is that Gilbert is also recognised as an iconic poet, playwright and author. And his artistic talent also includes painting, printmaking, photography and producing artworks of Wiradjuri spirituality and teachings. He received the Human Rights Award for Literature for his anthology Inside Black Australia in 1988. He was awarded an Australian Artists Creative fellowship in 1992. He became the first Aboriginal/Wiradjuri poet to be published in the French language with the bilingual anthology Le Versant Noir (2018).

 Gilbert used his pen as his weapon:

The pen is mightier than the sword

but only when

it sows the seeds of thought

in minds of men

to kindle love and grow

through the burnt page

destroyed by huns and vandals in their rage (Gilbert 1994, 48).

The Vienna Convention defines treaties as agreements between sovereign equals as a means to promote friendly and cooperative relations among nations. For Gilbert, a treaty was about a just way forward: ‘with all domestic options exhausted, a Sovereign Treaty is our only peaceful way to justice. There can be no reconciliation without a Sovereign Treaty’ (Gilbert 1993, endpaper).

Gilbert died of emphysema on 1 April 1993 in Canberra. A memorial was held at the Aboriginal Embassy. He was remembered as the Land Rights Man, Treaty man, and Rainmaker. His final writing, dated February 1993, reads:

If we want the Dream to come true

we must BE true to the Dream

but all this will only be meaningful

if there are Dreamers who respond

and make the Dream come true (Breath of Life 1996, title page)

32 years later, this exhibition shares the truth of Gilbert’s sixty years of life. In what would have been his 92nd year, we have an opportunity to celebrate his life and art with images and poetry created during his lifetime along with some works editioned for the first time.

Gilbert is recognised as the first Aboriginal fine art printmaker, so it is most fitting that the exhibition includes many fine art lino prints expressing his core themes of a spiritual presence enhancing the cultural survival of his People against the seemingly insurmountable odds in an oppressive colonial system. His poetry is displayed on fine silk hangings. There are books to look at.

Installation image - Brian Rope

Installation image - Brian Rope

Installation image - Brian Rope

Installation image - Brian Rope

 And, of course, there are his black and white photographic prints, re-telling the stories of significant and most important moments in this country’s history. The Justice Freedom and Hope Convoy arriving at Yarra Bay La Perouse, then reaching the shores of Sydney Harbour where the invasion was being re-enacted. The March for Justice Banner displaying Xavier Herbert’s profound statement crystallising Australia’s then international image: White Australia: Not a Nation, but a community of thieves. The early morning march on the day Australia’s new Parliament House opened showing a banner with the words 40,000 years of Dreamtime, 200 years of nightmare.

Kevin Gilbert - Raising Our Sovereign Flag, Opening New Parliament House, Canberra, 9 May 1988

Kevin Gilbert - When Children March 1988 Silver gelatin Print

Kevin Gilbert - Liberation of Our Nations, 25 January 1988

Kevin Gilbert, Bird Cage Reserve, Murrumbidgee. Image courtesy of Ellie Gilbert

Reminders of events that happened, things for us to reflect on nearly 40 years later. What has changed? What has stayed the same?

This review is also available on the author's blog here.