BULL

 

 

 

Bull by Mike Bartlett. Directed by Celine Oudin. Assistant Director Sophia Costello. Producer Chris Baldock. Lighting Design Rhiley Winnett and Celine Oudin. Set Lighting and Sound Operation Peter Fock. oncept, Design and Realization Chris Baldock. Costumes Cast. Photography Celine Oudin, Sophia Costello and Chris Baldock.  Mockingbird Studio. Belconnen Arts Centre. July 15 - 18 2026. Bookings: mockingbirdtheatrics.com

 Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

Rob Karlen as Thomas. Claire Walker as Isobel in BULL

Having seen Mockingbird Too’s production of Cock a couple of weeks ago and been very impressed by Playwright Mike Bartlett’s black comedy about the search for and affirmation of identity, I was curious to see Bartlett’s companion piece Bull in Mockingbird Theatre Company’s Belconnen studio. Bull too is set in a boxing ring, a striking metaphor for the dodging and ducking, circling and punching that is the cut and thrust of human relationship. The production is minimalist, devoid of props, enabling Bartlett’s sharp and brutal wit and sparse but jibing dialogue to galvanize an audience.  It did this in Cock with considerable success. Bull is a different matter. It is a cruel and nasty piece about office bullying casting a different meaning on the title of Bartlett’s expose of workplace bullying. Thomas (Rob Karlen) arrives with Tony (Zaid Fainstein) and Isobel (Claire White) for a meeting with their boss Mr. Carter (Paul Hutchison). Bartlett’s analogy with a bullfight is quickly established with Thomas as the hapless bull, cornered by the two bullfighters, Tony the swift and agile matador and Claire the decisive, needling second matador, both sent into the ring to finish off the broken beast. Thomas is no match for the two opponents who gang up on him and then feed Mr Carter the reason to deliver the final KO.

Paul Hutchison as Mr. Carter. Zade Fainstein as Tony in BULL

Bull is no Cock. The play runs for only about forty-five minutes and is needlessly repetitive. The scenario is quickly established and Karlen’s Thomas is quickly cowed, ridiculed and flattened to the mat. With tighter direction and more carefully staged choreography each bout may have had more impact as tension increased and Thomas’s desperate confusion and subjection to the bullying became more and more intense. Karlen captures the panic of the cornered beast, but it comes too soon and neither he nor  Fanstein and White are able to map out a deliberate and invidious trajectory to the bull’s eventual slaughter. A bullfight is a bloody and violent spectacle and an imaginative stylization of Bartlett’s theme would have had more variation than director Celine Oudin brought to this production. For a play set in a corporate business, only Hutchison’s Carter appeared in appropriate costuming. Bartlett’s text suggested a more formal attire.

Claire White as Isobel in BULL

Mockingbird Too provides opportunities for emerging actors and theatre practitioners to learn and develop their craft both on stage and behind the scenes. Artistic director and producer Chris Baldock is providing an important space in which to try out new approaches, take risks and learn. Cock and Bull are both examples of the possibilities that exist to develop and grow. For this reason alone, Bull has earned its place in the Mockingbird Too repertoire.

 

Murrudha: Sovereign Walks

 Visual Art Exhibition Review | Brian Rope

Murrudha: Sovereign Walks | Dr Matilda House, Brenda L. Croft, William James Mildenhall, Prue Hazelgrove, Dean Freeman, Cheryl Davison, Shane Herrington

ANU School of Art & Design Gallery | 7 July - 7 August 2026

In her capacity as team leader for the Australian National University (ANU) Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Grand Challenge, Professor Brenda L. Croft drew inspiration from her ancestors' sovereign acts. 

Protesting genocidal conditions imposed on them over eight decades of colonial and unsettler-colonial impact, more than 200 Gurindji (and related nations and clans) stockmen and their families marched off the 2nd Wave Hill Station in outback Australia in 1966. Together with an earlier sovereign action in 1963 by Yolngu people, their 22-kilometer Walk-Off Track garnered national and international coverage and support over nearly nine years of activism. It became seen as the origins of the national land rights movement.

In 1927, senior Wiradjuri walamira (clevermen) Nangar/Yangar (c.1848-1927) also known as Jimmy Clements), and Ooloogan (c. 1840-1928) also known as George John Noble and Marvellous together completed a 3 days, 93 miles (150 kilometres) walk. It was undertaken in order to demonstrate their sovereignty by being present for the official opening of the new federal Parliament House on 9 and 10 May on Ngambri/Ngunawal homelands in the, then, recently established national capital, Canberra. Contemporary press clippings acknowledge their participation as defending their sovereign rights to their traditional Country.

They walked from the Brungle Station (also known as Brungle Community), nestled between Gundagai and Tumut on Walgalu/Wiradyuri Country, across the Brindabella Range to Canberra. It has been (and is) the driving force for the Challenge project

Murrudha: Sovereign Walks – Track #14 is the fourteenth outcome associated with the Challenge project "Murrudha: Sovereign Walks – tracking cultural actions through art, Country, language and music".

The Murrudha team and First Nations community members have undertaken two test walks determining Nangar and Ooloogan’s route, with a final test walk undertaken for the 99th anniversary in May 2026.

This exhibition showcases creative-led research in progress since 2020, including audio-visual documentation, alongside creative art and craftworks by a number of First Nations, and some non-Indigenous, artists associated with the project. The room sheet available at the exhibition provides background information regarding the various significant people integral to the project.

At the exhibition’s official opening guests heard a great presentation by Dr Aunty Matilda House OAM singing up Country and were treated to a wonderful performance by the Djinama Yalaga choir. And exhibition curator, Professor Croft, spoke passionately about the project. I mention that because all of those things added wonderfully to the visual art on display.

Dr Aunty Matilda House OAM © Brian Rope

Djinama Yalaga choir © Brian Rope

Professor Brenda L. Croft © Brian Rope

There are 35 diverse works in the exhibition including three audiovisuals to spend time with, two artworks by Dr Matilda House on loan from the Canberra Museum and Gallery Collection, and three photographs. Two of the latter show indigenous people on the steps of Parliament House – one on 10 May 1927, the other on 23 November 2023. The third is of George John Noble aka Marvellous with a dog, pre-1926. These photos are by William James Mildenhall and Prue Hazelgrove.

Aunty Matilda House was born in 1945 and is a proud Ngambri-Ngunnawal woman who has determinedly pursued social justice for Indigenous people in the wider community. She is well known and respected, indeed loved, by the general community of Canberra, all of whom have been at various events when Aunty has welcomed them to Country. It is good to have her artwork included here.

Many Canberrans know about the Mildenhall collection which comprises more than 7,700 images on glass plate negatives and has significant cultural and historical value to all Australians. Hazelgrove specialises in the wet plate collodion process. The inkjet print from her original tintype nicely complements the Mildenhall works.

Still image from: Brungle to Canberra – Final Test Walk 4-8 May 2026 (Murrudha: Sovereign Walks – Track # 14), projection. Participants: Brungle First Nations community members, Bugang Bila Indigenous Rangers (Tumut, Brungle, Snowy Mountains area), Professor Brenda L Croft, Monika Duggan, Terry Cleary, Rohit Rao (ANU). Drone operator/A-V documenter: Colin Elphick, Numeral Creative. 

Dr Matilda House (Williams), Murumbeeja dooligah, 1996, Edition 1 /6. Printer Jan Hogan and Theo Trembly Studio One Inc Canberra. Canberra Museum and Gallery Collection.

Jimmy Clements (also known as Nangar, Yangar or ‘King Billy’) on the front steps of Parliament House, c. 10 May 1927. Photograph by William James Mildenhall. Inkjet print on archival paper. National Archives of Australia.

Prue Hazelgrove, Nangar and Ooloogan Descendants on steps of Old Parliament House, 23 November 2023, as part of Murrudha: Sovereign Walks – Track #4, 24 November 2023. Inkjet print on archival paper, (from original tintype, wet plate collodion process) on archival paper.

There is a superb acrylic gouache on rag board by Cheryl Davison, some beautiful wood coolamons by Dean Freeman, and an impressive bark canoe and wooden spears by Shane Herrington. And, last but not least, numerous high quality inkjet prints (from original tintypes) by Brenda L. Croft. Davison’s artwork is inspired by the river that flows from the mountains to the sea (a phrase Canberrans know well) through the Country of her grandfather. Making cultural objects allows Freeman to connect with what his Ancestors used in their daily lives. Herrington’s approach also fosters a deep connection to cultural heritage. Croft’s artworks here are some of her First Nations portraits created since 2019.

Cheryl Davison, Still on Country, 2026, acrylic gouache on rag board, 70 x 57 cm.

 

Dean Freeman, gulaman (coolamons) (installation), 2023-26, wood, dimensions variable

Installation image © Brian Rope

Shane Herrington, Murlin (bark canoe) 2026. Bark, bush string, dimensions variable

And Spears, 2026. Wood, bush string, dimensions variable

Installation image © Brian Rope

Brenda L. Croft, Julie (Dhulanyagan clan, Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri/Wurundjeri Peoples), 2024 from the series Naabámi (thou shall/will see): Barangaroo (army of me). 42 x 27.9cm, inkjet print (from original tintype, wet plate collodion process) on archival paper.

Brenda L. Croft, Men of High Degree: Jim Everett – puralia meenamatta (clan plangermairreenner, Ben Lomond people, Cape Portland nation, north-east Tasmania), 2023. 42 x 27.9cm, inkjet print (from original tintype, wet plate collodion process) on archival paper.

 

There it is - art, Country, language and music. All feature in this excellent and important exhibition - and in planned associated events. Please see it in person if you are able to.

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

THE MERRY WIDOW - Opera Australia - Joan Sutherland Theatre - Sydney Opera House.

 

Alexander Lewis - Julie Lea Goodwin and the cast of Opera Australia's "The Merry Widow"

 

Composer: Franz Lehar – Librettists: Viktor Leon, Leo Stein.

English translation by Justin Fleming.

Conductor: Vanessa Scammell – Director & choreographer: Graeme Murphy AO

Creative Associated: Janet Vernon AM – Assistant Director: Cameron Mitchell

Set Designer: Michael Scott-Mitchell - Costume Designer: Jennifer Irwin

Lighting Designer: Damian Cooper – Sound Designer: Jim Atkins

Presented by Opera Australia – Joan Sutherland Theatre, SOH July 8^th – Aug.18^th, 2026

Opening night performance on July 8^th reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

Julie Lea Goodwin (Hanna Glavari) and the male chorus of "The Merry Widow"

 

From its Perth premiere in 2017, Graeme Murphy’s exquisite staging of Franz Lehár’s delightful 120-year-old operetta for the Opera Conference was clearly destined to become an audience favourite.

This revival at the Sydney Opera House powerfully demonstrates why.

From the outset, Michael Scott-Mitchell’s sumptuous Art Deco set, enhanced by Jennifer Irwin’s lavish costumes and beautifully lit by Damian Cooper, offers a constant feast for the eyes.

Julie Lea Goodwin (Hanna Glavari) and the dancers of Opera Australia's "The Merry Widow"

Murphy makes full use of Irwin’s flair for designing costumes for dancers, by creating a series of gorgeous dance sequences: faux-traditional folk dances for the Pontevedrian party scene, cheeky can-cans for Maxim’s grisettes, and swooning waltzes for Hanna Glavari and Danilo Danilovich.

Julie Lea and the cast of Opera Australia's "The Merry Widow" singing "Vilja"

His finely nuanced direction brims with imaginative ideas, and his handling of the duets is masterly. It is hard to imagine a more breathtakingly romantic staging of the second-act story-song, “Vilja” which climaxes with Julie Lea Goodwin as Hanna Glavari seated on a giant water-lily frond, held aloft by four dancers in a Monet-inspired setting watched by Danilo from the shadows of the summer house.

Both Julie Lea Goodwin and Alexander Lewis are not only fine singers but also excellent dancers. With performers of such versatility, Murphy clearly relishes the chance to surround them with superb dancers and choreography that showcases their talents.

June Bronhill, herself an acclaimed Hanna Glavari, once observed that the only way to make operetta work was to play it truthfully. Goodwin and Lewis clearly understand this.

From the moment Goodwin appears as the wealthy young widow hoping to rekindle a former love affair, her dazzling smile and lustrous soprano voice radiate star power.

Lewis is a superb match as her reluctant paramour. Their scenes together generate a captivating frisson rarely seen on operatic stages, making them a bewitching pair and giving the production a compelling central focus.

Alexandra Flood and John Longmuir are also beautifully matched, singing superbly and playing “A Respectable Wife”, Valencienne, and her ardent would-be lover, Camille de Rosillon, with charming conviction.

Richard Anderson (Kromov) - David Whitney (Baron Mirko Zita) - Tom Hamilton (Konrad Pritschich) - Iaian Henderson (Raoul De St. Brioche) -Alexander Lewis (Danilo Danilovich) - Alexander Hargreaves (Diminik Bogdanovich) -Nathan Lay (Viscount Nicolas Cascada) singing "Women, Women, Women" in Opera Australia's "The Merry Widow"

The first-rate supporting cast includes David Whitney as Baron Mirko Zeta, alongside Benjamin Rasheed (Njegus), Richard Anderson (Kromov), Alexander Hargreaves (Bogdanovich), Jane Ede (Sylviane), Iain Henderson (de St. Brioche), Nathan Lay (Cascada), Helen Sherman (Olga Kromov), Tom Hamilton (Pritschich), and Dominica Matthews (Praskovia). All clearly relish the opportunities in Justin Fleming’s witty libretto to create delightfully silly, blustering characterisations.

Under Vanessa Scammell’s baton, the Opera Australia Orchestra gives an impeccable performance, capturing the authentic Viennese lilt of Franz Lehár’s irresistible score and ensuring this production will remain a treasured memory for all those fortunate enough to experience it.

 

Photos by Carlita Sari

 

                          This review first published in CITY NEWS ON 13.06.26

 

                          Also AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW   https://artsreview.com.au/the-merry-widow-6/

THE ULTIMATE VEGAS SHOW - Boyd Productions - Canberra Theatre

 

JP Lane - Michael Boyd and Dancers in "The Ultimate Vegas Show"

 

Presented by Boyd Productions. Produced and directed by Michael Boyd.

Costumed design: Cathie Costello – Choreographed by Matt Browning

Production Manager: Sam Hume – Sound Engineer: Tom Hawker

Lighting & Technical Manager: Jeremy Dhen – Stage Manager: Journey Malone

Canberra Theatre July 9^th, 2026 – Reviewed by Bill Stephens

 

Besides being a world class illusionist, Michael Boyd is a busy entrepreneur, who never fails to amaze and delight with his spectacular productions shows. Among them Cabaret de Paris, Circus of Illusion, Mystique and The Christmas Spectacular.

Boyd’s latest creation The Ultimate Vegas Show follows the tried-and-true format of his previous shows which harken back to the glory days of the variety shows featured on the Tivoli circuit. These shows were usually centred around a star performer or vedette, supported by lavish production numbers, magicians, acrobats and comedians.

JP Lane and Dancers in "The Ultimate Las Vegas Show"

Central to previous Boyd Productions have been glamorous vedettes such as Rhonda Burchmore and Prinnie Stevens. But The Ultimate Vegas Show is designed around PJ Lane whose father was the legendary TV star, Don Lane, a name synonymous with Las Vegas where he practised his craft as the ultimate cabaret host.

Immaculately costumed in white tails and black bowtie, and flanked by six glamorous showgirls, Lane took the stage to the strains of “Puttin on the Ritz”.  

Tall, handsome, and bearing a striking physical resemblance to his famous father, Lane also possesses a fair dollop of his father’s easy relaxed charm and flair. He soon had the fascinated audience eating out of his hand.

He made several appearances with the dancers throughout the show, always immaculately costumed, and displaying some nifty dance moves, conjuring up memories of Dean Martin with his version of “Sway”, and Barry Manilow performing “Cococabaña”.

But it was his moving tribute to his father, with a medley of songs forever associated with Don Lane that really captured the audience. As he crooned songs like “One for the Road”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Come Fly with Me” and especially “My Way”, many in the audience could be seen reaching for their handkerchiefs to wipe away tears.

Marcus Jackson and dancers in "The Ultimate Vegas Show"

No tears though for the leather clad, Elvis Presley impersonator, Marcus Jackson, who got the joint jumpin’ and the dancers into their bobby sox, with his sets which included the inevitable “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Tutti Frutti” and “Shake Rattle and Roll”.

He was a little more contained in the second half of the program when he returned in an iconic gold trimmed white jumpsuit to woo the audience with “Burning Love” and “Suspicious Mind”.

 Magician extraordinaire, Michael Boyd had reserved his best illusions for this show, drawing audible gasps as a sword appeared to skewer him. Then after being locked in a trunk, suddenly re-appearing, unbelievably, at the back of the theatre.

But despite the star-power of the featured performers it was the six hard-working, drop-dead-gorgeous dancers for whom the loudest applause was reserved.

Achieving the many quick changes necessary to display Cathie Costello’s spectacular costumes, while executing Matt Browning’s demanding choreography which ranged through hectic jive, exotic jungle rhythms, to elegant Las Vegas struts, all executed with remarkable precision and dazzling smiles, they provided the glamour, spectacle and pizzaz that ultimately transported the audience into the heady world of the ultimate Las Vegas Show.

 

Photos by Matt Osbourne

 

                           This review also posted in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW

                             https://artsreview.com.au/the-ultimate-vegas-show/   

MIDDLE RAGED - A Musical Meltdown - Canberra Theatre Centre Playhouse.

Carita Farrer Spencer - Zukeika Khan - Valerie Bader - Queenie van de Zandt in "Middle Raged"

Presented by Women With Pockets and Andrew Kay and Associates

Written and Produced by Queenie van de Zandt and Tiffanie Noack

Produced by Andrew Kay – Directed by Priscilla Jackman

Musical Direction by Robyn Womersley – Choreographed by Sally Dashwood

Set/Props/ Costume by Isabel Hudson – Lighting design by Trudy Dalgleish

Canberra Theatre Centre Playhouse July 8- 12^th 2026.

Performance on 10^th July reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

Queenie van de Zandt - Valerie Bader - Zuleika Khan -Carita Farrer Spencer - in Middle Raged

Every so often, regular theatregoers encounter a production that exceeds expectations; whether through its design, performances, or content. Middle Raged is one of those shows.

Promoted as the ultimate girl’s night out, with ‘rage’ the dominant word in the title, the expectation was that the show would be a rant about middle age and women’s issues, and that men should come at their own risk.

However, the reality is that Middle Raged is a very funny, superbly written, mounted and performed celebration of middle age. It proves as relevant to the few brave men in the audience as it is to the women.

Thankfully, the show avoids man-shaming, even in sketches that address issues such as memory loss and erectile dysfunction.

Inspired by conversations with hundreds of middle-aged women, Queenie van de Zandt and Tiffanie Noack’s script is smart, incisive, and packed with pithy laugh lines, all delivered with precision by a first-rate cast.

Performed in intimate revue mode and directed with Priscilla Jackman’s usual panache, Middle Raged seamlessly interweaves scripted sketches with well-chosen contemporary and original songs.

Each cast member assumes a distinct persona: Valerie Bader as Judy, Carita Farrer Spencer as Stephanie, Zuleika Khan as Karen, and Queenie van de Zandt as Queenie. Together, they represent women at various stages of menopause.

The exception is a recurring gag in which Bader becomes Brian and Khan becomes Mark, two hard-bitten sports broadcasters calling The Menopause Marathon.

Not unexpectedly, menopause is a recurring theme. One standout sequence has Bader deliver “A Brief History of Menopause” as a PowerPoint presentation, wittily illustrated with whimsical images projected onto Isabel Hudson’s elegant pink setting.

Carita Farrer Spencer - Sandy Klose (Bass) - Jillian O'Dowd (Drums) - Queenie van de Zandt
- Robyn Womersley (Keyboards_- "Middle Raged".

Hudson adds a clever visual touch by costuming the three members of the classy on-stage combo; Robyn Womersley on keyboards, Sandy Klose on bass and Jillian O'Dowd on drums, in elegant dusty pink suits that match the setting.

A constant presence throughout, the trio provides delightful backing vocals and excellent accompaniments, beginning with a tuneful welcome as the audience enters the auditorium, including a boppy arrangement of Sia’s “Chandelier”.

Although essentially an ensemble show, each performer has a moment to display her considerable vocal chops. Zuleika Khan does so with a powerful rendition of Missy Higgins’ “The Second Act”. Carita Farrer Spencer shines in her virtuoso performance of “The To-Do List”, written by Gillian Cosgriff with Noack and van de Zandt. Van de Zandt brings unmatched interpretive skill to Tim Minchin’s poignant “Carry You”, for which he wrote new lyrics.

The highlight for this reviewer is “Herstory”, a send-up of the musical Six written by Laura Murphy with van de Zandt and Noack. With the aid of Isabel Hudson’s ingenious headdresses, the cast becomes Lady Macbeth, Mona Lisa, Madam Butterfly and Jane Austen, each reflecting on the condition of ageing.

If you are looking for a refreshing theatrical experience designed to delight, challenge, surprise and embrace, even offer new ways of thinking about age-old conditions. Watch out for Middle Raged when it comes your way.

Following its Sydney and Canberra seasons, Middle Raged will next visit Wagga Wagga on 14^th and 15^th July, and Wyong on 19^th July. Watch for additional dates to be announced.

                                               Photos by Philip Erbacher

                      This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW.

                        https://artsreview.com.au/middle-raged-a-musical-meltdown/

 

 

 

MIDDLE RAGED - A Musical Meltdown

 

Middle Raged– A  MusicalMeltdown. 

Co-written and produced by Queenie Van De Zandt and Tiffany Noack. Directed by Priscilla Jackman. Musical Director Robyn Womersley. Choreographer Sally Dashwood. Set, Costume and Properties Designer Isabel Hudson. Lighting Designer Trudy Dalgleish. Multi-Media Artist. Mark Bolotin. Songwriters Gillian Cosgriff and Laura Murphy. Set Cartoons Kaz Cooke. Arranger Mark Jones. Sound Designer Paul Charlier. Production Managers Richard Dinnen and Rinko Imashimizu. Stage Manager Chelsea Albanesi. Audio Technician Siiri Metsar. Lighting and AV Technician Declan O’Neill. Produced by Women in the Pocket and Andrew Kay and Associates. The Playhouse. Canberra Theatre Centre. July 8-11 2026

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

The cast of Middle Raged - A Musical Meltdown 
Carita Farrer Spencer, Valerie Bader, Zuleika Khan
and Queenie Van De Zandt.

The power of pink floods Isabel Hudson’s eye-catching design on the Playhouse stage. It illuminates Musical Director Robin Womersley on keyboard, Sandy Klose or Tina Harris on bass and Jillian O’Dowd on drums as they welcome the audience to their seats. Middle Raged – A Musical Meltdown is a smash hit celebration of womanhood, a salute to feminism, a tribute to every woman who has experienced or is about to chart her way through menopause. What makes Queenie Van De Zandt and Tiffany Noack’s such an absorbing, illuminating and uplifting theatrical powerhouse of a musical is its account of hundreds of interviews of women across the country. No example is left unturned to reveal the trials, the heartaches and the countless symptoms of a condition that has too often defined and disempowered women. But it is something that the brilliant cast and creatives of Middle Raged-A Musical Meltdown are about to set right and prove that the view from over the hill is spectacular. The cast of Van De Zandt, Valerie Bader, Zuleika Khan and Carita Farrer Spencer know what it is to live with the hot flushes, the dryness, the brain fog, the aching joints and the hundred or more afflictions known as The Change.

 

Four friends ignored by a young waiter in the restaurant

Middle Raged- A Musical Meltdown is not the show to bemoan one’s sorry state. Quite the opposite. It is here to lead audiences, men and women, to the other side of the hill; to rouse them with songs by songwriters such as Missy Higgins, Tim Minchin, Gillian Cosgriff, Laura Murphy, Sia and Pink (naturally!), to split their sides with those confusing moments of forgetfulness, to fill the heart with compassion and the mind with understanding. The mission is clear in the lively, loud and proud opening sing-along number, Time To Celebrate and unleash “the conscious liberation of the female state” with a filmed account of the lot of women through the ages. It is time to make a stand with a new musical that is informative, hilarious, touching and thought provoking.

Stories in photos from around the nation

Director Priscilla Jackman brings her customary pizzazz to this heartwarming new musical. Every scene is a jewel in the crown of women’s affirmation. Valerie Bader and Zuleika Khan give a Roy and HG take on commentating the rollercoaster Menopause Marathon, a gruelling obstacle course through the debilitating symptoms of the condition. Brain fog confounds Queenie Ashton and Carita Farrer Spencer as they desperately try to remember the name of that actor in that film about something. We laugh uproariously at something we know too well. Laughter turns to empathy as Spencer recounts the agony of an Emergency Room wait to cope with the care of an aging parent or an injured son. Khan’s account of sexual need strikes the recognizable chord of failed communication.

 

Middle Raged- A Musical MeltDown is a clarion call for action as they sing Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves (Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox) and P!nk’s What About Us! Van De Zandt and Noack’s new musical hit a high note at its premiere performance in musical theatre icon Van De Zandt ‘s home- town before a largely female matinee audience. It is not surprising to see the man next to me craning forward with intense interest or a woman behind me repeatedly calling out Amen! or the entire audience leaping to their feet with rapturous applause. This is a musical that not only sets the Bird Free (Sia) but gives it the wings to take flight. It is a new Australian musical that every man and woman need to see.

Photos by Philip Erbacher

Middle Raged – A Melt Down Musical  -  Song List

Holiday (Madonna); Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves (Aretha Franklin & Annie Lennox); What's Up (4 Non Blondes); Wannabe (Spice Girls); What About Us (P!nk); The Second Act (MissyHiggins); The To-Do List (Gillian Cosgriff, Queenie van de Zandt & Tiffany Noack); Edge of Something (Missy Higgins); Herstory (Laura Murphy, Queenie van de Zandt & Tiffany Noack); Carry You (Tim Minchin); Bird Set Free (Sia).

 

 

 

 

MIDDLE RAGED

 

Written by Queenie van de Zandt and Tiffany Noack. Directed by Priscilla Jackman. Musical director Robyn Womersley. Canberra Theatre. Canberra Theatre Centre. July 8-11.

Middle Raged is boisterous, insightful and just plain fun as it barrels its way through the perils of an age in women’s lives that used to be spoken about in whispers, if at all.

It’s a mixture of sketches, narrative and some powerful singing, especially from Queenie van de Zandt and Zuleika Khan. They and Carita Farrer Spencer and Valerie Bader combine to share some sharp observations on the particular knowledge of what time does to a woman, something that history has often been at pains to repress or ignore or misunderstand.

Queenie van de Zandt, Valerie Bader, Zuleika Khan and Carita Farrer Spencer

A somewhat delightfully truculent band up the back (Robyn Womersley, Sandy Klose and Jillian O’Dowd)  pushes things along musically.

The stories and jokes are pulled out of research which asked women to send in their experiences of mid life and menopause. Projected quotations and cartoonist Kaz Cooke’s quirky cartoon figures turn up on the set (design by Isabel Hudson) which is happily reminiscent of an old fashioned women’s TV programme and which is lit cheerfully and appropriately by Trudy Dalgleish.

It’s not altogether clear what seedy male sports commentators Mark (Khan) and Brian (Bader) are doing there but the actors have some fun with the stereotypes.

The audience response to the show is predominately about taking joy in middle aged female experience becoming visible.

Middle Raged doesn’t dig too deep but it does speak out loud. It’s celebratory, rather than analytical, but it ought to provoke thought.

 

Alanna Maclean