What’s happening in Brisbane, March
Bobbi-Lea Dionysius takes us through the ins and outs of theatre in Brisbane for the month of March. From Shakespeare to contemporary dance to Disney – Brisbane has it all!
March is the month of Classic Theatre for both La Boite and the Queensland Theatre Company’s 2012 Season openers.
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AS YOU LIKE IT
La Boite
Dates: Till 24 March
Venue: Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove
Box Office: (07) 3007 8600
Website: www.laboite.com.au
About the ShowAS YOU LIKE IT
La Boite
La Boite opened their 2012 Season is February with the Shakespearean comedy As You Like It, which runs till the 24th of March. The brief story synopsis is as follows: Rosalind falls in love at first sight with the younger Orlando, but is banished from the court by her uncle. She takes refuge with her best friend in tow (the uncles daughter), in the Forest of Arden where she disguises herself as a man – Ganymede. Here in this magical forest she re-encounters Orlando, (but unfortunately as Ganymede the man), and so the fun starts. Orlando, also smitten by Rosalind takes lessons in the art of love from Ganymede who plays, pokes, and prods with his affections to test the integrity of his love.This is a wonderful production with many of Brisbane’s well known actors including Helen Howard as the cougar Rosiland, 25-year-old Thomas Larkin as Orlando, cross-dressing Kate Wilson as the Duke Senior, Bryan Probets as the brilliant court fool Touchstone, and Audrey played hilariously by Hayden Spencer.
The largest cast to hit the La Boite stage at the Roundhouse Theatre includes eight student actors from QUT and the Southbank Institute of Technology.
This is such a fun production with a few creative twists and a not-to-be-missed theatrical event.
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SUMMER OF THE SEVENTEENTH DOLL
QTC
Dates: Till 11 March
Venue: Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
Box Office: (07) 3010 7600
Website: QTC
About the ShowSUMMER OF THE SEVENTEENTH DOLL
QTC
The Queensland Theatre Company also continues the run of their 2012 season opener with an Australian 1950’s classic – Summer of the Seventeenth Doll,written by Ray Lawler. Cane-cutters Barney and Roo, arrive for their annual five-month season of fun and frivolity with Carlton barmaids Olive and Nancy. Only Nancy is now married, so Olive has recruited her conservative social-conscious barmaid friend Pearl to help recreate the chemistry of yesteryear.When men were real men and the women waited patiently; Doll explores the nature of happiness, the pursuit of idealism and the struggle to accept change.
The principle cast includes Alison Whyte as Olive, the driving force of this production; Helen Thomson as the conservative yet witty Pearl; Robyn Nevin as Olive’s mother, the lovably abrupt Emma Leech; Travis McMahon as the cheeky larikan Barney, and Steve Le Marquand as the top ganger Roo.
With three-acts, this play may be a little long for the i-generation, but still an important part of our cultural heritage that should be experienced.
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BLOODLAND
QTC
Dates: 14-18 March
Venue: Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
Box Office: (07) 3010 7600
Website: QTC Bloodland
About the ShowBLOODLAND
QTC
QTC will also present a collaboration between Bangarra Dance Theatre and award-winning choreographer, writer and actor Wayne Blair in the landmark work Bloodlandfrom 14-18 March at QPAC.Outsider Cherish will be our guide through a community torn in two, divided by bloodline. This is Cherish’s place, this is where she hides away from the real world, speaks to imagined friends and is visited by ghosts of relatives long dead. At the centre of the story is a young couple; two lovers united in their devotion but separated by clan. Theirs is a tale of social dysfunction, black on black conflict and the difficulties of observing traditional lore in a community permeated by western values.
Stephen and Wayne developed this original work for over a year, collaborating with local storytellers in Arnhem Land. Featuring an Indigenous cast of twelve including established urban actors as well as traditional Yolngu storytellers, Bloodland fuses traditional languages and Pidgin English, plus dance and song to tell the story. Bloodland promises to be unique in scale and significance.
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BOMBSHELLS
QTC
Dates: 17-21 March
Venue: Cremorne Theatre, QPAC
Box Office: (07) 3010 7600
Website: QTC Bombshells
About the ShowBOMBSHELLS
QTC
March is a busy month for QTC as they will also present Bombshellsat the Cremorne Theatre from 17st March to 21st April.From the writer of Female of the Species, Rockabye and Ninety comes Bombshells, a cheeky, insightful and salaciously entertaining look at the inner thoughts of the modern Australian woman.
Christen O’Leary is a singing, dancing and acting dynamo who plays a housewife running on empty, a cactus-loving divorcee, an anxious bride, a Glee Club wannabe, a yearning sexagenarian, and a cabaret diva singing her last hurrah.
Bombshells is a witty, funny and intimate theatre romp, jam-packed with vitality and vivacious storytelling.
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Mary Poppins
Musical Theatre
Dates: Till 17 March
Box Office: (07) 3007 8600
Website: www.disney.com.au/marypoppins
About the ShowMary Poppins
Musical Theatre
Mary Poppins the musical, presented by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, continues to delight audiences at QPAC. Brilliantly adapted from the beloved books by Australia’s own P.L.Travers and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film, Mary Poppins will be closing this month on the 17 March. This is the must-see show of the year. You can also see the Mary & Meexhibit about Mary Poppins and her creator P.L. Travers until the show ends.Mary & Me looks at this remarkable journey from page to stage and features original papers from P.L. Travers collections from the Mitchell Library at the State Library of New South Wales, archival video and costumes from the current musical version of Mary Poppins.
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The Raven
MetroArts
Dates: 7-31March
Box Office: (07) 3002 7100
Venue: Sue Benner Theatre, Metro Arts
Website: www.metroarts.com.au
About the ShowThe Raven
MetroArts
The Independents program at Metro Arts co-presents The Ravenin association with Laura Kwiatkowski till the 31st of March.Fall inside an intimate and sensory experience inspired by the literary work of Edgar Allan Poe, the ghosts that haunted his dreams and the fears that riddled his writing.
Take a seat at Poe’s table as the poet shifts through splintered memories forged with his beloved wife. But lurking in the dark – pulling at the night’s frays – is an uninvited presence who threatens to unravel their carefully constructed love story. Blurring the boundaries between audience and performer, home truths and vicious lies, The Raven is a journey into the mind of a man whose imagination has taken liberties with his life.
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Dickens’ Women
International Tours
Dates: 22-24 March
Venue: Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
Box Office: (07) 3010 7600
Website: Dickens’ Women
About the ShowDickens’ Women
International Tours
Following sell-out performances in 2007, BAFTA®-award winning actress Miriam Margolyes returns to Australia for an encore national tour of her one-woman tour-de-force, Dickens’ Women.Bringing to life twenty-three of Charles Dickens’ most affecting and colourful female (and male!) characters, Margolyes presents her powerful, comprehensive, and at times hilarious exposé of Dickens, his writing, and the real-life women who found themselves immortalised in his books.
This strictly limited season is part of the worldwide celebrations of 200 years of Charles Dickens in 2012. Don’t miss your chance to see this acclaimed actor in the roles she was born to play.
See AussieTheatre’s exclusive interview with Miriam Margolyes here
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Brisbane Comedy Festival
Festival
Dates: Till 25 March
Venue: Brisbane Powerhouse
Box Office: (07) 3358 8600
Website: Brisbane Powerhouse
About the ShowBrisbane Comedy Festival
Festival
For those who love a giggle, the Brisbane Powerhouse has become home to some of the best comedians around the country for the 2012 Brisbane Comedy Festival.This year we’ve got some well known names back again like Tripod and Frank Woodley, alongside some brand new funny faces, all to give you an even more hilarious mix than you’ve ever seen here before. Why not line-up to see your favourite comedian again and give someone new a red hot go too?
As well as the shows happening all around the building, Chalkboard returns with a surprise late-night line-up every Friday and Saturday night. Tickets go on sale at midday on the day of the show and it sells out fast, so get in quick.
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Alice in Wonderland
Other Productions
Dates: 31 March – 14 April
Venue: Playhouse Theatre, QPAC
Box Office: 136 246
Website: QPAC
About the ShowAlice in Wonderland
Other Productions
Although the following productions are not under the category of theatre, music theatre or cabaret, I thought I would mention the many wonderful dance performances that are on this month.Alice in Wonderland is playing at the QPAC Playhouse from 31st March to 14th April.
Basing his ballet on Lewis Carroll’s much-loved children’s books, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, François Klaus has created a captivating piece, brimful of wit, humour and charm. With its whimsical flights of the imagination, eclectic music and joyful dance, Alice in Wonderland is delightful entertainment for all ages.
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Romeo & Juliet
The Australian Ballet
Dates: 23-28 March
Venue: Lyric Theatre, QPAC
Box Office: 136 246
Website: QPAC
About the ShowRomeo & Juliet
The Australian Ballet
The Australian Ballet (with Queensland Symphony Orchestra) will be performing Romeo & Julietat the QPAC Lyric Theatre from 23rd to 28th March.Graeme Murphy is famous for bringing new life to classic ballets, and now he’s tackled the greatest love story ever told: Romeo & Juliet. Traversing time and place, Murphy’s ballet follows “a feisty girl and a feisty boy who are willing to take a stand for their love”. Young passion smoulders at its core, but Murphy also tackles the consequences of greed and war, and asks what happens to humanity when love dies. This grand story is also grandly designed, with costumes by Australian fashion luminary Akira Isogawa and some of The Australian Ballet’s most ambitious sets to date. The result is a masterpiece from first blush to final devastation.
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Scripsi Scriptum
Dance
Dates: Friday 23-30 March
Venue: Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts
Website: JWCOCA
About the ShowScripsi Scriptum
Dance
Lastly, EDC and Cathy Sharp Dance Ensemble (from Switzerland) return to the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts to perform the Australian Premiere of Scripsi Scriptum.50 years ago, a letter from Swizterland would have taken six weeks to arrive, now the digital revolution means a world instantly connected. Both old-fashioned letter writing and new-age social networking between dancers from Brisbane’s own EDC and Switzerland’s Cathy Sharp Dance Ensemble has given rise to two new dance works which cross the cultural divide and give pause for thought on the fine art of communication.
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