Lynn Belvedere

Ellie, Abbie & Ellie’s Dead Aunt @ Depot Theatre Marrickville

 

It was a pleasure to experience this delicious and entertaining new play featuring six well-drawn, strong characters played by a good all-female cast.

Monica Zanetti’s play delivers a touching lesbian romantic comedy, blended with LGBT political history, and is an important message piece about respecting sexual minorities. It also touches on the inaction of police and  their reluctance to investigate LGBT murders.

Ellie’s mother has provided a litany of lies to protect Ellie from the whole truth about her lesbian Aunt Amber’s sudden death.  Ellie, the goody goody School Captain has fallen in love with Abbie a girl from her history class. Ellie, in fact, is getting the ‘ghostly’ counsel of her deceased Aunt to navigate the intricacies of her first lesbian affair.

The production features minimal sets and costumes,  until superb costuming appears, for the night of the High School formal. There is an excellent ensemble cast, and Sophie Hawkshaw as Ellie gives an engaging performance playing the character who is the strong and vital lynchpin around which the narrative unfolds.

The timely resolutions of the play are positive and life affirming, and provides optimism about solving the identity of Aunt Amber’s murderer.

The only one quibble about ELLIE, ABBIE & ELLIE’S DEAD AUNT, is that the writer/director has decided to stage a film screenplay that has been formatted for a feature-length movie film, instead of using a script written for live theatre.

Monica Zanetti is an award winning Australian writer and actress. Her debut feature movie film was SKIN DEEP (2015) which has been screened at over eight international Film Festivals, and also earned a 2015 AWGIE nomination for Best Original Screenplay.  

Recommended, Feet First Ventures production of ELLIE, ABBIE & ELLIE’S DEAD AUNT, written and directed by Monica Zanetti, is playing the Depot theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville until 8th April. The venue has free on-site car parking. Performances are 8 pm Wednesdays to Saturdays and Sundays at 5 pm.

Producer:-  Olga Markovic

Cast:- Meagan Caratti, Margi De Ferranti, Sophie Hawkshaw, Geraldine Viswanathan, Monica Zanetti

http://thedepottheatre.com/ellie-abbie-ellie-s-dead-aunt/

https://www.facebook.com/FeetFirstVentures/

https://www.facebook.com/events/432241737107046/

All photos by Tina Lee Photography.

 

 

Published by Lynn Belvedere

Once we were old enough, my parents took the whole family to the Sydney CBD cinemas every week. Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited ''Australian Film Censorship Board'' true cinéaste versions of brand new release ''Cinematograph Films''. Greater Union always gave my father (who worked in Cinema Distribution Exhibition) guest double movie passes, to every first-night ''red carpet Opening Night'' at The State Theatre Cinema at 49 Market Street. Up until his death, my dad always received ''two house seats'' for every Opening Night performance events at the Theatre Royal SYDNEY and at Her Majesty's Theatre SYDNEY. As a child, when mum choose not to go, I often went with him, to those live performance events. As a young child, I remember being taken for each new show, at both The New Theatre at 60 Sussex Street, and the Phillip Street Theatre when located at 150 Elizabeth Street, and for classical music concerts at Sydney Town Hall. = = = ★★★★★ = = = Being happy is a choice, and I have always viewed my life, as material ready be made into a series of amazing tentpole movies. My New Years Resolution is kept every year: ''Get to see/review five new live theatre shows each week, and get to see/review six new cinema movies each week'', plus is one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers, and apparently have seen far too much already, but always wanting to experience more and more each year. I am also able to do almost everything that I enjoy doing. Yes, I do have a great daytime job in I.T. as ''Software Design Project Manager'', PLUS each evening until quite late - - - Australian Cinematograph Films historical censorship consultant - product-placement consultant - mystery-shopper consultant - playwright, writer, author, director, producer, photographer, cinematographer, color-grader, subtitles proofreader - arts/ drama/ music/ film critic and judge, journalist, member FIPRESCI & FCCA & AFCA, member AACTA accredited film reviewer-critic-writer, accredited IMDB.COM critic-reviewer-author, projectionist, plus an innovative iconoclast - - - ★★★★★ LYNN BELVEDERE ★★★★★ - - - [usr 5] - - -