There are nine simply superb plays being performed live on stage this week, at Short and Sweet. Captivating, strange, unique, and laugh-out-loud entertainment galore, and one with live music.
(1) – Wish You Were Hair
ITC Presented by RAPA Inc
Written by Kaz Getts / Directed by Kaz Getts and Warren Bradley
Cast – Warren Bradley, Christine Engelheart
Comedy all about HAIR from first pubes, cut hair, shaving, nair, long hair wig, chemo. Warren Bradley and Christine Engelheart are endearing with their multiple characters through time, constant flow of costume changes, covering from teenagers to seniors.
(2) – Diary of a Breakup / Breakdown
ITC Presented by Alex Broun Company
Written By Alex Broun / Directed by Peter Whitehead
Cast – Claire Bird, Michael Booker.
Alex Broun, is one of the world’s leading ten-minute playwrights, and has written more than one hundred ten minute plays : http://www.alexbroun.com/ Dialogue intense dramatic delight, as Claire Bird and Michael Booker individually deconstruct each and every intense moment, day by day during the thirty days immediately after their relationship ended.
(3) – Brexit
ITC Presented by Budding Theatre Company
Written and directed by Kirsty Budding
Cast: Kaivu Suvarna, Amelia Green, Michael Ubrihien and Rina Onorato
Excellent comedy message piece set on Thursday 23rd June, the voting day for the EU Referendum, four Brits at a bus stop agree to disagree on the vote discussing Cultural Imperialism and stereotyping, all lead along to the very unexpected twist.
(4) – The Story of Darling Brown
ITC Presented by The Monologue Project
Written and Directed by Pete Malicki
Cast – Katharine Babatzanis
Comedy monologue as Katharine Babatzanis plays Darling Brown. Discusses her identical twin sister Jesse, berates her parents (Claire and John) for their calling their first born twin “Darling”. Darling pretending to be Jesse, ends up enjoying being completely different to her identical twin, all caused by her hating the name her parents assigned her at birth.
(5) – Tapping Out
Written by Maura Pierlot / Directed by Cecile Payet
Cast: Kaiya Bartholomew, Brayden Harry, Ethan Mestroni and Anton Smilek
Winning dialogue drama and timpani musical piece, with the drummers’s tap tap tap of musical syncopation on assorted musical instruments in the percussion family. Private language created in tap, introvert versus extrovert, a war between Wes with Jay, then Jay with Declan. Wes is trapped in his mind palace, by reliving all the complex events that occurred twelve months ago.
(6) – Hidden Depths
Written by Pamela Western / Directed by Mark Fowler
Cast: Christine Aldridge and James Sugrue
A beautifully costumed Pirate (Roger), arrives for his first job interview at the the Tax Office. Perfectly timed comedy with perfect cast, expertly directed, was a huge audience favourite on the Opening Night. Reliving the glory days of buccaneers and flogging, apparently this modern day pirate is a computer hacker. Perfectly chosen music with nautical sound effects, end the performance.
(7) – Still Alive
ITC Presented by Nautanki Theatre
Written and Directed by Dilbagh Singh
Cast: Dilroop Khangura, Shanelle Sin and Dilbagh Singh
Tulip is the delusional girl, trapped in the hot hell of her one room limbo. The devil is dressed as a doctor. Dressed in white as a nurse, is the angel. This fine drama, is subject to many possible interpretations.
(8) – Arthur and Marilyn
ITC Presented by Half Boy Company
Written By Jasper-Lee Lindsay / Directed by Danen Young
Cast: Meg Hyeronimus and Alec Ebert
Delicious fictionalised dialogue, as we learn exactly how Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller met. All that they talked about, with a smoky haze caused by the cast constantly smoking a seemingly infinite amount of herbal cigarettes.
(9) – One Night Stan
ITC Presented by Third Bite
Written by Adam Szudrich / Directed by Grant Wilson
Cast: Gina Cohen, Ally O’Brien and Emma Caldwell
Back into the dating game, and always at the same restaurant, Stan is dating these three women, Rachel, Holly and Marie. Comedy dialogue flows as each woman has vastly different dating experiences with the same man. Delightful and well worthy of getting a standing ovation, and of course easily garnered the longest applause from the Opening Night audience.
SHORT AND SWEET THEATRE 2017 Top 80 Week Four is playing the Depot Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, with on-site free parking, until Sunday 5th February 2017.
Featured photo from Hidden Depths. All photos by Robert Miniter.
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