This melodrama can be seen at 7.30 pm on Friday, 31^st October and Saturday, 1^st November  The production is being held at the Nexus Theatre (near car park 3), Murdoch University. Tickets are a mere $10 each.

The set is a light coloured stage, made to look like a beach. At the side are the two musicians. To the rear, a muslin cyc and a simple, but effective, palace set. (Designer Allison Bell)

      The narrator (Cat Perez) who walks about the play invisibly welcomes us in song to the theatre. The melodic chorus (Gabriele Colli, Bella Doyle and Elizabeth Wharton) pop up throughout the play, with light relief in the form of hilarious verse (written by Sarah Courtis) and a dance (choreographed by Ellin Sears).

       Cymbeline, the loved and respected King of Britain (Philip Hutton), has a daughter, the wise and beautiful, Princess Imogen (Harriet Fettis). His evil second Queen (Charlotte Westrip) has married the King solely to ease the way for her egotistical and inept son, Cloten (James Hynson) from a previous marriage, to wed the Princess.

      Cymbeline is keen to see his daughter marry his stepson, but finds that Imogen has secretly married an orphan, Posthumus Leonatus (Leigh Fitzpatrick) that Cymbeline has raised from a child. The King is furious and banishes this commoner by birth to Rome.

      In Rome, accompanied by his servant Philario (Xarna Rappold), Posthumus meets an Italian conman, Iachimo (Scott McArdle) who bets him that he can seduce the Princess. However, when Iachimo discovers that she is faithful to her husband he sets out to trick Posthumus by getting private details of the Princess’s chamber and her body blemishes. When Posthumus believes that he has lost the bet, he orders his servant, Pisanio (Jade Galambosi) to kill Imogen.

      When Pisanio learns what really happened, she advises the Princess to disguise herself as a pageboy, Fidele, and flee. On her journey to Milford Haven, Imogen meets a shepherd, Morgan, his two sons, Guiderius (Nik Pinnock) and the younger sibling Arviragus (Shannon Rogers) living in a cave. The boys are her royal brothers, who were stolen twenty years earlier by the unjustly banished nobleman, Belarius (Sarsi Elsberry), and who is now living his life as Morgan the shepherd.

      Dressed in Posthumus’ clothes, Cloten follows Imogen determined to kill her, thus clearing the way for his eventual ascent to the throne. In a fight, Cloten is killed by Guiderius.  Feeling ill, and thinking a potion the queen has given her is medicinal, Imogen drinks the drug. The Queen however, believes that the drug she got from her doctor, Cornelius (Cassee Lazic) is actually a poison. Belarius and his sons find Imogen motionless and think she is dead.

      Meanwhile, in the palace, the Roman ambassador to Britain, Caius Lucius (Emily David) on the advice of the soothsayer (Rayelene Chin) declares war on Britain. Caius becomes the general of the Roman invasion force.  Posthumus is captured, and is placed in jail under the supervision of an idiot jailer (Christian Blackburn).

 Can Posthumus escape prison, what will happen to the shepherd’s boys, will Imogen really be poisoned?

Throughout the play, composer Nick Choo on piano and harpsichord, and his accompanying clarinettist, Hailey Vantil, provided a soft – perfect level – delightful musical soundscape.

The director, Jenny de Reuck and her associate director, Melissa Merchant have skilfully turned, what could have been a very ordinary, semi-funny play, into a memorable piece. They have wrung every morsel of humour from the play, and with Sarah Courtis’ lyrics, given a real sparkle to every scene.

The cast, even those with minor roles, really got into the mood of the play, by having quirky mannerisms and expressions. The play storylines had many complex twists, so having diction that was clear and beautifully paced was essential to the comprehension. Perfect.

Harriet Fettis, James Hynson and Scott McArdle gave performances that were amazing. Cat Perez was stunning as the narrator – another talent to watch for in the future.

There were a couple of good fight sequences choreographed by Uzi Khan, one of which brought forth a few intended laughs.

The costumes were colourful and well-tailored (Sophie Braham). The lighting ranged from a bloody battle scene, to a creepy ghost sequence (lighting design Nick Morant), with the quality sound completing the mood (sound design Amelia Dee).

Production supervisor, John King, had a very capable team that was managed by Thomas Dimmick. The crew of Laurie Mcainsh, Samantha Larke, Aaron Blackburn and Jessica Patrick ensured that the entrances, exits and scene changes were imperceptibly slick.

First time I have seen this play, but certainly an admirable production. Many congratulations.

Unfortunately this hour long, fun show was presented for one night only at the Nexus Theatre off car park 3, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch on Friday 14^th March at 7.00 pm.

All proceeds from ticketing and front of house were donated to Family Planning WA.

After a warm Box Office welcome from Sarsi Grace in a skimpy and sexy outfit, the show took place in the comfortable Nexus auditorium. The set, which was designed by Sam Knox, Scott McArdle and Sophie Benham, consisted of a pile of large cushions at one side, a settee on the other and with a large wooden bed, draped in red silk sheets and bras centre stage. The soft, warm selective lighting design by Scott McArdle was slickly operated by Sarah Bond. Scott’s sound design was operated by Bella Doyle. With stage management by Leah Toyne.

‘Tit for Tat’ acted by Kathleen Camacho.

          A young, large busted girl with a stunning décolletage describes her problem – her boobs, they are too big. Is small really beautiful?

Kathleen argued her point of body image with dry humour, whilst no doubt raising sympathy from half the audience. A fun performance, on a serious topic.

‘Never have I ever’ acted by Katherine O’Brien

        After listening to her friends, this young woman feels that she is missing out on life – she has never had an orgasm.

 Katherine chose a calm and logical approach to her delivery; this brought understanding and no doubt a few followers. A brave, well-written, sensitive piece by Katherine beautifully performed. Congratulations.

‘Hollywood is slowly ruining my life’ acted by Phillip Hutton

       A young man is finding that his girlfriend’s expectations of him as a partner, compared to that of the perfect looks, bodies and personalities of many movie stars, increases according to the films that they see together.

A very good delivery on an exceptionally well-researched topic. Plenty of laughs and hilariously presented.

‘An argument’ acted by Rachel Doulton and Tess Thompson

       A couple lesbian partners desperately want a child, but which one should bear the baby? Really, it should be the woman with the better gene pool.

Whoever thought that parent selection could be so difficult? A very sensitive topic that I had never considered before, this topic was handled beautifully, with arguments and love blended perfectly. Nice work.

‘Waiting’ acted by Kate O’Sullivan

      The young woman is getting older, but she has still decided to retain her virginity – is chastity a wise decision?

With peer power, it is hard to keep your standards. Kate gave an emotion-filled explanation of her frustrating circumstances. Thought provoking.

‘Between a cock and a hard place’ acted by James Hynson

        For a man who has ‘come out’ and tried his best to be accepted by society, to have the same old clichés and labels thrown at you can destroy your spirit.

A beautifully written piece, superbly presented with body and soul by James, certainly the most moving segment of the night. The emotion certainly came across to the audience, and possibly had us asking have we been guilty of the odd tasteless joke? We must all have been bullied at school, but when it comes into your adult life from well-meaning fools, it can hurt just as much. Outstanding.

‘A moment of Felicity’ acted by Katherine O’Brien

      This is a poetic (unwritten) expression of a woman’s love and adoration for her lover.

Katherine captured perfectly the feeling that so many get for their loved one, but are worried about the reaction should their lover know how deep the feeling actually is. Well done.

‘The Friendzone’ acted by Damian Long

       A couple sat on the settee enacting the tale of the storyteller. He explains that there is a delicate line between being a friend, a good friend and a sexual threat.

Damian felt a little uneasy as he described his problem of finding the ‘line that should not be crossed’. An unusual look at a situation that we have all found ourselves in as teenagers.

‘A real woman’ acted by Anna Weir

       A young girl finds that with cancer in the family genes that there is a chance she may never be able to have children.

A difficult subject to tackle, but with a genuine understanding of the topic and a most beautiful performance, Anna left the audience a little stunned. A short burst of silence at the end of such a performance is a compliment. Wonderful.

‘Hysteria’ acted by Kate Willoughby

       A young woman has heard of the joys of masturbation, but the thought of actually doing it is far from erotic.

Kate gave a wonderful performance as a young woman who is horrified at the thought that anyone could actually get pleasure from playing with the ‘squidgy bit’ between their legs. She held the audience in awe as she reeled off her total disbelief of this fun pastime. Lots of belly laughs at a brilliant handling of a delicate topic.

Producer James Hynson and his assistant, Katherine O’Brien have given us a wonderful and diverse set of situations, arranged in a perfect order that took us from laughs to pathos, from blatant to sympathy. I enjoyed this selection even more than the limited scope of the original ‘Vagina Monologues’. The writing styles varied from flippant to deeply serious, fun to heart wrenching. The courageous writing styles were perfectly selected for each of the moods and situations. The excellent Dramaturge by Anthony Smith gave a rich depth to each performance.

This is a delightful set of stories, highly recommended to any other fearless community theatre that is looking for something a little different.

All food, beverage and programme proceeds were donated to ‘This Star Won’t Go Out’, in support of families and children affected by cancer.

The large Nexus stage depicted the entrance hall to a large, busy hospital. The floor had on it, a big blue iris decoration. The set design, by Nicola Rivers, comprised a staircase at the rear, with a set of three symbolised windows represented by green LED strip lights in silicone tubes. There was a main hospital admissions desk at the side.

A central announcement calls for the workaholic and totally dedicated nurse, Harry Grayson (Aaron Vanderkley) to report to his ward. He cannot be found, and when Roland, the cleaner (Daley King) – and general source of gossip knowledge – doesn’t know where he is, then things are bleak. Thanks to gruelling double shifts, along with some incompetence, exhausted Harry is often carried, covered and aided by his colleagues, including Jo (Nicola Brescianini) who thinks Harry can do no wrong. Then there is Dr Owen Patrick (Laughton McKenzie) and his love interest, Dr Helen Scully (Shannon Rogers), who are sick and tired of clearing up Harry’s disasters. They decide to have him look after a particularly awkward patient, Sylvia Taylor (Emily David). In fact Sylvia seems to have numerous medical problems, but are they real or invented? Sylvia gives everyone a difficult time, especially the male medics, who call her ‘The Iceberg’. For special reasons, known only to Harry, he finds her a wonderful patient and has some unusual treatment to help her ailments. Sylvia has a exceptional friend, another patient, Douglas (Stephen Platt) who understands her fears and loneliness, and regularly calls around to see her. Harry has another problem, his anxious sister, Anne (Harriet Fettis) who is having a relationship with Paul (Nic Doig), one that jealous Harry cannot condone.

For every writer there is a defining moment when the scripts turn from ‘very good amateur’ to ‘truly professional’, this was Scott’s moment. The rich, beautifully constructed script has several well thought-out threads, great characters that are real and palpable. The writing has plenty of pathos countered with just the right amount of humour.

The story is quite tragic on several levels, but with superb direction from Sam Knox it was not at all depressing, but exciting and intriguing. It was a wise and very daring move for the playwright to give the script to a different director, but award winning Sam has done the play proud. She has captured the tenderness of some acts and boldly countered them with strong drama. Flashbacks and dream sequences added to the magic and work very well.

The acting was gripping, fast moving and of an amazing quality. Each cast member blends perfectly with each other. From the angry Dr Patrick, to the slow Roland, the sexy Dr Scully to the confused sister Anne. However, it was the depth of acting from the two main characters that gripped the audience; Sylvia visibly trembling with her ailing body, and the subtle changes in Harry’s persona throughout the play. Powerful acting and directing.

There were numerous set changes but these were slickly carried out by the ‘hospital auxiliaries’ (stage crew led by Danica Rickard and Anna Weir) and appeared part of the hospital routine. A drama never really works unless the costumes and the props appear authentic; here Leah Toyne and Sophie Braham have sourced the genuine articles from hospitals. The lighting designed by Scott McArdle was well considered, picking out just the right area of action, in the ideal colour temperature and brightness for the mood. Smooth operation from Sarah Bond.

The music, scored by Drew Krapljanov, captured the atmosphere and pace perfectly. The composer was happy for his music to enhance rather than rule the scene, as often happens. Sensitive sound operation was by Aiden Willoughby. Laura Arcudi and Katherine O’Brien ensured that the programme and publicity were worthy of this first class play and production.

This is a play that I can recommend to small acting groups or organisations who want to make an impression in their local community theatre. Like ‘One flew over …’ I am sure that we will see this play doing the rounds for years to come. I am certain that this play will be the start of many exciting, quality productions from the Scott McArdle, Sam Knox partnership. Excellent on all levels.