Anywhere Reviews
Every year Anywhere Festival invites people to write reviews of performances at the festival. We do this because we believe it is vital that people can read about shows, that performance makers can start a conversation with someone who has taken the time to write about the work and to celebrate the art of critiquing performances.
Along with a number of established writers, this year we are also running a workshop with Nadia Jade of Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane aimed at new writers to help develop their skills and provide guidance around reviews written for Anywhere Festival shows.
You will find those reviews as they are written below.
Anywhere Reviews.
Wizards in the Senate Room
The Play About Wizards and Music in a Village Somewhere is a slightly silly, and occasionally, witty farce that draws inspiration from a variety of UK cult TV hits.
Disturbo
Great evocation of a liminal space for this performance art reflection on a relationship journey.
Tongue in Cheek Winery Tour
From grape to wine – the journey!
SPACE: The Flat Frontier
When Anywhere becomes the edge of the Earth.
I Am Woman, Hear Me | Brigitte Freeme
A wonderfully nuanced performance with some incredibly talented women at the centre.
The Velvet Lounge Spectacle
Ultimately it went off like an eighties rocket… or maybe even a drawing by Mr. Squiggle.
The Fabulous Melissa Western at Australian Modern
If it’s on at Australian Modern, then book it. You’ll enjoy a memorable evening: fabulous performers, great company, and a warm welcome to an intimate and stylish venue.
The Velvet Lounge Spectacle
Good to see a contemporary variety show, but tweaks definitely needed.
Pop ‘n’ Jazz with the Jindalee Jazz Orchestra
A joyful night of exciting and vibrant big band music with the Jindalee Jazz Orchestra.
An Exact Point In Time
It helped cultivate a sense that life is happening right now, in all of its harsh realities.
101 Ways to Stare at a Wall | Sharmila Nezovic
It was coherent… and yet chaotic.
In the Dark
A fresh and unique concept for sketch improv comedy, In the Dark is an impressive, hilarious audio experience.
I Am Woman, Hear Me | Brigitte Freeme
A compelling combination of thoughtful writing and performance skill.
Archaeopteryx | Nonsemble
Giant extinct birds, violins, and electronica collide.
ILLEGAL UNDERGROUND IMPRO BATTLE
Local improv theatre at its most hardcore!
Dear Adults
A show about the frustrations and musings of under-18s, providing insights as to their thoughts about the adults in their lives. The majority of the cast may be under 18, but they together demonstrate a maturity of thought and performance that impresses.
Campfire Cabaret: The Legend of Deirdre
A subversion of cabaret and tragic tales, Campfire Cabaret presents a distinctly feminist portrayal of the Irish Deirdre myth.
The Fabulous Importance of Being Wasted
Cheers! Oscar Wilde would have approved of The Importance of Being Wasted. Another winning show from the Act/React team.
Transit Tales
A charming peek into local improvisational theatre that will get you from A to B.
Against the Wall | Passion Productions
A beautiful story, cast and space. Don’t miss this world premiere production of Justy Kosek’s Against the Wall.
Listen First, let’s talk
A brief but welcome history lesson from the local owners and caretakers of our land
Transit Tales | Pigasus Productions
Transit Tales is a fun, energetic, short, and easy to digest piece of theatre. It would be perfectly suited to a young family looking for an evening out.
TOME | Freeroam Theatre
Freeroam Theatre were improvisational superstars, and their personal soundscape offerings were second to none.
Louise Winton Sings
Review of Louise Winton Sings Songs from Stage and Screen By Mark Sherry Fans of Broadway and movie musicals (and for that matter, opera) will find a lot to enjoy…
Transit Tales: A Little Improv Gem
Pigasus Productions took the Anywhere Festival spirit to heart, as Transit Tales brings transit-themed improvised comedy to transit stops. A little improv gem.
The Great Grandiosa | Act React
A review by Jaydem Martin for Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane. If you have ever wanted to know what the winning lottery number is going to be, or what riches…
Vasilissa | Sylph Circus & Sirin Ensemble
A review by Nadia Jade for Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane. I hope that Sylph Circus continues this path in future productions, finding other girl-centred stories to tell, to share,…
Much Ado About Nothing in the round
A classic Shakespeare tale of trickery and betrayal, which was performed with well drawn characterisations and some fabulous comic timing.
Tapping fun for the kids
‘Utopia! And the Caravan Calamity’ is an energetic tap-dancing theatrical comedy for the under-eights.
THE SHAZZA SHOW: SO… YOU’VE HIT ROCK BOTTOM
This is the ten word except you ne
Coterie Cabaret | Coterie Sisters
A review by Dr Fed for Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane. If I had only one word to describe Coterie Cabaret, it would undoubtedly be sexy! Coterie is a celebration…
I am King. I am Queen. | Roýmata Holmes & Room to Play
A review by Ads J for Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane. It is still very rare to see the stories of queer people of colour on the stage and screen,…
Elucidation | Belinda Griffin
If words conceal secrets then the music of Elucidation reveals them.
Louise Winton Sings Songs from Stage and Screen
The idea of a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ set list tickled me; the idea that no two versions of this show will ever be the same giving the experience a unique energy.
The Cedar Rose
The Cedar Rose looks like a puppet show for kids. It is. And it’s much more.
Comedy of Errors | Apt.13 Productions
If you are in search of a traditional Shakespearean production, you will certainly be in for a shock with this outrageously fun and camp adaptation of Comedy of Errors.
Fierce Queens
A remarkable display of the talent and dedication of a passionate troupe of performers who seem genuinely excited to share their craft.
The Shelter | Here + There Productions
Will you figure out the many mysteries in time to save you and your group?
Golden Dreams
Golden Dreams is an interesting new work, with compelling performances.
Pink Martini Pop Up Cabaret
The Pink Martini Popup Cabaret delivered: lavish costumes, passionate dancing, fabulous vocals, and a musical selection that travelled from France and Germany through to Portugal, Spain, and Brazil.
Begotten | Minola Theatre
A review by Virag Dombay for Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane. Begotten is a touching duplication of inter generational tragedy and trauma mixed with hopefulness. Written and performed by Bianca…
The Unmissable Neon Light Still Shines
An unmissable neonlight on Brisbane history
The Shelter | Here and There Productions
A review by Ads J for Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane. Trapped in a random person’s garage with a group of strangers and limited time to get out may not…
Sometimes I Say Your Name Out Loud | Moment of Inertia & Collectivist
A review by Kati Murphy for Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane. As I entered the space that ‘Sometimes I Say Your Name Out Loud’ inhabited, I noticed the warm aura…
A Very Important Meeting | Big Fork Theatre
A review by Oliver Gough for Theatre Haus. Big Fork Theatre reach out, circle back, and touch base with audiences for an office themed improv caper.As part of Anywhere Festival,…
The Wacky Black Dossier
A great setting for a wacky ride through some unique conspiracy theories.
The Charming Cedar Rose
The Cedar Rose will inspire the imagination of kids age 3-8.
TOME | Freeroam Theatre Inc.
A review by James Farley for Stage Whispers. I think it was Peter O’Toole who once likened stage acting to an ice sculpture that is unique each performance and of…
Get Her Outta Here | Broccolini Productions
A review by Beth Keehn for Stage Whispers. Get Her Outta Here is a 40-minute one-woman show by Brisbane-born independent artist, Isabella Tannock, who fearlessly performs as her alter-ego, Isabella Broccolini…
Change | Access Arts
A joyous celebration of ability and inclusion.
A Bed of Roses | Arbour Theatre Company
Scripted by Disapol Savetsila from the true stories and experiences of young people around the world during COVID-19.
A Bed of Roses | Arbour Theatre Company
A Review by Kristy Stanfield for Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane. The five improv actors were so good I kept forgetting they were acting. They did an incredible job of…
Walking in Banjo’s Boots
Banjo’s Boots is a pleasant way to spend 90 minutes.
The Importance of Being Wasted | Act React
A review by Bridget O’Brien for Theatre Haus. Every production gets a little funnier after a drink or two. Inviting your audience to a pub is one way to loosen…
Cluedo! The New Suspects | Brisbane Immersive Ensemble
A review by Priya Shah for Theatre Haus. Was it Scarlett, in the library, with the lead pipe? Or perhaps Peacock, in the dining room, with the revolver? Brisbane Immersive…
Venus in Fur | The Drama Merchant
. Dom Bradley as self-assured playwright and director Thomas, and Jenna Eve as the unapologetically zealous actress Wanda, breathed an unrelenting feverishness into The Drama Merchant’s adaption of David Ives 2010 play script.
Sex, Lies and Betrayal – Memoirs of a Hollywood Star | JTM Productions
A review by Lachlan Driscoll for Theatre Haus. The glossy world of Hollywood and the scandals behind the scenes is told in riveting detail in ‘Sex, Lies & Betrayal –…
Sex, Lies & Betrayal | Memoirs of a Hollywood Star
A glamourous and salacious one-woman cabaret based on the true stories of a 1940’s Hollywood legend.
Meat Mirror | Jay Younger & Lisa O’Neill
A collaboration between Jay Younger and Lisa O’Neill, Meat Mirror is a condemnation of social media and the normalisation of cosmetic surgery to achieve the picture-perfect body.
Eve’s Game | Republic of Song
Following tea on the verandah, and the detailing of Eve’s recent adventures to London, we begin our hour of sleuthing…
