There is a certain poignance, laced with nostalgia, in this, the Genesian’s last production at its charming Kent Street home, before its relocation to Rozelle. Director Ali Bendall’s excellent adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s passionate novel about a young orphan’s quest to survive and find love still resonates with modern audiences (if the lists of favourite reads are to be believed), nearly two hundred years after it was written.
Against a minimalist set (Zoë Atkinson) consisting of pale grey squares Christopher (Daniel R. Nixon) introduces himself and his special education teacher, Shiobhan (Brigid Zengeni), who will also narrate part of his story from the book he has written about his adventures.
Winning the Tony Award in 1996 for writer Terence McNally, this dramatic production is based on Maria Callas’ master classes at the Juilliard performance school at the end of her career in the 1970s.
The blast from the past provided by the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir’s program of iconic hits celebrating the great hits of the ’80s proved to be just the right note for beginning the June long weekend with an energetic dose of uplifting aural magic.
The solo performance format can place weighty demands on an actor, but Mandela Mathia breezily rises to the challenge, telling his arresting life story with warmth, charm and humour.
You don’t need to know much about rugby to enjoy this warm, effervescent, funny rendition of an iconic match in 1978 between the formidable All Blacks from New Zealand and an amateur team from Limerick in Munster, Ireland.
The play is an adaptation of Anita Heiss’ much-loved novel and now, as a part of Sydney Festival’s Blak Out program, it is Sydney’s turn to enjoy this funny, heartwarming theatrical treat.