I love to be entertained. I love to forget reality for a second and weep into a handkerchief at some ridiculously corny movie or dance terribly along to wonderful music or laugh at a comedian who has just brought to light the hilarity of some mundane everyday task. Most of all I love the theatre. All kinds. A night at the theatre is an excellent way to catch up with girlfriends, a great outing for families and I feel, a great twist on the classic dinner and a movie first date scenario.
I thought I would share some upcoming shows I intend to see and that I would strongly recommend checking out.
When in Brisbane.
Wayne Brady’s Brother Down Under Tour – Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC)
Wayne Brady is one seriously cool and talented dude. An Emmy award winner, talented musician and versatile comedian – I remember rushing home from school every afternoon to catch him on Whose Line Is It Anyway, one of the first shows to always manage to make me cry from laughter. I think Brady will be even more brilliant live and can’t wait to catch this when he’s in Brisbane.
Romeo & Juliet – Queensland Theatre Company (QTC)
Always interested to see the ways that this infamous classic is staged. Such a well-known story, it is important to find the purpose for re-telling it and for delivering something to audiences that either reaffirms their love for it and Shakespeare or opens their eyes to new nuances in the storyline. I have seen Melanie Zanetti perform before and she is superb, a very captivating young actress that I’m sure will do the role justice.
When in Melbourne.
Moonshadow: The Musical – Princess Theatre
40 songs by Cat Stevens in a musical written by Cat Stevens. This was all I needed to know before already deciding that I had to go to this! My lovely boyfriend has said he’ll take me on one of my upcoming visits to see him in Melbourne. You will definitely hear back from me afterwards.
Blood Wedding – Malthouse Theatre
I stumbled across this when I was looking at shows I should see when in Melbourne. I don’t know too much about this particular production but was involved in a performance of Blood Wedding when I was at University and since then have always been curious to see other interpretations of the script. Written in the 30’s by Federico Garcia Lorca and set in Spain, the play portrays the intense emotions and violence of a deeply entangled love triangle. Including elements of fantasy, personifying the moon and death, this story explores arranged marriages, overbearing mothers, the cost of going against societal expectations and the crazy things people will do for love.
And if you’re in Sydney, please check out on my behalf Sydney Theatre Company’s (STC) Les Liasions Dangereuses. If you aren’t aware of the play, you might remember the Glenn Close, John Malkovich movie version Dangerous Liaisons? Or the modern cinema retelling Cruel Intentions? STC have cast the fabulous Hugo Weaving in the role of Vicomte de Valmont and I think it would be extraordinary enough just to see him perform live, never mind the fact that this play is so wickedly entertaining.
First things first, what a great venue! I’m a sucker for bricks, red doors and high ceilings and when a building with all of those things is a theatre, that’s even better. There’s a restaurant/bar there and the food was lovely. It’s nice to be able to enjoy a good meal and a glass of wine before heading to your seat.
frannie loves marie. 