Top Five 2009 Theatre Interview
Written by Cate Gilpin
Theatre
5. ‘The True Story Of Butterfish’. Nick Earl's first foray into playwriting was 'The True Story of Butterfish', which was staged in conjunction with the 2009 Brisbane Festival. A story about a rock star made good who returns home to Kenmore after the death of his father and the demise of his personal life - a great premise for a play and another classic local story by Earls. Many good elements and solid performances, although rock god Curtis lacked the smouldering, leather pant wearing sex appeal I desired.
4. ‘The Carnival’s Edge’. Another element of the 2009 Brisbane Festival was The Carnival's Edge featuring comedy, sideshow acts, cabaret, circus and an assortment of carnies in many wondrous forms. The two shows I reviewed, 'The Man with Tape on his Face' and Lawrence Leung's show 'Sucker', were both very funny, very quirky little numbers - short, sweet and amusing. I hope the festival brings the sideshow back in 2010, bigger and better.
3. ‘25 Down’. Mid-year, the QTC staged '25 Down' - the Queensland Premier's Drama Award-winning play by Richard Jordan. It's about James, a 25 year old gay man, who feels life is all downhill from that quarter-life age. This is a theme present in lots of queer drama and literature - a fascination with exploring the appeal of youth. James was an annoying, self-absorbed git of a character but I think that was the point really, and the people who surround him with all their wonderful foibles were very entertaining.
2. ‘Lazarus Won’t Get Out Of Bed’. I was not expecting much from 'Lazarus Won't Get Out of Bed', with all its childhood pop-culture references such as Star Wars, Harry Potter and the Matrix, but this production (staged by emerging local independent theatre company AS Theatre) was cute but with hidden depths. Written by emerging playwright David Burton, it explored themes of depression and the flawed choices we make. Well crafted, intelligent and fun - a great mix and a huge achievement.
1. ‘Boy Girl Wall’. My top theatre pick for 2009 was unfortunately cut short when the performer in this one man show was struck down with illness. ‘Boy Girl Wall’, created by that dynamic team The Escapists and performed by extremely talented Lucas Stibbard, was shut down after one performance. Such a pity because this was my pick, and unfortunately very few Brisbanites got a viewing. Beautifully crafted writing to create well-developed characters (all described and played by Stibbard), and a superb performance by Stibbard meant this was local theatre at it’s best.
