17 April to 23 May.

Followed by tour to the Canberra Theatre Centre from 9 June 2010.

Sydney Theatre Company presents Honour, Joanna Murray-Smith’s acclaimed dissection of a marriage, which since its premiere in 1995 has become something of a modern Australian classic winning over audiences in London’s West End and on Broadway. Lee Lewis directs a stellar cast comprised of Paula Arundell, Wendy Hughes, Yael Stone and William Zappa at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House from 17 April (opening 22 April).

After thirty-two years of happy marriage, Honor (Wendy Hughes) and George (William Zappa) have achieved it all; a successful marriage, a loving daughter (Yael Stone), a beautiful home. However, the family is to learn of the appalling fragility of love when a beautiful young journalist (Paula Arundell) enters their lives.

17 APRIL - 30 MAY 2010

Written by: DAVID HARE / Directed by: SAM STRONG
 
Capitalism works when greed and fear are in the correct balance. This time they got out of balance.

Too much greed, not enough fear.

David Hare's latest play The Power of Yes puts the giants of finance on stage in their own words, for a terrifying and wickedly funny account of the global financial crisis. Sam Strong makes his Company B Belvoir directorial debut, with this witty explanation of where it all went wrong.
 
Written in London in 2009 as a timely response to the crisis, this isn't so much a play as a jaw-dropping account of how, as the banks went bust, capitalism was replaced by a socialism that bailed out the rich alone.

15 APRIL - 9 MAY 2010
 
Written by Samuel Beckett / Directed by Eamon Flack
With: Robert Menzies
Lighting Designer: Teegan Lee

'I knew it would soon be the end, so I played the part, you know, the part of - how shall I say, I don't know.'

Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre will play host to a Company B Belvoir jewel this autumn - a special production of Samuel Beckett's extraordinary story The End. Director Eamon Flack makes his Company B Belvoir debut, offering a rare opportunity to see Robert Menzies perform his magic in the intimate eighty-seat theatre.

Beckett's short story will be performed by Menzies as a monologue. On a bare stage, he'll play a lonely soul who is ejected from the comfort of an asylum and spends his days wandering and waiting for some kind of conclusion to his existence. His life has failed, he's beyond loneliness and destitution, he ekes out the final small pleasures of living until there is nothing left but to drift away.

April 3 - April 24

Set in the boudoir of Queen Elizabeth 1 of England, in the midst of political upheaval, Elizabeth - Almost by chance a woman features the 'virgin' Queen (Julie Forsyth) and her attendant Grosslady (Billie Brown) blundering through the draughty corridors of power, intrigue, warfare and subterfuge. Haunted by her actions in the beheading of her cousin Mary Stuart, Elizabeth suspects everyone's out to get her. Buffoonish and irreverent in tone, this production is a new translation of iconic Italian playwright Dario Fo's masterpiece.

Directed by Michael Kantor, the cast features a delightful reunion of comic talent, including Julie Forsyth (Happy Days, and who snatched up the Sidney Myer Performing Arts award in Adelaide just last week), Bille Brown (Exit the King), and David Woods (Optimism).

Originally a satire aimed at Thatcher's government, this new and very distinctly Australian adaptation by Luke Devenish and Louise Fox relishes the witty genius of Dario Fo, in all his trademark daring and subversion.

Imagine a theatrical realm of ecstatic visions and saints, of religious passions and martyrdom... for teenagers Claryssa and Sebastian, it's just another night down at their local cricket nets, cracking jokes and drinking.

Despite their overactive imaginations and love of Anime, these two terminally unpopular friends cannot possibly fathom the eternal night of role-playing and storytelling they are about to become stuck in - one with a duty to single-handedly save all of humankind, and a talking moth.

A bold and sensitive exploration of mental illness, Moth is a co-commission with Arena Theatre Company, who have been creating unique live performances for young audiences for over 40 years. Malthouse Theatre and Arena Theatre Company's collaboration last year, Goodbye Vaudeville, Charlie Mudd, has been nominated for 8 Green Room Awards.

Advanced Screening is a romantic comedy written specifically for teenagers about the problems that arise when young inexperienced people find themselves in serious relationships. It’s a fast paced story revolving around a group of friends who are finishing year 12 and dealing with the pressures of the future and their relationships after school. The characters move through a range of awkward and confronting situations that will not only entertain, but also cause young audiences to reflect on their own experiences and life choices. Advanced Screening will be at the Brisbane Powerhouse for a two week season in July 2010.

Dynamic youth theatre company Markwell Presents are holding auditions for the production of Advanced Screening at the Brisbane Powerhouse on Sunday 2 May.

Hundreds of Brisbane high school students have the opportunity to audition for 30 roles.

Green Zone is set in war-torn Iraq and the US Army are in Baghdad immediately following the expulsion of Saddam Hussein.  There are three central characters: Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon), a Red Army Colonel for Saddam Hussein’s army Al Rawi (Yigal Naor), and the Pentagon Intelligence Officer Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear), responsible for directing Miller’s missions and who simply wants Iraq to operate as a functioning democracy, whatever the cost.  An important but peripheral character is Wall Street Journal reporter Lawrie Dayne (Amy Ryan) who feeds Miller tips provided by Poundstone but which prove to be groundless.  Another character who is of special note is a rogue CIA Chief who appears to be the spider in the web of lies and deceit.

Reviewed by Donald Lawie

 

The Path of Infinite Sorrow is well named; the Japanese attempt to capture Port Moresby by land in 1942 was attended by a plenitude of sorrow. The campaign commenced with full expectation of victory by confident, experienced troops over a small and unblooded opposition. It ended with total, humiliating defeat of the Japanese. Reasons for the defeat were many, and Infinite Sorrow details them, along with an insight into the psyche of the Japanese soldier of World War Two. The two authors work well together to provide a short history of the Japanese nation, its justification for going to war, and the training methods which produced the all-conquering men of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Diary extracts of Japanese soldiers are interwoven with recollections of survivors and insights into the workings of the higher command structure of the IJA to provide a clear picture of the campaign.  

Reviewed by Sasha Mackay

 

Vikings, pirates, family friction and star-crossed love … Julia Golding’s Wolf Cry is a dramatic story about an age-old blood grudge between Ohthere the rich Viking jarl and Sulke the Pirate, who fight to the death on the icy seas of northwest Norway. Ohthere is away trading in the south when Sulke attacks his home on the island of Bjarkoy. His sixteen year-old daughter, Freydis, is the only one to escape death and capture. Ohthere returns to find his village in ruins, his daughter 'crippled' and his beloved son, Toki, taken for ransom. The Vikings pursue Sulke across the ocean, following the trail of destruction the pirates leave along the northern coast. When the warring ships collide, Ohthere and Sulke come face to face in a final battle that will determine the lives of Freydis and Toki, and who will rule the North.

Reviewed by Michael Dalton

 

Even before it begins, a teasing little melody filled the cinema. It’s one of those bouncy tunes that conjure up the slapstick comedies from Hollywood’s Golden Age, you know, like a naughty caper flick and The Men Who Stare At Goats feels like it sounds. Look at the poster with George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey and Ewan McGregor staring up and away while bringing up the rear is...a goat. This curious comedy, discreet in its way, gives you laughs while its quirkiness and persistent voiceover begs the question: Did The Coens direct this? It feels like it. Its premise is outrageous enough, Clooney’s wearing a moustache again and Bridges is doing his “Dude” schtick again...