Review : The Mountaintop (MTC)

Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr

On a long stormy night in 1968, Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr (Bert LaBonte) is holed up in his Memphis hotel room, weary, alone and downhearted. After years of preaching, ‘testifying’ and advocating for an end to racial inequality what does he have to show for it? Camae, a maid (Zahra Newman), arrives with coffee and the evening plunges into a series of revelations, confessions and surprises.

What was King like when he wasn’t preaching to the thousands? Egotistical? A philanderer? Driven?  Neurotic? A sell-out on West End and Broadway, Katori Hall’s entertaining script hones in on King’s personal despair in the hotel room, opening to a bigger picture perspective towards the close. Historical footage alongside the recitation of names of leaders and achievers is captivating. Continue reading

MTC-HQ: Behind the Scenes At Melbourne Theatre Company

Four pianos are backed up against the astonishing red walls in the corridor. The atmosphere is close and slightly confronting. Turning a corner, we pass rehearsal rooms. Rehearsals for Solomon and Marion are underway.

The corridor opens into a huge warehouse space. Alcoves on two levels accommodate props, a wet area, workspaces and offices. The air is cool, and it feels a little urgent. On the floor, huge boards lie flat, waiting to be of service. Over yonder tall blue scaffolding and a roller-door lead to the loading dock.

This is MTC-HQ.

Australia’s oldest professional theatre company, and one of the English world’s largest theatre companies, is celebrating its 60^th birthday. Some employees have been here for decades, representing in excess of 300 years of collective knowledge and theatre experience.

Each year Melbourne Theatre Company produces twelve major productions, an education program and season of new or independent works. For each shows, sets are designed and constructed, props found, renovated and crafted, costumes sourced and sewn, and sometimes hats, wigs, and art finishing are required. Continue reading

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Review: The Crucible (MTC)

Latchet shoes demonstrate real commitment to period costuming

Arthur Miller’s account of the “Salem Witch Trials” in colonial Massachusetts between 1692–93, is an allegorical play which points to the climate of hysteria surrounding McCarthyism in the 1950s.

The Crucible is a heavy, cheerless play, principally about, honour, power and its abuses. When Miller was called to testify before the “Un-American Activities Commission” in 1956, he was sentenced to a year in gaol for contempt of Congress, for refusing to name names. The conviction was eventually over-turned on appeal.

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Review: Other Desert Cities (MTC)

Couched in real-life events affecting Republicans Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and James Oughton, Other Desert Cities not only explores family politics, but the complexities inherent in families addicted to preserving a public image.

Jon Baitz’s explosive script has the audience eavesdropping on the family reunion of Senator Lyman Wyeth, his wife Polly, their grown-up children Brooke and Trip, and Polly’s sister Silda. When Brooke, a writer, reveals she has written her account of the most painful chapter of the family’s history, all hell breaks loose.

Other Desert Cities will be audio-described on Tuesday 2^nd and Saturday 6^th April, and captioned on Saturday 13^th April.  Get along if you can. Read the entire review

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