murraybramwell.com

March 01, 1991

Travelling Shakespeare

Filed under: Archive,International,Theatre

1991

The English Shakespeare Company spend most of their time travelling. Murray Bramwell talks with Michael Pennington, June Watson and Andrew Jarvis about touring, audiences and their current repertory season of Coriolanus and The Winter’s Tale.

It is something of paradox that because of their colourful, minimalist stagings, tuxedo toffs, punks and mod cons, the English Shakespeare Company are regarded as an experimental group. In fact, on the road since 1986 with The Henrys, and then the epic Wars of …

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Power Play

Filed under: Archive,State Theatre Company,Theatre

1991

Julius Caesar

by William Shakespeare

State Theatre Company

Playhouse, February, 1991.

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

Of all of Shakespeare’s work, Julius Caesar seems to most invite the intervention of modern sensibilities. There is no way that the text can be left to tell itself (if such a thing were ever possible in the theatre).It presents such a spectrum of political shenanigans that any  production has to make choices straight off – whether to favour the Brutus team or take …

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February 01, 1991

Sorry Tale

Filed under: Archive,International,Theatre

1991

Boswell for the Defence
by Patrick Edgeworth
Leo McKern
Her Majesty’s Theatre, January, 1991.

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

The story of Mary Bryant nee Broad has been back in prominence lately. Documented in Robert Hughes’ book The Fatal Shore, described by Thomas Keneally in the Playmaker and dramatised in Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good, Mary Bryant’s intrepid escape from Sydney Cove to Timor and subsequent return to England is a post-colonial ripping yarn. That the famous James Boswell, biographer …

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Power Play

Filed under: Archive,State Theatre Company,Theatre

Power Play

Julius Caesar

by William Shakespeare

State Theatre Company

Playhouse, February, 1991.

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

Of all of Shakespeare’s work, Julius Caesar seems to most invite the intervention of modern sensibilities. There is no way that the text can be left to tell itself (if such a thing were ever possible in the theatre).It presents such a spectrum of political shenanigans that any  production has to make choices straight off – whether to favour the Brutus team or …

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Power Play

Filed under: Archive,State Theatre Company,Theatre

1991

The State Theatre Company opens its 1991 season next Tuesday night with Julius Caesar. Murray Bramwell talks about the production with director, Simon Phillips and actors, Carmel McGlone and Hugo Weaving.

Although written in 1599, straight after Henry V, Julius Caesar has little of the historical and moral certainty of Henry. Instead, it is an examination of the perils and complications of power. Shakespeare’s audience, well used to cautionary tales from history, would have recognised the pertinence of the …

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January 01, 1991

Return to Centre

Filed under: Adelaide Companies,Archive,Theatre

1991

Adelaide Festival Centre

Murray Bramwell talks to Andrew Bleby about his new job in Adelaide

This year brings  some interesting changes for arts administrator Andrew Bleby. After he has finished his third stint at the centre of Melbourne’s Next Wave Festival in May he will return to his home town Adelaide to take up a three year appointment as Program Director for the Festival Centre Trust.

Andrew first worked as Education Officer with the Festival Centre between 1977 and …

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Oz, the Sequel

Filed under: Archive,Australian Texts,Theatre

1991

Circus Oz

Bonython Park, December, 1990.

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

For twelve years Circus Oz have been running rings around everybody else’s idea of big tent entertainment. From their beginnings in New Circus and Soapbox circus they have brought together theatre and  rock and roll and created not just a hybrid but a new genus. While retaining a healthy regard for traditional circuit outfits such as Bullens, Ashtons and Circus Royale, Circus Oz also made big changes. For a …

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December 29, 1990

Summer at the River Bank

Filed under: Archive,Interstate,Theatre

1990

Ratty, Mole and Badger are returning to the Botanic Gardens this week. Murray Bramwell talks with Director Elena Eremin about Park Projects’ new production of The Wind in the Willows.

According to the mythology Glenn Elston hatched the idea for his highly successful outdoor productions of The Wind in the Willows five or six years ago when he was living in London . He had never read Kenneth Grahame’s rodent classic before and after discovering it in the cheerless …

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December 01, 1990

Magpie Theatre Company

Filed under: Archive,Australian Texts,Theatre

1990

Mango Season

by Michael Doneman

Directed by Angela Chaplin

Design : Kathryn Sproul

Choreography : Belinda Saltmarsh

Cast: Nick Hope, Claire Jones,

Kate Roberts, Peter Wood plus

Unley Youth Theatre – Roz Evans, Arabella Gryst, Emma Sheldon, Freya Newton, Alison Walsh, Alex Witham, Sara Oliver, Hayley Smith, Diarmid Lee, Sarah Marr, Ben Kempster.

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

Mango Season is the fruit of a Creative Development Project formed between Michael and Ludmila Doneman’s Brisbane based Contact company, Darwin’s Corrugated …

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Getting the Big Picture on the Small Screen

Filed under: Archive,Australian Texts,Theatre

1990

Prophets and Loss

Produced and Directed by Gabrielle Kelly

and Nick Hart-Williams

Reviewed by Murray Bramwell

Global warming is the kind of subject likely to put a chill around the heart. It is perhaps for that reason that apart from specifically ordained days of lamentation or the usually unhelpful raiment tearing that we find on TV, the environment as a subject does not rate attention. We get the Nostradamus doomwatch stuff or specific details of spills and toxic waste …

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