Mainly as a record for myself, I keep a list of shows I’ve seen – musical theatre, cabaret, dance and plays – big shows and little shows, but memorable for some reason or other. Here’s my archive from 2012 and before:
2012
- Annie, Lyric Theatre
- Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl, Spiegeltent, Sydney Festival
- Babel, Sydney Theatre, Sydney Festival – Amazing Dance and Set and Performance!
- The Paris Letter, Darlinghurst Theatre
- This is our youth, Sydney Opera House – I somehow felt that the star power of Michael Cera and Kieran Culkin was perhaps better suited for the screen then the stage. Their performances lacked energy to me. Interesting enough play, but I’d hope for more.
- Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
- Porgy and Bess, NYC
- Empire Circus at Spiegelworld, NYC
- New York Music Theatre Festival (NYMF): The Groove Factory, Letter to Harvey Milk, Swing State, Living with Henry
- Evita, NYC
- Bebe Zahara Benet’s Creature, XL Nightclub, NYC
- Fuerza Bruta, NYC
- Into the Woods, Sondheim in the Park, NYC
- Sleep No More, NYC
- Peter and the Starcatcher, NYC
- South Pacific, Sydney Opera House
- Legally Blonde, the Musical, Sydney
- Cirque de Soleil’s Ovo, Sydney
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Melbourne
2011
- Uncle Vanya, January 1st, Sydney Theatre Company – with a cast that included Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Jackie Weaver, Richard Roxborough, this was amazing theatre.
- My Bicycle Loves You – Legs on the Wall (Sydney Festival, Sydney Theatre Company)
- Wayne McGregor’s Entity – a dance performance at the Sydney Theatre Company as part of the Sydney Festival
- Taylor Mac’s The Ziggy Stardust Meets Tiny Tim Songbook or Comparison is Violence, Sydney Opera House
- John Bucchino & Friends in Concert, Australian Institute of Music
- Rafael Bonachela & Jacopo Godani’s Shared Frequencies, Sydney Dance Company
- Orange Flower Water, Darlinghurst Theatre Company – Some interesting bits by one of the writers for Six Feet Under, but ultimately unsuccessful in bringing some innovation, some interesting breath to the theme of infidelity and family breakup. Sentimental ending completely at odds with what came before.
- Neighbourhood Watch, Belvoir Theatre – Robin Nevin is incredible and I thought there were interesting things about the play – and it was very crowd-pleasing… but I found the other characters not written as strongly.
- Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent, Sydney Opera House – I think after seeing about 3 or 4 of her shows, will I still find it as funny as before, as shocking? Answer: yes. First minutes into the show, I’m shocked and can’t stop laughing for the whole show.
- The Threepenny Opera, Sydney Theatre.
- Tom Ballard – Singe 1989, Belvoir Theatre – Young comic, funny guy.
- Gross und Klein (Big and Small), Sydney Theatre – starring Cate Blanchett
- Richard III, Lyric Theatre – starring Kevin Spacey
- No Way to Treat a Lady, Darlinghurst Theatre Company – I always love seeing things directed by my pal Stephen Colyer. When I heard it was old-fashioned, I wondered if it was the music or the style, but no: the idea of a gay man, psychologically damaged by an overbearing and unloving flim star mother, who becomes a murderer: that’s old-fashioned!
- The Dark Room, Belvoir Theatre – I think this might have been the best Australian play that I can remember seeing lately. Great script, great acting, especially Brendan Cowell. Wow.
2010
- Bash’d: A Gay Rap Opera, The Cultch, Vancouver
- Robert Lepage’s The Blue Dragon, SFU Woodwards, Vancouver
- Smoke & Mirrors at the Spiegeltent, Sydney Festival, (Jan)
- Ballet de Rua (Brazilian Street Ballet), Sydney Opera House
- Hamlet (Schaubühne Berlin), Sydney Theatre Company
- Waiting for Godot, with Ian McKellan, Sydney Opera House
- A Little Night Music (Opera Australia), Sydney Opera House
- Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Darlinghurst Theatre), Sydney
2009 (Mostly Australia)
- Wicked, Sydney (December)
- Streetcar Named Desire (September), Sydney Theatre Company – with Cate Blanchett… Amazing. Sublime.
- Avenue Q, Sydney (August) – The Australian cast made it their own, and I loved it.
- Pilobolus Dance Theatre, Sydney (May) – Amazing and beautiful, the vocabulary of dance that I am familiar with was upended and expanded. Very erotic.
- Lipsynch – Robert Lepage
- The Twink and the Showgirl – Phil Scott & Vincent Hooper – Parramatta Theatre
- Gutenberg! The Musical – Seymour Centre (2 different casts)
- Alan Cumming: I bought a blue car – Sydney Opera House
- Justin Bond is Close to You (Feb 2009, The Studio, Sydney Opera House)
- Gatz, Elevator Repair Service Company, Playhouse at the Opera House, (May 09)
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Dec)
2008 and before
- Spiegeltent, at Sydney Festival
- My Fair Lady
- Priscilla
- Mamma Mia
- Titanic!
- Into the Woods (New Theatre)
- Angels in America Part I (New Theatre)
- Falsettos (New Theatre)
- Merrily we Roll Along (university production)
- The Hatpin, Seymour Centre, Sydney
- Sweeney Todd (two different productions at the Opera House)
- Avenida Q (mexico city)
- Pippin, Kookaburra, Sydney Theatre
- Cabaret
- Homebody/Kabul, The Belvoir (08)
- Stringberg’s the Dance of Death with Ian McKelland (03)
- Chess, Theatre Royal, Sydney
- Wicked, Melbourne (08) – fantastic!
- Little Show of Horrors (08, New Theatre)
- Kaash – Akram Khan Company, August 2002. Great Dance Performance.
- Laramie Project, Company B Belvoir.