By Peter Kemp
Gemco Theatre
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare.
Season: Friday 17 March, Saturday 18 March and Sunday 19 March.
The themes of love, mistaken identity, sexual jealousy, honour, betrayal and friendship all play a part against the background of the Sicilian countryside.
The war is over. Everyone is having fun, drinking, dancing, flirting and singing are the order of the day as Don Pedro and his entourage come to the estate of Leonato, Governor of Messina. We meet Beatrice, a clever, quick witted woman who is engaged in an endless battle of wits with the noble Benedick. We also meet the young and inexperienced Hero and Claudio. Hero is Leonato’s daughter, Claudio and Benedick are courtiers in the service of Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, a powerful nobleman.
The 1812 Theatre
The Shoehorn sonata
Season: 23 March – 22 April.
In 1945 Sheila and Bridie were freed from a Japanese POW camp. Now after half a century of separation, the filming of a TV documentary forces them to relive the past. Woven into their 50 years of separation are a shoe-horn and the threads of loyalty and love which form their uncommon bond.
Burrinja Theatre
Blue Moon Marquee – Live in the Lyre: Festival of folk
Season: Thursday 15 March at 8pm in the Lyre Room.
Blue Room Marquee is a thrilling genre-bending ride through American blues, folk, gypsy, jazz and more. The Canadian duo of A. W. Cardinal (vocal, guitar) and Jasmine Colette (vocal, bass/drums) are old souls, but certainly not lacking vigour.
John Smith – Live in the Lyre: Festival of folk
Season: Thursday 23 March at 8pm in the Lyre Room.
With his honey-on-gravel voice and mesmerising fingerstyle guitar, John Smith has built a reputation as one of UK’s finest guitarists and songwriters. Steeped in the lineage of British folk, taking his cue from Richard Thompson and John Martyn, Smith has evolved a transatlantic blend of finger style and slide guitar techniques. John’s intimate takes on love, loss and the journey we make has captivated audiences around the globe.
This is Us – Grigoryan Brothers
A musical Reflection of Australia
Season: Friday 24 March at 7.30pm. Venue: Burrinja Theatre
Acclaimed guitarists Slava and Leonard have created a suite of music inspired by 18 objects personally selected from the National Museum of Australia’s vast collection which traces our diverse and complex history.
This Is Us takes audiences on a journey from the deep past of our indigenous Australians to the making of contemporary Australian society. The compositions are accompanied by high-definition moving projections with various artifacts including an ancient 65,000 year old ochre of the Madjebebe rock shelter. A convict love token, a lifebuoy from Tampa and Sir Donald Bradman’s famed cricket bat.
