Theatre & Musicals in Perth

Directed and adapted by Kathleen Del Casale from JM Barrie’s original story, it follows Peter as he tries to retrieve his shadow.

He arrives with Tinkerbell in the nursery of Wendy, John and Michael Darling and together they embark on adventures in Neverland.

“Peter Pan is no better described than a story about ‘the boy who never grew up’,” Kathleen said.

“JM Barrie perfectly captures the innocence of childhood and how adulthood almost haunts it, lurking out of reach until it forces itself in.

“But at the same time it’s a wonderful, fun, nostalgic and fantastical story.”

Kathleen opted to do her own adaptation because she felt the 1904 original couldn’t be staged with “ethical sensitivity”.

“Audiences will notice there are Amazon warriors now – with the most amazing costumes! – who have replaced some of the original characters,” she said.

“This also helped with casting because we often get a lot of females auditioning at the theatre.”

Acting for the past 15 years, Kathleen has performed, directed or written for Stargate Actors Academy, HEY Fever and Snapshot Youth, Agelink and Limelight Theatres.

In 2012-13, she travelled to the UK to play May Gibbs in a touring production of River Dreaming and followed it up in 2015-16 with A Land of Legends.

Kathleen has been in numerous musicals including Hairspray, Anything Goes, Sweet Charity, Greenwicks and The Wedding Singer and has directed Death of a Salesman and co-directed Rock of Ages.

“Peter Pan is my favourite story,” she said. “I fell in love with it when I first read it as a 12-year-old.

“It really captured my imagination and has always stayed with me – my first tattoo was of the ‘second star to the right’ group of stars from the story.

“My amazing crew and I have put a lot of hours into creating Neverland and it will really transport people back to their childhood selves.

“We’ve squeezed a huge amount of work into the rehearsal period and have some great stuff for our audiences to enjoy.”

Peter Pan plays at 7.30pm November 26, 27, 28, December 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12 with 2pm matinees November 28, December 5 and 12.

Tickets are $23, $20 concession and $17 children – book at www.limelighttheatre.com.au or call 0499 954 016 between 9am and 12pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Limelight Theatre is on Civic Drive, Wanneroo.

CHRISTMAS is coming early this year with Harbour Theatre’s joyful tribute to the holiday season.

Written by Ken Ludwig and directed by Jane Sherwood, ’Twas The Night Before Christmas follows the story of why Santa forgot to visit Emily and her friend Amos the mouse the previous year.

An elf decides to investigate – and much mirth, merriment and mayhem unfolds as the evil Sir Guy tries to steal Santa’s naughty and nice list.

Ludwig is a US playwright, most famed for the Tony Award-winning farce Lend Me A Tenor.

“It’s a fun, feel-good Christmas show,” Sherwood said.

“When approached by Harbour Theatre to direct a production, I decided I wanted to end the year with Christmas cheer.

“After the way 2020 has turned out, I think that’s even more important.”

Involved with the Perth theatre scene since 2005, Sherwood was a founding member of Phoenix Theatre and has been involved with the Old Mill, Stirling, Black Swan, Rag and Bone, Kwinana and Harbour Theatres, A lad in sane productions, ARENAarts and Fringe World.

She has won numerous accolades at the annual Finley Awards, Dramafest, South West Drama Festival and Hills Festival of Theatre including best director and best production.

In 2018, Sherwood took a break from theatre to work on five films but made a return last year, acting in Lady Willpower and directing Ten Quid at Stirling Theatre, and appearing in Kate’s Story for Life on Hold Productions.

Earlier this year, she performed in The Actress and directed Love Letters, also playing Mavis in the upcoming series Slippery Business.

“The main challenges with ’Twas The Night Before Christmas are making it fun and ensuring it appeals to a wide audience, from young children to their grandparents,” she said.

“We need to keep it really lively and not let any of the energy drop while telling the story.”

’Twas The Night Before Christmas plays at 7.30pm November 27, 28, December 4, 9, 11 and 12; 2pm November 29, December 6 and 13; and 6pm December 5. Tickets are $25.50, $23.50 concession and $20.50 students – book at www.TAZTix.com.au or call TAZTix on 9255 3336.

Harbour Theatre is located at 16 Lochee Street, Mosman Park.

THINGS aren’t always quite what they appear to be in Roleystone Theatre’s production of Terry Pratchett’s Monstrous Regiment.

Adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs and directed by Bradley Towton at Roleystone Hall, the comedy follows Polly Perks who enlists in the Borogravian Army to search for her lost brother.

She soon finds she’s not alone in protecting a similar secret and is joined in battle by the most artful sergeant in the army, a vampire, a troll and Igor – and none of them have any training.

Dying of Alzheimer’s in early 2015, Pratchett was the UK’s best-selling author of the 1990s, selling more than 85 million books worldwide in 37 languages.

“Monstrous Regiment is a satirical comedy that’s sometimes tongue-in-cheek and other times it’s almost in someone else’s cheek,” Towton said.

“The show has subtle messages about war, truth, propaganda and the role of women in a society dominated by men.

“For those familiar with Pratchett shows, they can expect quick puns, lowbrow humour and hidden highbrow gems.

“We also have a strong vocal cast, so there should be no problems with hearing all the jokes and heartfelt moments.”

The main challenge, according to Towton, is showcasing the “monstrous” side of the regiment.

“Actor Zac Skelton has had to learn to puppeteer to operate the full troll outfit,” he said.

“Our coffee-addicted vampire has to move in the jitteriest way possible while trying to be suave and Igor needs to show off a hunch and talk with a serious lisp.”

Involved in theatre for the past 10 years, Towton studied performing arts at Curtin University and appeared in several Stage Door School shows before joining Roleystone Theatre to perform in Much Ado About Nothing, Avenue Q, Peter Pan and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

He has also appeared in Garrick Theatre productions of A Lady Mislaid, Project Macbeth and Love is a Noun and scored acting awards for his roles in She Was Only a Miller’s Daughter and Footrot Flats at Roleystone Theatre.

“Monstrous Regiment is the third Terry Pratchett show I have directed and each one has been a delight,” Towton said.

“They are inspirational, funny and often have a very strong message behind them.

“Monstrous Regiment is no different and gives a strong voice to a women-led cast, while also exploring what life can be like in a war zone with all information strictly quarantined behind propaganda.

“Most importantly, this is the first show from Roleystone Theatre since the COVID-19 shutdown, so I wanted to put on a show that would make people laugh and remember the good things about our lives.”

Terry Pratchett’s Monstrous Regiment plays at 11am December 5 and 12, 5pm December 6 and 7pm December 5, 11 and 12. Tickets are $20, $15 concession – book at www.trybooking.com/BMIYO.

Roleystone Hall is at 44 Jarrah Road (corner of Wygonda Road), Roleystone.

Cosmo Smallpiece has been invited by his good friend, the impresario George Black, to present his very best act to be the top of the bill at the opening Gala Night production at the 2200 seater London Palladium in the 1933 London Fringe Festival.

Cosmo’s Celestial Productions boasted they had "More Stars than the Firmament" in its promotional literature, and Cosmo was certainly no stranger to successful acts over the years. He had started his career as a young man in the early 1920’s touring around the English Music Halls. However, he was quick to realise that Music Halls were dying, and he wanted to promote high quality acts on professional theatre stages.

The "Fringe" plot features live performances from an opera singer and our "Gershwin" singer. ?

Join some of Australia’s leading international musical theatre, cabaret and dance stars including – John O’Hara (School of Rock, Grease, Singin’ in the Rain), Annie Aitkin (Anything Goes, Oklahoma), Allyce Martins (WestSide Story, Sweeney Todd) and The Voice finalist Jordan Rabbone.

Celebrate the fun and magic of the festive season with Santa and all of his friends, as they take you on a snow sprinkled musical journey to the North Pole. Featuring all your favourite Christmas songs, Christmas showgirls, the traditional Nativity scene, and of course… Santa’s Covid safe flight plan! 

This spectacular show will ignite your holiday spirit and remind you that Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Santa Claus is coming to Crown!

All the sizzle and spectacle of a true Las Vegas show will be celebrated this NYE with The Ultimate Vegas Show at Crown.

The Ultimate Vegas Show mixes world-class illusion and circus acts with the best Vegas variety artists. The show pays tribute to Tom Jones, Cher, Elvis Presley and other legendary greats through Australia’s best impersonators, all framed by a bevy of gorgeous Vegas showgirls and boys. 

Show producer and co-star Michael Boyd, the magical mind behind recent show blockbusters Cabaret De Paris and Mystique, as well as one of the star finalists on Australia’s Got Talent, said ‘The Ultimate Vegas Show will be a fantastic, sequin studded journey direct to the Strip in Las Vegas.’

Presented by Realscape Productions (AU) in association with Darkfield (UK), COMA will join its predecessors, SÉANCE and FLIGHT, three ubiquitous white sea-containers that each explore a theme of fear and anxiety, in complete and utter darkness.

Where SÉANCE tested the audiences’ susceptibility to suggestible material, and FLIGHT jolted its passengers between this world and alternates, COMA invites audiences to take part in a strange mass experiment, to explore the dark recesses of their own mind, over 30 minutes.

COMA is set in a 40ft sea-container, each wall lined with bunk beds. Audiences members lie down in a bed, each becoming separated from their counterparts. Alone in the darkness, the multi-sensory elements engulf each participant, suggestive of the show’s own namesake.
Please remember when you leave, to take your body with you.

As with all DARKFIELD experiences, a strange world is built from 360 degree binaural sound that perplexes the senses, deepening the immersion by casting doubt on what is real and what is imagined. Loss of vision heightens the remaining senses, making them vulnerable to manipulation. 

For the team at Realscape Productions, the WA season marks the return of the Darkfield sea-containers to their Australian tour, having been stored in a paddock since COVID closed the doors on much of the theatre industry in March.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to be able to present in WA, as the city comes alive with the Fringe, the audiences in Perth are always exceptional. We’re in a very different situation to our UK counterparts,” commented Amy Johnson, producer at Realscape Productions.

Those looking for a taste of what to expect before FRINGE WORLD, can tune in to Darkfield Radio, a series of audio encounters designed to be experienced at home. Darkfield’s creators David Rosenberg and Glen Neath are the masterminds behind the immersive experiences, and have recently sparked global attention of XR and VR communities with their ability to create worlds for the audience using only audio. 

COMA, FLIGHT and SÉANCE will run frequently at various times from Tuesday - Sunday in the Woodside Pleasure Garden from 15 January - 14 February, 2021.

COMA and FLIGHT run for 30 minutes and cost $25 and SÉANCE runs for 20 minutes and costs $20. Tickets are available at www.fringeworld.com.au

Prior to FRINGE WORLD, FLIGHT will embark on its first ever regional Australian season in Mandurah WA from December 4 - 20, 2020

Having garnered international acclaim in Edinburgh, New Zealand and England, the stars Sam and Justin will be hitting the stage with brand new illusions direct from a Las Vegas stage!

Joining them once again, the show will be presented by the hilarious, charismatic and enchanting Ringmaster who, after searching far and wide, has finally found The Greatest Magic Show - and will do everything to keep it on track!

For an hour of non-stop laughter & wonder, plus a FREE MAGIC WAND, you can't miss this!!

Presented by:
Showmen Productions

Showmen Productions is an independent production company founded in Melbourne, Australia. Since its creation in 2018, the two driving minds behind the company, Sam and Justin, have created and toured internationally 2 MEGA magic shows; a family-friendly spectacular, ‘The Greatest Magic Show’, alongside their hilariously raucous, 18+ only evening show ‘Adults Only Magic Show’!

Their current flagship shows are set to tour the world in 2021, with extended seasons as apart of fringes in Perth, Adelaide, NZ, Brighton, Paris, Edinburgh and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival!

After a successful run of "Showstopper: An Interactive Murder Mystery" at FRINGE WORLD 2020, including sold-out performances, Back Door Productions is returning with a thrilling new venture in 2021: FREAKSHOW.

When everything is a facade how do you know what's real and who can be trusted? Secrets and lies bubble beneath the surface, and it's only a matter of time until the tension explodes into mayhem.
When one of the performers turns up dead, it is up to the audience to take on the role of detective; interview the suspects, search for clues, and try to solve the crime before it's too late.

"A fun and light-hearted night of murder and intrigue" Fringe Feed, 2020

In 2021 Back Door Productions is proud to be presenting three exciting new shows: 'Hit It!', '250 First Dates', and 'FREAKSHOW: An Interactive Murder Mystery'.

When you lose something, you gain something else…

Cathelijn (Cata-line) is completely and undeniably alone: no friends, no family, no-one to turn to. All by herself in the centre of a dark forest, she tries to be strong, like a Viking. And that’s when she sees it – the house. A higgledy-piggeldy mess of a place as tall as the trees. Inside, she finds Piotr, a boy who never stops talking, and Elka, a grey-haired explorer who insists they keep the curtains closed tight. When they suddenly launch into the air and set off across the sky, Cathelijn learns that this is no ordinary house: it’s a Rescue House, and it rescues the Loneliest Child In the World. So begins an extraordinary adventure that takes Cathelijn across the world and deep inside herself, on a journey of self-realisation and self-determination.

Featuring a cast of loveable characters and a living, breathing house, this fun-filled escapade for the whole family will set imaginations soaring.

Bed sheet wars, annoying quirks, communication (or lack of); what's normal in a long term relationship? Join 2 love birds in this show created to celebrate the twists and tumbles of their 5 year adventure through circus and dance.

"5+1" is a unique, dynamic contemporary circus show that fuses aerial straps, corde lisse, hand to hand, dance and acrobatics to celebrate five years of love and performance.

With mixed backgrounds including dance, movement, circus and gymnastics, Anthony and Fay met performing at FRINGE WORLD in 2015 and have spent the coming years cultivating their craft together. Driven by their passion to perform and share, they invite you to experience a day in their life.

"Get ready to be wowed... The chemistry between them is electric" FringeFeed 2020

Presented by:
Kinetica

"5 + 1" is conceived and performed by Anthony Tran and Fay MacFarlane, two members of Kinetica. Fay practiced gymnastics in her youth, later rediscovering the love for acrobatics in her adult years through pole and circus arts. Anthony dabbled in hip-hop dance briefly but would then spend the majority of adult life learning, practicing and teaching different movement practices. The result is a unique blend of movement, acrobatics, dance and aerial circus. 

Kinetica is a WA contemporary circus company that has presented many critically-acclaimed shows for FRINGE WORLD including Dark Matter in 2016, Interplay in 2017, Syncope in 2018/9 for which Kinetica was nominated for the prestigious FRINGE WORLD Martin Sims Award and Aria in 2020 which won the Western Australian circus award.

The culmination of a two-year research project, Children of the Sea is Jay Emmanuel’s emotional and epic theatrical piece that shares the journey of young maritime survivors who came to Australia by boat.

Inspired by true stories, it brings together a stellar team of five extraordinary young performers onstage with a vocal ensemble led by Green Room?Award-winning?singer-songwriter, composer, performer and choir-leader, Kavisha Mazzella.

A tribute to hope and a sobering reminder of the stories that float on the horizon, Children of the Sea explores the paradoxes and confusions of a world dealing with an unprecedented flux of uprooted lives.

Chilling, yet playful and funny, this sensitive and politically-charged show puts children front and centre – their voice, their story – ultimately creating an uplifting theatrical experience.

Written by Ian Sinclair
Produced by The Kabuki Drop
Commissioned by PICA and co-presented with Perth Festival

WORLD PREMIERE

Submerge yourself in a poetic reimagining of the classic Australian seaside drama for our cataclysmic times.

Nadine returns to her beachside home, and the family she abandoned, to reconnect with her daughter. Now oceans apart, she must navigate her ex-husband’s anger at her departure and learn to accept and support her now son Caleb, with his desire to begin medically affirming his gender.

A deeply personal and poetic story, Whale Fall is a slow-burning family drama about second chances and unconditional love, charting transition across generations, family dynamics, the human body and our ecological future.

Central to the work is the story of a dying whale as it slowly descends to the seafloor and forms a new biodiverse ecosystem known as a ‘whale fall’.

Inspired by environmental writer Rebecca Giggs’ essay of the same name, Whale Fall features rich visual language, intimate performances, and immersive design to conjure the familiarity of the Australian coast. Created by an exceptional team of WA theatre-makers, this new work brings together people from different backgrounds that identify with and support the trans, gender diverse and queer communities.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

The Kabuki Drop is an emergent, multiplatform arts company creating work within a variety of spaces and across art forms. They are storytellers who reinterpret theatre forms and present ideas and aesthetics for adventurous audiences. They play with and within their environments, championing artists who create immersive experiences that provoke thought, challenge norms, and encourage conversation. Formed by Melissa Cantwell in 2017, the company has presented The Average Joe (Fringeworld, 2017); Blink (Commissioned by The City of Perth Winter Arts Festival, 2017); Slap and Tickle (Fringeworld, 2018; Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2019) and The Elders Project (Fremantle Festival 2019).

Chew Eng Chye Australia's finest magician and illusionist would like to invite you to 'The Magician - The World's Most Exclusive Magic Show - An Intimate Evening of Magic and Illusion' to see what it was like when magicians and illusionists were celebrities of the highest order and to experience the entertainment of royalty.

The show is a very intimate and very interactive experience where the magic happens to people and with people and is limited to having only 12 guests.

During the show, Eng Chye will be sharing with you some of his favourite magic together with some magic that he's specially developed and created for the show.

Come along to the show and experience an evening of wonder.