theatre – Emily Reginalds

Puffs (Sydney Season, The Entertainment Quarter)

I can’t say how many times we collectively saw Puffs in Melbourne. I remember trips to the Coles across the road – our own proverbial kitchen to the common room of the Alex Theatre – to stock up on snacks as we waited for curtain up on another year at that certain school of magic and magic. It was just one of those things that never got old, never grew tiresome, and only seemed to charm and surprise us more and more as time went on.

I was over the moon when I heard that it was touring to Sydney. Puffs is a play with a message that deserves a worldwide stage. It embodies the heart and soul of that house, of these characters, and I really do challenge anyone to go see it without leaving with a smile on their face.

The words “hero” and “side characters” are thrown around a lot in reference to the character of Wayne Hopkins, but I think he’s a hero in every sense of the word. Passionate, loyal, loving, kind – he endears you the moment he walks onstage and you’re with him wholeheartedly until the very end. Ryan gave 110% to that role every night in Melbourne and nothing’s changed in Sydney. He’s just phenomenal.

He’s joined by Puffs newbies Angelina Thomson and Adam Marks in the roles of Megan and Oliver respectively, who round off this unexpected trio delightfully. There’s so much of that Puffs brand of geekery bubbling just under the surface of Angelina’s Megan. Her threats to the boys in their first meeting are underscored by a flare for drama and clumsy movements that only a Puff would have. And Adam brings new, unconscious charm to Oliver. His love for trigonometry is only matched by his love for Megan and Wayne.

Which brings me to Gareth Isaac as the Narrator. Like any chorus archetype role, it’s a mammoth task, with a bulk of the script and the overall mood of the play falling on his shoulders, but he handles it with such aplomb and effortless charm. One of my favourite scenes is always his speech near the end (“Or maybe it’s the part of you that works hard. The part that stays loyal and true, despite whatever terrifying monsters are thrown your way. The part that plays fair when life is anything but. Maybe that’s a Puff there.”) which embodies the spirit of this play better than anything else. It helps that Gareth is just the loveliest person you will ever meet.

Playing local heartthrob and resident good egg Cedric is another new addition to the cast, James Bryers. He plays the role with such appeal and love, bouncing across the stage with the brightest grin on his face. Where Rob Mills was all charisma, James is the boy next door – and his fate is all the more upsetting because of it. He had an incredibly hilarious and unexpected interaction with an audience member in the second act last night, which won’t be described here for risk of spoilers. You really must see the show yourself for the full hilarity of what James gets up to in the latter half of this play.

Olivia Charalambous is hilarious as Susie, but she’s off the charts as a certain bespectacled wizard – quite possibly having the most fun out of everyone on that stage. I had no clue how Matt Whitty did that when the show was in Melbourne, and I still have no clue how he does it now that it’s in Sydney. Safe to say the biggest laughs of any evening at Puffs are always down to this guy and I am constantly in awe of his immense comedic timing and commitment. Last night’s sex ed scene was something else.

I’ve been following Lauren McKenna’s work since Heathers and it was such a treat to finally catch her as Leanne and Helga and a certain unnamed redhead, as I never got a chance to see her in Melbourne. Kimie Tsukakoshi brings an adorable Susie to the table and her Bippy the house elf, a character specifically designed to be annoying, still had me in stitches. And of course there’s Annabelle Tudor bringing “extra” to a whole new level as Megan’s mother among various others, including the majority of the faculty at the school in one of my favourite sequences of any evening at Puffs.

Let me just say that I got the message from Haxby saying he was going on for J Finch last night on the way to dinner and I haven’t stopped grinning since. Anyone who saw him at the Pop Up Globe would have a rough idea of what to expect from him, although that didn’t prepare me at all for last night.

His J Finch was absolutely perfect and his improv scene had me hiding behind Nadia as I absolutely and completely lost my shit. Of all the roles he could have gone on for, this was the one I wanted to see the most, and it was everything I hoped for and more.

I also want to give a quick shout out to the costume designer, Madeline Bundy. I always saw the show from the back of the stalls when it was in Melbourne and I had no idea how much I missed, which I only noticed from the front row last night. There’s so much detail in each costume, every character is so vivid and lovingly crafted. And Oliver has a Pi pin?? Please.

But really the entire creative team deserves a shout out. Puffs is the little show that could. What started as a fun little production made by a group of friends for a short run at the People’s Improv Theatre has now found its way into the hearts of thousands of people in America and now across Australia. It deserves every success and all the love in the world.

You can catch Puffs in Sydney until this Sunday. It opens in Brisbane on the 23^rd of August, with all preview tickets only $39.90. You can also find out more on their website and even watch the original production which is available to rent or buy!

(Photography by Kurt Sneddon)

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Princess Theatre, Melbourne)

Everyone who walks away from this play and gives their thoughts, quiet and desperate not to ruin the performance for anyone, says that they loved the stage magic. And I’m gonna be a repetitive jerk here and say that yes, I did in fact love the stage magic. We scored free tickets to the dress rehearsal, which we felt certain would have a few trips and misfires, but it went off without a hitch as everyone gasped and applauded the magic unfolding onstage. But theatre is magic. What’s shared in those dark spaces, night after night between utter strangers, and then packed away forever or until the script is dusted off again by some bright eyed maker – it’s always going to be something special, something that can only be and should be described as magic.

But really the heart of this play was William Mckenna and Sean Rees-Wemyss as Scorpius and Albus. Any gripes with the piece are forgotten as you watch these two genuine, flawed, loving friends on stage. Scorpius is incredibly endearing in the audience favourite turn of the night, while Albus’s actions – which seemed alienating on the page – make sense in Sean’s capable hands. Sean and William have such an easy chemistry onstage, that will only grow with time and practice. It’s difficult to believe this was just a dress rehearsal and second preview, as everyone already seems to know this piece like a familiar old cloak.

While Scorpius whoos audience members with his awkward charm, it’s Harry that I can’t take my eyes off of. It’s so rare that I’m stunned by a performance, but Gareth Reeves gives himself over so wholly and completely to the role. There’s a scene later on in part two which had me in tears when I first read it, but it ripped through my soul when I watched it on stage. His Harry breaks your heart and puts it back together again. He’s deeply traumatised by the wizarding war and as a consequence he’s pushing everyone away. But it’s such an open, honest performance and I found myself falling in love again with this dear, beloved character over these four nights.

There must be such enormous pressure on this cast and crew. This is a huge undertaking. Each role is a ridiculous challenge, from those who occupy the centre stage to the ensemble who lift this performance with their controlled, practised, delicate movements, to the back of house technical crew with the utter wizardry of their work which creates such a real and tangible world. But I think, after what I’ve seen these last four nights, that they’re going to be just fine. And from what I heard from that audience at the dress rehearsal and these preview performances, Melbourne loves them already – unconditionally and without reserve.

Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play (Lightning Jar Theatre

Saw Lightning Jar Theatre Inc.‘s production of Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play last night with Nadia. The space at fortyfivedownstairs is perfect for it. At once cavernous and intimate, you feel the warmth of the fire the characters gather around as much as you do every sound and every movement that has them reaching for weapons and looking over their shoulders. There’s sirens in the distance and trams rattling across roads – but it’s being broadcast from another world.

Over the course of the night we see stories transforming from something shared around a fireplace, to something sold for batteries and diet coke, to something entirely different in the chaotic third and final act. It’s an insanely good script, it was easy to see why the interval had us looking at how much it was to purchase online.

Messages on the transformative and reassuring nature of storytelling are not what you would expect from a play which uses The Simpsons as its main vehicle. But there it is. It’s also shockingly reassuring for a piece set in the apocalypse. As the characters squabble over purchasing lines and scenes in order to piece together episodes for what is now a kind of theatre troupe bringing something, anything, to the masses struggling through this post electric world – it strikes on a reality I always knew.

Stories are life blood. Stories survive and often thrive in situations like this, in situations where it feels like we’re tearing our world apart. Everyone finds something different in fiction. Reassurance, entertainment, therapy, a reflection of a part of you no one has ever known.

But what they find, no matter what, is something of themselves. And the fact is we’re just too damn stubborn to let those stories go – even in a world without electricity where every moment lasts a second and a thousand years all at once.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Mischief Theatre)

Just over a year later and the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society is still looking for that hammer 🤔🔨The Play That Goes Wrong was some of my absolute favourite theatre of 2017, so I knew I couldn’t miss Mischief Theatre’s latest foray into the madcap world of low low budget theatre with PeterPan Goes Wrong Australia & NZ. We all know someone in this company – Trevor is almost beat for beat the spitting image of one of the techies at work, except our Trevor has 110% more facial hair and would probably pass out at the mere suggestion that he take over the lead role in Peter Pan.

There’s such a technical ingenuity to these plays that you have to applaud everyone involved. What seems like improvised chaos is really polished tricks and gags practised to absolute perfection. With so many familiar faces in this production, both new and returning, it’s impossible to pick a favourite performance. Special shout out will have to go to Tammy Weller’s unflappable costume changes and utterly ridiculous (dare I say electrifying) Tinkerbell.

New additions to the crew Connor Crawford and Teagan Wouters fit in seamlessly with the onstage insanity, particularly Connor as the set upon director Chris Bean. Audience favourite Max is played by Jordan Prosser with charm and utter delight. I loved seeing George Kemp return as the hapless Dennis, this time sporting a pair of ridiculous headphones – which is somehow even LESS helpful than smudged lines written on his palms. And of course Luke Joslin is an absolute natural in his many increasingly calamitous roles, though my favourite is probably the scene stealing Peter’s Shadow. That’s a lot more of Grantaire than I was ever expecting to see.

It’s an absolutely delightful two hours of theatre. The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society will be attempting Peter Pan at the Arts Centre Melbourne until January 27th, before they continue their tour of Australia! Don’t miss out!

Backstage Tour of the Pop Up Globe

I’ve met some of the best, kindest people through the Pop Up Globe. I’ve made new friends, picnicked on the grassy noll with old friends, met so many of the ridiculously talented people involved with making this wooden O come alive, and gotten hundreds of taps on the shoulder followed by the question “are you Emily, from Instagram?” And this weekend, on my super last minute trip to Sydney, James Haxby surprised me with a backstage tour. And, reader, I may have lost my shit a little bit.

The costumes were even more gorgeous up close. No one in Aus does Shakespeare in costumes like this anymore. Do you know how many black box modern dress Hamlet’s I’ve seen? The fabrics were stunning. The care and dedication that goes into recreating those iconic silhouettes onstage and maintaining them in all sorts of weather is so inspiring. I wish I could work with this amazing wardrobe team one day.

Backstage spaces can be so cramped and stuffy and dark and there’s that thing over there that whatshisname said he’d fix six months ago and hasn’t yet oh well. But it’s home. And there’s an irrepressible magic about it. Cannon balls, metal sheets, and wooden caskets full of pellets in the heavens for the rain and thunderstorms. A harpsichord, wine glasses, and wind chimes in hell for those extra *spooky* vibes. No sheep, sadly. They went out to the pub. There’s a lot to be said for practical sound effects, especially in a theatre like this. It feels like going back to our roots. That primal instinct, that inexplicable urge to stamp my feet and shout and roar at my first performance of Henry V. It’s this instinctual feeling that comes from the bones of this theatre. All the research and passion that went into putting it together, all the dedication to the tiniest of details such as those wine glasses below stage and all around the seating. Stepping inside is and always will be like a homecoming. Shakespeare is like lifeblood and theatre is the heart.

It was so good to see the Melbourne boys again this weekend. Jonathan was such a genuine and heartfelt Antonio, I would spend hundreds just to go back up to Sydney and see it again. We all knew Chris as Bottom was pretty inspired casting, but you have no idea just how perfect it is. Asa is such a delight in Merchant, but he shines in Midsummer. The fairies were always my favourite part of this Midsummer and oh my goddd Asa as Titania is so fierce. You’ve gotta get along and catch him before they close next month. And of course Oscar grinning away in the background of Comedy of Errors, bless his heart. Haxby wasn’t on for any roles, but it was so good to see him onstage nonetheless. It isn’t always the fashion for swings to have onstage roles when they aren’t covering anyone so I was super pleased to see him. Chookas for the rest of the season, you rascals! Thank you so much for making this trip just perfect 💖💖💖