PASSING STRANGE

BOOK & LYRICS BY STEW | MUSIC BY STEW & HEIDI RODEWALD

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

Directed by DEAN DRIEBERG

Associate Director CESSALEE STOVALL

Presented by ANTIPODES THEATRE

MEAT MARKET, MELBOURNE - 24 JUNE - 10 JULY, 2022

2023 GREEN ROOM AWARDS ASSOCIATION NOMINATIONS

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION FOR MUSIC THEATRE

ENSEMBLE ARTISTS FOR MUSIC THEATRE

MUSIC DIRECTION FOR MUSIC THEATRE - MARISSA SAROCA

LEADING ARTIST FOR MUSIC THEATRE - AUGUSTIN TCHANTCHO

SUPPORTING ARTIST FOR MUSIC THEATRE - ZAHRAH ANDREWS

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CAST

Narrator AUGUSTIN TCHANTCHO

Youth GRANT YOUNG

Mother SASHA HENNEQUIN

Ensemble ZAHRAH ANDREWS, TIER ATAING, GABRIELA VAN WYK & THEO WILLIAMS

Swings GUILLAUME GENTIL & ASHA KHAMIS

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CREATIVE TEAM

Musical Direction MARISSA SAROCA

Choreography LOREDO MALCOLM

Set & Costume Design BIANCA PARDO

Lighting Design SAM WYLIE

Sound Design EVAN DRILL

Dialect Coach MARK WONG

Casting RHYS VELASQUEZ / EVOLUTION CASTING

★★★★★

Directors’ Dean Drieberg and Cessalee Stovall production is one of the most emotionally resonant, vital and joyful theatrical and musical experiences I’ve had in years. The piece is structured like a gig and Drieberg and Stovall as production leaders have certainly evoked the raw elation that comes from being at what feels like being at the most exciting concert in town.

THEATRE PEOPLE

★★★★

This transcendent production will blow your mind. Director Dean Drieberg has helmed several brilliant productions, the staging of his Passing Strange is striking in its pure theatrical simplicity. Different locations are skilfully created out of thin air and there are gorgeous pops of imaginative physicality throughout. Drieberg also knows that the score is really the heart of this piece, and he ensures that the music constantly drives the staging and storytelling. This gloriously transcendent show is so much more than your average musical and Melbourne audiences should rush out immediately to experience this utterly captivating and unique theatrical event.

ARTS HUB

★★★★✰

Antipodes Theatre’s Passing Strange was a joyous romp of rock-musical glory. Fundamentally charming, touching, and one hell of a good time, Antipodes Theatre have done what Youth spent the whole show dreaming of – they’ve created something real.

PROMPT SIDE

The entire show has an extremely polished look with great cohesion in the colour scheme of the costuming, combined with very stylish choreographed movement and mime. Yet the show is also able to convey a very relaxed and authentic atmosphere which further adds to its power. This performance exudes elegance and flair and provides sheer foot stomping enjoyment. Don’t miss it!

STAGE WHISPERS

Director Dean Drieberg also contributes mightily to the throbbing pulse of the show, keeping the storytelling stakes high and having the cast in almost constant motion. The cast members often need to traverse from one end of the stage to the other, the payoff is an inalienable bond between artists and audience that raises the emotional impact of the show. Supported by the insightful writing, Drieberg creates a strong sense of place in each of the locales where the Youth spends time.

MAN IN CHAIR

Told with humour, heart, and wildly energetic music…rivals any other musical you could experience this year.

THEATRE TRAVELS

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

MUSIC & LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM & BOOK BY JAMES LAPINE

Directed by DEAN DRIEBERG & SONYA SUARES

Presented by WATCH THIS

WHITEHORSE CENTRE, NUNAWADING 9 - 10 AUGUST, 2019

GEELONG ARTS CENTRE, GEELONG 15 - 17 AUGUST, 2019

LAWLER THEATRE, MELBOURNE - 21 - 24 AUGUST, 2019

2020 GREEN ROOM AWARDS ASSOCIATION NOMINATIONS

DIRECTION FOR MUSIC THEATRE - DEAN DRIEBERG & SONYA SUARES

MULTIMEDIA DESIGN FOR MUSIC THEATRE - DEAN DRIEBERG & DAMIAN DUNNE/MILKED STUDIOS

LEAD ROLE IN MUSIC THEATRE - VIDYA MAKAN

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CAST

George NICK SIMPSON-DEEKS

Dot/Marie VIDYA MAKAN   

An Old Lady/Blair JACKIE REES

Jules/Bob ANTON BEREZIN

Yvonne/Naomi COURTNEY GLASS

Louise GRETA WILKINSON

Louis/Man lying on Bank/Billy RAPHAEL WONG

Nurse/Mrs./Harriet GEORGINA HOPSON

Mr./Young Man/Lee ANTHONY CRAIG

Woman with Baby/Photographer LAUREN GOETZ

Soldier/Alex JORDON MAHAR

Celeste #1/Elaine SARAH KRNDIJA

Celeste #2/Waitress GRACE BROWNE

Boatman/Charles WINSTON HILLYER

Franz/Dennis JOSH DIREEN

Frieda/Betty ANGELA LUMICISI

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CREATIVE TEAM

Musical Direction NED WRIGHT-SMITH

Choreography ZOEE MARSH

Costume Design RHIANNON IRVING

Set Design SARAH TULLOCH

Lighting Design ROB SOWINSKI

Sound Design MARCELLO LO RICCO

Projection Design DEAN DRIEBERG & DAMIAN DUNNE/MILKED STUDIOS

★★★★

Watch This has been presenting Sondheim shows for several years now and Sunday in the Park is their best yet. Mounting a production of such a beloved show is daunting for any theatre company, but they rise to the challenge.

ARTS HUB

Sunday In The Park With George presented by Watch This is executed to perfection and is a must see for the 2019 Melbourne musical season. Directors Dean Drieberg and Sonya Suares have done a fantastic job in bringing Sunday In The Park With George to life for a contemporary audience. Their interpretation not only focuses on the importance of George's character arch but also that of his lover Dot. Their vision for the show is articulated and accomplished extremely well.

BROADWAY WORLD

Under the direction of Dean Drieberg and Sonya Suares, have put together a simply astounding show. Drieberg and Suares have clearly taken a word of advice from George, that “every little detail plays a part”, and as a result have produced a show worthy of a much longer run and a much bigger audience.

THEATRE PRESS

Sunday is a deceptively challenging work to stage but what Watch This and co-Directors Dean Drieberg and Sonya Suares have pulled off is absolutely remarkable.

AUSTRALIAN STAGE

Directors Dean Drieberg and Sonya Suares fashioned something marvellous with this year’s offering of Sondheim.

ARTS REVIEW

Directors Dean Drieberg and Sonya Suares ensure that character leads everything on the stage and that the performers let the characters feel personal. This production isn't a deconstruction of a man able to spend his days making art that he thinks will change the world. It's not about the finished piece. It's about what he leaves out of the canvas (score/book/review), what he changes, and what he distorts to fit his idea of perfection. Watch This don't make us stand in the middle of the gallery and look at the work of a "genuis". This Sunday in the Park with George moves us to the corners and behind the crowds where the view isn't as clear and perfect. It's a production for us and for now.

SOMETIMES MELBOURNE