Theatregoing Year in Review - 2024 (Part One - Productions)

One of the perks of having your own theatre reviews blog is that you can set your own rules. Or break a few as the case may be. Normally I would despise ties, for example. Or Top Tens that aren't. I saw 49 productions this year, formally reviewing 28 of them. Not enough to have separate top ten lists for plays and musicals; too many to only feature ten shows. Therefore, I've decided to untether myself from self-imposed rigid guidelines and highlight productions that met one of two categories: Exceptional in some way; and Excellent. There were also plenty of very good shows hovering outside this list which made for some difficult decisions. 

But enough with the preamble. Here are the productions that I thought were exceptional:

She Loves Me: The Classic Broadway Musical In Concert - Western Sky Projects

Sheer class from top to bottom in only three performances at the Liberty Theatre. Will not soon be forgotten by those people who were privileged to see it.

"This was an exceptional afternoon. If the final show hadn't already been sold out I would have been sorely tempted to buy a ticket and go right back in to watch it again."

Come From Away - Koorliny Arts Centre

Community theatre at its finest. I went on opening night to review the production. Bought a ticket to watch it again at the closing day matinee. Superb. 

"Directors Katherine Freind and Allen Blachford have crafted a marvellous production in all facets. It's the best community theatre musical I've seen since 2015's A Man of No Importance. A must see."

The World Goes Round/Head Over Heels/Legally Blonde - WAAPA 

This year's graduating music theatre cohort delivered on all the promise of last year's Godspell and then some in a stellar year. They devoured each challenge with a cohesion and flair that was irresistible.  

"You sense (Crispin) Taylor knew he'd been handed the keys to the Ferrari and he's let it rip in a fabulous show that is enormous fun and a great way for this graduating class to end their year." (Legally Blonde)

Same Time Next Week - Presented by Nick Pages-Oliver & Scott McArdle

A confluence of all of multi-talented Scott McArdle's interests and abilities with an exceptional cast and team of creatives highlighting the high regard he is held in. An ambitious and outrageously inventive show.

"A DND puppet musical no less about friendship and facing adversity which sees McArdle at the height of his powers."

Nora: A Doll's House - WAAPA 

The graduating acting cohort closed out their year with a show of such thematic potency and intricacy of movement that it demanded my attention from the get-go. 

"Thematic potency. A powerful force when a production has something on its mind and every aspect is crafted to support that vision with crystal clear intent."

The Murmuration of Lost Birds - WAAPA 

The show that made me cry. Beautifully conceived and executed by the graduating performance makers, this is the second production to feature puppets on this list. 

"The Up-style sequence gutted me. The expert use of so many elements - puppetry, movement, music, surtitles, shadow work, to name a few - to serve such thematically cohesive storytelling floored me." 

Which brings us to the shows that were Excellent: 

Hairspray - HAMA Productions

Big cast, big wigs, big energy, and lots of fun in one of my favourite musicals. 

The Drowsy Chaperone - Stirling Players

Going in I desperately needed a laugh and this delivered in spades. 

(Also the best aftershow conversation I had all year when the fearlessness of youth came at me like a freight train over a disagreement about ALW of all people!)

Top Girls - GRADS 

Flat out my favourite moment in a theatre all year when my brain clicked into gear after the reveal which comes deep into the play and instantly the meaning of the much lauded and obtuse opening scene became crystal clear. 

Pinocchio: A Traditional Christmas Pantomime - Zealous Productions

Silliness of this magnitude only comes with a commitment to excellence in all aspects. Oh yes it does!

Girl Asleep/Beautiful Burnout - WAAPA

A double bill by the graduating actors that showcased a fantastical element in the opener that I immediately adored; and a physicality in the second production that was visceral in the tight confines of the black box space. 

Carrie: The Musical - WAAPA

If anyone was going to convince me this could even remotely work as a musical it was director Tyler Jacob Jones who brought the atmosphere and the tragedy to the second year MT's appropriately unsettling production.

Young Frankenstein The Musical - Darlington Theatre Players

"It's fair to say that the Darlington Theatre Players have pulled out all the stops with this impressive production of Mel Brooks' musical adaptation of his movie Young Frankenstein... This will undoubtedly feature heavily at the Finley Awards nomination night at the end of the year across multiple categories."

Looks like I was spot on with that call!

God of Carnage - Melville Theatre Company

This one really tickled my fancy as the actors rose to a quality of writing that was deliciously sly and mischievous.  

Special Mention:

Femoid - WAAPA

This short piece within the TILT 2 program at the Blue Room about the impact of Incel culture on young women was very well written and performed. I'm looking forward to the hourlong version at Summer Nights 2025. 

Up next, Part Two (Practitioners), right after this short nap from our sponsors...