From the Lambs and the Pickles, bogans and bourgeoisie to road trips and outback mysteries, next year’s Malthouse Theatre program features a stellar line-up of actors, directors and playwrights. Season 2019 sees five world premieres, seven new Australian works, three adaptations and a big hit from the US. Here’s some of the highlights.
The Lambs and the Pickles from Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet will be brought to life in a rare performance that’s five hours long. Featuring Guy Simon (Jasper Jones), and Bert LaBonté (The Book of Mormon), The Australian literary masterpiece can be enjoyed as on one night with an all-inclusive dinner break, or if you’d prefer, the extravaganza can be savoured over two evenings.
“The characters who inhabit number one Cloud Street are glorious. You can’t help but fall in love with them,” says Matthew Lutton, Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Malthouse. “But this is also an epic story about the ghosts who live for generations. Two families are thrust together in a haunted house that doesn’t want them, that is trying to expel them. They have to find a way to live and love in a haunted land.”
Moving to gothic horror, Kenneth Cook’s Wake in Fright is getting its first stage adaptation – co-directed by Zahra Newman (The Book of Mormon). This world premiere delves into cultures with darkness and brutality built up on the inside with the accompaniment of a dark and textured sonic assault from art-electronica band friendships.
Keeping close to the theme that’s quickly appearing, thriller Solaris by Stanislaw Lem is to grace the stage of Melbourne for the first time. Starring Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks), the ghost of a dead lover haunts the space station as they orbit the planet.
On a lighter note, Barbara and the Camp Dogs invites audiences along for the ride as they take a road trip – discovering family, relationships and music. The Malthouse Theatre’s Merlyn Theatre will be transformed with bar stools and couches on stage. Pull up a chair and join Barbara and the band in the heart of the pub.
Finally, back by popular demand is arse-kicking superhero Blackie Blackie Brown. After sold-out shows in both Melbourne and Sydney, she’s continuing her rain of vengeance. Don’t miss seeing Australia’s leading lady of Blaxploitation animation in Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death.
