Emus: 1, Australia: 0, Theatre: Decisive Victory!

Warm, relatable, funny and emotional

A delightfully silly and clever new musical that promises to leave a cheesy grin on your face.

A bold one-woman musical that attempts to shed light on a forgotten icon

An easy watch and a cheerful evening at the theatre.

A richly layered, lyrical work

An original and joyous Vaudevillian romp.

Pros: By honing in on Höss, Hyland’s play doesn’t choose the obvious Holocaust perpetrators (Hitler, Himmler, Mengele et al). Cons: Crescendos in Höss’ speech become distracting; likewise, proximity to the audience and prolonged emphasis of gestures can overkill the intensity. The term ‘political hygiene’ is a chilling one, especially when spoken by Rudolf Höss, commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a place he has just described as ‘the largest human slaughterhouse in history’. Hearing these words on a hot Saturday night in gentrified ...

Over two-and-a-half hours long, this new play is still very much work in progress and would benefit from a drastic pruning.

An hour's worth of fun for younger children, providing a good introduction to theatregoing and some play acting ideas to develop.