It may be 81 years old, but Brisbane Arts Theatre is showing no signs of stopping in its 2017 programme.
The year begins with a 1937 classic by Nobel Prize-winner John Steinbeck: 'Of Mice And Men'. Exploring themes like friendship, power and and responsibility, 'Of Mice And Men' tells a tale about loneliness during the Great Depression.
'The 39 Steps' is next in line. It's described as a Hitchcock masterpiece mixed with a juicy spy novel and a dash of Monty Python. A small team of actors will hilariously attempt to portray over 150 zany characters, in this fast-paced whodunnit promising to be full of pure pleasure.
Think of stories about war, and usually they are told by men. In 'Minefields And Miniskirts', it's the ladies' turn. Almost 1,000 Australian women played a part in the Vietnam War, as entertainers, typists, nurses and more. This show is full of surprises, and features the voices of ordinary women revealing details of their survival.
For the fourth and maybe final time, the hilarious, furry, colourful 'Avenue Q' is returning to the Arts Theatre. The Tony Award-winning musical will see puppets pondering life's big decisions and coming to the realisation that it isn't all it's cracked up to be, in the funniest ways possible.
As winter sweeps over the Arts Theatre, 'The Woman In Black' will make her way to Petrie Terrace, promising a stirring and unnerving night at the theatre for all. The performance tells the story of a solicitor who has a curse cast over him and his family, as he gets the help of a young actor to exorcise the fear within.
The hilarious, dark, horror-filled 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street' opens in late July, and is Stephen Sondheim's musical retelling of a legendary fable of lust, murder and love, made particularly famous in 2007 by Tim Burton's film starring Johnny Depp as Sweeney. Not only is it completely shocking, but it's also hilarious.
'Lords And Ladies' brings a little more colour into the Arts Theatre, with a cast full of dwarves, wizards, trolls and an orangutan. A Sir Terry Pratchett classic, 'Lords And Ladies' creates a world of fantasy and magic.
Closing off the year is 'A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum', Stephen Sondheim's hilarious work of art. It combines situations from 2,000-year-old Roman comedies and classic vaudeville.
A Brisbane Arts Theatre season isn't complete without a parody or two, and in 2017 'Jurassic Park The Musical' makes its triumphant return from January to April after a sell-out season in 2016, and '50 Shades! The Musical Parody' is sure to turn heads when it plays from May to August.
Brisbane Arts Theatre's 2017 programme begins with 'Of Mice And Men' from 14 January.
