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News Review

The Age – Grand Questions Swirl in this acting masterclass (Review) ★★★★

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This production is an acting masterclass…the ensemble of four performs with impressive clarity and precision, distinguishing multiple characters

He then called on the crowd to ‘stand on the shoulders of our great artists past, on the shoulders of our great women, our inspiring Indigenous, our brilliant filmmakers and technicians, and create works that debunk fear and hatred, that champion the misrepresented and unheard … We should stand on shoulders so that every other bugger may see what we stand for. You can hold my hand for balance; I’ll be on the next shoulder across.’

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Review

Daily Review – Dead Centre / Sea Wall (Review) ★★★★

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Both actors seemed to me to be faultless. As Stephens’s writing requires, Prendergast is more nakedly emotional, yet never self-indulgent. It is the kind of acting where the technique is invisible and absolutely at the service of the characters it summons up. Afterwards it occurs to you the risk that has been taken: it is theatre that demands a strong emotion from the audience and any false note on the part of the writers, the actors or the director would make the whole thing collapse.

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News Review

Stage Whispers – Sea Wall (Review) ★★★★★

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This is very special theatre…a production of sheer perfection. I have rarely seen an audience so still, so moved by a performance which is essentially low key and without Mr Prendergast’s usual charisma. I myself couldn’t stop the mascara from running….fortunately the male audience members with tears in their eyes were not wearing mascara. No amount of acting can make an audience believe if the actor doesn’t come from a place of emotional reality. Truth is everything, and that’s all this actor needs.

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News Review

The Sydney Morning Herald – Dead Centre / Sea Wall (Review) ★★★★

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Alex (Ben Prendergast), softly spoken and, like his estranged wife, stoic to a fault, he nonetheless churns with barely concealed rage and anguish. It’s a brilliantly sustained piece of domestic horror. 

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Review

Stage Whispers – The Flick (Review) ★★★★★

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Prendergast is such a charismatic actor that there are moments when you see him hunch the shoulders a little more, bow the head, work at hiding the charisma; in Act 2 he is simply superb, generously sublimating his power as an actor and handing the stage to Dion Mills (always powerful in his own right) in a cameo role and to guest actor Kevin Hofbauer. Four stunning performances beautifully directed in a superb play.

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Review

The Saturday Paper – The Flick (Review) ★★★★★

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Nadia Tass directs a splendid cast with a glowing, understated brilliance that has no false steps. Sam is a great portrait of a man with a heart and mind as good as the next one. The Flick shows why the theatre is its own magic lantern, and it shows how it can take on everything the cinema creates and come off triumphant.

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Review

Australian Book Review – The Flick (Review) ★★★★

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There is an understated rivalry between Sam and Avery from the beginning and Prendergast excels as the bluff, older man who longs to assert his authority and make something of his life.

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Awards Review

The Age Year in Review – The Flick ★★★★★

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My favourite Red Stitch offering was Nadia Tass’s production of Annie Baker’s The Flick, which received pitch-perfect performances in the musty ambience of an underground theaterette

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Review

The Sydney Morning Herald – The Flick (Review) ★★★★★

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All three actors generate a riveting and precise ensemble performance which resists easy comedy to create a deep and satisfying humour – one strongly rooted in character – as dappled with darkness and betrayal as it is streaked with hilarity and moments of profound recognition. 

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News Review

ArtsHub – The Flick (Review) ★★★★☆

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The Flick very much represents the epitome of theatre. The cast are brilliant in their roles, subtly displaying these aching affections with utmost sincerity. Prendergast is a delight to watch, and his desperate attempts to gain Rose’s attention is both heartbreaking and endearing.