Theatre Review
“The Sapphires” , Belvoir St Theatre

Belvoir St Theatre seems from the outset to be a bohemian-style low-budget artistic community theatre, but once again it has proved that Australia has a huge resource of talented artists waiting in the wings. The Sapphires, a moving story about a band of sisters who form a singing group that performs in Vietnam, has reminded me why I love Musical Theatre so much. When 5’5″ Ursula Yovich, playing the part of Julie, arrived onstage singing Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”, I couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t auditioned in “Australian Idol”. I have not heard such wonderful singing from a relatively untrained singer in a long time… she, along with the other three main singers, could have put most professional groups to absolute shame. Yet their main passion is acting. The music was rousing and inclusive… not one audience member could claim to be unmoved at the end of it.

I would highly recommend seeing “The Sapphires” to all, not just for the brilliant production but also the atmosphere that Belvoir provides. The price (dirt cheap) is just the ticket for students too.

Anyway… that concludes my complimentary community service announcement. There are other things that I’ve had on my mind lately which may require some airing.

I figured out today an important thing about myself… I absolutely loathe the words “I can’t”. It shits me more than anything in the world, and makes me unusually frustrated when I hear it from others. Having a think about it today, I can probably trace it back to my mother, who used to quote those two words so often in reference to me that I grew rebellious of it. I think it goes hand-in-hand with my extreme intolerance of stupidity… I have never suffered fools gladly nor will I.

I’m not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing however. People may argue that loathing “I can’t” is a sign of an enduring spirit and a never-say-die attitude, but it is also the sign of a perfectionist who cannot realise their limits nor ever be satisfied with an outcome.

Ponder over this I shall ….