THEATRE: BRISBANE

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§ Grimm Tales, adapted by Carol Ann Duffy, dramatised by Tim Supple (Queensland Theatre Company | QPAC, South Bank) — Take the grandkids. With their wonderful world of adventure, fantasy and fun, the tales of the Brothers Grimm have enthralled children and adults alike for centuries. Featuring spellbinding characters, these stories are a fabulous escape into a delightful world where anything and everything is possible. 9 Nov–11 Dec.

Above: Eugene Gilfedder as Jacob Grimm.

BRISBANE THEATRE DIARY

Already on ... listed in order of closing date

§ The Clean House, by Sarah Rule (Black Swan & Queensland Theatre Company | QPAC, South Bank) — Matilde's Brazilian parents died laughing – literally – but she missed the killer punch line. In her new homeland of America, she staves off the boredom of cleaning the house of the uptight Lane by trying to create the funniest joke in the world. But when Lane's husband decides to leave her for an older woman, it is Matilde who must come to her rescue – if only she can remember the gag. Until 31 Jul.

§ A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (Centenary Theatre | Chelmer Community Centre, Chelmer) — Ebeneezer Scrooge is given the panto treatment. Until 31 Jul.

§ Red, Red Riding Hood, by Kat Kiorgaard (Brisbane Arts Theatre, Petrie Terrace) — Take the grandkids. ‘Red’ is third generation Riding Hood. Her Grandmother started the legend when she first battled and overcame the original Big Bad Wolf. Now decades on, the fight between good little girls and bad wolves continues: the Wolf is back, badder than ever, and this time he has help! Until 4 Sep.

Yet to open ... listed in order of opening date

§ I Love You, Bro, by Adam JA Cass (La Boite Theatre Company | Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove) — Based on extraordinary real events in Manchester in 2003, this stunning work delves into the mind of a teenage chat room junkie: a modern boy, remarkably clever and longing for connection, who spins a web of deceit that destroys two lives — all for the glory of love. This is the true story of a boy who conspired to murder himself. 17 Jul–8 Aug.

§ Godzone (The Twelfth Night Theatre, Bowen Hills) — A sharp-witted look at Australian politics from that great satirist Max Gillies. 20 Jul–1 Aug. READ REVIEW (based on Sydney production staged prior to Gillard ascension).

§ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams (Brisbane Arts Theatre, Petrie Terrace) — In the wealthy Pollitt family, tensions run as hot as the steamy Mississippi weather. The patriarch has no idea he’s dying, relatives scheme to get their hands on his fortune, and his son seeks solace for the death of a friend in the bottom of a bottle. Then there is Maggie, the beautiful, neglected “cat”. 31 Jul–4 Sep.

§ Busting Out (The Twelfth Night Theatre, Bowen Hills) — It's raining tits Emma Powell and Bev Killick hit the stage. Not tiny soft feathery tits of the ornithological variety, but large round firm pink tits with rosy nipples. 7–14 Aug. READ REVIEW (review based on previous Sydney performance).

§ At the Centre of the Light (The Twelfth Night Theatre, Bowen Hills) — The Mary McKillop Story. Opens 18 Aug.

§ Engine, by Janis Balodis (NORPA & La Boite Theatre Company | Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove) — Set a month after the crash, Engine is the story of 'Grumpop' who lost a grandson and Natasha who lost a brother. Natasha wants to remember Stevie by finishing the project car he was working on before the crash. Grumpop is a retired mechanic and he could help but he just wants to put it all behind him. 25 Aug–12 Sep.

§ Little Murders, by Jules Feiffer (Centenary Theatre | Chelmer Community Centre, Chelmer) — Shows us a modern metropolitan family of matriarchal mother, milquetoast father, normal cuddly sister, and brother who is trying to adapt himself to his sexual orientation. 4–26 Sep.

§ Betrayal, by Harold Pinter (Queensland Theatre Company | QPAC, South Bank) — Lifelong friends Jerry and Robert are rivals in the publishing world, but also rivals for the love of Robert’s wife Emma. Jerry and Emma believe they have created the perfect, private romance that no one will discover, until they begin to learn how hard it is to keep a secret. But is it their friends and spouses they are betraying, or themselves? 6 Sep–9 Oct.

§ Gwen in Purgatory, by Tommy Murphy (Company B & La Boite Theatre Company | Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove) — Gwen is 90. She woke up this morning to discover that purgatory is sitting alone in a new house in a new subdivision on the edge of town, trying to work out if the remote in her hand operates the TV, the air-con or the fan-forced oven. But the kids are coming round and Father Ezekiel is on his way to bless the house, so the beginning of the end is looking up … 29 Sep–24 Oct.

§ When the Rain Stops Falling, by Andrew Bovell (Brink Productions & Queensland Theatre Company | QPAC, South Bank) — From the claustrophobia of a small 1950s London flat to the windswept coast of South Australia and into the heart of the Australian desert, this stunning epic spans four generations and two families living at opposite ends of the world yet bound together by a shared past. When Gabriel Law retraces his father’s footsteps in an attempt to solve the mystery of his disappearance, he is forced to confront the truth of a family secret and find the strength to accept what has gone before, in order to follow a new life. 20 Oct–6 Nov. READ REVIEW (NOTE: review based on Brink's 2009 Sydney production).

§ My Name is Rachel Corrie, based on the diaries and emails of Rachel Corrie (La Boite Indie | Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove) — Rachel Corrie was an American college student and activist who travelled to Palestine as a part of peaceful demonstrations in the Gaza Strip. In 2003 she was killed while trying to prevent an Israeli bulldozer from demolishing a house in a Palestinian residential area. 27 Oct–14 Nov.

§ The Underpants, by Carl Sternheim (Centenary Theatre | Chelmer Community Centre, Chelmer) — The story begins when young housewife Louise is at a street parade for the Kaiser when her underpants fall off. She is pretty sure no-one noticed but within hours the rumours are all over Dusseldorf. Meanwhile her bullet-headed husband fears for his precious nine to five position as a tiny cog in the loud clanky machine of pre-war German bureaucracy. A witty and hilarious look at marriage, gender roles, celebrity and class. 6–28 Nov.