Bombshells

“A blast of magnificent writing brought to life by six highly idiosyncratic and exquisitely defined performances... a tale of Everywoman, beautifully told, insightfully directed, perfectly performed and creatively staged.”

ABOUT THE SHOW

5 women on the brink. Which one are you?

With singing, dancing, comedy and the joys of sheer honesty, Joanna Murray-Smith's acclaimed play Bombshells is a journey from crisis to hilarity, via the thoughts of a group of women all linked by more than just their proximity to the edge; a nervous bride-to-be, an exhausted young mother, a widow with a yearning for the unexpected, a broken-hearted cactus lover, and a feisty teenage talent-quest competitor.

Joy, drama, crisis, fear, revelation – there are times where you have to remain cool and calm on the outside. The inside, meanwhile, is a flailing monologue of personal pep talks, perish-the-thoughts and perpetual panic. Bombshells strips back the masks we wear to reveal the things that sometimes we’d just love to say out loud.

Banner image credit: Shelly Higgs

A series of 5 monologues about 5 women at different stages of their lives, from the guilt, fear, and exhaustion, of parenting, to the loneliness and invisibility of being widowed, Bombshells resonates with audiences who will recognise these women in the people they know, the people they love, and definitely in themselves. It is pure storytelling. The decision to cast the roles with 5 different actors rather than a single actor elevates the show from being a 'masterclass in acting' to being a chance to lose yourself in each of the characters and the world they create. Each actor brings their own experience, voice and vulnerability to the role, creating a fully fleshed out woman that an audience can connect with.

reviews

“Take a playwright of the calibre of Joanna Murray Smith and six of the local region’s finest female performers and you have a performance of Murray Smith’s Bombshells that is second to none. Echo Theatre’s production is a blast of magnificent writing brought to life by six highly idiosyncratic and exquisitely defined performances under the sure direction of a director who intuitively understands Murray Smith’s comment on the experiences faced by her characters. Bombshells is Echo Theatre’s gift to everyone. It touches the heart and opens the mind. Bombshells is a tale of Everywoman, beautifully told, insightfully directed, perfectly performed and creatively staged.”
- Peter Wilkins, Canberra Critics Circle

"The beauty of Best’s direction here is the warmth with which the characters are drawn. In spite of being flawed, self-deceiving, vain or petty, these women are completely sympathetic. We laugh with them, not at them. Echo Theatre’s affectionate production of Bombshells is a romp, which I thoroughly enjoyed and heartily recommend."
- Cathy Bannister, Stage Whispers

"In the sure hands of director Jordan Best and a top six-woman cast Joanna Murray-Smith’s Bombshells has a terrific impact. Bombshells is not the seven ages of man but the six ages of woman and Echo Theatre have done a splendid job of it."
- Alanna Maclean, Canberra City News

ABOUT ECHO THEATRE

Echo is a professional theatre company with a home at The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, committed to producing high quality, low carbon footprint, productions designed to tour from the outset, reducing remount costs and the environmental impacts associated with having to redesign work to tour. Echo Theatre works to reverse the traditional touring flow by getting regionally produced work to other venues across NSW and Australia.

Production photography credit: Photox - Ben Appleton