Theatre: Armour (★½)

Written and directed by Tom Jeffcote
Designed by Sally Phipps
Lighting by Chris Donnelly
Sound design by William Langdale
Performed by Danen Engelenberg, Matthew Kiely, Joel Sammels and Ben Weirheim
Blue Room Theatre
Until May 7

What are we to make of a show so extravagantly paved with good intentions?
In Tom Jeffcote’s Armour, a counsellor and three guys from his men’s encounter group meet – for some odd reason – in an out-of-the-way scout hall to do some good old-fashioned sharing and caring. 
They’ve each got their own reason to be there apart from the chance to spill their guts: Neil the counsellor (Matthew Kiely) is trying to ride a wave of cutbacks at the hospital he works at; a brilliant student off the rails Mawkie (Danen Engelenberg) needs to get his weekly government fix, ex rock-star Robbie (Ben Weirheim) needs to get access to his daughter and ex-soldier Quentin (Joel Sammels) needs to get an AVO taken out by his wife lifted.
They’re all wary of Neil, and each other, and the whole exercise looks more likely to end in violence than catharsis, but somehow, little by little, the barriers between them break down.
And that’s even before the shooting starts.

Theatre: Picasso's Goldfinch

Written by Tom Jeffcote

Directed and designed by Lawrie Cullen-Tait

Performed by Andrew Hale and Tiffany Barton

The Blue Room

Until November 17

“They ought to put out the eyes of painters as they do goldfinches, in order that they can sing better.” The famous, if a little woolly-headed, quote from Picasso is the reference point for Tom Jeffcote’s story of a painter and the women who shape his life.