The Pineapple Queen

Artistic Director David Berthold

The Pineapple Queen, made in association with Southbank Institute of Technology, was driven by a terrific performance from Lisa O’Neill, whose individual physical style shaped Norman Price’s text in a way that surprised many.

The critics said:

Lisa O’Neill gives a sterling performance in the title role and it is to her credit that the play works as well as it does. There is a great deal of subtlety in her performance that many actors may perhaps not have been able to achieve. A script by Norman Price is never an easy thing to come to terms with for a performer but she has done wonders… It’s dark, it’s full of madness and it requires an intellectual and emotional response. A play that encourages the audience to work at the story is a difficult thing and doesn’t always work but this one is worth your time and your money. - Nigel Munro-Wallis on 612 ABC Brisbane

Michael Coughlan is a revelation. Like O’Neill, he has been trained in the Suzuki method, a rigorous acting practice demanding total body control, and the scenes in which he and O’Neill clash are powerful. The Pineapple Queen is a stunning piece of collaborative physical theatre and a credit to all those involved. So if you like your fairytales twisted make sure you get along to see this powerful and original show. - Amy Hyslop, Australian Stage Online

If at times The Pineapple Queen seems like a little dancer in a music box, the intensity and precision of O’Neill’s performance carries the play. O’Neill’s highly physical personification of the Pineapple Queen, and her relationship with Michael Coughlan as Holden, translates into striking stage imagery. - Bree Hadley, The Australian.

Source: La Boite’s 2009 Annual Report