Review: Reflections with Ivan King OAM at His Majesty’s Theatre

Reflections with Ivan King OAM at His Majesty’s Theatre
Saturday, April 12, 2025

Reflections with Ivan King OAM was an informative yet interesting show that left the audience with a deeper understanding of not only Ivan King’s theatre career but also of Perth’s performing arts history and its influence on the world stage.

Through stories and recollections, King took audiences through his theatre journey while also reliving the heydays of iconic venues from the many eras of the Perth performing arts scene. Joining King, theatre veteran Sally Sander also shared behind-the-scenes insights.

King started the show discussing his childhood growing up in Midland, working at the Theatre Renown with his family, and looking back fondly at the memories of his grandfather carrying film to the projection room.

While technology has certainly come a long way since then, it wasn’t necessary for this show. King’s set design included a couple of pieces of furniture, some theatre tools, and a screen. This minimalistic approach was advantageous, as audiences could focus on his words and stories without being distracted by unnecessary backdrops. The use of the digital screen to show photos of the topic of each anecdote was a nice touch and aided in setting the scene.

With a career spanning over six decades, King had a lot of ground to cover in this 90-minute show. This ranged from his first theatre role in a pantomime at the Luxor Theatre in Beaufort Street to the history of the iconic Playhouse Theatre to accidentally biting his own thumb when playing Dracula and much more.

The resumé of roles King has played and venues he has worked at is extensive, and the audience were taken all over the world, from Perth to Melbourne and Sydney to regional Australia and even the United Kingdom.

In sharing his stories, King not only painted a picture of these venues but also shed light on the wider context of the pop culture of the eras in discussion. This included his reference to the American post-apocalyptic 50s movie On the Beach, which was being filmed at the time when he was in Melbourne, and the negative reception to the Australian premiere of the now much-loved and classic musical West Side Story.

One of the show’s highlights was a story involving King hearing a commotion outside while at rehearsals in Melbourne for a rendition of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. King went to see what was happening and witnessed The Beatles coming onto the balcony of the Southern Cross Hotel being greeted by hundreds of screaming teenage fans.

King also shared stories of crossing paths with other famous and influential people, such as Judy Garland, Gough Whitlam, and both English and Danish royalty.

Approximately halfway through the show, special guest Sally Sander joined King on stage. Sander shared stories from her own theatre journey, starting with her beginnings with her sibling and first show at sixteen. King and Sander’s stage chemistry worked well, with both performers showing their decades of industry experience through their ability to entertain and hold the audience’s attention. The use of a brief interview format when King interviewed Sander about her experiences at The Old Time Movie Hall was well-executed and further strengthened the performers’ stage dynamics.

King also spoke about events in Perth’s performing arts history that most Perth locals wouldn’t be aware of, such as Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s brief post-war trip to Perth in the 1920s. The acclaimed author’s ship docked in Fremantle, where he proceeded to catch a train to Perth to give a lunch time lecture at His Majesty’s Theatre on spiritualism.

King not only discussed the stories of the people he met and places he went throughout his career but also some of the challenges of working in theatre at the time. When working at the Civic Theatre on Beaufort Street (now used as commercial real estate), which at the time had been transformed into a Wild West Saloon theatre restaurant, King discussed the difficulty of navigating outdated licencing laws. The legislation dictated that customers couldn’t get a drink after hours unless it was with a meal. King humorously shared that this meant that lots of plates of uneaten sandwiches were left over at the end of the night. King spoke of his involvement in trying to change these laws, as well as the pushback experienced.

King’s ability to take the audience back in time with his storytelling skills really shone throughout the show. His stage presence and energy also kept the audience engaged throughout, with the crowd getting especially excited during his performance of a song about Mandurah.

The finale of the show involved King and Sander discussing the demolition of the Playhouse Theatre in 2010, with a photo of the building being bulldozed on the screen. King then presented to the audience a brick that he had taken from the demolition as a memento to remember the impact and influence the iconic venue had had on the Perth performing arts scene.

Having the show conclude with the ‘death’ of one of the venues whose ‘birth’ was discussed at the beginning was a clever way of bringing the show full circle. You could feel the sense of loss and sadness in the room, which spoke to the emotive and immersive power of King’s storytelling ability.

The show could have benefited at times from being a bit more clear on what the era or time period was. Though mostly in chronological order, at times it could be confusing as to what year the stories were taking place in. The photos on the screen came in handy at these moments, as the architecture and clothing helped with ascertaining the decade in discussion.

Audiences left the theatre having gained a feeling of connection to the city’s performing arts history. King and Sander’s approach of intertwining their own show business journeys with Perth’s theatre history made for a personal, entertaining, and historically important show.

JAMES THORN