The Divine Sarah Bernhardt (98 minutes) – movie review
Start with the facts and lace it with fiction. That is what screenwriter Nathalie Leuthreau…
Disney On Ice: Find Your Hero (Rod Laver Arena) – theatre review
Disney favourites Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy introduce several of Disney’s heroes … and a few villains in the latest “On Ice” spectacular. Over two 40-minute halves, six broad storylines are explored. The first involves Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian, the crab from The Little Mermaid. Next up are the adventurous Moana, her…
Here You Come Again (Comedy Theatre and touring) – musical theatre review
The legendary, wholesome Dolly Parton with a mischievous streak is on show in the part musical, part play, part concert Here You Come Again. It is the conceit of the creator and star of the piece, Tricia Paoluccio, who has a magnificent, rich, rounded, Dolly Partonesque voice. Her vocalisation is superb throughout this fun-filled production….
Echo: Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen (Malthouse Theatre) – theatre review
Take a real-life story and drop into it an actor, entertainment personality or media figure and ask them to play along without any rehearsal (in other words, a cold read). That is the conceit at the heart of Echo, written by the most performed playwright in Iranian theatre, Nassim Soleimanpour (White Rabbit, Red Rabbit and…
Superman (129 minutes) – movie review
Huge on effects, writer and director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) takes Superman into a newly imagined DC universe. The film’s opening sets up the contention that, for the first time, the superhero has been beaten … and it has just happened. He lays bloodied on the snow, barely alive, and needs to call…
Legally Blonde: The Musical (The National Theatre) – musical theatre review
Elle Woods’ superpower in Legally Blonde is staying true to herself. And so it is that the star of the show wins us over amidst much froth and bubble. The musical grew out of the successful 2001 film of the same name, which starred Reese Witherspoon in the title role. The story concerns the exploits…
The Divine Sarah Bernhardt (98 minutes) – movie review
Start with the facts and lace it with fiction. That is what screenwriter Nathalie Leuthreau and director Guillaume Nicloux have done with French stage star Sarah Bernhardt (22nd October, 1844 – 26th March, 1923). She became a global sensation. Bernhardt was spirited, determined, heavily opinionated and charismatic. Lovers of both sexes and admirers were plentiful….
Waterloo (Theatre Works) – theatre review
I am a firm believer that everyone has a story to tell if you dig deep enough. Of course, some are arguably more compelling than others. Creator and performer Bron Batten has quite a tale to relay. It involves her ill-fated affair with a political polar opposite. She is a Left-leaning, Greens voting, almost vegan,…
Smokescreen (fortyfivedownstairs) – theatre review
The complexities of marketing and manipulation at its finest are on show in a fictional horror show that has real world implications. It all goes down in the American Midwest 48 years ago, but the effects are felt today. Going toe to toe are two ad men. One is a seasoned Southern oil man, the…
Annie (Princess Theatre and touring) – musical theatre review
With an introductory nod to J.C. Williamson’s premiere season of Annie in Melbourne in 1978, this intoxicating, family friendly musical sizzles and sparks anew. All the elements – music, performance, staging, choreography, lighting and sound – come together seamlessly and make for a delightful night at the theatre. Despite being set during the Great Depression,…
Second Victims, part of the 2025 Scandinavian Film Festival – movie review
What happens if you are a doctor and make a questionable call? Not just any questionable call, but one that can mean the difference between life and death? That is the conceit at the centre of a tense Scandinavian drama. Alex (Ozlem Saglanmak) is a neurologist who works at a busy hospital. The attending doctor…
