Steel Magnolias, at Athenaeum Theatre – theatre review
Julia Roberts received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of…
The Bridges of Madison County (FollowSpot Theatre Company), at The Round – musical theatre review
A searing love affair between a former Italian war bride and a well-travelled National Geographic photographer comes alive under the direction of Jessica Claughton. With music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Marsha Norman, the musical is based on the 1992 romantic drama by Robert James Waller. The book had previously been…
Saplings (Australian Theatre for Young People), at The Show Room, Arts Centre Melbourne and touring – theatre review
They are largely Indigenous children whose future is looking decidedly shaky. From a young age they are in trouble with the law for a variety of offences. Breaking into homes and stealing money and valuables, they play the system. Often, they are immediately bailed, only to rinse and repeat. Then, in many cases, incarceration follows….
Funeral Flowers, at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre – theatre review
Life throws up real challenges for the 17-year-old daughter of a split home in the UK who aspires to run her own florist business. The one person play by Emma Dennis Edwards, inspired by the true story of Tottenham community leader Gina Moffatt, is unflinching. It doesn’t hold back. In patterned jeans and striking green…
SIX, at Comedy Theatre and touring – musical theatre review
It has such an energetic heartbeat. The performances, the showmanship, the musicality, the choreography, the set, the costuming, the sound, the lighting – this show has it all. Think pop anthems extraordinaire. Power ballads. Hip-hop. And the audience is up throughout and why wouldn’t they be? SIX is irreverent, slick and sassy, and puts a…
Morgen Wieder Lustik (Tomorrow Will Be Cheerful Again) – theatre review
Heinz Lewin, born in Wiesbaden, Germany on 22nd March 1888, was one of the many artists and composers who lives were tragically cut short by the Holocaust. In his case, the 54-year-old Jew perished in the gas chambers at Auschwitz in September 1942. Assuming a German accent and in costume, writer Zeddy Lawrence unravels his…
Mackenzie (Bell Shakespeare Company), at Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne – theatre review
A delicious, nightmarish hoot, Mackenzie asks what price child fame? This is a dark, camp and satirical reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, featuring four original songs – bangers all – from creator Yve Blake. She says the idea for the show came to her like a fever dream. It is about the dark side of child…
VISTA (Stephanie Lake Company), at Malthouse Theatre – dance review
A feted choreographer with 25 years’ experience, Stephanie Lake has built an enviable reputation for her creative excellence. And so it is with VISTA, in which the resident choreographer for The Australian Ballet and head of her own company presents two views of the one story. What is consistent is the sharp and then fluid…
Uncle Vanya (MTC) at Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne – theatre review
Set in Russia, and focusing on the bourgeoisie, Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is one of the great plays about the human condition. The tragicomedy, first published in 1897, continues to resonate. Now it has received a delightful makeover to bring the language into the present day by one of Australia’s finest playwrights, Joanna Murray-Smith. The…
Steel Magnolias, at Athenaeum Theatre – theatre review
Julia Roberts received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Shelby Eatenton in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias. Written by American Robert Harling, the heartfelt story was based on his 1987 stage play, being a tribute to his sister, who tragically died. Now, a highly talented cast has done a…
Reg Livermore’s Ned Kelly: The Musical (Victorian Opera), at Union Theatre, The University of Melbourne – musical theatre review
It has been tucked away for the best part of 50 years, but thankfully Victorian Opera has revived a quintessentially Australian musical about bushranger Ned Kelly. With book and lyrics by Reg Livermore AO, the story in the company’s new production is compelling. It moves from the northern districts of Victoria and the formation of…
