La Bohème (Opera Australia), at Regent Theatre – opera review
Love, envy and illness are a heady mix in Opera Australia’s lavish new staging of…
CARBON, at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre – theatre review
Man has always been fearful of alien life forms. What if they are smarter, stronger and more powerful than us? What if they get into our heads and come with the express purpose of taking over the planet? Now one man has not only had an up close and personal experience with an extra-terrestrial. It…
Parky (M) – 88 minutes – movie review
Yorkshireman Michael Parkinson (28th March, 1935 – 16th August, 2023) was a remarkably adept television presenter, broadcaster, journalist and author. Those old enough will recognise him as the long-standing presenter of Parkinson, the one-on-one, interview-based TV program, as well as its Australian offshoot. It was a badge of honour among celebrities to appear on the…
Morning Melodies – Georgia Wilkinson, Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Rhodri Clarke, at Hamer Hall – concert review
Vocally astonishing, soprano Georgia Wilkinson’s voice is equally at home operatically (where she could shatter glass) and in musical theatre. After six years in straight opera, over the past three and a half years she has moved into musical theatre. In the latter, she has starred internationally as Christine Daaé, the lead female protagonist in…
La Bohème (Opera Australia), at Regent Theatre – opera review
Love, envy and illness are a heady mix in Opera Australia’s lavish new staging of one of the most popular operas ever written. Set in Paris, the bittersweet story, which lurches from comic to tragic, is compelling under the watchful eyes of impressive director Constantine Costi. The music. The voices. The realisation. It is so…
This Is Our Youth (Lunatix Theatre), at fortyfivedownstairs – theatre review
We are in New York City in March 1982, specifically in the apartment of 21-year-old Dennis Ziegler (Amir Antoine) that his wealthy, noted painter father bought for him. Dennis has tickets on himself. A bully, he angers quickly. He has just had a significant bust up with his girlfriend, Valerie (who we don’t meet). Dennis’…
Fiddler on the Roof, at Her Majesty’s Theatre – musical theatre review
The staging, dancing and choreography are next level, as Troy Sussman makes Tevye his own in a virtuoso display in this triumphant revival of Fiddler on the Roof. The emotionally fraught journey resonates big time in a critically acclaimed production direct from the West End. “Fiddler” is set in 1905 in the tiny village of…
After The Flood – musical theatre review
Is the world pure evil? For global Jews, October 7 (2023) certainly made it appear so. It was the 21st century Holocaust. Creator and composer Ari Jacob and co-writer Josh Gurgiel have taken that concept and turned it into a modern day reckoning. It is a parallel story to the flood in the Old Testament…
Tenzing (PG) – 125 minutes – movie review
The narrative feature Tenzing charts the emotional background to the historic ascent of Mount Everest by Nepalese-Indian Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on 29th May, 1953. Standing beside him on the summit – New Zealander Edmund Hillary. Based on true events, aspects have been dramatised and amalgam characters created. The film positions Norgay (Genden Phuntsok as an…
Timon of Athens (Th’Ungarded Duncan), at Theatre Works – theatre review
Life is a power game. Power rests with the wealthy. The more wealth, the greater the power. With the human condition, I dare say it has always been so. So, what would happen if the ultra-wealthy gave away their riches and became impoverished? Would their “friends”, who they showered with largesse, reciprocate or abandon them?…
Schadenfreude Cabaret, at Spiegel Haus Melbourne – cabaret review
Craig McLachlan makes a triumphant return to the big stage in a mad-capped cabaret show in the Black Box Theatre at Spiegel Haus Melbourne. As the star attraction, one should never forget what a natural and talented performer he is. McLachlan sings up a storm and acts up beautifully. He leans heavily (and commendably) into…
