MR BIG aka Tatay, A Transwoman and That Tiring Tune! at fortyfivedownstairs – theatre review
Set between Australia and the Philippines, the tragicomedy MR BIG aka Tatay, A Transwoman and…
Losing Face (MTC), at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner – theatre review
The wellness industry gets a well-deserved dressing down in Marieke Hardy’s uproarious comedy with a dark underbelly, Losing Face. Jo (Michala Banas), Lauren (Christie Whelan Browne) and Simone (Madeleine Sami) have been besties since … forever. Only these days they don’t see much of each other because, well, life has gotten in the way. In…
Copland Dance Episodes (The Australian Ballet) – ballet review
Colour, movement and music to delight the senses. Modern balletic dance at its finest. A work of sublime beauty and integrity that has 30 captivating dancers entrancing the audience from a blank canvas. Save for lighting differentiation and enthralling music, their backdrop is an open stage. All the more reason to admire their endeavours. As…
MR BIG aka Tatay, A Transwoman and That Tiring Tune! at fortyfivedownstairs – theatre review
Set between Australia and the Philippines, the tragicomedy MR BIG aka Tatay, A Transwoman and That Tiring Tune! deals with pain and regret. Diana (Dax Carnay-Hanrahan) is a trans Filipina woman who now lives in Australia and is engaged to be married to the love of her life, Jerry (Aiden Gale Miranda). At the same…
FROSTED – A Winter Spectacular, in the Big Top opposite Westfield Fountain Gate in Narre Warren – children’s attraction review
The fun starts even before you enter the heated Big Top, which is located opposite Westfield Fountain Gate in Narre Warren. Snow is falling immediately outside, courtesy of a snow making machine. FROSTED – A Winter Spectacular is a magical experience for the littlies and for the parents and grandparents who watch their small faces…
Four Play (Taylor Made Productions), at Chapel Off Chapel – theatre review
Relationships can be complicated beasts. That is shown up in all its tangled glory (well, not so much glory) in Four Play. Rafe (Anthony Jacobsen) and Pete (Reuby Chip), both virgins when they met at university, have been in an exclusive relationship for seven and a half years. That’s when Pete puts forward an unusual…
Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of), at Athenaeum Theatre and touring Australia – theatre review
A glorious spoken and sung hoot, this is an audacious retelling of Pride & Prejudice. Just what would author Jane Austen have thought of it? I dare say she would be figuratively rolling around the aisles, just like the rest of us. Scottish playwright Isobel McArthur simply goes “bang” and wows us, time and again…
Lightscape, at Royal Botanic Gardens – outdoor visual arts review
Lightscape, the highly creative, after dark, lighting cavalcade at Royal Botanic Gardens, complete with a most appealing soundtrack, is a sensory sensation. It started in 2022 and the “exhibits” this year are the best yet. Following a curved two-kilometre trail, the installations have been created by leading artists from Australia and around the world. For…
Between the Lines: The James Joyce/Groucho Marx Letters (Bloomsday in Melbourne), at fortyfivedownstairs – theatre review
What a fascinating, intriguing, thrilling premise this James Joyce actioner has! Imagine if the Irish writer of Ulysses, one of the most lauded books ever published, exchanged correspondence with one of the world’s most famous comedians. Yes, Joyce and Groucho Marx in regular communication, after Groucho reached out to Joyce having acquired a first edition…
Corporare: Evan Task in Outer Space (The Thursday Group), at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory – theatre review
Do tech bros, that is entrepreneurs in the tech industry, rule the modern world without taking personal accountability for their missteps? You need not think too hard to come up with names that roll off virtually everyone’s tongues. That is a concept explored in this horror sci-fi about such a man who sets about trying…
House of Rot (Green Door Theatre Company), at Malthouse Theatre and Hayes Theatre – musical and theatre review
A sensational, largely musical tribute to Grey Gardens, House of Rot resonates … and how, from the first note. Grey Gardens was a derelict 14-room mansion in the wealthy neighbourhood of East Hampton in New York. It was populated by two reclusive, upper-class women – a mother and daughter. Their names were Edith Ewing Bouvier…
