Black Bag – movie review
British intelligence is under the microscope in Black Bag. George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is an…
An Audience with Don Dunstan – theatre review
Strong socially progressive views, music and poetry distinguish Neil Cole’s new play An Audience with Don Dunstan. It shines a light on the South Australia’s premier, who served in the role from 1967 to 1968 and again from 1970 to 1979. The flamboyant and eclectic Dunstan (21st September, 1926 – 6th February, 1999) was born…
Kagami: Ryuichi Sakamoto & Tin Drum (Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre) – theatre review
A Zen experience involving the late, great Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (17th January, 1952 – 28th March, 2023), Kagami fuses music with technology. Before he passed, he collaborated with mixed-reality pioneers Tin Drum to create a final concert that will endure. Through cutting-edge technology, Kagami enables us to feel as if Sakamoto is performing directly…
The Removalists (MTC) – theatre review
A rogue cop, police brutality and domestic violence are front and centre in David Williamson’s incendiary satire The Removalists. Written by the prolific and highly acclaimed playwright 54 years ago, the piece has lost none of its bite. With crime the number one issue in the state and partner abuse showing no signs of dissipating,…
Black Bag – movie review
British intelligence is under the microscope in Black Bag. George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is an elite operative at Britain’s closely guarded National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). He can’t stand liars. He seeks them out an exposes them. That has included his own father. Now there appears to be a mole in the ranks of the…
An Audience with Don Dunstan (Chapel Off Chapel) – theatre review
Strong socially progressive views, music and poetry distinguish Neil Cole’s new play An Audience with Don Dunstan. It shines a light on South Australia’s premier, who served in the role from 1967 to 1968 and again from 1970 to 1979. The flamboyant and eclectic Dunstan (21st September, 1926 – 6th February, 1999) was born in…
RBG: Of Many, One (Sydney Theatre Company) – theatre review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stunning. Brilliant. Remarkable. Heather Mitchell’s portrayal of US Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of the most extraordinary performances I have seen in three decades of reviewing. RBG: Of Many, One is the gold standard in how to attract, retain and mesmerise an audience … to have the crowd hanging on your every…
Spit – movie review
The filmmakers have dipped back into the well and reprised an iconic Australian character. I speak of Johnny Spitieri (aka Johnny Spit), played by David Wenham in Getting’ Square (2003). With a new story, Spit brings together several of the actors and key behind the scenes creatives from the movie released in the early noughties….
Three Sisters (Theatre Works) – theatre review
Misery abounds in Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters. One hundred and 25 years after he wrote it, it continues to resonate. The three sisters referenced in the title moved from Moscow to a provincial Russian garrison town 11 years ago. It is now the first anniversary of their father’s passing and their mother is also no…
The Monkey – movie review
This is a film with heaps of dastardly monkeying about. Over the top. You betcha. It revels in beheadings, spearing, disembowelment and explosions. Human splatter is everywhere. No, I am not trying to turn you off, for this is a pitch-black comedy, based on a 1980 short story by Stephen King, written and directed by…
Carmen (The Australian Ballet) – ballet review
Dark and dramatic comes this contemporary adaptation of Georges Bizet’s 19th-century opera. What choreographer John Inger has done in recreating Carmen is visionary – bold and breathtaking – retelling the tale captured in Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella. Inger has reimagined the classic opera, with its electric score, as realised by Orchestra Victoria, under the baton…
