Silly, funny, creative and clever, the Umbilical Brothers bring their unique blend of humour to the Melbourne Comedy Festival and the city is all the better off for it. This show, titled The Distraction, won the Best Comedy Award at the recent Adelaide Fringe Festival. David Collins and Shane Dundas, who are the Umbilical Brothers, have been…
It is a joy of gargantuan proportions to witness Handa Opera’s La Traviata in all its passionate glory on Sydney Harbour, with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House and Sydney skyline as a spectacular backdrop. A massive chandelier – frequently lit up in many a hue – hovers above the stage throughout, held fast by…
The magic of Disney is alive and well … and thriving, if Frozen, The Musical is anything to go by. It is the perfect blend of humour, emotion and theatrics, and brings to life the story of sisters separated by a potentially deadly curse. The musical has been adapted from the Disney film and the original 1844…
Get excited. Mighty excited. For all the hype surrounding the arrival of Hamilton, the musical in Sydney is justified. It is an incredible, spine tingling history lesson, packaged as entertainment par excellence, much of it delivered as readily digestible hip-hop, together with classic Broadway song writing. The entire story unfolds through the lyrics and it is crystal…
Two apex predators go head-to-head with an extra surprise thrown in for good measure in Godzilla vs Kong. It’s a battle that goes back generations and most interest lies in who will emerge victorious. Several story lines come together in the film. First up, Kong is being monitored around the clock on Skull Island, but…
Peter Rabbit was a delightful revelation when it was released in 2018, readily blending live action and animation. It brought us the tale of a recalcitrant bunny (the voice of James Corden) and his prickly relationship with Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson). You may recall Thomas inherited the farm next door to nature lover, Bea (Rose Byrne)….
With no shortage of drama, hijinks and a surfeit of musical talent, this unauthorised musical parody is pure gold for Harry Potter fans. It is 1942 and we are in Hogwarts castle. There, Professor Dumbledore (Ellis Dolan) is holding court trying to control his students. Among them are Muffin Rows (Mel O’Brien), who has a penchant for…
What is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in a relationship between two adults, when one is clearly more powerful and significantly older than the other?That is the question raised and dissected in a crackling new MTC drama, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes. It is 2014. Jon Macklem (Dan Spielman) is an acclaimed author with tenure at…
The scourge of opioid addiction is at the core of the dramatic thriller Crisis. A tension-filled opening sees a teenager, Cedric Beauville (Charles Champagne), in deep snow near the US-Canadian border being chased by unseen pursuers. The lad’s capture sets off a chain of events. Jake Kelly (Armie Hammer) is deep undercover. The Drug Enforcement…
Harry Potter is casting a spell over Melbourne anew, as well it deserves to. How fitting, as speculation mounts about expanding the eight film Potter series, the last of which was released in 2011. As the saying goes, there is a lot of love in the room for this production at the Princess Theatre. You can readily…
