Imagine if the world had all but come to an end and you were the last person left on Earth. Global warming has sparked a hellfire and only you survived – at least until now. Your demise is but days away. You are 33 years of age. Tortured images grip what little sleep you get. You continue to…
Men behaving badly towards women and the consequences of excessive drinking are themes running through The Royal Hotel. Director and co-writer (alongside Oscar Redding) Kitty Green first saw the documentary Hotel Coolgardie as an Australian film festival jury member. That 2017 doco was her inspiration. She was taken by the story of two young Scandinavian…
What a magical, beautifully constructed and executed show The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol is. Conceived and directed by Matthew Warchus, Jack Thorne has reimagined the Charles Dickens’ classic tale to mesmerising effect. It is dramatic and melodic with humorous flourishes. It recounts Dickens’ famous 1843 novella with relish and a fresh perspective. I saw it last year…
A deranged serial killer is on the loose. Not the first time that’s been the cornerstone of a slasher/horror film; but Thanksgiving is the latest gore-fest to use it. It’s Thanksgiving 2022 and we are in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the US national holiday. But for many, Thanksgiving is no longer a public holiday…
Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge has never seen the likes of it. Take the classic tale A Christmas Carol and put a Jewish twist on it. That is what writer Elise Esther Hearst has done with Phillip Kavanagh … and they have absolutely nailed this world premiere. Oy Humbug! Channel Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) on the US TV series…
Eight years since the last of four Hunger Games movies hit the big screen, the franchise refreshes with this prequel, which had me invested. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes tells the story of the evolution of the eventual president of Panem, the role filled by Donald Sutherland in the original Hunger Games. Here it…
More than ever, in 2023 the theme has an ick factor. It made my skin crawl. Today, cyberbullying is unfortunately rife, with physical appearance being a common reason why. Dogfight, in the context of this musical, refers to the practice among Marines of placing bets on ugly women. This is the story of Eddie Birdlace, who is…
Forty years on, the winner of 11 Tony Awards remains so much rambunctious fun. This all-new Australian production stars five-time Helpmann Award winner Paul Capsis in the lead role of Albin. By his side is renowned singer and actor Michael Cormick (Beauty and The Beast, The Phantom of The Opera) as husband Georges. Georges and the flamboyant,…
There is something wicked and subversive about storybook villains rising and trying to rewrite their fate. That’s the premise of the world premiere musical Villainy. Druzilla (Olivia Charalambous), one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters, who bemoans the fact that she is always walked over, is hosting a party. Mind you, the atmosphere is hardly festive. In the house are several…
Five young women at the pearly gates, or are they at the gates of hell? Taken far too young, they are called upon – one by one – to enunciate their deepest, darkest sins to determine just where they will end up. And make no mistake, judgment will be passed. Unfolding as five monologues, with the occasional input…
