The combination of the new and the old is intoxicating in The Australian Ballet’s double bill Etudes/Circle Electric. Up first is Circle Electric, which combines modern dance, ballet, sound and light to create a maelstrom of movement, majestic and, at times, harried. I was totally sold on choreographer Stephanie Lake’s first full length commission for…
The second instalment of the Joker series is, in part, a musical. Who would have thought that, notwithstanding the starring role for Lady Gaga? But it’s hardly mainstream entertainment. Rather, it has the feel of a dark independent film, which I appreciated for the layers within. Like he did so brilliantly in Joker, Joaquin Phoenix…
Ruva Ngwenya is simply the best in the dynamic musical tribute to the late, great Tina Turner, Tina. What Tina experienced in her lifetime (26th November 1939 – 24th May 2023) was more than anyone should. Yet, she overcame exploitation and abuse to become one of the greatest singers and performers the world has known….
Based on the whimsical work of Theodor Seuss Geisel, known as Dr Seuss (2nd March 1904 – 24th September 1991), Old Carey Performing Arts Club’s (OCPAC) production is slick and sassy. It is lively, energetic and highly entertaining. Musical direction comes from Olivia Jackson and Julian Smith-Gard. There are many rousing up-tempo numbers in the…
Best in Show (2000) was a delightful hoot. Now, nearly a quarter of a century on, we have a beaut family movie that again involves canine and human competition. Runt is a full-hearted Aussie comedy concerning a little girl from a salt-of-the-earth country town and the stray she befriends. Runt – the dog – runs…
This Pride & Prejudice is a delightful combination of words and music. This heartwarming representation of Jane Austen’s romantic novel takes a decidedly different, but nevertheless compelling, form. Since it was anonymously published in 1813 and well received by critics and readers, the book has never been out of print. It is feted as a…
Tough, gritty and uncompromising. That is the incendiary combination that marks the work of co-creators Patricia Cornelius (also writer), Susie Dee (also director) and Nicci Wilks (also performer). They have done it before with RUNT, a study of the underdog, and now Bad Boy, which tackles misogyny and domestic violence. A female actor, Wilks, get…
Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) brings a re-imagined Roman Empire into modern times in his passion project Megalopolis. He proposes that the American Republic is not all that different from old Rome and then asks whether it will fall victim to the appetite for power of a few? Coppola began developing Megalopolis in the early…
Imagine your older self visiting to give guidance on how to live your best life. Writer-director Megan Park (The Fallout) tries it out in the quirky comedy My Old Ass. And it works a treat. Elliott Labrant (Maisy Stella) has just turned 18 and is full of life. She can’t wait to leave behind her…
Blend drag, burlesque, circus, irreverence and the sensational sound of songstress Sahara Beck and you have the ingredients for a top night of fun and frivolity. That is Bite Club: 2nd Serve from cult cabaret-style mischief makers Briefs Factory. There are eight Briefs’ performers, alongside Beck on guitar and vocals, and the other members of…
