A searing look at female homelessness in Australia over the age of 55, Way, written and performed by Sally McKenzie, is as powerful theatre as it is shocking reality. In short, it is distressing but important to watch what unfolds. McKenzie – an MTC stalwart in the early 1980s who moved back to Melbourne from Brisbane as…
The bawdy meets the bizarre in the Australian premiere of the tragicomic musical The Grinning Man, which is based on the 1869 Victor Hugo novel The Man Who Laughs. He is, of course, best known for Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. With music by Tim Phillips and Marc Teitler, lyrics by that pair, Carl Grose…
Fifteen-year-olds Arvy (Jess Sofarnos) and Thea (Megan Mitchell) are besties. They met in a science class and have been inseparable ever since. At their weekly sleepovers, they share intimate secrets, swap stories and say they love each other. You’re Being Dramatic juxtaposes one such rainy overnighter with a meeting at a pub they have many years later. By…
Whether or not you are a Harry Potter fan, it would be hard to be unimpressed or unamused by this delightfully ditzy offering. In short, Potted Potter condenses all seven Harry Potter books and a game of Quidditch into 70 hilarious minutes. Taking us on the wild ride are the talented and engaging Scott Hoatson and Brendan…
The romantic comedy The Fall Guy delivers plenty of action, hairy scenes and hijinks. Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) loves his job and his life. He’s a noted movie stuntman and body double for arrogant action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). More than that, Seavers is head-over-heels for camera operator Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), who aspires…
RBG: Of Many, One is distinguished by a virtuoso performance from Heather Mitchell, in which she metamorphosises into Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In fact, it is unquestionably one of the greatest solo theatrical offerings this country has had the good fortune to witness. As Ginsburg, the second woman to be appointed to the US Supreme Court, Mitchell talks…
A loving but dysfunctional family is put through the wringer in Andrew Bovell’s Things I Know To Be True. Bob Price (Ben Grant) has worked from the age of 16. Now 63, he spent 30 years at a car manufacturing plant before he accepted a redundancy package four years ago. A keen gardener, he is generally empathetic…
The father of psychoanalysis meets a feted author to discuss whether God exists in Freud’s Last Session. Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) is in failing health. With death approaching, he remains heavily opinionated. He has taken issue with British author CS Lewis (Matthew Goode), who has come out as “a believer” and written about it. Even…
On the dark web, thousands of people connect. One such encounter involves a deeply troubled 14-year-old girl, played by Matilda Gibbs. She reaches out to see whether anyone can teach her about witchcraft, so she can cast a spell over those that choose to ignore her. She loves dancing, is depressed, invisible, friendless and keen to lose weight….
I am not sure I fully understood, absorbed or appreciated all that The King’s Player was about, even though other patrons seemed to be having a wow of a time. Suffice to say, it is a lone hander and the writer and performer is clearly talented – adept at crafting and playing physical and improvisational comedy….
