There will be blood. That expression well sums up the tyrannical reign of Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Caligula. He was the third Roman emperor, who ruled from the years 37 to 41, before he was assassinated. Considered mad, he murdered at will and on a whim. Burning House has crafted a bold adaptation of…
First up, a confession – I didn’t study science at school and I believe I am worse off because of that. I greatly admire scientific endeavour, though I have little to no understanding of what a scientist does day to day. Taking to the stage at The Butterfly Club are Michele Conyngham, Phil Dooley and Patrick…
For the VFL/AFL club that has finished runner up more than any other, the continued pain of losing Grand Finals and wasted seasons (when the result was far worse) was piling up. From working class roots, Tony Shaw tried his hand as basketball, but lack of height saw him turn his energies to Aussie Rules. At least,…
The expression “many hands make light work” immediately springs to mind when describing the specially created “night trail” through the Royal Botanic Gardens. An enormous amount of work has clearly gone into preparing the spectacular light and sound show known as Lightscape in the finely manicured surrounds. I wandered the meandering path, which spans 1.8 kilometres, stopping…
9 to 5: The Musical is energetic, sassy and colourful. What isn’t lost in this bright and breezy production though is the underlying point of it all. To see it played out makes one wince, just as it should. Franklin Hart Jnr (Eddie Perfect) is the misogynistic and pompous CEO of Consolidated Industries. He rides rough shod…
Freedom and identity are in play in Looking for Alibrandi. It is the 1990s and 17-year-old Josie Alibrandi (Chanella Macri), of Italian origin, is a clever student in her final year at school, looking to pursue law. She isn’t enamoured by the tight reign being kept on her by her mother, Christina (Lucia Mastrantone), who fell pregnant…
Just how good are you at keeping secrets? If you hear something juicy, do you immediately rush off to tell your partner or best friend, or do you keep it to yourself? Let’s face it, secrets by their very nature are tantalising and, at times, it feels good to share them with someone. The five actors in…
In Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment No. 6, the journey counts, not the destination. The film opens in Moscow in 1996. Laura (Seide Haarla) is a Finnish archaeology student in her 30s staying with Irina (Dinara Drukarova) in a beautiful flat. The pair are also lovers. Irina has forged a good life, full of friends, parties, laughter…
One of the most bizarre plays I have seen, The Amateurs is a tragicomedy from 2015 American Pulitzer Prize finalist Jordan Harrison. This is its Australian premiere. While I can’t claim to have liked it, to say it is unusual is an understatement. A troupe of mismatched mediaeval players make their way across Europe in a…
Naturalistic performances mark writer-director Clio Barnard’s new film Ali & Ava. She crafts a gritty, working-class story born of pain. Ali (Adeel Akhtar) is a Pakistani-British landlord who enjoys a strong relationship with his tenants in Bradford. He also loves his music with a heavier edge. After a tragedy in their lives, Ali and his…
