Sharing a house with friends and/or strangers can be anything but straightforward. Sometimes, mighty testing, in fact. So it is in the new Australian musical Share House, which is simply delightful. Former classmates Lucy and Jane are as different as chalk and cheese. Now young adults, they have been living together for what seems like forever. Bossy, at times…
Noted for her interpretation of French ballads, Edith Piaf (19th December 1915 – 11th October, 1963) was one of the world’s most lauded singers. Forever searching for love, her dramatic style and expressive voice appeared to reflect the troubled and difficult life she led. Her small stature (she was only four foot eight inches tall) and stage…
What did I know about Pentecostalism when I entered the Malthouse Theatre? Little to nothing, save for a few colourful stories about Hillsong. Suffice to say, it is a charismatic Protestant movement, which is subject to much scrutiny in the no holds barred offering Homo Pentecostus. Co-creators (with Emma Valente) and performers Joel Bray and Peter Paltos…
More monkey business. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is another reboot … reset … reconfiguration of the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes, which starred Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall. In fact, this is the tenth picture in the extended franchise (and was mostly shot in Australia). But does it live up to…
Memories – personal, intimate, global … over time and space … on Earth and beyond. A monologue that is vivid and humorous and, at times, matter of fact, a kaleidoscope of disparate thoughts that come together to form a time capsule. That is what writer Emma May Hall pulled together seven years ago and revised slightly earlier…
The ocean, the family, the lover – 20 years on a man returns to his childhood home and revives memories of his past. I speak of a small coastal town in El Salvador, a place he swore he would never return. So, why did he feel the need to leave and now why go back on his…
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…
