Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Minister and Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop – the great hopes for the ALP and the Coalition. At least that is how they are presented in part in the political spoof Gone Girls. It is a cleverly written and performed work that is part fact and large part fiction. They entered…
The fantasy romance Press Play concerns two young people who fall in love, before their happily-ever-after is struck by a boulder. For some time, Chloe (Lyrica Okano) has been keen to set up her best friend Laura (Clara Rugaard) with her stepbrother Harrison (Lewis Pullman). He works in a record store run by Cooper (Danny…
Arrogance, entitlement and indulgence meet desert justice in The Forgiven. This rich and textured movie by John Michael McDonagh (Calvary) is based on Lawrence Osborne’s eponymous 2012 novel. Medical specialist David Henninger (Ralph Fiennes) and his wife Jo (Jessica Chastain) spend a lavish weekend with old friend Richard Galloway (Matt Smith) in Morocco. The location…
A boss oversteps the mark and the consequences are devastating in Ron Elisha’s incendiary Unsolicited Male. For the past two years Wendy (Kym Valentine), now 38, has been personal assistant to accountant Zeke (Russell Fletcher). She enjoys her job. Middle-aged Zeke has been good to her, grateful for how she has managed to transform the office. One night,…
Denver 1978. 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames) is a school kid who is a decent baseball pitcher. It looks like he is about to strike out big hitter Bruce (Tristan Pravong), but after two strikes Bruce goes all the way. Clearly happy with himself, while riding his bike home a black van looms ominously and Bruce…
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…
