The word ‘Rhinestone’ immediately makes me think of ‘Cowboy’. So, when I saw the title of the current play at Ensemble Theatre Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica, I thought that David Williamson had delved into the great ‘Western’ genre. Well, he does a little bit. Set mostly in the living room of Monica in Sydney’s…
Very few stage productions can boast superlatives like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (‘Joseph’), now on at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre. From start to finish, this production is magnificent musically, colourful in its presentation, engaging in its staging and outstanding in its efficaciousness. First presented by Andrew-Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in 1968, Joseph loosely follows…
A fly-on-the-wall expose of the world of talk-back radio is the basis of Melanie Tait’s outstanding new play A Broadcast Coup. It is set almost entirely in the studios of Australia’s largest public broadcaster (conspicuously nameless). The play provides the impression of a workplace which runs by default and is dominated by individuals whose egos…
The great sleuth Sherlock Holmes is at it again. Is there no case he cannot solve? Can his adversary, Professor Moriarty, finally chalk up a win against Holmes and Watson? And will Sherlock let his affections for a client cloud his judgment for once? These and other issues make Sherlock Holmes and the Case of…
There’s no mistaking where The Caretaker is located. As the lights dim, the powerful throng of the bells of Big Ben ring 12 times. Mick, a builder with own van sits solemnly on a single bed in a shabby boarding house in the late 1950s. He is surrounded by meagre furnishings, junk knick-knacks, a gas…
America is obsessed with mythical superheroes. However, no one can eclipse China’s real-world superhero: Tank Man. He is the lone figure holding two shopping bags in front of a line of Chinese tanks in Tiananmen Square in June 1989. It is an iconic and enduring image celebrating non-violent protest. Lucy Kirkwood, the author of Chimerica,…
One of the best ways to communicate a message is through humour. The One, now being performed at The Ensemble, is a fine example of how a good script, professional acting and comedic storytelling can convey the writer’s intended cause effectively. The story of post-war migrant families coming to Australia to build a better life…
Who knows what the future holds? One thing seems certain, namely artificial intelligence (AI) will play a controlling role in our lives. This issue is the fundamental theme in Control, a play by Keziah Warner, presented by New Theatre at Newtown. If not for Warner’s humorous style, the subject matter would be quite dark and…
Australia: The Lucky Country. And through the eyes of a teenage, orphaned girl in Singapore, it represents her dream, her hope for a better life and an escape from the emotional shackles that the death of her mother has dealt her. Although inspired by the early years of its writer Merlynn Tong, Golden Blood is…
Knowing where we came from and understanding what shaped the lives of our descendants can be confronting. In the context of Indigenous Australians, whose history stretches back eons, understanding is even more complex as it involves the disturbing events of post-European settlement. One woman’s story of discovery and understanding is told in A Letter for…
