It is 1999 and the clock is ticking down to the opening of a new production for a community theatre company. The pompous, misogynistic director fawns over the only paid member of the troupe, the leading man … and derides everyone else. The leading lady longs for a different role. An understudy who sees the good in everyone…
At last, Beans has returned! Boots N Cats marks their third album, the follow-up to 2020’s All Together Now. Frontman Matt Blach, who also plays drums for the Murlocs, thought their third album should have a different approach to making music. Boots N Cats is an album built around the drums (hence the name). Blach…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 15 March 2024. True to the motto “Stay curious”, Audax Records offers a second excursion through the catalogue of Greek-born composer Hélène Covatti and her husband Robert Dussaut. After an album devoted to the songs of the couple (ADX13722…
The Australian Ballet’s glorious production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a fitting tribute to the splendid State Theatre before it undergoes a three-year refurbishment. It is a colourful, highly creative, whimsical work – a sensory sensation. The winner of the 2018 Helpmann Award for Best Ballet, Christopher Wheeldon choreographs the translation of Lewis Carroll’s beloved book. The…
Grandaddy’s new studio album Blu Wav marks Jason Lytle’s return after a 7-year hiatus. Released via Dangerbird Records, it embraces themes ranging from the beauty of nature to the poignant moments that shape lasting memories. Inspired by a fusion of bluegrass and new wave, the album delivers a new and unexpected sound from Grandaddy, featuring…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 8 March 2024. Cuckoo Storm – the new album from Marry Waterson & Adrian Crowley – might never have been, were it not for a social media post Crowley wrote on a wintery late-night walk in a quiet neighbourhood…
The prequel to The Wizard of Oz is back to delight anew and delight it most certainly does in a dazzling display at Melbourne’s finest theatre – the grand Regent. This is top shelf entertainment in every way. I speak of the talent, the choreography, the staging, the lighting and the sound. We are in the…
Essential Tremors is the sophomore album from Australia’s own Hooper Crescent. It marks a significant progression from their debut, Object Permanence (2020), and showcases their melodic, off-kilter sound through 11 tracks of sonic experimentation and playful songwriting. The album comes off fresh from their polished studio environment and with the assistance of engineer/producer John Lee…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 1 March 2024. Faye Webster has released her fifth album, Underdressed at the Symphony. The songs on the new album explore the rarely mapped territory of emotional intimacy, where desire and passion are in conflict with comfort, understanding and…
Talent. Who has it and who doesn’t? It is a word readily bandied about, but it is fair to say that talent gets down to the eye (and ear) of the beholder. That is the subject at the centre of this absurdist, slapstick musical, first performed Off-Broadway in 1992. It is a rollicking spoof of classic shows…
