Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge has never seen the likes of it. Take the classic tale A Christmas Carol and put a Jewish twist on it. That is what writer Elise Esther Hearst has done with Phillip Kavanagh … and they have absolutely nailed this world premiere. Oy Humbug! Channel Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) on the US TV series…
Okay, friends, let’s be honest. There’s no way in hell that this late-in-life album from the Rolling Stones has any right to sound and feel as good as it does. In a few months, it will be the 60th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut. The band’s last studio recording was 2016’s Blue…
More than ever, in 2023 the theme has an ick factor. It made my skin crawl. Today, cyberbullying is unfortunately rife, with physical appearance being a common reason why. Dogfight, in the context of this musical, refers to the practice among Marines of placing bets on ugly women. This is the story of Eddie Birdlace, who is…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 10 November 2023. Nighteyes, the evocative solo project of New Zealand-born and Melbourne-based multi-instrumentalist Rachel Trainor, has unveiled her haunting debut album The Way Back Down. This ethereal collection of dark rock, folk and electronica navigates an intricate narrative…
Forty years on, the winner of 11 Tony Awards remains so much rambunctious fun. This all-new Australian production stars five-time Helpmann Award winner Paul Capsis in the lead role of Albin. By his side is renowned singer and actor Michael Cormick (Beauty and The Beast, The Phantom of The Opera) as husband Georges. Georges and the flamboyant,…
There is something wicked and subversive about storybook villains rising and trying to rewrite their fate. That’s the premise of the world premiere musical Villainy. Druzilla (Olivia Charalambous), one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters, who bemoans the fact that she is always walked over, is hosting a party. Mind you, the atmosphere is hardly festive. In the house are several…
You have to wonder if anyone thought about the possibility that they might be wearing the band name Teenage Fanclub still, over thirty years later, while the principal members were getting close to 60? Whether they were expecting to be a flash in the pan, or were in it for the long haul, long gone…
Adapted from Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando: A Biography, first published in October 1928, Orlando: A New Musical charts the path of the eponymous hero. After being a handsome teenage boy, the aristocratic Orlando undergoes a sex change and lives on for more than 300 years. The musical is about their life and times. All five performers in it…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 3 November 2023. Jaime Wyatt has released her new album Feel Good via New West. A genre-defying work of healing and self-love, the album was produced by Black Pumas’ Adrian Quesada, Hailed by Pitchfork as one of the “most…
Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Miss Saigon has stormed onto the Her Majesty’s Theatre stage, captivating an enthusiastic audience anew. It last played at the same theatre 16 years ago. Miss Saigon is a deeply emotional work, featuring soaring vocals and exemplary production values – sound, lighting, choreography and visual effects. Based on Giacomo Puccini’s 1904…
