Writer and performer Frankie van kan came from a liberal family and, for the most part, was comfortable in her own skin. Now she pulls back the curtain to reveal her life as a stripper and sex worker … and she doesn’t hold back. In fact, Frankie is bold and bodacious, and we – the…
When I first saw 37 almost a year ago, I was suitably impressed by the authenticity, grit, vitriol and humour involved in the production. In fact, it was another MTC triumph. With only one cast change, the second helping is just as satisfying. It gets to the essence of why football is much more than…
Magicians, comedians and crowd pleasers extraordinaire with the Midas touch … and they have been doing it for 50 years. Oh my! In a nutshell, the statuesque and demonstrative Penn Jillet with the sharp patter and the diminutive, usually silent Teller are magnificent entertainers. From humble beginnings in the 1970s to becoming the longest-running resident…
In a comic tour de force, Samuel Barnett has the audience in the palms of his hands. We hang on his every word, as he changes tack, time and again. It is a triumphant monologue, written by Marcelo Dos Santos and directed by Matthew Xia. The said performer, who assumes multiple character voices with aplomb,…
Fear of coming out and the judgment associated with doing so are the subject of a new musical, focusing on the LGBTQIA+ community. A cast of 21 sings and shimmies its way through 16 numbers, including a reprise, as the story surrounding the final days of a political campaign unfold. It is 2017, at the…
This all singing, all dancing, hit song fest just gets better and better, year after year. What a show! What a production! Elvis may have officially left the building, but Bill Cherry, for one, does a mighty job of looking and sounding like The King, who would have turned 90 this week. And he’s up…
It’s lively. It’s cheery. It upends political correctness. In fact, it is the perfect holiday treat. I speak of School of Rock The Musical, featuring the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and book by Julian Fellowes. Based on the 2003 film, which was a hit for Jack Black, who played…
What a glorious way to bring in the New Year! Witness three powerhouse performances from musical theatre royalty, accompanied by conductor John Foreman’s Australian Pops Orchestra. It is the stuff of goosebumps. Silvie Paladino, Paulini and Josh Piterman lay it all on the line. Emotional resonance is palpable throughout. Many times, I had a lump…
One woman is a kleptomaniac who awoke to see her lawyer husband in bed next to her doing the horizontal rumba with a stranger. Another is an orphan and inveterate liar who lived with and was carer to her recently deceased grandmother. Then nanna died and she was left penniless. Both are friendless loners. Both…
Poignant and compelling, the Australian premiere of six-time Tony Award winner Dear Evan Hansen – about a socially anxious 17-year-old – is a theatrical triumph. Steven Levenson (who received the gong for Best Book) has injected warmth and humour into the slice of life drama that makes for an enthralling narrative. Powerful and resounding music…
