This is a Wilde/wild night all right – oh so deliciously wacky, in fact. Bloomshed has taken the essence of Oscar Wilde’s original farce, first performed in 1895 and given it an even more ribald and rambunctious twist. Who plays whom at any given moment appears to be somewhat of a lucky dip. Suffice to…
When British author E.J. James released his erotic romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey in 2011, it titillated an excited throng of readers. The frenzy returned four years later with the release of the Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Hollywood film, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. The subject was, of course, the unusual relationship between a young…
With the Anywhere Festival ending for another year and the unexpected cancellation of a main-stage play, theatre lovers keen to support new, locally produced work should not miss Horizon by Playlab Theatre. For over 50 years, Playlab Theatre has supported over two hundred playwrights in the development, production and publication of works that challenge perspectives…
The moral dilemma. Juicy. Delicious. Ideal for the stage. It is at the heart of Only Child, a new play from Leah Annetta. Divorced, uptight Veronika (Sarah Hallam) runs a wedding planning business. She lives with her mother Barbara (Michele Stayner) and her high achieving, 18-year-old daughter Anika (Alessandra Alessio). Anika, in her final year…
Identity. Being comfortable in our own skin. It is integral to who we are and what we stand for. English is about that. It is about love and loathing, aspiration and fear. It deals with learning to speak a language that is not your native tongue and, in so doing, fitting in, not standing out….
Queensland Ballet’s annual Bespoke program is a triple bill of brand-new contemporary work that includes Katina Olsen’s gundirgan, wise woman, Milena Sidorova’s Birds of Paradise and Jack Lister’s Papillon. Now in its seventh year, Bespoke is an exhilarating opportunity to see elite ballet dancers perform in dynamic, contemporary settings, and the 2024 season did not…
Julie Rodgers (Elyse Batson) is having a very bad day. The 28-year-old has just been sacked from her secretarial job for rejecting her married boss’ overtures. It was her eighth job in 10 years and she is worried she won’t be able to pay the rent. She pays out by drinking (a lot) and playing…
Since the age of 11, when he was taken to see the dark musical Chicago at the Sydney Opera House, Scott Hollingsworth has dreamt of becoming a star. He went on to forge a successful 18-year career as part of the ensemble in big musicals on Broadway and the West End, but he yearned for…
Star crossed lovers all right, but this isn’t the Montagues and the Capulets. In fact, far from it … and neither are we in historic Verona. Romeo & Julie is set in contemporary Splott, a district south of Cardiff and concerns two decidedly different 18 year olds. Romy is a single father and school dropout…
Love, loss and laughter are potent and enduring in composer William Finn’s (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) Elegies. Based around the importance of community, Elegies is a song cycle, namely a series of songs that hang together thematically, rather than through a narrative thread. Having said that, attendees at a regular, all male…
