I have seen Come From Away three times now and on each occasion I exit the theatre in awe of what I have just witnessed. Simply put, it is a show I can’t get enough of … and with very good reason because it is such a brilliantly told, magnificently performed and most remarkable story. Behind it…
A cavalcade of song, movement and colour, Shake Rattle ‘N’ Roll breathes new life into the sounds of the ‘50s and ’60s with entertainment aplenty. A poised and polished cast of five singers and eight dancers light the fuse and keep it burning for more than two hours. The pretence is the re-creation of famous, gravelly voiced…
Soaring vocals and a bravura performance by Soprano Helena Dix are among the many highlights of Lucrezia Borgia, in which subterfuge and skulduggery abound. The melodramatic opera by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti hasn’t been performed in Melbourne for more than 30 years. Director Gary Abrahams has chosen to set the story in a world of power,…
Eighteen-year-old Anna (Melissa Kahraman) has been on medication for so long she can’t remember who she is without it. Whereas once, as a little girl, she was a prodigious writing talent, able to fill hundreds of notebooks with imaginative stories, now her creativity appears lost to years of pills and prescriptions. She ponders if her…
In 2016, the footy world was stunned when good mates Billy Brownless and Garry Lyon became involved in scandal. It was all do with the fact that the Geelong champion’s wife – Nicky – from whom he separated a year earlier was now in a relationship with the former Melbourne captain. Brownless was blindsided. To make matters worse,…
Bullying and racism are not acceptable in any environment and yet the schoolyard can be a hotbed of discontent. So it is for 15-year-old Lucy Lam (Ngoc Phan), the daughter of hard working parents who emigrated from Vietnam. She is the recipient of the inaugural Equal Access Scholarship to a prestigious private school, where wealth is flaunted. It…
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,…
Opera Australia’s production of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella is glorious from the get go. Though there is no real standout number, the musical’s soundtrack is glorious and easy-on-the-ear, filled as it is with recognisable Rogers and Hammerstein melodies and lyrics. Anna Louizos’ set design is superb, featuring slick transitions through scenes the sometimes include animal hand…
By their very nature, human relationships are often messy. The vast majority don’t hit the headlines, but public figures are considered “fair game”. So, it is that 44-year-old television anchor Anna Kay (Caroline Craig) starts trending and is “slut shamed” when she takes up with 27-year-old SAS soldier Lexie (Callan Colley). Their relationship began after she interviewed…
The spark burns brightly in Hairspray, a delightfully breezy musical with discrimination as its theme. It is colourful and dynamic, with toe-tapping tunes, smooth moves and a stellar cast, with talent to burn. The show positively sizzles, bringing frenzied acclamation from an appreciative audience. We’re in Baltimore in 1962. Teenager Tracy Turnblad (Carmel Rodrigues) is small of stature…
