Garry Disher returns once more to the world of small town policeman Paul Hirschhausen in his latest book Consolation. Consolation appears in quick succession after the second book in this series, Peace, which itself came after a long hiatus after Bitterwash Road. Consolation shows that Disher has clearly found his groove with Hirschhausen. Once again,…
Fifty-eight people died and more than 520 were injured in the Las Vegas slaughter. Joanna Murray-Smith wrote her powerful and affecting one-man play American Song long before that tragedy unfolded. Unfortunately mass shootings in the land of the free have become all too common. American Song was commissioned in the US and first produced there last year…
At age six months, three identical male siblings are adopted out to three different families by a now defunct adoption agency. The reason they are separated has to do with a bizarre nature-versus-nurture experiment, the results of which are never published. In a nutshell, that’s the documentary Three Identical Strangers. The trio – Edward Galland,…
The well-being of a brilliant seven year-old is on the line in the feel-good weepy Gifted. Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising his spirited young niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) in a coastal town in Florida. Though Mary is a child prodigy, Frank’s intends that she lead a normal life. His aim is thwarted…
Chloe Hooper has, yet again, taken on difficult terrain and a complex subject matter in The Arsonist. As in The Tall Man, there are victims, family members, affected communities and people still trying to get on with their lives, Black Saturday being ten years ago this month / year in the one of the most…
Giggles from littlies and laughter and hand clapping from adults are what greet a strongly visual and athletic mime artist – the pianist – whose specialty is piano playing … although in his hour-long show he hardly tickles the ivories. Instead, he is intent on making a grand entrance, positioning himself and his sheet music…
The seniors’ road trip The Leisure Seeker is, if you can believe this, a lighthearted take on dementia. The heavily concocted drama however stretches beyond acceptance. John and Ella Spencer (Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren) have almost reached the end of the road. Ella is frail, while John’s memory is failing. Instead of going quietly into that…
Competition can be invigorating, but also dramatic and soul destroying. That is the theme of the two parter created under the auspices of Theatre Works’ Early Career Artists’ Program. As you enter the theatre for Part I, named The Volition Project, you are handed several tokens by one of the actors. On those tokens are…
The Grapes of Wrath is an adaptation of the great American novel by John Steinbeck. Written by Frank Galati, it tells the story of the impoverished Joad family from Oklahoma during the Great Depression. The opening scene could be viewed as a summary of the themes built up during the play. It shows the local…
Creator Julian Fellowes seems determined to squeeze every last drop out of the Downton Abbey saga. The popular television series set in the impressive titular stately rural mansion home of the wealthy Crawley clan finished its run in 2015, but Fellowes revived it with a stand-alone film (also titled Downton Abbey) in 2019 that brought…
