A riotously fun, thoroughly entertaining musical for our new, enlightened times, & Juliet picks up Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet where it ended and kicks it up a gear. It does so after the Bard himself (Rob Mills) is challenged by his wife Anne Hathaway (Amy Lehpamer), who has suffered as second fiddle to his writing for…
Set in Dubin in 1912, Richard Rowan (Doug Lyons) is a highly intelligent writer plagued by self-doubt. Richard married the woman he desired, Bertha (Lucy Payne), but nine years on their light appears to have dimmed. When the couple moved to Rome, he exchanged long letters and chapters of his book with another woman from his past,…
My approach to reviewing is to enter a theatre, cinema or gallery knowing nothing about what I am about to see and hear. That means not reading a synopsis or any commentary about the work because I believe it needs to inform me or “speak to me” on its own merits. Ninety-nine times out of…
The cringeworthy and unfunny comedy The Honeymoon is an Italian/British co-production and it’s received some of the worst reviews of the year. Adam (Pico Alexander) has been best friends with Bav (Asim Chaudhry) since they were children and they called themselves “the inseparables.” But as a teenager Adam moved to America with his family for…
Maggie Shipstead’s third novel Great Circle was shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize. And for good reason. This is a shaggy, great American novel spanning the last century but focussing on the golden age of aviation, stunningly written, full of rich characters and complex themes, fascinating situations, and plenty of resonance. Great Circle is built…
Shadow Spirit is an artistic showcase – a microcosm of what is impressive and meaningful about indigenous culture. It is an eye and ear pleasing experience, which uses a variety of forms to bring to life 60,000 years of rich heritage and tradition. I speak of projections, artwork, sculpture, animation, video, music and more. Curated by Kimberley…
Greatness often emanates from very humble beginnings. The story of the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, is one such example. In Bronte, writer Polly Teale provides context about how three cloistered sisters wrote English literary classics such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Polly Teale’s storytelling is engaging and…
In 2016 we had the graphic animated comedy Sausage Party. Some absolutely hated it, while others regarded it a work of raunchy comic genius. Well, here we go again; as puppetry interplays with live action in The Happytime Murders. The film is many things: a murder mystery, a buddy cop story, a tale of diversity…
This crime drama is set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically the most dangerous year in the city’s history. The story plays out within a maze of rampant political and industry corruption that is plaguing the streets of a city in decay. Doing business at the epicenter of capitalism became fraught…
Highly regarded Australian journalist Peter Greste was arrested by Egyptian authorities in Cairo on 29th December, 2013. He was working there for Al Jazeera as a two-to-three week Christmas cover for another journo. Greste was taken into custody alongside two other Al Jazeera reporters, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed. Written by Peter Duncan, The Correspondent…
