With strong autobiographical elements, this classic American play, which premiered in Chicago in 1944, is a piece of memory theatre. We are in St Louis in 1937 and Tom Wingfield (Tim Draxl) is both narrator and a central character. He is giving us his own nostalgic, emotional and subjective recollections of what went down. Inspired…
A ponderous ode to sad sacks the world over, The Lovers really doesn’t start to resonate at all until nearly four-fifths of it is done and dusted. By that stage you are utterly convinced that watching grass grow is a whole lot more interesting. The Lovers concerns a middle-aged husband and wife, each embroiled in…
Has there ever been a creative intellect greater than Leonardo da Vinci? I dare say that question could spark animated discussion. Where would Albert Einstein fare in that debate? Or Isaac Newton? Regardless, I put it to you that it is impossible not to be awestruck by just what da Vinci tackled and achieved in 67 years (15th…
Do you believe in ghosts? Noted sceptic and author Professor Adrian Chambers (Peter Houghton) most certainly does not? The 62-year-old has written 14 books on the subject. At a very poorly attended new book reading and signing, he is waylaid by the only person who turns up, librarian Beth Jackson (Emily Trheny). Although their awkward…
Life hasn’t turned out the way 42-year-old Liverpool housewife Shirley Valentine had envisaged. Married with two adult children – a boy and a girl – routine and boredom see her literally speaking to the wall for company and imbibing in more than the odd tipple. Her husband Joe (who we never get to meet) takes…
Although there’s plenty of it, there’s not yet a separate term for Australian rural noir set on the coast. Like many other Australian authors though, Aoife Clifford has moved from the bushfire ravaged inland of her last novel, Second Sight, to a small town on the Australian coast in When We Fall. In doing so…
Not to be confused with Paul Verhoeven’s recent dark and disturbing psychological thriller Elle, Ella is a documentary about Ella Havelka, the first indigenous dancer with the Australian Ballet in the company’s fifty year history. Born and raised in the small town of Dubbo, Havelka is a descendant of the Wiradjuri people but was passionate…
Can lightning strike twice? Well, “yes” according to playwright Lachlan Philpott whose work was inspired by real life events. Colder concerns the disappearance of David in Disneyland at age seven and then again in a different place 26 years later. On the first occasion, he reappears after seven frantic hours. The second time, he does…
The term “fan service” is getting a lot of play right now. The idea is that filmmakers and movie studios owe it to “core” fans to give them what they want. In politics, they call it “playing to the base”. Of course, in this age of social media, just who are the “core” fans often…
Wow, wow, wow and wow! Just when you think Cirque du Soleil has peaked, up pops the surreal Kurios! It is a blast of perfect entertainment from beginning to end – and that’s after marvelling at the immense Big Top with surprisingly comfortable seating and perfect air conditioning. Blasé me, who has seen Cirque du…
