Rosie Andrews pulls a slight bait-and-switch in her debut novel The Leviathan. Set in the 17th Century, the first half of The Leviathan concerns itself with a possible witch trial before pivoting into something even darker. The short prologue ends with the ominous words: “She is awake.” But it will be a while before those…
A slow moving, sensitive work, Nobody Has to Know concerns a middle-aged farm worker on the Scottish Isle of Lewis who loses his memory after a stroke. Once released from hospital, Phil Haubin (Bouli Lanners) is generally driven around by Millie MacPherson (Michelle Fairley). A real estate agent, she is the daughter of taciturn farm…
A bare stage, save for the odd chair brought in now and again as a prop, is the domain of a troupe of eight highly talented artistes, known as Circa. They drop, climb, roll, balance, hold and run – agility and strength being their stock in trade. On by Circa is all about physicality. A large oblong mat…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 8 April 2022. Written mostly with longtime co-conspirator klipschutz, The Land That Time Forgot steps out of Chuck Prophet’s comfort zone (“two guitars, bass, and drums”). The album got off the ground in the Money Belt, only to find…
Film noir in style, Cab Suave is circus and cabaret mixed with comedy under the thin pretence of a detective story. The private investigator and master of ceremonies is Dick Johnson. He is also a highly competent performer whose routines are interspersed with the other acts. He juggles, twirls and balances – and impresses – using…
Going to a movie is an important choice. So as many people do with important choices, let’s get into a pros-and-cons analysis of Michael Bay’s new movie, Ambulance. Pro: It looks great! Kudos to DOP Roberto De Angelis. Con: The plot is so simple, it could have been written in crayon. Pro: Jake Gyllenhaal. I…
Call me a muggle but I was left cold by Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, the bloated third instalment in the Fantastic Beasts series created by Harry Potter author J K Rowling as part of the extended Potterverse. The series serves as a kind of prequel to the Harry Potter series, and explores the…
Midlake, a band a UK reviewer described succinctly as “the Texan masters of folk-proggy-Americana”, return nine years after their last album, Antiphon, recorded six months after the departure of their previous frontman and singer/songwriter, Tim Smith. And if early listens of For the Sake of Bethel Woods feel mysteriously haunted, it’s worth noting that the…
The publication of what is regarded as one of America’s greatest novels is the pretense for shenanigans from two of Australia’s favourite comics in Lano and Woodley (Colin Lane and Frank Woodley). It starts with imagery of an albino whale accompanied by the silhouette of a couple of musicians – one on guitar and the other…
Based on the 1988 film, Heathers: The Musical is a slick show about dark issues, including bullying, teen suicide, sexual assault and school violence. What makes this realisation of the rock musical such a success is the way that it leans into the irony built into Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy’s book. It does not shy from the…
