Caroline Lee takes the stage as June, a woman of a certain age who hasn’t spoken to another person in more than a year. So, over that period – apart from accidentally speaking out aloud – she has lived in silence. Now June is taking us, the audience, into her confidence to break the drought and explain…
You need to know two things about Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. First, this is one of the most exquisitely produced and intelligent films you’ll ever see. Second, a key plot element is, well, bonkers. You’ll need to wrap your head around those apparently conflicting ideas to fully appreciate this film. Anderson is of course known…
It’s Halloween, so we’re checking out a little spooky action with the Netflix movie, Vampires vs The Bronx. This fun excursion into the supernatural won’t test your brain, but never wears out its welcome. Director Osmany “Oz” Rodriguez has an impressive CV in television, notably on A. P. Bio and Saturday Night Live. And he…
The baton has been officially passed to Delta Goodrem as Grizabella, the shunned Glamour Cat and she makes a triumphant entrance to musical theatre, with the audience favourite Memory. What a voice! I remember thinking the same thing when I first saw Debra Byrne in the role in 1985, who, incidentally, attended the opening night…
It was such a delight to welcome back to the stage musical theatre royalty in Debra Byrne. It was the mid ‘80s when she appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats and a decade later she followed that up with another star turn in the maestro’s Sunset Boulevard. So, it seems only fitting that she should reprise solo…
The expression Hail Mary refers to a last-ditch attempt at an unlikely outcome. And so it is that Project Hail Mary is about a desperate effort to save planet Earth from a destructive force. The sun is dying and with it half the world’s population is expected to be wiped out within 30 years. The…
Dramatic, emotional, evocative. Electrifying. Triumphant. That is Hamilton, as good a musical as has appeared on stage. That’s right. Nothing yet seen can or has bettered it. The story is woven into the music, often delivered at breakneck speed and we are taken on a journey of discovery. Hip hop predominates, but everything from R&B to pop, soul and…
The cutthroat razor is sharpened and ready for the kill in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Forty-five years on, the musical thriller set in 19th century England retains its bite. It is a tale of murder, vengeance, cannibalism and entrepreneurial spirit. Benjamin Barker has been framed and is exiled to a penal…
Immersive and interactive theatre excites me. It always has. We don’t see enough of it in Australia. That is why I entered The Austral in Collingwood (a former theatre, cinema and roller-skating rink that dates back to 1921) with a heightened sense of anticipation. Forty-three rooms, eight characters, with us – the audience – free to go where…
The quintessential American sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1st, 1926 (and died August 5th, 1962), has long been a source of fascination and intrigue. Now a one-woman show takes a glimpse behind the rainbow. The actress, model and singer craved attention, but most of all acceptance and love. With 33…
