Passion, obsession, desperation, jealousy and rage make for a fiery combination in composer Georges Bizet’s Carmen, newly interpreted by director Anne-Louise Sarks. The sublime music, with such familiar refrains, also showcases a sassy, not to be messed with soprano in Danielle de Niese. She is irrepressible and oh so potent as the titular character. Carmen…
What a special show: the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at its glorious best and four popular and talented singers in fine voice showcasing the incomparable Billy Joel. The sound is magnificent. The experience unforgettable. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s catalogue is remarkable. Thirty-three top 40 hits in the US. Record sales exceeding 160 million…
First love erupts into a fight for Country in Whitefella Yella Tree. Teen indigenous Australians from different clans meet to exchange information. Ty (Joseph Althouse) of the River mob is tall, wiry, reflective and intelligent. Neddy (Danny Howard) of the Mountain mob is slightly shorter and sturdier, a livewire who darts about. They meet beneath…
It is Melbourne’s newest entertainment precinct (off Lonsdale Street), with a sizzling hot new show, involving seven spirited performers. I speak of Spiegel Haus Melbourne and the adults only, risqué cabaret Blanc de Blanc Encore. It is slick, sexy and in your face – in short, a walk on the wild side – with audience…
Poppycock and balderdash. That sums up the theatre of the absurd production that is Bladderwrack at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory. It is errant nonsense – a fruit loop pantomime with a few operatic interludes. Inspirations include Spike Milligan and The Goon Show, so we shouldn’t be surprised. Bladderwrack starts with some light-hearted banter and audience…
Monopoly now has its own localised version for one of the most picturesque parts of Australia, Victoria’s stunning Yarra Valley. Local businesses have gotten together to support a new iteration of the classic board game, which is the most played in the world. In fact, according to the Australian licensee, more than 250 million copies…
Artist Joy Hester (21st August, 1920 – 4th December, 1960) didn’t run with the pack. Despite being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 27, given a year to live and told to put her house in order, she continued to do things her way. She thumbed her nose at the doctor and at the establishment….
I can’t speak highly enough of the comic might of Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (with libretto by Cesare Sterbini), as performed so adroitly by Opera Australia. If you have not seen this hilarious opera, let me draw a comparison to the cleverness inherent in arguably the finest popular British TV comedy Fawlty Towers….
What a great talent this man is. Reuben Kaye headlines a bawdy show to remember, introducing three Australian Opera headliners in the camped-up Opera Up Late. Making its first appearance in Melbourne, it has been a staple in Sydney since it was conceived by Kaye and award-winning director Shaun Rennie for WorldPride in 2023. It…
Given the state of the world, the anti-war message carried by the tribal, love, rock musical Hair is as relevant today as when it exploded onto the stage in 1967. With a book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, and music by Galt MacDermot, it began off-Broadway that year. It started its Broadway…
