A 20-year drought has led to blatant exploitation of the underprivileged. That is the basis of the satirical musical comedy Urinetown. The narrator who sets the scene is also the town’s crooked cop Officer Lockstock (Dom Hennequin), as he is joined by street urchin Little Sally (Chloe Halley). The terrible water shortage has meant that it costs to…
Anne Buist continues to put the psychology, and particularly the psychology of women and mothers, in the centre with what may be the final entry in her Natalie King series Locked Ward. King debuted in Medea’s Curse and two further books followed – Dangerous to Know and This I Would Kill For. In each of…
Tulip Fever is a melodramatic bodice-ripper set in Amsterdam in 1634. Tulips were highly prized and a source of great wealth. Playing out against this backdrop of an economic bubble is a more formulaic story of romance, deception and betrayal. Sophia (Alicia Vikander) has been raised in an orphanage. The pipe-smoking abbess (Judi Dench) seems to have…
A surfeit of truisms comes to mind when describing what is behind the teen-awakening flick, Before I Fall. They include “you really don’t know what you’ve got until its gone”, “make the most of each day” and “make each moment count”. What’s the expression? This is Groundhog Day (the Bill Murray movie) all over again….
The triumphant triple bill 4 Seasons won rapturous applause at its opening in Brisbane. A mix of dancers and choreographers from Hong Kong and Brisbane combine to create three performances intertwined by the title and yet so totally different in delivery. There were 20 dancers, six from Expressions Dance Company and 14 from Hong Kong…
Strong socially progressive views, music and poetry distinguish Neil Cole’s new play An Audience with Don Dunstan. It shines a light on the South Australia’s premier, who served in the role from 1967 to 1968 and again from 1970 to 1979. The flamboyant and eclectic Dunstan (21st September, 1926 – 6th February, 1999) was born…
Lightscape (Friday, 20th June – Sunday, 10th August, 2025) has become an annual, must-see cavalcade of illuminated wonder at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Now, for the first time, the concept has been extended to Melbourne’s outer southeast, specifically to Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne. It is titled Lightfall: Nature After Dark and is an April school…
SIX sizzles and girl power rules. It is a high-octane musical in every sense of those words. I speak of talent, production values, choreography, sound and lighting – the complete package. The concept is pitting the wives of King Henry VIII against each other in a show of strength about who was the most hard…
Two actors presumably in their 60s, dressed in dark attire, sitting on fixed chairs about five metres apart, one questioning the other and then the roles are reversed … for 100 minutes without interval. No set. The audience on tiered seating on either side. Hardly what you may imagine could lead to riveting and dramatic…
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…
