In Free Solo, American Alex Honnold attempts to climb a 3,200 foot sheer rock face without any safety gear – no ropes, no harnesses, no protective equipment. It’s never been achieved before at Yosemite’s El Capitan Wall. One wrong move and there is every chance that this free solo climber will plunge to his death….
Desire, death and possession feature in Dybbuks. This obtuse world premiere is performed in English and Yiddish. Samara Hersch directs the work for Chamber Made, as well as writing the piece. The play draws its title from Yiddish mythology. Dybbuks are unresolved souls who seek form through living bodies. Four actors are accompanied by a…
Stunning, finely rendered and detailed animation in the Japanese anime style is the hallmark of Your Name, a youth fantasy written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, who also wrote a novel of the same name. It concerns a mysterious connection between two pupils – strangers – living different lives in disparate parts of Japan. Mitsuha…
Ever since their debut album Close But No Cigar dropped in 2018, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio has been one of the most consistent bands on the Colemine Records roster, pumping out instrumental jazz-funk that recalls the greats from the 60s and early 70s. The deceptively simple setup—which also features guitar slinger Jimmy “Scratch” James and…
The fantasy romance Press Play concerns two young people who fall in love, before their happily-ever-after is struck by a boulder. For some time, Chloe (Lyrica Okano) has been keen to set up her best friend Laura (Clara Rugaard) with her stepbrother Harrison (Lewis Pullman). He works in a record store run by Cooper (Danny…
Strong, emotive performances are the hallmark of Venus in Fur. This sado-masochistic two-hander is brim full of verbiage. It’s a play within a play, during which the power shifts. New York theatre director Thomas (Darcy Kent) is trying to cast the lead female role for a play. It’s a play he’s adapted from the 19th century book…
Leaves is a play by Irish writer, Lucy Caldwell, written in 2007, as part of a residency at the National Theatre Studio. A family is waiting for the return of their eldest daughter, Lori (Harriet Gordon-Anderson), from a recovery clinic after an attempted suicide. Her two younger siblings, Clover (Bobbie-Jean Henning) and Poppy (Poppy Lynch)…
After taking on vampires (What We Do in the Shadows) and superheroes (Thor: Ragnarok), hugely talented NZ director Taika Waititi takes on Nazis in Jojo Rabbit. But unlike the breezy charm of those films, this time Waititi goes to some very dark places. Jojo Rabbit is a cautionary tale about the dangers of “drinking the…
Does it seem to you also that 2020 is the year in which we’re all finding out that many of our long time favourite shows are winding up? Here’s another. Season 14 is the second last season ever of Supernatural, so get your hooks in now to enjoy all the schlocky horror before Season 15…
A truly wonderful and memorable musical set in America’s south over a quarter of a century (we are dealing with two time frames – the 1920s and ‘40s), Pursued by Bear has pulled out all stops to make it a winner. Inspired by truth, Bright Star follows twin story arcs in North Carolina. Handsome, shy,…
