Talk about playing mind games with words. A decade after MTC staged this Tony Award winning musical comedy, the Vic Theatre Company has brought it back to tickle our funny bones again. It is, indeed, hilarious, more than a touch silly and really fun, but not without pathos … for you see the contestants in…
Caroll Spinney is an octogenarian puppeteer. He is also a talented artist and the man who has been behind Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since the TV show’s first season. It premiered in the US on November 10, 1969 and is still running today. This documentary captures how the warmth radiating from…
Spectacular. Creative (in short, it is visionary). Compelling. Nijinksy showcases the very best of The Australian Ballet. As the title suggests, it charts the rise and fall of acclaimed Russian dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky (12th March, 1889 – 8th April, 1950). Considered to be the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century, he…
A delicious, nightmarish hoot, Mackenzie asks what price child fame? This is a dark, camp and satirical reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, featuring four original songs – bangers all – from creator Yve Blake. She says the idea for the show came to her like a fever dream. It is about the dark side of child…
Enthusiasm for Shakespearean adaptations shows no sign of waning, as Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) assembles an A-list cast for a stunningly visual and viscerally gripping version of the classic Macbeth. At its most basic, Macbeth is the tale of a struggle for power in Dark Ages Scotland; and Kurzel has wisely decided to strip…
In writer-director Ladj Ly’s Les Misérables, cop Stéphane (Damien Bonnard) has just moved to Paris. He’s joined a tough unit – an anti-crime squad, patrolling the impoverished Paris suburbs of Montfermeil*, where many residents live in crowded high-rise apartments. His immediate superior, Chris (Alexis Manenti), is a piece of work. He starts by giving Stéphane…
A light, lively and joyous family friendly production of Mozart’s final opera before his passing, The Magic Flute is a cavalcade of fun and treachery. For me, four characters turned the beloved opera into something special. Foremost among them was Andrew Moran’s quintessential, knockabout Aussie representation of the bird catcher, Papageno. From the moment he…
Sally Hepworth’s latest novel, The Mother’s Promise, should come with a “Tissues needed” warning. I cried. More than once. Chances are you will, too. Here’s the blurb: The bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives delivers her most powerful novel yet. Alice and her daughter Zoe have been a team of two all their lives. With no family…
Sheerwater is an emotionally charged work of both hope and despair, beginnings and endings. Calling this book a thriller won’t be doing it a disservice, but it may give the expectation to the reader that they are about to dive into a work of suspense with no lingering take-homes to mull over. Sheerwater is a…
It’s 250 years since Jane Austen was born and her witty, insightful works still endure. Pride & Prejudice remains one of the evergreen favourites for Austen fans, with several film, TV and stage adaptations having been produced over the years. It’s Queensland Theatre’s turn with this joyous production that features an all-Queensland cast. Adapted by…
