The Great Gatsby is one of those timeless works that artists want to recreate. The latest rendition a stunning production from a partnership between Queensland Theatre and Shake & Stir Theatre Company. When it was released in 1925, the original F. Scott Fitzgerald novel wasn’t a commercial success. A tragic story set in the Jazz…
Wonderful music, a kaleidoscope of colourful costumes, warmth and good humour permeate the Playhouse in a showcase of talent that is Hello, Dolly! circa 2017. Lyrics and music are by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart. The show is based on Thornton Wilder‘s 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The…
Marvel’s most, um… inappropriate, superhero returns in Deadpool 2. And if you liked the original’s blend of raunchy humour and super doings, this has more of the same. David Leitch (Atomic Blonde) replaces Tim Miller in the director’s chair but the difference in style is largely imperceptible. Deadpool 2 offers pretty much a re-run of…
There is one way to compromise a dramatic tale of obsession gone horribly askew that features impressive staging. Get the sound mix wrong. Unfortunately, that was the case at the premiere of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The music totally overwhelmed the opening number and did so again during parts of Act II. So much so that…
The all-ages spectacular of Cirque du Soleil’s LUZIA promises an imaginary flight to Mexico. And from the moment our traveller clown (Eric Koller) parachutes falls to its marigold field Earth, it’s clear we are in for quite the impressive journey. From his first encounter with a colourful hummingbird to final high-flying acrobatics, the combination of…
Unsound is an Australian feature film directed by Ian Watson (Doctor Doctor, Janet King). When gigging guitarist, Noah (Reece Noi, Game of Thrones), quits the band of a 90s pop icon Moniqua (Christina Anu), he returns to his mother’s home in Sydney, Australia. Noah soon finds himself swept up in the life of a young,…
If you are after something that is mighty special, you shouldn’t go past Melbourne Opera’s stunning rendition of La Bohème. It is simply sensational. The story. The music. The voices. The realisation. It is so lively and emotional. It is cheeky and sexy and fraught. Giacomo Puccini composed the opera in four acts between 1893…
For twenty-five years Stephen Page has been the creative director of Sydney’s Bangarra Dance Company, creating some innovative works that often explore complex indigenous themes and culture. He has also choreographed a number of films such as Bran Nue Dae and The Sapphires. He made his film directorial debut with Sand, one of the seventeen…
Nicole Kidman is noted for tackling a number of challenging roles and here is another; a needy woman on the precipice. Husband and wife, Matthew (Joseph Fiennes) and Catherine Parker (Kidman) have recently moved to the remote Australian desert town of Nathgari with their two teenage children. Their lives are flung into crisis when they…
Mark Haddon’s best-selling award-winning novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has been adapted to the stage by fellow playwright an Olivier winner himself. The novel which has become a staple of the school curriculum. Haddon himself thought the novel unadaptable, but Stephens’ version has been quite successful, remaining reasonably faithful to the novel….
