An Easter Saturday night opening at the Old Fitz. And what an opening. Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, by Rajiv Joseph, presented by a young independent company, Mad March Hare Theatre, directed by Claudia Barrie, was an unexpected pleasure. One of the highest order. On the eve of the celebration of the Resurrection of…
What a glorious production of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s choreographed Manon, which showcases all that is great about ballet. Featuring artists of The Australian Ballet with Orchestra Victoria, under the baton of Charles Barker, the staging is inspired, the costuming magnificent and the dancing sublime. Based on Abbé Prévost’s 1731 novel, love is pitted against money,…
A new Australian musical, Bloom hits the right notes. The delivery of effective aged care remains a contentious issue that has brought great consternation to many, before, during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. Writer Tom Gleisner has taken that and run with it to create a humour-filled portrait of a facility for the third generation in desperate…
A time of change, discovery and shock. That is what confronts Abbie (Ayesha Harris-Westman), a high school student who meets her bff in the most unlikely place. Abbie is in the bathroom at school when she has her first period and doesn’t have the necessary female hygiene product with her to deal with the situation in which she finds…
Racism and lust are on the menu in the Malthouse Theatre’s production of Underground Railroad Game. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early 19th Century. African-Americans used it to escape slavery in the South by travelling to free states and what’s now…
Five young women at the pearly gates, or are they at the gates of hell? Taken far too young, they are called upon – one by one – to enunciate their deepest, darkest sins to determine just where they will end up. And make no mistake, judgment will be passed. Unfolding as five monologues, with the occasional input…
Inanely silly, slapstick comedic and fun, it is hard to believe that Masterminds is based upon a true story and wasn’t simply a late night, tall-tale concoction. It follows the riotous misadventures of unlikely anti-hero David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) as he pulls off one of the largest robberies in U.S. history. He is painted as…
Having just sat through The World According to Dinosaurs, I am sorry to say I can’t really tell you much about the narrative, save for an extinction event. A big part of the reason is the verbiage in the work was frequently drowned out. Frankly, the sound mix was appalling. From the get-go, the narrator was swamped…
Here we have a new Australian musical that I wanted to embrace, but I struggled with. Most of it is set in a traditional Irish/American bar, called Flannigan’s, in Fresno, California. It is operated by Sam (Douglas Rintoul), who took it over from his dad. His only employee appears to be his best mate, JJ…
The stakes are high from the outset of Queensland Theatre’s blockbuster season closer First Casualty. This is not just because of the play’s grounding in reality as the debut work from serving soldier and Afghanistan veteran Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Johnston CSC, but also because of its initial action. That sees Sapper “Thommo” Ken (Reagan Mannix)…
