Ten iconic female voices from different eras, with diverse styles – from husky to angelic. They are the divas in the show title. Songstress par excellence Bernadette Robinson mesmerises with her musical range and artistry. She channels Kate Bush, Shirley Bassey, Karen Carpenter, Edith Piaf, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Barbra Streisand, Maria Callas, Amy Winehouse and Judy…
Just what is going on in Hit the Road? A mystery infuses this whimsical family drama, written and directed by Panah Panahi (making his feature film debut). We’re on a cross country road trip in Iran with a mother, father, elder son and younger son. Where they’re going is unclear. But there are many stops…
American Primitive is the thirteenth studio album by veterans Old 97’s. The record is arriving just months before the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Hitchhike to Rhome. The band, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Rhett Miller, bassist Murry Hammond, guitarist Ken Bethea, and drummer Philip Peeples, describes the album as a “de-evolution,” featuring big, loud, brutal,…
In 2003, Death Cab For Cutie’s lead singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard and electronica musician Jimmy Tamborello (sometimes known as Dntel) released an album of songs they had recreated primarily by mailing tracks back and forth, thus the band moniker, The Postal Service. Late in the process of making their one studio album, Give Up, Jenny Lewis,…
The gig economy has grown exponentially in recent years. So much so, concerns are now being forcefully voiced about its actual and potential dangers. Director Noah Hutton taps into those fears as he takes audiences on an intriguing and sometimes frightening journey into a digitised future in Lapsis. Lapsis has something in common with one…
If you’ve ever heard (proper) jazz, it’s likely you heard Miles Davis. If you’re a jazz fan, you’ll know he’s part of the pantheon with the likes of Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. Stanley Nelson’s documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool explores the man, his music and his legacy in a comprehensive…
In the 1950s, Biblical films were extremely popular. Sweeping epics like the Oscar-winning Ben Hur and the spectacular The Ten Commandments scoring at the box office. These stories featured timeless themes of good versus evil. But in the 60s, their popularity seemed to wane. More modern takes on Bible stories have tended to be revisionist,…
If you were concerned about how your fond memories of one of the most iconic television sitcoms in history would be translated onto the stage four decades later, I am here to allay your fears. One of the original writers and its star John Cleese – who penned Fawlty Towers with fellow lead Connie Booth…
Is there really nobody else wondering why the female characters in a King Kong movie are so attracted to this giant ape? Honestly, I’m always asking myself the same question. Is it because Kong “King of all places he appears in” is such an impressive appearance, radiating power and protection? Or is it its primitive…
My 1953 edition of Webster’s Dictionary provides this definition of diplomacy: “dexterity; skill; tact; shrewdness in managing affairs of any kind”. And these are exactly the qualities which writer Cyril Gély has so cleverly enshrined in his masterpiece play Diplomacy. Originally written in French, the translation and adapted version by Julie Rose I’m sure has…
