Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a masterpiece from absurdist playwright Edward Albee. It’s a treat for lovers of his provocative works that look at the human condition with all its flaws and extremes. Queensland Theatre presents the State Theatre Company South Australia production of the play with its original cast and it sure does…
Gold Logie winner Tom Gleeson is highly entertaining and hilarious as he hosts the equivalent of an episode of his popular comedic ABC television show after a few minutes of stand up. In his opening, he pokes fun at 7.30 host Leigh Sales (his lead in to Hard Quiz on TV) and Eddie McGuire. He singles out…
Carrying shades of Sicario and Payback, Mel Gibson returns to the big screen in the action-thriller Blood Father as Link, an ex-con who has done all manner of bad things, but is now wanting to turn his life around. With an ex-wife who doesn’t want to talk to him and a daughter he’s lost touch…
A striking reimagining of Shakespeare’s tale of murder and madness, Zinnie Harris approaches the tragedy from Lady Macbeth’s perspective. Macbeth’s wife is the one pulling the strings … or so she thinks. For those familiar with Macbeth, the basic plot remains … with twists. Scottish general Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches that he…
The desire to break free of an abusive relationship is at the heart of Waitress, which is based on a 2007 independent film of that name, which starred Keri Russell. Jenna Hunterson works as a waitress and prolific baker at Joe’s Pie Diner in a small town in America’s South. She is trapped in an…
Saint X is a work that requires you to commit to the process of thoughtful absorption, considering such weighty issues as racial and social divides and the cultural displacement of economic immigrants. If you were after a racy little island mystery, you will not find that here. What you will receive instead is the meticulous…
No matter your view of Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, there’s no denying the power of Justine Clarke’s performance in Joanna Murray-Smith’s Julia. The actor is on stage speaking for all the work’s 90-minute running time, with no interval. She is uncanny in her portrayal of a leader who divided opinion when elevated…
Going Down gives cultural identity a good old-fashioned pounding. A stellar lead performance provides the highlight of this 90-minute play (no interval). Hmong-Australian playwright Michele Lee (winner of the 2018 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Rice) provides the source material. Going Down is one for the “me” generation; the hedonists who would rebel against their past. The…
Michael Pearce’s feature film debut Beast explores the line between evil and misunderstanding. Moll Huntford (Jessie Buckley) was home-schooled by her domineering mother, Hilary (Geraldine James) after an incident at school more than a decade earlier. Now a tour guide on the Channel Island of Jersey, she can’t stand the constraints placed on her at…
You’re The Man, a 75-minute play about the ugly face of domestic violence, is dramatic, potent and upsetting, just as it should be. Paul Mitchell has written and acts in this incendiary piece of work. Through a series of quick-fire vignettes, we piece together the story of crane operator Mark, his professional wife Phoebe and…
