Musical Theatre Australia’s award-winning A Girl’s Guide to World War tells the true story of some amazing women forgotten by our history. If its premise is not made clear by this hint as to its content, its sentiment comes through strongly during the first scene, which sees its narrator (Vix Sheather, lead singer and guitarist…
How do you know when it is best to end a relationship? That question is highlighted and spotlighted in the compelling and highly creative new work Cutting Onions. A young couple has just moved into fresh digs. Their home is quite spacious, with a good size kitchen and a large, if overgrown, backyard. There are still unpacked boxes…
Physical and improvisation comedy at its absolute, chaotic best. That is what you get when you venture in to Chapel Off Chapel to see the hilarious, contemporary adaption of The Trojan War. All the key characters are in play, the likes of Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector and Paris and, of course, Helen of Troy. The legendary conflict between the…
Sleeper agents hold a weird fascination. When one is uncovered, the media seem intrigued. But of course the reality of someone playing a “long game” of espionage is often far more prosaic than sensational headlines would suggest. That reality fuels Trevor Nunn’s stagy drama, Red Joan. Lindsay Shapero wrote the original screenplay, basing it loosely…
A pre-show soundtrack of Oz-rock classics adds an air of excitement to the experience of audience members awaiting the Brisbane season of Belvoir Theatre’s Barbara and the Camp Dogs by Ursula Yovich and Alana Valentine. It’s an effective emphasis of the pub rock atmosphere for anyone who hasn’t gathered the feel of set designer Stephen…
If you like a bit of weirdness in your reading, a bit of fable for fun, look no further than Undermajordomo Minor. It caught me by surprise, in a good way. Here’s the blurb: Lucien (Lucy) Minor is the resident odd duck in the bucolic hamlet of Bury. Friendless and loveless, young and aimless, he…
Looking For Grace is the fifth feature film from award winning Australian filmmaker Sue Brooks (Japanese Story, The Road To Nihill). The film tells the story of Grace (played by newcomer Odessa Young), a teenage girl who steals some money from her father’s safe and, with her best friend in tow, heads off on a…
The 1975 are, to say the least, an enigma. A quartet of high school friends from Wilmslow, south of Manchester, England – that has produced bands like The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division/New Order and Oasis – is eclectic to the point of being beyond description. On the one hand, they produce great 80’s…
It’s one of history’s great rivalries. The intriguing story of Elizabeth I and her cousin Mary Stuart certainly has all the elements of a great movie – war, intrigue, family ties and treachery. But while Josie Rourke’s feminist retelling of the tale in Mary Queen of Scots hits the high points, it strays from the…
Crowd involvement is the name of the game for the good-natured banter of Perth-based comedian Emo (Emmanuel Majok), whose show is titled Black Santa. To that effect, he enters the room with a broad smile and a red and white Santa hat. Throughout his 40-minute set, the 33-year-old plays on his colour, flipping it one way…
