In the introduction to Nick, Michael Farris-Smith talks about his relationship with its “source material”, the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby. That relationship shifted over the years and his response to that novel changed as he grew and changed. As this happened the character who he found himself most fascinated with was…
Director Eric Lavaine reunites most of the cast of his 2014 ensemble comedy Barbecue and brings them back to reprise their characters for this sequel, which was one of the hits of the recent French Film Festival. Happy 50 is also known as Plancha (“griddle”) in its original French. Eight years after the events of…
I don’t quite know what to make of Mafia Mamma. This is the new film from Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) and features both Australia’s own Toni Collette (who also serves as a producer on the project) and Monica Bellucci. It’s from an original short story by prolific French writer Amanda Sthers, and was adapted by J….
History was made – not by grandstanding or with vitriol … all but in a matter of fact manner, without too much fuss or bother. In this regard, Loving is different to most other equal rights movies, which play on showcase trials, eloquent speeches and virulent campaigning. It is a slow burn film from acclaimed…
It mightn’t be Riverdance or Lord of the Dance, but Irish Celtic has elements of both and a more linear story. Having toured France and Germany, the 90 minute hour show features performers from the top Irish dance companies. Twelve talented dancers – five men and seven women – together with a five-piece band perform…
We all know someone who is hard at work, trying the meet quotas and deadlines or just trying the make ends meet. They are our parents, children, siblings, and partners. Yet it’s not often one will find a piece of theatre that really represents these people. Michele Lee’s Rice as presented by Queensland Theatre, Queensland…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Minister and Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop – the great hopes for the ALP and the Coalition. At least that is how they are presented in part in the political spoof Gone Girls. It is a cleverly written and performed work that is part fact and large part fiction. They entered…
Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee is a sprawling and excellent self-released album comprising 32 songs that span two hours. It’s the brainchild of Patrick Flegel, known for their work with the Canadian post-punk band Women. Women released two solid albums, with the last being in 2010, before several other members moved on to form Preoccupations. Flegel,…
When Kendra Morris released Nine Lives at the beginning of 2022, it was the culmination of more than ten years of creative partnership with producer and songwriter Jeremy Page. The psych-soul opus, Morris’s first for Colemine imprint Karma Chief Records, was one of the best albums of the year and kicked off a flurry of…
In 2012, Natasha Lester was my guest at one of my early Stories on Stage events. Few of the audience had heard of her; I was the only one who had read her two books. She was polished and professional; in fact, she was so well prepared that audience members were left open-mouthed at the end of her talk. Fast…
