In the growing genre of family-friendly musical theatre, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a deliciously addictive treat. Combining good old-fashioned storytelling from the masterful Roald Dahl, with modern theatrical technology, toe-tapping songs and a script bursting with witticisms, this show is a recipe for fun. The story stays faithful to the renowned novel, which…
The Winter’s Tale: a fitting production to put on in this mild weather, it would seem. This is one work by Shakespeare I hadn’t seen before and am now quite happy to add it to my memory’s library. The play was performed by the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble and directed by Michelle Miall. This tight knit…
Noel Coward, at the age of 25, wrote and starred in The Vortex, opening in December in 1924, which settled into a long London run. Sheridan Morley tells us in his biography of Noel Coward, A Talent to Amuse: On the principle that success breeds other successes, once The Vortex was an established hit both…
The classic German legend of Faust is transported to the British theatre scene of the 1930s in Anand Tucker’s stylish but dark film, The Critic. Tucker hasn’t directed a feature film since 2010’s Leap Year; but he has two very well-received films on his resume in Hilary & Jackie (1998) and Shopgirl (2005). While its…
Performances worth of Academy Award nominations highlight a politically complex drama reminiscent of All the President’s Men. Foremost among them are Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford, with Noni Hazlehurst also showing the way in a small but telling scene. Written and directed by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man), who makes his directorial debut, Truth is…
David Williamson’s Nearer the Gods intriguingly promotes itself as a show about the politics of 17th Century science. This appears affirmed by its pre-show Purcell Chamber Music sounds and when Isaac Newton (Rhys Muldoon) appears seated at a table centre stage, he is wearing a periwig and dressed extravagantly according to the play’s Restoration-era setting….
This November, the 2023 Cunard British Film Festival (presented by Palace Cinemas) will bring the finest British filmmaking, production and acting to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra and Byron Bay. Many of Britain’s most enduring and well-known faces feature in this year’s stunning selection including Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Spall, Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter,…
Hot on the heels of the release of the excellent TV-adaptation of Red Queen on Prime Video comes the second book in the Antonia Scott and Jon Gutiérrez series: Black Wolf by Juan Gómez-Jurado (translated by Nick Caistor and Lorenza Garcia). The series plays on a fairly standard Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson format. Antonia…
You might have noticed I’m not a teenage girl. But I do have a daughter who’s right in the sweet spot for the Australian-made Back of the Net. This well-meaning film is about as predictable as it gets; but that won’t matter to its target audience. Back of the Net stars American teen actress Sofia…
Central Coast band The Sea Gypsies have released their debut album Movements. The record fuses alternative rock and reggae. And to support the new release, they’re embarking on an extended 12-date tour along the east coast over the summer. Following on from their previous 5-track EP Embrace the Way, the band have already released a…
