Dread is palpable throughout Arthur Miller’s drama A View from the Bridge. The Melbourne Theatre Company’s version features seven actors and one old wooden chair but held me transfixed for two hours. The time is the 1950s; and the place an Italian-American neighbourhood near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. The narrator is Alfieri (Marco…
In her version of a “getting dumped” song, Amanda Shires’s heroine realizes that she’s “rock ‘n’ roll, and you’re… golf.” She’s not going to be the one getting dumped in “Break Out the Champagne,” so she sings, “Let’s get on with the shit show/Here’s a toast… Adios!” Shires may have picked up the Emerging Artist…
At a time when we’re hearing that blues rock veterans Jimmy Page is thinking about a 50th Anniversary tour for Led Zeppelin, while rumors are circulating suggesting that Eric Clapton’s playing days are practically over, the fact that elder statesman Buddy Guy – who will turn 82 later this month – is alive and well,…
Unbridled ambition gets a thorough workout in Gloria. This Pulitzer Prize-nominated drama from American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is one of four MTC Australian premieres this season. Set in the offices of a prestigious Manhattan magazine, the play is a contemporary satire. The day-to-day drudgery is particularly wearing on a small group of editorial assistants. They…
David Byrne’s new release came along with the promise of a tour hyped as his most ambitious tour since the Talking Heads’ tour that was filmed for the live concert movie, Stop Making Sense. In fact, a CD of this new release was given to every ticket buyer. Advertised as Byrne’s first solo album in…
Testosterone flows in Walking Out. This coming-of-age tale involves a father and his son in beautiful American wilderness in the middle of winter. Based on the short story of the same name by acclaimed naturalist David Quammen, Walking Out tracks 14-year-old David’s (Josh Wiggins) annual visit to rural Montana. He’s there to visit his brooding,…
When The Decemberists’ first single for I’ll Be Your Girl, “Severed” showed up on the appropriate alternative-friendly satellite radio stations a few weeks ago, I bet I wasn’t the only fan to begin worrying that the more modern Brit pop leanings of 2015’s What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World had led the Portland-based…
Three hilarious visual gags are among the highlights in Blockers. This hit-and-miss comedy is likely to spawn a cult following like The Hangover or Bridesmaids. For decades – starting with Porky’s and extending to the likes of Superbad and American Pie – we’ve watched on-screen versions of guys boldly and bawdily celebrating the first time…
No one is ever going to call singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee an under-achiever. His latest release, a 10 song full-length effort, Forest Full of Wolves is his 78th album by his own count. Mallonee spent the 1990s fronting Vigilantes of Love, shuffling from one label to the next. They drove a van coast-to-coast playing every alternative…
The Thread That Keeps Us – the ninth album from Calexico – is yet another artful collection of stories. They’re told with the band’s eclectic musicality and a mature songwriting sensibility that shows up primarily in strong, impressive melodies. Rooted in the long collaboration of singer/multi-instrumentalist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino, and favoring a…
