Austrian choreographer and performance artist Florentina Holzinger isn’t known for holding back. So it is when 24 naked women – young and old – take to the stage in A Year Without Summer. The show has been described as apocalyptic theatre and medical cabaret. It blends horror with pop music parody. Holzinger sets up the…
Bullying, teenage angst, toxic relationships and murder hardly seem material conducive to a cult following, but if you think that, you don’t know Heathers. First came the original 1988 film starring Winona Ryder and then the musical that debuted in 2009, hitting off Broadway in 2014 and the West End in 2018. It has developed…
Tomáš Kantor is such an uber talented performer. Whether he is channelling voices high or low, or singing with lyrical appeal, or playing a succession of instruments adroitly, he makes it all appear effortless. That, in itself, is mighty impressive. Overall, he is simply so engaging and that gets back to his yarn spinning and…
Acrobatic excellence at a level you are most unlikely to have seen. That is what is in store if you venture into Arts Centre Melbourne to see 10,000 Hours, which I would urge you to do. This is the first time it has been in Melbourne. The title of the show refers to the amount…
Strong, melodic voices and good-humoured banter characterise an ideal, fun-filled family musical. Showcase Entertainment Group brings our favourite green ogre and his irritating best friend, Donkey, to life on a Victorian and NSW tour. The musical is based on the 2001 Dreamworks Animation film and the 1990 book by William Steig. With book and lyrics…
Carpe diem is a Latin phrase meaning “seize the day”. That is exactly what small time conman Tom Ripley (Will McDonald), who works in an advertising agency, does when presented with an unlikely opportunity. It is the late 1950s. The New York native is approached by Herbert Greenleaf (Andrew McFarlane) with a proposition. Shipping magnate…
Inspired by the 1933 film The Invisible Man starring Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart, and its 2020 reimagining, INVISIBLE is a sensory experience, not for the claustrophobic. That is made clear during a brief introduction, after which we are ushered into a refrigerated shipping container (that, fortunately, is not refrigerated), containing two rows of theatre…
The creativity and excellence in diverse forms of movement and the emotion it generated in Week 1 of Dance X continues with aplomb into Week 2. The major program has four companies each performing a short work over a total of two hours including interval, at Playhouse in Arts Centre Melbourne. Stephanie Lake Company’s Auto…
Companionship, care and fluidity of movement distinguish a compelling new work by choreographers and dancers Jayden Lewis Wall and Melissa Yvonne Pham. Flesh Vessel is an appropriate title, as three bodies align and intersect throughout the 45-minute piece, which is an impactful, physical expression of self. Against a stark background, a body covered in black…
Welcome to the fun, funny, fanciful, colourful and action-packed world of Dog Man. This musical is the brainchild of Kevin Del Aguila (book and lyrics) and Brad Alexander (music), with orchestrations by Lloyd Kikoler. The characters are those adapted from the series of books by Dav Pilkey. Within the universe of Captain Underpants, Dog Man…
