Compulsive hoarding (from which an estimated 1.2 million Australians suffer) is a major mental health issue. It is also ripe for comedic treatment and it sure gets the once over in Benjamin Law’s assured debut play, a world premiere by MTC. Humorous and at times poignant, Torch the Place focuses on a Chinese Australian family. Mum (Diana…
Feel good entertainment in a good, old-fashioned pub – what could be better than that? Well … simple, really – feel good entertainment in a good old-fashioned pub on stage, with no shortage of audience participation. That is the show and the group known as The Choir of Man – nine talented singers and musos….
Massive wealth is hidden to thwart gold diggers in pursuit of true love in the captivating comedy Thoroughly Modern Millie. A second narrative thread concerns a ruthless hotelier who cashes in on vulnerable young women looking to become actresses. The Production Company has done an outstanding job bringing to life the subterfuge and hijinks, ensuring…
A beautiful woman engages an older man in conversation … Sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s actually the beginning of the MTC’s production of Heisenberg. This story involves a couple of lonely people. One has been alone … seemingly forever; while the other has a deep-seated need for connection. The woman, Georgie…
It’s not hard to see why West Side Story has become such a staple. The tale it tells continues to resonate – in fact perhaps even more so today. Whether we’re talking gang violence or racial or religious divisions, the enmity continues unabated. The depth of feeling in the way the story is told –…
Talented photographer Diane Arbus (Diane Glenn) meets sex symbol Mae West (Melita Jurisic – complete with sultry voice) in the MTC’s new play Arbus & West. In 1964, Arbus arrived at West’s pristine LA apartment to take snaps of the famous star, then 71. The play explores a fictional account of that real encounter between…
Two years ago, we were treated to The Play That Goes Wrong and that was a riotous success. Now the same crew has done it again, with Peter Pan Goes Wrong; a silly but audacious take on J M Barrie’s Peter Pan. A dozen actors deliberately flub their cues, misbehave, run wild and have the audience…
What a delight! Time just zipped by in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. This cleverly conceived and executed comedy is making its Australian debut. With book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder opened on Broadway in November 2013, going on…
If you admire Shakespeare’s Hamlet and some of the finest names to have assumed the role, then British-born actor and performance artist Dickie Beau’s tribute, Re-Member Me, is a must. He has been creating lip sync performances for the past decade. In this case, he brings a camp association to the tragic Danish prince because he thinks Hamlet…
A bravura performance from renowned Australian actor Colin Friels highlights Scaramouche Jones. This intoxicating work was written by Brit Justin Butcher in the final months of 1999. Scaramouche Jones has been a clown for 50 years. Now he’s marking the final hour of his life on Earth. It’s New Year’s Eve 1999, exactly 100 years to…
