The word ‘Rhinestone’ immediately makes me think of ‘Cowboy’. So, when I saw the title of the current play at Ensemble Theatre Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica, I thought that David Williamson had delved into the great ‘Western’ genre. Well, he does a little bit. Set mostly in the living room of Monica in Sydney’s…
What a hoot! Featured performer Jay James-Moody, the artistic director of Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre, has adapted (to the present day) and directs the musical play by Alan Jay Lerner to great effect. Dr Mark Bruckner (Blake Bowden) is a strictly evidence-based psychiatrist who has recently lost his wife. Returning to practice, he has a chance meeting…
Rosie is a 20-something year old florist shop owner and party girl for whom life has its challenges. She and her Irish best friend Cara are inseparable. They have been ever since they met in Year 8. But, of late, it has been all work and little play for Cara, due to a job upgrade. Rosie has just…
In director Bobby Farrelly’s Champions, Marcus (Woody Harrelson) is a basketball coach who dreams of a big future in the NBA. The problem is he has no filter. He says what he thinks, when he wants and doesn’t hold back. So he’s lost several jobs in the US and abroad. Now he’s an assistant to…
We are in Paris in 1899. Take the best actor in the world, in this case a middle-aged woman with a particularly healthy ego that is constantly being stoked. Her last stage role was a critical success but failed to sell tickets. This is a woman who doesn’t hold back – who always speaks her mind. She spends what…
Has the art of movie titling been lost? Following on from the recent Women Talking comes another film that does exactly what it says on the box with Elizabeth Banks’ Cocaine Bear. Cocaine Bear is (very) loosely based on real events. Drug smugglers did indeed dump a load of cocaine over northern Georgia and southern…
The Cornish contingent from Fisherman’s Friends (2019) are back to appreciate sea shanties anew in Fisherman’s Friends: One and All. The earlier film was about many local mates who were unexpectedly signed to an international record label and recorded a top 10 hit with their debut album. In the sequel Jim (James Purefoy) once again…
Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap opened in London’s West End on 25th November 1952 and has been running continuously (save for the COVID lockdown) ever since. It is fast approaching 30,000 performances, making it by far the longest running show (of any type) in the modern era. The play is also known for its twist ending – the audience asked…
Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical sizzles, with powerhouse performances and a rousing score. There’s palpable excitement and anticipation in the theatre even before the metaphorical curtain rises. Once it does, Cruel Intentions is energetic and electrifying, oozing with sensuality and sexuality. It is slick, moving along at pace and milking the copious double entendres and physical interaction that…
The play starts with a heartfelt warning from one of the characters that only tragedy puts you on the map. A plea to save ourselves as it is too late for her rings out. Hence begins the tale of an unremarkable mining town in Tasmania beset by evil. It is called Bluewater and after a chequered history it…
