Quite some undertaking … to turn the iconic novel My Brilliant Career, about a young girl/woman who doesn’t fit in, who charts her own path in life, into a musical. She is a strong-willed feminist, ahead of her time. She is someone with a vivid imagination who doesn’t know exactly what she wants, but what…
A new Australian musical, Bloom hits the right notes. The delivery of effective aged care remains a contentious issue that has brought great consternation to many, before, during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. Writer Tom Gleisner has taken that and run with it to create a humour-filled portrait of a facility for the third generation in desperate…
Bold, brassy, belligerent, sensitive and respectful. The supremely talented Christie Whelan-Browne is all that and much more, as she tackles the thorny subject of making it in the world of musical theatre. Not content with playing herself, she assumes multiple personas. First up, a new graduate – Jessica – whose job it is to introduce Ms Whelan-Browne…
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…
A compelling and dramatic storyline and evocative score are matched by a series of stellar performances in MTC’s musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. The plot concerns the extraction of information through brutalisation and humiliation of prisoners held in an Argentine jail. More specifically, it involves the relationship between window dresser Molina (Ainsley Melham) and…
A compelling and dramatic storyline and evocative score are matched by a series of stellar performances in MTC’s musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. The plot concerns the extraction of information through brutalisation and humiliation of prisoners held in an Argentine jail. More specifically, it involves the relationship between window dresser Molina (Ainsley Melham) and Marxist…
