drama
Huckleberry (Chapel off Chapel) – theatre review
Samuel Langhorne Clemens – a.k.a. Mark Twain – visited Australia in 1895. Advertising posters labelled him the funniest man in the world and audiences loved his sense of humour. Chris Wallace, the man responsible for the book, music and lyrics in Huckleberry: A Musical Adventure, isn’t credited. But he “frocks up” as the great man…
Lean on Pete – movie review
Lean On Pete is a gritty coming-of-age story about a boy and his love for a horse. Fifteen-year old Charley Thompson (played by Charlie Plummer, who played Christopher Plummer’s kidnapped grandson in All the Money in the World) is a itinerant teen. He’s travelling around Oregon with his father Ray (Travis Fimmel) who’s looking for…
Rent (Chapel off Chapel) – theatre review
It may have premiered on Broadway 22 years ago, but Rent remains a heart-wrenching and energetic show. Of course, it’s won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, along with four Tony Awards; including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book. Producer James Terry brings Rent to Chapel off Chapel, and it retains all the hallmarks…
Creed II – movie review
When Creed came along and revitalised the Rocky franchise, I was more than happy to sing its praises. That was three years ago. Now comes the sequel Creed II, which I’m sorry to say lacks punch (pun fully intended). Creed II starts with the central character, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) fighting for the light…
Pins and Needles (Club Voltaire) – theatre review
What happens if a woman who’s been married for 30 years suddenly confronts her man with the thought she could be into women? That happens not once but twice to two different 50-something couples in Thomas Ian Doyle’s latest incendiary work, Pins and Needles. Clearly the spark in these relationships when they formed is no…
CLOSED: Win tickets to Colette
– Colette – Only in cinemas from 20 December 2018 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to Transmission Films. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley portrays the formative years of Colette, the pioneering writer who goes on to become a cultural icon in France and inspire…
The Overcoat (Belvoir) – theatre review
The Overcoat is a new Australian work – a musical – by Constantine, Michael and Rosemarie Costi – based on the eponymous Nikolai Gogol short story from 1842. The literal translation used is by Alena Lodkina. Gogol seems to be the parent to a writer like Kafka and his more familiar concerns. In this version…
Hedda (QT) – theatre review
As its title suggests, Queensland Theatre’s Hedda is an adaption (by Melissa Bubnic) of Henrik Ibsen’s realist classic Hedda Gabler. The original story is of a scheming Hedda. Just into a marriage of convenience, she decides to destroy the life of an old lover, jealous of his new love affair. The original story is pretty…
The Children Act – movie review
Director Richard Eyre crafts a moving and beautifully realised story of love and loss in The Children Act. The film concerns a highly intelligent couple at a fork in the road … and a 17 year old Jehovah’s Witness with leukemia. Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) is an eminent High Court judge in London. She presides with…