Renny Harlin was one of the great action directors of the late 80s and early 90s, with films like Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight to his credit. But lately he seems reduced to directing second-rate formulaic action films like The Misfits and episodes of various TV series. And now he’s helming…
Billy Elliot The Musical remains as moving and evocative as when I first saw it at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 1stJanuary, 2009 … and what a magnificent show it is. For me, this is up there with the best musicals brought to the stage. It is based on the successful 2000 film, which starred Jamie…
Discard any preconceived notions of an ancient Greek play by Euripides about a woman who kills her children. Adaptations of Medea usually have the titular character front and centre, but this unique take on the story by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks has her two sons as the focal point. In fact, the two young…
Being identifiable as Jewish today is more fraught than at any time since the Holocaust. Since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the growing tide of antisemitism has been relentless. That is why Ron Elisha’s thought-provoking work could not be more relevant or timely. Many words are spoken in Rootless Cosmopolitans, at the heart of which…
Intrigue and subterfuge abound in the rich and engaging period action drama The Three Musketeers: d’Artagnan. This is Part I in the sprawling adventure, to be followed by Part 2, Milady, in a few weeks. Based on Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel, the film opens in 1627 France. Spirited young swordsman Charles D’Artagnan (François Civil) is…
What did I know about Pentecostalism when I entered the Malthouse Theatre? Little to nothing, save for a few colourful stories about Hillsong. Suffice to say, it is a charismatic Protestant movement, which is subject to much scrutiny in the no holds barred offering Homo Pentecostus. Co-creators (with Emma Valente) and performers Joel Bray and Peter Paltos…
More monkey business. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is another reboot … reset … reconfiguration of the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes, which starred Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall. In fact, this is the tenth picture in the extended franchise (and was mostly shot in Australia). But does it live up to…
Memories – personal, intimate, global … over time and space … on Earth and beyond. A monologue that is vivid and humorous and, at times, matter of fact, a kaleidoscope of disparate thoughts that come together to form a time capsule. That is what writer Emma May Hall pulled together seven years ago and revised slightly earlier…
The ocean, the family, the lover – 20 years on a man returns to his childhood home and revives memories of his past. I speak of a small coastal town in El Salvador, a place he swore he would never return. So, why did he feel the need to leave and now why go back on his…
The world premiere of The Norman Mailer Anecdote by Big Scary Animal was an exciting night of firsts. It was the first production of the inaugural DOOR 3 program by Queensland Theatre, the first play written by screenwriter Anthony Mullins, the directorial debut of actor Julian Curtis and the professional stage debut of actor Hattie…
