Breathtaking vocals, including soaring solos and perfectly pitched harmonies, outstanding musical accompaniment and a superbly crafted set are hallmarks of Songs for a New World, a musical about journeys through the ages. There is no spoken or linear narrative, rather back-to-back characters’ stories (all sung) about moments of decision in their lives – decisions draw…
Heathers – The Musical by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, based on the 1990 film, written by Daniel Waters, and starring 16 year old Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, was a complete surprise for me. I had never seen the cult film set in the grossness of 1980’s fashion with all the horrors of American…
A total of 1,517 people, more than two-thirds of those who boarded the world’s largest moving object, perished after the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg at 11:40pm on 14 April 1912 and sank early the following morning. Hardly the material that immediately makes you think of musical theatre … and yet it is just the…
A superb musical score and the rich, strong and pure voice of Alinta Chidzey (Show Boat, Singin’ In The Rain, Chess, West Side Story) make the world premiere of this new Australian musical one not to be missed. CROSSxROADS is a story of love and loss with more than a touch of Sliding Doors (the…
High on a hill in the peaks of my childhood memories, live many viewings of The Sound of Music. Catchy tunes, a dramatic wedding dress, adorable children and a nanny we all wish we could spend the day with – what’s not to love? And theatre-goers clearly feel the same, with sold out productions around…
Deliciously subversive, Matilda the Musical is undoubtedly one of the high points of a year in which musicals continue to make their mark. Put simply, it is superb entertainment for children and equally engaging for their parents and grandparents. This is no kids’ show with some crossover appeal, but a genuine five-star extravaganza that has…
Cats is a musical that tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as “the Jellicle choice” and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. The first performance of Cats was in 1981 in the…
Anthony Warlow, complete with appropriate affectations, makes a triumphant return to the Australian stage in Fiddler on the Roof, after three years treading the boards on Broadway. He takes the lead role in this beloved musical, the theme of which resonates as strongly today as when it premiered on Broadway in 1964. Fiddler on the…
Jerry Herman represents all that is great about Broadway musical theatre. The American composer and lyricist has been responsible for the scores for hit musicals such as Hello Dolly!, Mame and La Cage aux Folles. The winner of Tony Awards for two of those, he has also been honoured with a Tony Award for Lifetime…
It was fun, fun, fun, all class and a spirit reviving couple of hours in the Lyric at the Anything Goes opening night – and we got a lot more than a glimpse of stocking, we got a sparkling, energy packed marvel of a show, with leggy showgirls, great comedy, super singing and character creation…
