Some books you don’t want to end … except you do, because you’re dying to know what happened. Missing, Presumed is one of those books. Here’s the blurb: Detective Sergeant Manon Bradshaw soothes her insomnia with the din of the police radio she keeps by her bed. After another bad date, it takes the crackling voices…
Timothy Conigrave’s memoir Holding the Man, published posthumously in 1994, is one of the touchstones of queer culture here in Australia. Widely regarded as a seminal novel about being gay, love and life in the time of AIDS, the novel was a poignant story about his long time love for John Caleo. The pair first…
The three lead actors in Florence Foster Jenkins are picture perfect in their respective roles making this a far superior offering to the recently released Marguerite, which covered the same territory. This is an endearing and decidedly quirky comedy and period piece from acclaimed director Stephen Frears (Philomena, The Queen) starring Meryl Streep as Florence…
Comedian Glynn Nicholas has parlayed the cult following of the syrupy sweet Eurovision Song Contest into his often hilarious and decidedly agreeable new show, Song Contest. Eurovision is the longest-running annual international TV song competition that sees upwards of 20 European countries vying for the adulation that goes to the winner. Hundreds of millions of…
If you spent your young days suffering from Saturday night fever, then this is a show to rock you in your seat. It’s 80 minutes of sheer disco and noise with flashing lights, mirror balls, glitter costumes, and screaming vocals. And with those vocals came amazing verve and energy from all the performers. But on…
Like the original that was released in 2014, the storyline of Bad Neighbours 2 is thin but the crude language and sight gags are plentiful, with the centerpiece again being Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, along with Zac Efron. Direction is once more from Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). The tone is set from the…
Pygmalion, Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw’s humorous but pointed take on language and speech and their importance in society and in personal relationships, was first mounted on stage more than a century ago. Now Malvern Theatre Company has reprised the masterwork under the direction of Andrew Ferguson, who – along with Neil Barnett – is…
Josephine Moon’s first two books, The Tea Chest and The Chocolate Promise were a delight. The Beekeeper’s Secret is no less of a delight, with its heartfelt focus on forgiveness, family and friendship. Here’s the blurb: Maria Lindsey has secrets to hide. Living on top of a secluded mountain is a good way to hide…
Disgraced is the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winning play by Ayad Akhtar. This is the typical well made American play that I talked about in my entry about The Whale. A small cast of five in a single setting with a subtly disguised exposition that introduces the protagonists with their differences and backgrounds. Emily (Sophie Ross),…
A French, Belgian and Canadian co-production that was nominated for a French César award, April and the Extraordinary World starts out with a great deal of promise. The year is 1941 and all the world’s leading scientists are seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth and no-one can explain how or why and the…
