Opera Australia: Das Rheingold review [Melbourne Ring Cycle 2016]
The highly anticipated return of Opera Australia’s world class Ring Cycle begins with a nuanced exploration of the psychological intensity of Das Rheingold. Minus a couple of rows for the expanded...
View ArticleOpera Australia: Die Walküre review [Melbourne Ring Cycle 2016]
Fifteen singers deliver four hours of glorious singing and splendid acting as Opera Australia’s presentation of The Melbourne Ring Cycle continues with Die Walküre. As a snow storm rages, a small...
View ArticleOpera Australia: Siegfried review [Melbourne Ring Cycle 2016]
The heroism of Siegfried plays out in a highly theatrical setting as Opera Australia’s addictively compelling Melbourne Ring Cycle continues. With over four hours of music shared between just eight...
View ArticleVic Theatre Company: The Last Five Years review
Blessed with a terrific pair of leads, The Last Five Years makes a welcome return in this affecting involving and insightful production. An eighty-minute two-hander, The Last Five Years is relatively...
View ArticleRL Productions: Reefer Madness review
Energetic direction and zany performances are highlights of slick boutique production Reefer Madness. Based on a 1936 film that was intended as a very serious public warning, Kevin Murphy and Dan...
View ArticleOpera Australia: Götterdämmerung review [Melbourne ring Cycle 2016]
In an electric performance of Götterdämmerung, the mighty Melbourne Ring Cycle concludes as it began, with glorious singing, meticulous direction and innovative staging. His concept and characters...
View ArticleVic Theatre Company: The Gathering review
A tremendously talented young cast and well-realised direction allow original Australian musical The Gathering to be seen in its best possible light. While the youth of the cast is initially deceptive,...
View ArticleThe Australian Ballet School: The Snow Queen review
A perfect showcase for the talents of the students of The Australian Ballet School, beautifully produced ballet The Snow Queen is wonderful holiday entertainment. An adaptation of Hans Christian...
View ArticleThe Australian Ballet: Storytime Ballet: The Nutcracker review
The Australian Ballet’s Storytime Ballet series continues with a perfectly judged children’s version of seasonal favourite The Nutcracker. The new production is staged by Artistic Director David...
View ArticleThe Royal Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty review
Commemorating 70 years since Sadlers Wells Ballet moved across town to reopen Royal Opera House after WWII, The Royal Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty remains a traditional, highly decorative production...
View ArticleMatthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes review
Dazzling and affecting in equal measure, Matthew Bourne’s new work The Red Shoes is as superbly realised as it is ingeniously conceived. The destructive influence of spurned lover Sergei Diaghilev on...
View ArticleLazarus review [London 2017]
Surreal and deliberately inscrutable, production and performance of the David Bowie musical Lazarus respects and subtly celebrates the great artist’s talent and legacy. Bowie’s premise, fleshed out by...
View ArticleMenier Chocolate Factory: She Loves Me review
For their popular annual winter musical, Menier Chocolate Factory serves up a delectable chocolate box of melodies with Golden Age romantic musical comedy She Loves Me. The deftly realised production...
View ArticleSchool of Rock review [London 2017]
As big a hit now on the West End as on Broadway, School of Rock has cemented its place as Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s return to the top. School of Rock is not highbrow art by any stretch, but the show...
View Article42nd Street review [Paris 2017]
A stunning new large-scale production, 42nd Street deservedly enjoyed a sold out season at Théâtre du Châtelet. Presiding over this sensational, expertly realised production, Stephen Mear gives a clear...
View ArticleHalf A Sixpence review
Brimming with lively energy and infectious charm, classic musical Half A Sixpence benefits mightily from the Cameron Mackintosh reinvention treatment. The secret of the original 1963 musical, a star...
View ArticleEnglish National Ballet: Giselle review
Equal parts charmingly festive, dreamily romantic, eerily haunting and tenderly moving, Mary Skeaping’s Giselle provides English National Ballet with a pristine showcase for the beauty of dance....
View ArticleDreamgirls review [London]
Slick, streamlined and spirited, Dreamgirls is a hit all over again in its first ever West End outing. High production values and excellent direction mean the show could open on Broadway tomorrow and...
View ArticleHarry Potter and The Cursed Child Parts One and Two review
**In which Man in Chair Keeps The Secrets (ie no spoilers), but rather just gives a brief reflection on this incredible play** As a means of continuing the story of beloved wizard Harry Potter, a...
View ArticleI Am My Own Wife review [Melbourne 2017]
A riveting, finely honed performance from Ben Gerrard brigs equal balance to the entertaining and the thought-provoking aspects of the life of survivor Charlotte von Mahlsdorf in I Am My Own Wife. The...
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