Paul Capsis is one of Australia’s most versatile performers and is equally at home in the world’s of theatre, film & television, and of course cabaret. He’s a gifted interpreter of song, and has sung with a diverse and varied group of musicians and singers, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Russell Crowe, the Soweto Gospel…
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre once said, ‘Thank God for mental illness.’ English playwright, Alan Bennett shares this sentiment. His dark comedy, The Madness of King George III has been revived at Nottingham Playhouse and will be broadcast around the world for NT Live. In short, it offers an enjoyable history lesson and proves that no…
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He loves a sunburnt country; a land of sweeping plains. Okay, that was actually Dorothea Mackellar. But the same also applies to Peter Spearritt. This historian, emeritus professor and author shows a real enthusiasm for the wonderful land of Oz in Where History Happened: The Hidden Past of Australia’s Towns & Places. This is one personal, colourful and…
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Most people wouldn’t know how to take a newspaper out on the road. But Clancy Overell and Errol Parker aren’t like most. These two, true blue Aussie blokes are the brainchild behind Australia’s favourite satirical newspaper, The Betoota Advocate. It’s one that shares a few things in common with The Chaser, The Shovel and The…
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To some people, Eric Clapton is god. But for author and journalist, Philip Norman, the Slowhand guitarist is unquestionably human. A talented star sure, but also a fallible guy. Slowhand: The Life & Music of Eric Clapton is a detailed biography covering Clapton’s extraordinary career. Clapton’s life has been chronicled before. The legendary artist has…
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When you’re a teenager you often feel like the world is against you. You’re too mature to be a child but not yet independent enough to be an adult. This is often a period associated with angst and growing pains. The Climbing Tree examines these existential problems while framing them around a nation’s past and…
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Ten comedians walk into the Opera House. They deliver some cracking jokes. Hilarity ensues. Rinse and repeat. This is how you could sum up the 8th Just for Laughs All-Star Gala. Local and international comics came together to deliver some wonderful observational and improvisational comedy. Our nation’s very own Dave Hughes was MC for the…
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Lean on Pete is about a poor boy in more ways than one. This troubled teen was abandoned by his Mum and lives with his selfish father in poverty. His saving grace comes in the shape of an aging racehorse named Lean on Pete. This slow-burning drama sees this teen fall off his horse, only…
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The Betoota Advocate are currently touring their roadshow Australia, and Clancy Overell and Errol Parker treat audiences to a no holds barred live show in true Betoota-style, filled with their trademark wit and humour. We caught up with the pair as they approached the end of their national run. Can you please start by introducing yourself?…
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Rachel Cassidy has inadvertently become an authority on stalking. The CEO of the Anti-bullying Council and charity worker was once stalked. So she decided to write a book to shine a light on these issues to ensure that victims might not feel alone. Cassidy thus proves that the victims of this crime are not always…
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Alice Pung reckons she grew up not always understanding where she fit in. But, things have changed and she now has a distinctive voice in her writing. The Chinese-Australian author has published her memoirs, several books of young adult fiction, and has had pieces feature regularly in The Monthly. And that’s all when she’s not…
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Dionne Warwick knows the way to your heart. This glorious singer has been the voice and occasionally the muse for some of the world’s greatest songs. Whether it’s falling in and out of love, the fact is that in her concerts and albums, Dionne shows us that this emotion is all that you need. This…
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Bill Murray and Jan Vogler walk into an airport. The comedian and cellist bond over music and decide to tour together. The result is New Worlds, where these two men are joined by some other friends. The AU Review’s Natalie Salvo caught up with Vogler to learn more about the show, swimming, West Side Story…
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Bill Murray and Jan Vogler could be the odd couple except that that name was already taken. Okay, “odd” is probably too strong a word. An unlikely pairing seems more appropriate because Murray is a Hollywood actor, comedian and occasional bartender, and Vogler a world-renown cellist. New Worlds saw both men making their Sydney Opera…
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London’s calling, California’s dreaming, so Melbourne must be dancing if Now Sound: Melbourne’s Listening is true. The documentary is a celebration of the independent music scene in our very own, world-renowned, live music capital. This film is a passionate little time capsule joined at the hip to a very special time and place. Tobias Willis…
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Queerstories is a popular event where Australia’s best LGBTQI+ writers gather for some good, old-fashioned storytelling. The show began at the Late Night Library in Kings Cross, Sydney and has gone on to tour other states and towns. It makes sense that, because this all began in a library that people should be able to…
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History is a complex beast and this is certainly apparent in Madiba. This musical weaves together the late Nelson Mandela’s story and the history of South Africa’s apartheid. The show is ambitious and tries to cover a lot in its two-hour runtime. This is a celebration of the long road to freedom for Mandela and…
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Natalie Salvo recently caught up with Sydney producer Stephan Wellink to talk about his latest film Sam Spiegel: Conquering Hollywood, which is currently screening at the Jewish International Film Festival. We learn more about Sam Spigel, the iconic producer of films like Lawrence of Arabia, and the production of the documentary. Can you begin by briefly introducing…
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What goes on tour stays on tour. Except if you’re the Scottish artists who feature in Lost in France. This music documentary is a boozy and breezy look back at a once-forgotten, 1997 Brittany tour. The artists reunite again in 2015 and in doing so, prove that some things – like friendship – never change….
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Groucho Marx once said he wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would have him as a member. For us mere mortals, the world’s most famous nightclub remains elusive territory. It only existed for 33 months and if you were lucky enough to be there, chances are the velvet rope held you back. Studio…
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In the Mood is a revue show celebrating the music, fashion and dance from the 1940s. Younger audiences may be unfamiliar with the big band tunes and jazz era songs. But for the older crowd, this music is a part of the fabric of their childhoods and the stuff their parents used to listen to….
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Try to imagine something that could be your biggest joy and greatest nightmare. It’s not easy. But finding out you have an identical twin sibling has got to be up there. The Twinning Reaction is a documentary that covers a bizarre and bittersweet example of this with brutal honesty. The results are not what you’d…
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We always hurt the ones we love the most. This is certainly the case with Beautiful Boy. The film is an emotional drama about a father who is grappling with his son’s drug addiction. It’s a very human and poignant story. This film is the English language debut for director, Felix Van Groeningen. The plot…
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We are wrong about most things. That may be a bitter pill to swallow but as The Perils of Perception proves, it’s true. This non-fiction book is an intriguing study into just how ignorant our society is. It draws on 100,000 interviews from forty countries. The take home message? We should be afraid. Very afraid….
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For some people food is fuel, and then there’s Margaret Fulton. This food icon has been teaching Australians how to cook for seven decades. She’s also the subject of the rollicking musical, Margaret Fulton: Queen of the Desserts. The show had its Sydney premiere this weekend and is every bit as tasty and kitsch as…
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Stuart Coupe is part of the (black t-shirt) fabric of Australia’s music industry. In a career spanning four decades, he has worked as an author, journalist, promoter, artist manager, publicist and broadcaster. Coupe has written several books about Australian music. His latest one, Roadies, features stories from the hard-working men and women who toil behind-the-scenes…
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Of Fathers & Sons should come with a warning. This is likely to induce nightmares even though it’s not strictly a horror film. It is however, a horrifying documentary that chronicles a religious zealot and his young, jihadist-in-the-making sons. The result is a visceral and eye-opening look at this largely-unknown world. Filmmaker, Talal Derki is…
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For years people have been perplexed by Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. Is it an operetta? A comedy? Musical theatre? A little of all of the above? Perhaps the safest description is that of “comic operetta,” where the draw-card is some dynamic and electric music. Mitchell Butel directs this latest production, which coincides with what would have…
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When actor and activist Harry Cook migrated to Australia at the age of ten homosexuality had only been recently decriminalised. A few years later he would struggle with coming-out to his parents. He says acceptance was hard, because there weren’t many queer-positive stories around at the time (in fact, homophobic propaganda was rife during the AIDs…
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There’s no question that Australia’s roadies know their way around a microphone. A concert set-up doesn’t magically appear out of nowhere. It take tireless crew members toiling away to unpack, set-up, test and re-pack the staging and equipment; and repeating this process as they travel to different towns and venues. For too long, roadies may…
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