You wouldn’t necessarily think a show dedicated to the legacy of Carole King would resonate so profoundly to a younger audience. Let it be known that this show is for absolutely anyone who has a connection with music, a respect for the truth and a deep-seeded love for nourishing your soul. As we are taken…
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Perth’s Liz Newell launched a theatre company, Maiden Voyage Theatre Company, this year; and this week the company’s debut work, Belated (written and produced by Newell), will be hitting the stage at the Blue Room Theatre. Belated follows Blythe & Max, friends since they were kids, and Norah (Max’s girlfriend) as they all suddenly find…
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The Killer Queen (Casey Donovan) is, well, a Killer Queen – but she also likes Fat Bottomed Girls. Is one such girl, in fact. When she’s not indulging, she’s doing what she can to make sure that all the music on the iPlanet is Computer Recorded Autotune Pop (or CRAP). The last thing she wants…
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Stephen K Amos knows Australians. The English comedian has been visiting our fine country for over a decade and he even has the nasally accent down pat. His show at the Enmore Theatre for the Sydney Comedy Festival was a rather clever look at life both in general as well as different observations and anecdotes…
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When we were children most of us would’ve blown bubbles and tried to catch them. As adults there is still something magical in watching large bubbles being created as they fly through the sky before they reach the end of their transient lifespan and go “Pop!” Melody Yang is someone that knows all about this….
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In this period of YouTube celebrities, reality TV starlets and Kardashians, it can be challenging to relate to theatrical characters. Audiences are regularly plated-up a plethora of classics, complete with over-the-top performances and melodious, fruity language contrasted against edgy, overly dark interpretations of long-lost fables. Presented on stark stages that we struggle to comprehend (but…
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It has been announced today by producers Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian, John Frost and the Really Useful Group that The Sound of Music will be heading to Perth later this year, rounding out a highly acclaimed national tour. This new tour of the classic play is led by the all star cast of Amy…
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After entertaining over 50,000 visitors last year, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair has today announced this year’s program, along with the 2016 event app, presented by Artistic Director Janina Harding. The event encourages Indigenous artists to share their stories and is an ethical point of sale for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. Running over…
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A curious race of flight-obsessed creatures has crash landed in the remains of the Red Hill Skate Arena, just outside the Brisbane CBD. Eager to get back to “upground”, the Gremlins have thrown open the cabin doors, inviting passengers to join them as they take to the skies with their budget airline Airlinius Hippopotamus. Please…
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Irish theatre group Fishamble are bringing their hit romantic comedy Swing to the Brisbane Powerhouse as part of a ten venue Australian tour, slated to play the Brisbane River venue in late May. Following the tale of Joe and May, the show tells the story of two strangers who meet at a swing dance class. Swing…
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Before any actor graces the stage, the apartment is full of stories. The cracks on the wall tell us it was built-to-last a long time ago. The beaded curtains in the doorway are permanently drawn to the side; while charming, they quickly became a nuisance. By the red corduroy couch, there’s a pair of boots…
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Former keyboardist, and current superstar physicist Professor Brian Cox OBE is returning to Australia in August with a brand new stage show; A Journey in to Deep Space. Once again teaming up with Lateral Events, Cox over the course of the show will be exploring some of the unanswered questions that abound about deep space; drawing…
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After a successful run at the Brisbane Powerhouse during last year’s Brisbane Festival, raucous disco cabaret VELVET made a triumphant return to the River City, taking over the Cremorne Theatre at QPAC. Once a huge fan of the standard cabaret fare, the borderline offensive humour and the sexy-but-kinda-weird acts offered by shows like Club Swizzle, Absinthe, and La…
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On Thursday, Anywhere Festival opens in Brisbane, for another month of innovative and independent performance, taking place just about anywhere except a theatre. With so much going on, us good folks here at the AU Review have decided to make things a little easier for you and compiled a list of the top 5 shows you’d…
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After a sold out season at Arts Centre Melbourne, At Last: The Etta James Story is set to return to the Sydney Opera House for a one week engagement in mid July. First premièring in 2013, the show has been wowing audiences across Australia and New Zealand, telling the story of legendary soul singer Etta James, who did…
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The Darwin Festival is set to return to the Northern Territory from the 4th to the 21st August, offering audiences nearly three weeks of theatre, music, comedy, dance, and more. Ahead of the full programme launch, festival organisers have announced some of the major productions festival-goers can look forward to this winter. From the Santos Opening Night…
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Time to take a look at seven of the must-see arts events happening around Australia this month – May 2016, and it’s a eclectic mix if there ever was one: Sydney Comedy Festival With the Melbourne International Comedy Festival finished for the year, it’s time for the Sydney Comedy Festival to take the comedic festival mantlepiece. Many comedians…
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Directed by Jennifer Hagan and presented by Strange Duck Productions, Blonde Poison is a gripping tale of betrayal, war and the high price of survival. Based on a true story, Stella Goldschlag is preparing to be interviewed in her home by an old childhood friend, now a successful journalist. As she becomes increasingly anxious about…
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Stephen K Amos is no stranger to Australian audiences. The English comedian has been visiting our shores for ten years and has made us laugh with his funny anecdotes and observations. The author of the hilarious autobiography, “I Used to Say My Mother Was Shirley Bassey”, has just completed a run of shows for the…
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Who knew the old trope of the hard-boiled detective paired with eager up-and-coming youth set to solve crime and make safe the streets could be so smoothly re-imagined as a musical? An utterly hilarious musical at that! Ian Ferrington, writer of “The Detective’s Handbook” sure did. For hilarious it is. The audience could hardly save…
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It’s hard to be critical of non-professional productions, because they are the training ground for so many working in the industry. Certainly, newcomers should be congratulated for sticking out their proverbial necks and adding to Sydney’s ever-expanding theatrical quilt. But unfortunately, some productions just don’t work, no matter how much effort the creatives put in….
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Let me set the scene. It’s about half way through the set, the comedian’s just had to deliver the punch-line of a joke for the third time; and now he’s offered to get a round in for the audience because an older Swiss-Aussie audience member told him he was making him thirsty. Presumably this was…
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“Empowering through the arts.” That’s the motto of Melbourne based group the School of Hard Knocks, who aim to engage and encourage people through performance, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, boosting their confidence and offering them a place in a welcoming community. This year, the school’s International Singers Festival, already a success in Melbourne, will, for the first…
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For more than twenty years, a locked wooden dresser sat ignored in the home of broadcaster and musician Joel Carnegie. When it was finally opened, a treasure trove belonging to Joel’s grandfather, swing musician Col Brain, was revealed. Now, in a unique event as part of Geelong After Dark, Joel, along with the Geelong West Brass…
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In 2010, a family of green-skinned creatures crash landed at Woodford Folk Festival and, for the past six years, have been trying to get back in the air. After appearances at the Adelaide Fringe and Cairns Festival, Anywhere Festival has invited the Gremlins back to make another attempt at taking to the skies, and Brisbane…
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2015 Auckland photographer of the year Ilan Wittenberg will present his latest portfolio Bare Truth as part of this year’s Head On Photo Festival, exhibiting his work in Sydney in late May. Photographed over a year, Wittenberg’s pieces feature striking monochrome portraits of a diverse selection of New Zealand men, all stripped to the waist. The men are made…
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The Mars Project is the new work from writer Will O’Mahony and The Skeletal System, the team behind the acclaimed Great White. The Mars Project tells the story of Wren and Sam, Sister and Brother, detailing their diverging lives, as one tries to reach Mars and one struggles to speak – Sam has autism. The…
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Amy Herzog’s Belleville had a critically acclaimed run Off-Broadway in 2013, and in Melbourne last year. Now, Mad March Hare have brought their production to the Old Fitz Theatre in Woolloomooloo, which runs until May 12. Actor Chantelle Jamieson talked to me about the vibrancy of director Claudia Barrie, solving problems and her love of the…
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Can a woman be a wingman? The Desperettes, a cabaret trio from Melbourne, are here to show us how we can apply the art of being a “wingman” to the modern woman, bringing their production A Lady’s Guide To The Art Of Being A Wingman to Melbourne’s The Butterfly Club for a May run, bending…
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Trigger warning: This post includes information about rape and domestic violence and may be distressing for some readers. Vanessa de Largie makes no apologies. The former actress and feminist is now a successful author and sex blogger for The Huffington Post. Her writing is fierce, funny and honest with things like “The Blowjob Artist”, “The…
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