Arts
Theatre review: Sh-t ★★★½
THE three characters in Patricia Cornelius’s play SH-T are tough, mean, violent and damaged by their abusive pasts and limited by their disappointment and rage at the world.
Hills alive with the sound of kids
MARIA and the von Trapp children are ready to sing for Melbourne. The cast of The Sound of Music have arrived and are back in the rehearsal room before the curtain goes up at the Regent Theatre on May 19.
Humphries applauds removal of ‘hideous’ statue
BARRY Humphries has applauded the removal of a giant-sized statue of Dame Edna Everage from Docklands.
Toby steps into kinky role
TOBY Francis is kicking up his heels after landing the lead role in the award-winning musical Kinky Boots. It is the first leading role for Francis, who is a member of the Ten Tenors.
Cyndi’s stage show shares the joy
THE Cyndi Lauper-composed show Kinky Boots is leaving audiences overwhelmed with happiness. So much so co-creator Harvey Fierstein calls it the “joy pill”.
Bid for cheaper books
Australians are paying too much for books and import restrictions should be lifted, a new government report has said
Warhol/Weiwei exhibit breaks record
THE National Gallery of Victoria’s attendance record has finally been toppled. The Andy Warhol/Ai Weiwei exhibition is officially the biggest ticket seller in the gallery’s history, breaking a 12-year record.
The art of politics
COMIC actor Rhys Muldoon channels PM Malcolm Turnbull in an election-eve comedy at Malthouse Theatre.
Theatre review: Miss Julie ★★½
THIS production is an inventive, modern interpretation of Strindberg’s Miss Julie, but it sacrifices dramatic truth and complexity for technical innovation.
Raise the curtain, it’s Clarke’s time
DANIEL Clarke is ready to make his mark on Melbourne’s biggest performing arts complex after five years putting a small St Kilda venue on the map.
Miss Julie up for Kip’s modern makeover
HE’S not yet 30, but Kip Williams isn’t afraid to take on a classic play and make it his own. The Sydney director is now on loan to the Melbourne Theatre Company where he is giving Miss Julie a makeover.
Author Charlotte Wood wins Stella Prize
AUTHOR Charlotte Wood, 50, has won the $50,000 Stella Prize for her “explosive” novel about misogyny in Australian society.
Review: Spirit of Romeo and Juliet captured
IN the first minutes of the opening night of Romeo and Juliet, the electrics failed and director, Peter Evans, diverted the audience with chatter and had them in the palm of his hand.
Review: New Australian musical to watch
THERE is much to like in CROSSxROADS, a romantic comedy that is one of those rare beasts — a new Australian musical.
Hockey and Olsen star in NGV shows
TWO of the world’s greatest living artists are starring in National Gallery of Victoria blockbusters over spring and summer.
Viktor & Rolf in blockbuster exhibition
FASHION designers Viktor & Rolf are bringing their iconic creations to the National Gallery of Victoria in a world-first exhibition announced today.
BBC Proms begins in Melbourne
FOR the first time, the BBC Proms is being performed outside London in a series of concerts at Arts Centre Melbourne starting tonight.
Way more Weiwei and Warhol
EXTENDED opening hours, including a 24-hour session, could push crowd figures for the Andy Warhol/Ai Weiwei exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria to record levels.
Review: Jessica Pratt shines for Victoria Opera
AFTER being only the third Australian to sing the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor at Milan’s famed La Scala — following Nellie Melba and Joan Sutherland — Jessica Pratt unveils her outstanding artistry.
Cabaret the new comedy star
TIM Minchin got the ball rolling. Eddie Perfect wasn’t far behind. Then came Ali McGregor, Geraldine Quinn, Sammy J and Randy and a whole new generation of musical comedy stars.
Comics doing encore performances
SAD all over that you couldn’t score a ticket to that hot comedy gig everyone’s been raving? Well cheer up grumblebum, for here is the slew of comics who have added extra shows.
Circus review: Cirque Adrenaline ★★★★
IF there’s a cap on how much circus Melbourne can handle, we haven’t reached it yet. Cirque Adrenaline is the latest option in our insatiable appetite for circus in all its varied forms.
Warhol breaks gallery records
THE Andy Warhol/Ai Weiwei exhibition is the gallery’s most popular ticketed summer exhibition ever.
Is Dr Death’s euthanasia show funny?
IT built a big head of controversial steam, so how did Dicing With Dr Death — the Comedy Festival show about euthanasia by trouble-making campaigner Philip Nitschke — turn out?
Lawrence Mooney
Well-paced, insightful and consistently funny fare from the controversial Aussie comic du jour.
Velvet ★★★★
Blending the sultry and magnetic, Marcia Hines singing disco alongside startling circus feats transforms Velvet from a concert into a cabaret spectacle.
Abuse victim turns tragedy to comedy
IT’s no laughing matter, but a former altar boy has turned the “tragedy’’ of child sexual abuse into a comedy for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Minchin hits right notes in Matilda
MATILDA The Musical bounds on to the stage in Melbourne in a flurry of books, bullies, battleaxes and boofheads.
