Arts
Our boys’ big adventure
Lord of the Flies, a UK dance theatre sensation, descends on Melbourne next April in a stirring all-male production whose onstage tribes will comprise professional dancers and untested talent.
Modern take on historic tale
Edward II is sometimes alarming and intense but it is also a diverting interpretation of this wayward King and his decadent reign, writes reviewer Kate Herbert
Monkey business
IF YOU think a bloke playing a primate could not be funny and poignant, think again, because Rory Kelly’s portrayal of Trevor, the former television star chimpanzee, is hilarious, moving and dangerous, writes reviewer Kate Herbert
Laughing all night long
Four star review: if you don’t mind being regaled with tales of hanging with Jack Nicholson and being Muhammad Ali’s “little brother”, then an evening with Billy Crystal is a joyous one indeed, writes Patrick Horan.
A tale of three Maggies
This very physical stage adaptation of George Eliot’s 19th century novel The Mill On The Floss partners dialogue with abstracted movement to illuminate characters and relationships, writes reviewer Kate Herbert
New Harry Potter sets sales record
FANS have wasted no time rushing out to get a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, making it this year’s fastest selling book.
Is the new Harry Potter any good?
IT’S one of the most longed-for publications in years. But is the new Harry Potter script as magical as the rest of the beloved books?
Magical music-maker
VICTORIAN Opera’s latest family production of The Pied Piper takes a dark fairy tale on a Aussie outing and gives it a sunny ending, writes reviewer Paul Selar.
Star on the stage
Renowned tenor Roberto Alagna is a singing marksman and a genre-crossing showman with down to earth attitude who gave his all in a handsomely staged concert at Hamer Hall, writes reviewer Paul Selar
AFL brothers star in kids’ books
New books reveal the childhood antics of AFL brothers Troy, Adam, Joel and Scott Selwood
Page-turner for the stage
The latest production of Roger Hall’s The Book Club is a lightweight look at the problems of a middle-class suburban woman played by the vivacious Amanda Muggleton, writes reviewer Kate Herbert
Dahl-lightful festival at Fed Square
The Melbourne Writers Festival has events for every kind of reader, from crime and fantasy to politics and feminism, and includes Roald Dahl Day, UK comedian Alexei Sayle and Australian Liane Moriarty
Some like it hot
This updated, 90-minute version of Menopause the Musical has more parodies of popular songs with satirical lyrics about menopause and plenty more dance than the original, 2005 Australian production, writes reviewer Kate Herbert.
The villain returns
While there is unevenness in the acting, Bell Shakespeare’s production of Othello is an imaginative version of Shakespeare’s play, writes reviewer Kate Herbert.
Unlikely bedfellows on stage
CELEBRITY public radio presenter Ira Glass and dancers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass have bridged the radio and contemporary dance divide in Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host, writes reviewer Stephanie Glickman.
Lady Renouf loses cancer battle
MUCH loved Melbourne identity Lady Susan Renouf died this morning after a long battle with cancer. Members of her family were with her.
Our Isabel ‘not just a pretty face’
LORD Mayor Robert Doyle took a swipe at Paris couture shows as he announced local beauty and former Home & Away star Isabel Lucas as the face of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.
Opera meets pole dancing
OPERA and pole dancing will make an unlikely match in a contemporary take on the classic La Traviata to be performed at table top dancing venue The Men’s Gallery.
Poetic writing demands to be heard
GREED, lust and betrayal sound like the plot of an ancient Greek tragedy but early 20th century American playwright Eugene O’Neill plunders these elements in his gritty play, Desire Under The Elms.
Titanic’s tragic tale to Melbourne stage
The tragic tale of the Titanic is brought to the Melbourne stage in a production that entertains while cunningly including social commentary and historical fact, says reviewer Kate Herbert
Sovereign Hill turns gold rush to glitter
SOVEREIGN Hill has been transformed into a glimmering neon playground with Christmas in July celebrations adding a touch of razzle dazzle to the city’s historic streets.
Singing, dancing voyeurism
DO NOT expect dramatic tension, suspense or heightened acting in this production because Come Away with Me to the End of the World is just not that sort of show.
Egg has a few cracks
THE greatest strength of children’s production Egg is the comic charm of its three performers, two of whom are human while the third is a quirky and very cute puppet called Ovo, writes reviewer Kate Herbert
Big, bold ballet
THE Houston Ballet visits Australia for the first time with Romeo and Juliet, as choreographed by Melbourne’s own Stanton Welch.
Bold overhaul for beloved jazz club
MELBOURNE’S famous jazz club Bennetts Lane is set for a radical makeover under a proposal to relocate it to a new spot in Melbourne’s CBD.
10 must-see Degas masterpieces
10 works you must not miss at Melbourne’s biggest and most ambitious Winter Masterpiece in a generation.
Review L’amante anglaise
MARGUERITE Duras’ compelling duologue L’amante anglaise is both haunting and haunted says Kate Herbert.
Roll up, roll up
THE family-run Silver’s Circus has been successfully pitching its tent around Australia for 37 years. In that time the genre of Australian circus has evolved into a sophisticated and plentiful beast but Silver’s sticks to the tried and true.
Tram comes alive with Sound of Music
THE tram was alive with The Sound of Music this week when Maria Rainer and the Von Trapp children treated passengers to a spontaneous singing session.
