Culture
Theatre
Black Drop Effect review: Burying a megaphone in Botany Bay sand
Nardi Simpson's play deals with invasion from a First Nations perspective, without sermonising.
- by John Shand
Latest
Review
All hail King Ubu, the colossal, vain, bright orange puppet-in-chief
A childish tyrant, reckless, greedy, boorish and vain, rises to power. Might this 19th century absurdist satire remind us of a certain modern figure?
- by Cameron Woodhead
Sydney Festival
Dark truths make for defiant theatre
Bryony Kimmings' one-women show demonstrates the dark side of motherhood.
- by Harriet Cunningham
Review
Majestic puppets pull the heartstrings in War Horse's return run
The horses will steal your heart but the humans may not in Melbourne's latest look at this West End blockbuster.
- by Cameron Woodhead
Sydney Festival
Sweaty, gritty, messy: The taboo-busting retelling of Jesus's life
Mix pop tunes with meringue, frankfurters and Gold Blend instant coffee and you get a subversive reworking of the New Testament.
- by Lenny Ann Low
Sydney Festival
Welcome to a marriage of cultures in Black Ties
Family feuds and weddings are taken to a new level in a Sydney Festival show that transforms the classic rom-com genre into a culturally charged theatre production.
- by Deanna Ruseska
Review
Black Cockatoo review: Noble intentions weigh on drama
Geoffrey Atherden dramatises an episode from Australia's sporting history deserving wider currency.
- by John Shand
Review
Simply extraordinary: Josh Quong Tart dazzles in reimagining of 70s blockbuster
The joke's on the audience as Reg Livermore's '70s follies come back to life in 2020.
- by Harriet Cunningham
Review
Long-distance love story borrows from performers' real-life romance
The Life Of Us is a new musical that explores the drama of long-distance love.
- by Nicole Elphick
Spectrum
Whatever happened to Bette Davis? She's right here in Melbourne
Jeanette Cronin evokes the screen icon during this year's Midsumma Festival.
- by Sonia Harford
Review
Sydney Festival
Joan Didion's The White Album review: Pitch perfect, if not revelatory
A stupendous performance by Mia Barron is not quite enough to turn Joan Didion's timeless prose into fully convincing theatre.
- by John Shand