Culture
Theatre
Domestic bliss becomes a cold, bloody nightmare.
This production treads a fine line between thoughtful experiment and blunt spectacle
- by Harriet Cunningham
Latest
‘We wake up in grief for our culture’: the return of a landmark play
Actor Elaine Crombie says a new production of The 7 Stages of Grieving, about Indigenous Australian history, is as relevant today as when it was written 26 years ago.
- by Steve Dow
Sorry, Mum, but you can’t let facts get in the way of a good story
In the era of fake news, an existential crisis awaits Melbourne Theatre Company audiences.
- by John Bailey
What does the circus have in common with Indigenous culture? Plenty, actually
Sure, there’s flips and tumbles and splits but for Harley Mann circus is all about connection.
- by Kerrie O'Brien
Every time, one line in this Paul Keating comedy wins big applause
Jonathan Biggins is bringing his satirical, biographical impersonation of Paul Keating to Melbourne. He says our fascination with the man has grown over time.
- by Nick Miller
Cheetham, McAllister win awards rescued from ceremony ashes
The Helpmann performing arts industry awards have been cancelled two years in a row: but organisers were determined to present two lifetime achievement awards anyway.
- by Nick Miller
‘As an Indigenous woman in Australia there will be doors that will not open’
Shakira Clanton opens up about racism, sexism and lessons learnt from her powerful mother.
- by Nick Galvin
★★★★
Review
A ‘sweeping wonder’ of a play that glows
Noelle Janaczewska charts an improbable course for a one-hand, one-act play.
- by John Shand
★★★
Review
Jesus is a streetwise trans woman in this inspiring, provocative show
Religion can be a tortured subject for the queer community. This play is an antidote to the legacy of shame left by many church upbringings.
- by Cameron Woodhead
Sculpture comes to life in unusual, interesting and passionate tale
Playwright Wendy Beckett has concentrated on Camille Claudel’s early years, giving balanced treatment to her flirtatiousness and Rodin’s attraction to her work and then her.
- by Jill Sykes
In the 1800s, women flocked to Australia. It wasn’t the dream they were promised
The hopes and horrors of single women’s voyages, detailed in historian Elizabeth Rushen’s book Single and Free, are the subject of a new musical.
- by Sonia Harford