Culture
Theatre
Is the world’s biggest library full of stolen content?
A Melbourne actor inadvertently became part of a growing online debate when he discovered his labour-of-love audio drama had been uploaded to an internet archive.
- by Nick Miller
Latest
★★★★
Arts
Four stars for the show that gives us licence to laugh at the big issues
9 to 5 The Musical is much like its creator, Dolly Parton: perky, colourful, amiable, singable and fully renovated – and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
- by Tony Way and Kate Herbert
★★★½
Arts
Alibrandi on stage: have they ruined the book, or given it new life?
Books are being dramatised all over Melbourne: Dorian Gray at the Arts Centre, Looking for Alibrandi at Malthouse and Jane Eyre at La Mama. But do they work?
- by Kate Herbert
The ‘scary’ new role bringing Michael Sheen to Australia
As the beloved Welsh actor prepares to make his first trip Down Under, he talks art, Brexit and Nazis.
- by Meg Watson
Wedding Singer musical romps home with a swag of Green Room gongs
This year’s Green Room Awards, celebrating the best of Melbourne performance, saw awards for shows by Red Stitch, Melbourne Theatre Company and Melbourne Opera.
- by Vyshnavee Wijekumar
What makes Dorian Gray such a hit? The music is part of the secret
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a success story that’s music to the ears of everyone involved.
- by Martin Boulton
★★★
Review
I don’t mind being bewildered but this play made for a most confusing night
After 75 minutes of Burn Witch Burn, you stagger off into the night a little more wary of charms, goats and fire... and certain that a deeper spell could have been cast.
- by John Shand
Finding Alibrandi: Australia’s favourite teenage rebel gets a 2022 makeover
Apart from the film released in 2000, author Melina Marchetta has fiercely guarded Alibrandi, rejecting all offers to adapt it – until now.
- by Sonia Harford
Melbourne theatre’s ‘digital pivot’: pandemic thing or a revolution?
One of Melbourne’s smallest performance venues just launched a digital subscription service, joining a suite of platforms where you can grab the latest shows.
- by Nick Miller
Moira Finucane is back with a big, consensual, occasionally nude cabaret hug
The cabaret treasure has curated a new show that includes hip hop, fan-dance and Billie Eilish influences.
- by Mikey Cahill
★★★
Arts
Raucous songs and bold characters lift this rock-gig musical
Passing Strange is a fun and exuberant production of a Broadway hit, but it suffers from significant sound and staging issues.
- by Kate Herbert