Australian Theatre Live has arrived and it’s the perfect compromise if you find yourself unable to go to the theatre for whatever reason (geographic, financial, Covid-19, etc). The new theatrical streaming service takes it inspiration from the success of National Theatre Live in the UK, offering high quality video recordings of mainstage theatrical performances. The…
Tag: Review
Review: Tongue Tied at KXT
Tongue Tied is an incisive representation of a media culture that often prioritises publishing ‘scandalous’ news over the wellbeing of victims (see: the EJ Norvill Geoffrey Rush case).
I loved the contemporary and urgent subject matter of the play, and it made me think deeply about the many real-world examples that parallel the events of the play.
Review: STC’s Chalkface at the Sydney Opera House
As a political commentary about how some of society’s most important and hard-working individuals—teachers—are systematically undervalued and overlooked, Chalkface succeeds. However, as a comedy—which the play is marketed as—Chalkface is a disappointment.
Review: Looking for Alibrandi at Belvoir
Looking for Alibrandi is a thoughtful depiction of a teenage girl torn between cultural identities, and a moving tale of mothers and daughters. Ultimately, I was disappointed by the director and designer’s use of the Belvoir space. While the production lacked the warmth of the original writing, the funny, loving lead performances of Macri and Mastrantone are a joy to watch, and it is well worth seeing.
Review: The Lifespan of a Fact at STC
The script is not subtle in its moralising about facts versus art, but it is effective. STC’s marketing evoked Aaron Sorkin, which is an apt comparison. Jim is agonisingly pedantic about the facts, and John is a pretentious egotist. Neither of them are fully likeable, and neither are 100% right or wrong— the writers let you decide where you fall. Jim and John’s battle is the clash of pragmatism and high-mindedness, a battle against what is correct, and what is dramatically compelling.
Fangirls: A Musical That’s So Much Fun You’ll Think You’re At An Actual Pop Concert
Take a bag of glitter, a dozen red bulls, and thousands of pre-teen girls’ high-pitched screams and you’ve got Fangirls, a musical so rich with energy and euphoria you’ll think you’re at an actual pop concert. It’s 2019 and fourteen-year old Australian schoolgirl Edna (playwright and composer Yve Blake) is desperately in love with Harry…
Review: A Girl In School Uniform (Walks Into A Bar)
Peter Brook once said, “I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage.” He claimed that for theatre to exists, one just needs a space and an actor. Pointing out the existence of radio theatre, he insisted that even light is not necessary for theatre. I’ve never seen Brook’s ideas demonstrated as…
GAME OF THRONES (S8E4): All-Male Writers Failed Its Female Characters
Like millions of people around the world, I am a huge fan of Game of Thrones. I have read all of the books, rewatch the show constantly, and have been up at 3 AM every Sunday for the past four weeks to watch the new episodes of Season 8 live. I am also a woman and…
BIG LITTLE LIES SEASON 2: Disappointing 2nd Season Fails To Justify Its Existence
Big Little Lies, like thousands of great TV shows and movies before it, has fallen victim to sequel fatigue. The first season, packed with A-List movie stars and a script that danced between witty satire of wealthy parents, and a devastating mediation on abusive relationships, can be fairly called a masterpiece. The mini-series, based on Liane Moriarty’s book…
Glasgow Film Festival 2019 Documentaries: LAST BREATH & ARE YOU PROUD?
My first day at Glasgow Film Festival was a thrill. I attended two world premieres, both with post-show Q&A’s with the cast and directors in what looks to be a great start to what looks to be an exciting weekend. I started the festival with Are You Proud?, a documentary chronicling the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the…
PADDINGTON 2: A Warm, Furry Hug Of A Movie
In 2014, Paddington Bear walked off the pages of his cartoon, on to Paddington station and into our cinemas. It soon became an unlikely family favourite. It showcased some of Britain’s best actors – from Hugh Bonneville’s lovingly exasperated patriarch, to Sally Hawkins’ eccentric yet caring mother, and Julie Waters as the comic relief housekeeper. At the film’s soft, furry heart is Paddington, cheerfully…
Review from the Archives: NUTS presents Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi
All-female plays aren’t very common. In fact, statistically, women in the Arts aren’t that common. The ratio of women to men in the performing arts is around 3:10, and women make up only 7% of the top directors in Hollywood. That’s what makes the New South Wales University Theatrical Society’s (NUTS’) latest production so important. Written by…
Scribbles of Stage and Screen 