Image credit: Morgan Roberts Content warnings: Adult Themes, Mild Coarse Language, References to Sexual Assault, References to violence, Strobe Lighting Effects Dance Masala's contemporary dance theatre work ITEM is both a love letter to and an indictment of the multibillion-dollar institution of Bollywood film, as joyful and energetic as it is engaging and intellectually provocative.... Continue Reading →
Review: Macbeth in Concert (Opera Queensland)
Umberto Clerici conducts the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for Macbeth in Concert. Photographed by Jade Ferguson. Opera Queensland opened their 2023 season with Macbeth in Concert, an exciting and engrossing semi-staged production of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy scored by Verdi. Directed by Laura Hansford in her mainstage directing debut, the performance featured some incredible vocal performances as... Continue Reading →
Review: The Planets (Queensland Symphony Orchestra)
Shiyeon Sung conducts Queensland Symphony Orchestra, photographed by Sarah Marshall Queensland Symphony Orchestra was joined by guest soprano Sara Macliver, The Australian Voices, and trailblazing South Korean conductor Shiyeon Sung for this concert, showcasing works by Wagner and Golijov alongside Gustav Holst’s celestial suite The Planets. The concert began with Richard Wagner's overture to his... Continue Reading →
Review: Top Girls (Ad Astra)
Written by Caryl Churchill and first performed in 1982, Top Girls follows the lead character of Marlene as she strives for success in a male-dominated workplace. Ad Astra’s production is directed by Mikayla Hosking, with assistant direction by Samara Louise, and stars an excellent ensemble of character actors, led by Aurelie Roque as Marlene. In... Continue Reading →
Review: The Father (hARTSpace & PIP Theatre)
Tony Nixon and Janelle Bailey as André and Anne (front), Ophelia Novak as Laura (back). Image credit: Kris Anderson Content Warning: Depictions of dementia, emotional distress, themes of aging and mortality, family conflict, and sensitive language and scene depicting elder abuse. Heartbreaking and beautifully crafted, The Father is a story of love, loss, and caretaking... Continue Reading →
Review: City of Lights: From Paris, with Love (Southern Cross Soloists & QPAC)
Photographed by Darren Thomas, courtesy of QPAC and SXS Southern Cross Soloists opened 2023 with a dynamic concert inspired by the city of lights and love, including a programme of classical pieces by composers who had experienced life in Paris: French composers Debussy and Ravel, but also German composer Gluck, Austrian composer Mozart, and Russian... Continue Reading →
Review: The Turquoise Elephant (Observatory Theatre)
Amanda McErlean and Rebecca Day as Olympia and Basra Macquarie Content warnings: Frequent mentions of climate change, coarse language, sexual references, and use of strobe lighting. Observatory Theatre has opened its 2023 season with a darkly funny political farce about the climate crisis, set in a collapsing world that feels closer every day. Melbourne has... Continue Reading →
Review: Bakersfield Mist (Ad Astra)
Steven Grives and Fiona Kennedy in Bakersfield Mist Content warnings: Use of herbal cigarettes, coarse language and sexual references, depictions of violence, mentions of suicide. The California sun is baking inside Ad Astra's black box theatre for Bakersfield Mist. Directed by Jennifer Flowers, the clash of character between Steven Grives’ sophisticated art expert and Fiona... Continue Reading →
Review: The Reunion (Minerva Theatre Co. & Anywhere Festival)
Minerva Theatre Co's The Reunion, written by Sophie Heather, was a fun and nostalgic immersive theatre experience performed as part of Anywhere Festival. Mt St Celine's class of 2013 were coming together for their ten year reunion, and the audience was included as past students attending the event. We affixed our name tags and took... Continue Reading →
Review: SHE (indelabilityarts, PIP Theatre, The Good Room & Metro Arts)
Content warnings: Discussion of suicide, self-harm, adult content, mild coarse language. Co-directed by Amy Ingram and Catarina Hebbard, with dramaturgy by Katherine Marquet, SHE was a confronting and affecting sharing of women's stories with a focus on mental health and mental illness. The work of three emerging writers – Bianca Saez, Karen Lee Roberts, and... Continue Reading →
Review: Venus in Fur (The X Collective)
Content warning: partial nudity, sexual references, loud noises, strobing light effects, prop weapons. The X Collective presents an electric and engrossing production of David Ives’ Venus in Fur, directed by Wayne McPhee and starring AJ and Nick Sinclair. Power, fantasy, and desire collide in this exploration of interpersonal dynamics, especially as they relate to love, sex,... Continue Reading →
Review: Heartstrings (Camerata)
Camerata performs Heartstrings at the QPAC Concert Hall, with guest pianist Alex Raineri, photographed by Alex Jamieson Camerata opened their 2023 season with Heartstrings, a collection of romantic and passionate pieces from Europe and North America. The program was curated by Camerata Artistic Director and Principal Violin Brendan Joyce, and the Brisbane concert was dedicated... Continue Reading →