Palace Of The End

There really are few words to describe how truly confronting Palace of the End is. A three-piece monologue written by Canadian playwright Judith Thompson, the play depicts the suffering of...
arts review
Shattered Posted 6 Jun 2013 @ 1:14pm 142 views 0 comments Jessi Lewis’ Shattered is an ambitious work which confronts its audience with an act of terrorism that hits close to home. 9 months in the making, it is the 13th solo show from the young Lewis and was produced in collaboration with Ben Eltham, Tony Founder and Yvonne Virsik. With the audience positioned as though confined to a commercial aircraft, the play is set in the aftermath of a plane...
The Death Of Peter Pan Posted 28 May 2013 @ 12:44pm 124 views 0 comments The Death of Peter Pan was written in 1988 and first produced by Fly-On-The-Wall theatre the subsequent year. While it stretches across a 1920s era Eton, Paris and Oxford, its tale of unaccepted passions and profound love maintains a timeless quality.   Michael Llewelyn Davies (Kieran McShane) is the play’s almost painfully naive protagonist. Davies is the favourite adopted son of...
The Death Of Peter Pan Posted 27 May 2013 @ 12:01pm 112 views 0 comments The Death of Peter Pan was written in 1988 and first produced by Fly-On-The-Wall theatre the subsequent year. While it stretches across a 1920s era Eton, Paris and Oxford, its tale of unaccepted passions and profound love maintains a timeless quality. Michael Llewelyn Davies (Kieran McShane) is the play’s almost painfully naive protagonist. Davies is the favourite adopted son of renowned...
Nude Posted 24 May 2013 @ 12:27pm 97 views 0 comments Red Bennies is in many ways the perfect venue for a show like Nude.  The speakeasy vibe, the small central stage, and the multiple bars all contribute to form a great setting for cabaret and burlesque.  Oh, and the half-naked dancers in cages didn't hurt either. I had little idea what to expect of Nude.  I knew what the creators were trying to do - create some discussion around...
One Man, Two Guvnors Posted 24 May 2013 @ 12:23pm 138 views 0 comments One Man, Two Guvnors is, quite simply, a brilliant show.  While it may not quite have something for everyone (the deceased come to mind), director Nicholas Hytner's production comes bloody close.  The cast are supremely talented, the production values are excellent, the script is tight, oh...and there's an awesome skiffle band. There's nothing not to like about One Man, Two Guvnors....
No Child Posted 16 May 2013 @ 10:36am 91 views 0 comments Nilaja Sun’s No Child has returned and provides a heartfelt and hilarious insight into America’s troubled public education system. Written and performed solely by Sun, it is a play about a group of students putting on a play, about a group of convicts, putting on a play. While a slightly challenging premise to get your head around, Sun’s intricate performance seems effortless. With a couple of...
Blak Posted 15 May 2013 @ 9:57am 112 views 0 comments Bangarra's latest production, Blak, is an electrifying 75 minutes of live dance theatre. The three part piece paints a picture of the journey to manhood, the many challenges of Aboriginal womanhood, and the celebration of the legacy of elders. Blak is a visually striking show. The stage of the Arts Centre's Playhouse is dark, forbidding, punctuated with stark lighting, sand, dust, smoke, and...
Dance of Death Posted 8 May 2013 @ 12:44pm 145 views 0 comments When Malthouse Theatre’s assistant artist, Matt Lutton, directs Jacek Koman (who has not performed in theatre since Cruel and Tender in Sydney), Belinda McClory (who has reached a peak after Pompeii, L.A.) and David Paterson (who was sensational in MTC’s Tribes), there’s a fair share of expectations about the outcome. Friedrich Durrenmatt’s adaptation may seem a bit uneven – arguably not his...
The Funny Tonne : Some Shitty Thoughts After Seeing 76 Shows So Far Posted 9 Apr 2013 @ 1:09pm 861 views 1 comment A month ago, I applied to be a contestant in the Funny Tonne – a comedy festival initiative where three of us race to see as many shows at MICF as we can. Whoever has the emptiest life and most spare time – wins. Just like most things in my life, I sort of jokingly applied, threw in a dick joke, and nek minnit I’ve been accepted. For every show I see, I also agreed to film a short 10-15...
The Rapture Posted 9 Apr 2013 @ 12:59pm 319 views 0 comments The long awaited apocalypse is looming and the Church of the Filius Dei Nullius are waiting to kindly escort you on your journey to heaven...and to cash in on your fear. You don’t need wallets in heaven right?  The clever comedy duo Christian Bagin and John Forman come together as Dun Dun Daa productions to bring there dry and sometimes dark humour to the stage at the Melbourne...
Pajama Men : Just The Two Of Each Of Us Posted 9 Apr 2013 @ 12:55pm 265 views 0 comments Somehow I missed the Pajama Men in 2009, when they won the Barry Award, and again in every show they’ve done in Melbourne since. But if Just the Two of Each of Us is indicative (pretty certain it is) then I finally get why all the fuss, etc.   Wearing pyjamas, and with no set and only a couple of chairs as props (and the occasional keyboard tinkling of their on-stage musician), the titular...
Hannah Gadsby : Happiness Is A Bedside Table Posted 9 Apr 2013 @ 12:52pm 308 views 0 comments Hannah Gadsby is that girl you want to be your best friend. She’s funny, but not at other people’s expense. She’s interesting, but not in the “I go to bondage nights for kicks” kinda way. She’s vulnerable, but in a manner that has the audience rooting for her. When she tells a story it’s not hyperbolic and not overly embellished. Happiness Is A Bedside Table is enthralling, witty and dare I say...
Faulty Towers : The Dining Experience Posted 9 Apr 2013 @ 12:47pm 384 views 0 comments I've loved Fawlty Towers as long as I can remember, but I've always been somewhat scared to attend the Faulty Towers - The Dining Experience. I didn't know that spending a night being abused by a John Cleese lookalike and trying to explain my order to a faux-Manuel would be that enjoyable. But I was wrong.   The hugely successful Dining Experience was created in Brisbane and has been...
Dave Bloustien : Grand Guigold Posted 9 Apr 2013 @ 12:42pm 220 views 0 comments Dave Bloustien’s Grand Guignol was meant to play at last year’s comedy festival, but wasn’t ready in time. So, 12 extra months of fine-tuning and a season at the Adelaide Fringe, and it’d be fair to expect a pinpoint-polished performance, right? Not so much. But the charm of Dave Bloustien is such that a little shambolocism actually does wonders for the show.   And what a lovely show it is...
The Comedy Zone Posted 9 Apr 2013 @ 12:36pm 851 views 0 comments The Comedy Zone provides a tantalising tasting plate of comedians discovered through RAW Comedy and Class Clown competitions. Five comedians ­take to the stage to give you a veritable concoction of the finest up-and-comers.   Amos Gill was the chosen MC. His friendly smile assured the audience that though he is young, he’s got this. We were right to trust him. His presence was...
Debra Batton & Cathering Magill : She Knows Too Much Posted 9 Apr 2013 @ 12:32pm 156 views 0 comments Debra Batton and Catherine Magill return as Such N Such for She Knows Too Much, their Comedy Festival debut about life and its frustrations. However, just like life, it’s pretty disappointing too.   Despite having frequented The Butterfly Club with their endearing tirades, the ladies are disenchanting. Either their catastrophic brand of humour elicits laughs or none whatsoever. This...
Hate Posted 28 Feb 2013 @ 6:30am 271 views 0 comments After taking over the creative direction of Malthouse theatre from Michael Kantor, collaborating with the who-is-who of Australian contemporary theatre, Marion Potts is tackling one of Australia’s most political plays by Stephen Sewell. Hate is about a family reunion over Easter overshadowed by the Machiavellian, patriarchal, businessman and right-wing politician for whom the end...
Pornography Posted 27 Feb 2013 @ 10:39am 224 views 0 comments When writing Pornography playwright Simon Stephens gave no character names and wrote few stage directions. The play, divided into six sections, can be performed by any number of people in any order. Veteran director David Myles takes the helm for this latest production, the first English-language version to hit Australian shores. The text is about as blank a canvas as a director can have when...
At Last – The Etta James Story Posted 27 Feb 2013 @ 10:31am 261 views 0 comments The late, great, troubled Etta James passed away in January last year.  Now, just over a year later a narrative concert has premiered in Melbourne telling the story of her life and putting voice to some of the best known songs of her 57-year career. Vika Bull, often billed alongside her sister Linda or as part of the Black Sorrows, brought life to James’ songs in a remarkable fashion....
Constellations Posted 15 Feb 2013 @ 11:05am 232 views 0 comments Marianne and Roland meet at a barbeque, she over-enthusiastically and rather endearingly embarrasses herself. Marianne the theoretical physicist and Roland the beekeeper start chatting at a rained out barbeque, he is married. Marianne introduces herself to Roland at a mutual friend’s barbeque and they quite like each other. And so goes Constellations, an ever refracting portrait of living,...
The Dark Party Posted 14 Feb 2013 @ 12:44pm 190 views 0 comments A stunning display of visceral theatre, sideshow stunts and physical comedy, The Dark Party is a bit like what might happen if the crew of Jackass went to the circus. The show is perfectly suited to its venue at The Famous Spiegeltent with its superb execution and gothic-vaudeville feel.  Having recently returned from a knockout tour in Europe, Shep Huntly, Pat Bath and Gordo Gamsby are at...
The Trip Posted 14 Feb 2013 @ 12:42pm 235 views 0 comments Each and every year there's a certain atmosphere in The Famous Spiegeltent which is hard to resist, and 2013 is no exception. The Trip is a raunchy cabaret-style circus show featuring an eclectic group of international performers drawn together by Spaniard David Pereira.   Pereira is the highlight in a somewhat hit and miss collection of acts, glued together by the musical and occasionally...
The Other Place Posted 10 Feb 2013 @ 10:53am 275 views 0 comments When multi award-winning director Nadia Tass combines with Sharr White and a great Australian cast, Melburnian theatregoers are bound to flock to MTC expecting an electric performance. A sensation on Broadway, The Other Place is an elaborate, carefully layered drama about Juliana – a middle-aged scientist and pharmaceutical company executive specialising in managing dementia who finds herself in...
The Guilt Trip Posted 24 Jan 2013 @ 9:23am 909 views 0 comments Starring Seth Rogen without his usual co-star, the bong, and for some reason Barbra Streisand, The Guilt Trip is a vapid comedy that appeals to old Jewish mothers who enjoy being stereotyped and that’s about it. The premise is somewhat promising the first time you hear it: a son and his nosey mum take an eight-day road trip across America together. But after watching it, you realise...
Cirque du Soleil: Ovo Posted 23 Jan 2013 @ 11:16am 309 views 0 comments Cirque du Soleil is well-known for certain elements of its act, not all of them universally liked. This includes hyperactive performers, garish costuming and props, and a certain element of grating childishness.  To be fair, the nature of their new show Ovo does make the performers look like somersaulting Teletubbies. And the ‘plot’ is annoyingly nonsensical. There’s an egg. A clownish...
Russell Brand @ Rod Laver Arena Posted 22 Jan 2013 @ 3:59pm 400 views 0 comments I don’t want to use the clichéd expression “the rock star of comedy” in this article so instead I’ll impart the message that Russell Brand is “the rock star of comedy” by disguising it as a criticism of that cliché. With the release of his infamous and candid autobiography along with appearances in films such as Get Him To The Greek and Arthur – not to mention marrying and divorcing pop singer/...
SubUrbia Posted 19 Dec 2012 @ 10:33am 575 views 0 comments Exhibit A: Theatre might just be the sexy young theatre collective you’ve been aching for. If you caught their recent production of Eight at No Vacancy, like me, you’ve been salivating with anticipation at the prospect of another collaboration with director Adam Spellicy and the company’s diverse ensemble of talented performers. SubUrbia, nestled in the grand wind tunnels of Abbotsford Convent,...
God Bless America Posted 29 Nov 2012 @ 1:21pm 383 views 0 comments Frank Murdoch is a middle-aged insurance salesman in New York who is overwhelmed and frustrated at America’s social decay into a state of rudeness based on tawdry pop culture. He then decides to kill everybody involved. This is the entire premise of God Bless America, prompting middle-aged fathers around the world to high five each other in glee now that they can at least somewhat...
Glimpse Posted 29 Nov 2012 @ 9:46am 415 views 0 comments At it's core, Glimpse is about challenging the ways in which we've structured our society.  Why do we all stand in silence in the elevator?  Why don't we know our neighbours?  Just what makes us so scared of reaching out to other people? The debut production of The Kin Collective, Glimpse takes us into a world where people don't look away, where experiences are had, relationships...
Pompeii, L.A. Posted 27 Nov 2012 @ 1:31pm 552 views 0 comments After tackling the classics with Oedipus, The Trial and Tartuffe, one of Australia’s most innovative directors Matthew Lutton joined forces with one of the rising stars of Gen Y Australian writers whose work is beginning to gain considerable momentum after Moth. A play about the violent, what-the-heck-happened-to-my-childhood reality checks of Hollywood prodigy kids that...