Reviews

When Queensland Ballet’s Artistic Director, Li Cunxin, started in his new role 10 years ago, a new centre of arts excellence for his company of dancers was just the spark of an idea. The company had been rehearsing in the old Thomas Dixon Centre in Brisbane’s West End – an old boot factory – since 1991. That working space is now a state-of-the-art creative hub, with its own 350-seat Talbot Theatre, public art and workshop spaces for creatives.

We first meet Beth (Freya Patience) and Harry (Oscar Morphew) in Harry’s bed.  They’ve hooked up the night before (as is the way of things nowadays) and now face the awkwardness of ‘Who is this person?’  And ‘What am I doing here?’  Plus, the need to get to the bathroom in what we guess is a small apartment and the anxiety about the necessary sounds...  But Harry smooths things over with some micro-waved chicken korma and naan, and Beth rabbits on – as she tends to do – about her gluten intolerance…  Sh

Ballet dancers from around the world flew in to join highly credited local ballet stars and an enthusiastic troupe of young dancers, to bring this international ballet extravaganza to the wide stage of the Sydney Coliseum. After the devastating effects of the last two years on live performance, it’s wonderful to see this extraordinary theatre, opened in December 2019 only months before the pandemic struck, realising its promise of bringing international performances and, hopefully, large cast musicals to “the greater west”.

‘That’s what we’re here for!’ exclaims Viv, when challenged about her one-track mind to complete a first-class honours degree. And yet Amelia Bullmore’s play about three women sharing a house demonstrates that it’s not so much an academic education as one in life. Set in the again-fashionable eighties, the music mashups of New Order, Rick Astley and Talking Heads bookend each scene, the set-up coming episodically as we’re introduced to the three women.