Reviews

Tosca

Composed by Giacomo Puccini. Librettists: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Opera Australia in collaboration with Opera North. Directed by Edward Dick. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House. June 25 - August 16, 2024

When this production was first conceived by Opera North in 2018, Donald Trump was in the White House and the #MeToo movement was a dominant cultural force,  which partly inspired the Director Edward Dick to give it a modern sensibility.

The story was transplanted from Rome during the Napoleonic wars to an unnamed present-day country where Church and State collude.

In one of the most striking parallels about powerful men behaving badly, the villain Scarpia sings about his desire to both bed Tosca and discard her after his prospective conquest.

Blood In The Water

Written by Jorja Bentley. Direction and dramaturgy by Tansy Gorma. La Mama Courthouse. June 20 – 30, 2024

A teenage boy commits a heinous act of violence against his girlfriend, she testifies and sends him to jail for five years. This is the underlying premise behind Blood In The Water; a dynamic family drama where everything that will go wrong does go wrong.

Oliver!

By Lionel Bart. Holroyd Musical and Dramatic Society. Redgum Function Centre, Wentworthville. June 21 – July 7, 2024

Oliver! is a timeless musical that captures the essence of Charles Dickens's classic novel, Oliver Twist. Chances are you’ve seen it, been in it, directed it or produced it in no specific order. It’s a musical that has stood the test of time for its light and shadow, hope and hopelessness, for its look at the opulence and the underbelly of society.

Sidonie in Japan

Sharmill Films. A Film by Élise Girard. French Film Festival. In cinemas from July 4, 2024

East meets West in Élise Girard’s latest film, Sidonie in Japan.

Sidonie (Isabelle Huppert), a lapsed French author, travels to Japan to publicise her first book, which was written years previously. She is not there by choice but at the insistence of her editor and translator, Kenzo (Tsuyoshi Ihara). She is also haunted by the ghost of her husband (August Diehl), who died in a car crash years earlier.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone

By Sarah Ruhl. Canberra Repertory, directed by Kate Blackhurst. Theatre 3 Acton. A.C.T. 13 to 29 June 2024.

Jean (Jess Waterhouse) has just finished her soup in a café when she loses patience with a man sitting nearby (Bruce Hardie) for failing to do anything about his continually ringing mobile phone. Then she realises he is dead. In her fluster, and evidently because she makes poor decisions on the spur of the moment, she answers the phone for him — and continues to do so, even pretending that she knew the dead man before he died. In the process of speaking for him, she learns that his name was Gordon.

Hay Fever

By Noël Coward. Genesian Theatre, Kent Street, Sydney. June 2 – July 27, 2024

It is always a delightful time visiting the Genesian Theatre on Kent Street. The little space is part of Sydney's history, and while the Genesians' new home will undoubtedly be lovely, a visit to Kent St Theatre is a must before time runs out. The team has just opened their latest production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever, a comedy set in the 1920s that showcases Coward's talent for creating eccentric characters and witty dialogue. 

American Signs

By Anchuli Felicia King. Directed by Kenneth Moraleda. Sydney Theatre Company. Wharf Two Theatre. 20 June to 14 July, 2024

American Signs delves deep into the underbelly of corporate America with unflinching cynicism, exposing its stark indifference towards both its employees and the communities it claims to uplift.

Through the compelling performance of its sole actress, Catherine Văn-Davies, the play starkly illustrates how the protagonist, initially stationed "On the Beach" (between assignments) ultimately becomes woven into a corporate project in Ohio.

A Celebration of Burt Bacharach - What The World Needs Now

MSO Icon Series presented by Ryman Healthcare. A Make My Mark Production. Melbourne Symphony Orchestra plus special guests. Creative Director: Mark Sutcliffe. Hamer Hall, Arts Centre, Melbourne. June 22, 2024.

Burt Bacharach, the acclaimed composer and songwriter (who passed away last year aged 94), has had a profound impact on the music industry, inspiring countless songwriters and singers around the globe. The Jewish kid from New York hated his piano lessons, and was a poor school student, once stating that he was "lonely most of the time". His mum loved music but told him that it "is not a career I want you to have". At age 15, using the alias Happy Baxter, Burt started his own band, and frequented jazz clubs, which was a great way to meet girls!

Stolen

By Jane Harrison. Sydney Theatre Company. Wharf 1 Theatre. June 6 – July 6, 2024.

Stolen was a landmark in 1998 for debut playwright Jane Harrison and director Wesley Enoch and for our Indigenous theatre.  After so many productions which followed, and now this STC version, we realise why it’s such a landmark, and especially so in the whole sorry business of the Stolen Generation.

Lisa Simone: Keeper of the Flame

Adelaide Premiere and Exclusive. Cabaret Festival. Festival Theatre. June 22nd 2024

Being ‘Keeper of the Flame’ and sharing the heritage of legendary ‘High Priestess of Soul’, Nina Simone, American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger and civil rights activist is no small feat, even for her only daughter, Lisa. Nina Simone’s music spanned multiple styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop.  Beloved and well known for jazz-like singing in her contralto voice, she was strongly influenced by her passion for European classical music which was her original career plan.

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