Reviews

Masochism – “gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others, especially the tendency to seek this form of gratification.”

The venue is supposed to be at 136 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, but I’ve run out of numbers. ‘Excuse me,’ I say to the girl guarding what looks like an underground toilet, ‘I’m looking for Shook’. ‘Yes, you’ve found us’, she says, ‘but we’re not quite ready yet.’ Returning in a bit, I squeeze under the entrance, descend the steep stairs and find myself in a tiny theatre. 

If the recently renovated Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House was a racing car, then this concert was the fullest of full throttle runs around the racetrack.

Almost 400 singers in the stalls, the organ in full flight, an orchestra of more than 60 on the stage with soloists dotted around them.

The schoolboy Charlie Swan, with a sweet solo, sang from up in the clouds next to the organist and other singers popped up in the audience,  making it a 360-degree aural extravaganza.

With both their one-day-only performances of Ya’Djin Spirit Women sold out, The First Creatives are definitely an inspirational force to be reckoned with. This was their first full-length production at BEMAC, Brisbane’s welcoming multicultural centre, somewhat hidden underneath the Story Bridge. The talented group’s dancers are Allirah Fisher, Maddy Fisher, Erika Jayne Goldsmith, Kahli Coolwell, Vanessa Coolwell, and Rebekah Holdaway.