Reviews

Persuading an audience to imagine a performance taking place in a series of different places across the English countryside in the eighteenth century is difficult enough if you have a revolving stage with multiple sets. To do so on a small stage with restricted wing space and a cast of twelve performers is even harder – unless you have someone who can manipulate the audience’s belief with creative sound and lighting. Someone like Mehran Mortezaei.

Opera Australia's new production of Madame Butterfly is beautiful and stunning; a sumptuous treat for the senses and emotions.

I've been specifically tasked to focus on the new tech and video projection OA is using. If this production is anything to go by then OA are on the mark with not only the use of current tech but being the innovators in its development.

With an almost new cast, Sydney welcomed back Muriel’s Wedding the Musical like beloved relatives at a family reunion. According to PJ Hogan, who wrote and directed the original film, the story of ‘terrible’ Muriel Heslop no longer belongs to him but to everyone who loves the story. Updated to bring Muriel into the social media age, the tale has been refreshed and makes more sense in age when someone can become famous for being famous.

After a journey to Brisbane’s Powerhouse catching post-work-commute conversations about spreadsheets and kitchen renovations, Cassie Workman’s performance in Giantess is like a lifeline to a fresh stratosphere. More multi-layered than mere mash-up, Giantess is a finely honed performance piece. Like all excellent comedy, it has an underlying sorrow that nails life truths that we can all relate to.