Reviews

The heroism of the Antarctic explorer, Douglas Mawson, is characteristic of the pursuit of glory and adventure in a period when it was natural for men to put themselves through extraordinary and trying physical tests. The visceral nature of the performance effectively conveys the enormous physical toll of his explorations but Mawson’s journey is also portrayed as a profoundly psychological trial where the demands on his psyche were equally exhausting.

If you loved the Les Miz movie then you’re going to love this new stage adaptation which has all the sweeping grandeur of the screen version. From the opening boat scene to the Paris sewers finale, Matt Kinley’s set and video images, based on Victor Hugo’s paintings, are visually arresting and inspired and are what set this version of Les Miz apart from others and make it a must see.

Over the years I have enjoyed many ELT productions. Their intimate venue is ideal for plays, but not for large-scale musicals, so Nunsense, with its small cast, was an ideal choice.

It was also one of their best.

At least three of the five performers had professional experience, and all had to sing, dance and act. Of course, the acting was strong, but they sang well and the dancing was surprisingly good. At one stage four of them launched into a tap dance!

Early evening sunlight floods a large bare room in North Melbourne’s Arts House – no lighting grid above – it’s as if to say, ‘no artifice here’.  As if.  Brian Lipson enters in an arresting, intriguing costume – half man, half woman, but far more detailed than merely that.  A crown, a school blazer, a string of pearls, half an Elizabethan ruff, a 50s schoolbag, a sword.  One (rather shapely) leg in pantaloons and hose and a black high heel pump, the other in jeans and a heavy work boot.  As the light fades to dim during the