Reviews

Situated at the point where music, theatre, dance, and artistic installation all meet, Dear John is an exploratory and experimental piece of avant-gardism, presented essentially without conventional distance between performers and viewers, as a tribute to legendary musical figure John Cage. Whether you find the end result entrancing, or indifferent, or somewhere in between, will be largely a matter of personal taste.

The first production I ever saw of this show was a concert version presented in Melbourne at the Arts Centre. It was such a long time ago now I don't remember exactly when, but the one thing I do remember was a superb score being played on the stage with such gusto and passion and a mesmerising cast who were obviously enjoying the experience as much as the audience. It brought the house down; and there were only minimal costumes and some basic lighting: it was just a simple presentation. 

Extinction, presented by Black Swan, State Theatre Company, is an interesting juxtaposition of conflicting viewpoints, diverse personalities and complex relationships which make a very watchable piece of theatre.

It’s 20 years since we fell under the spell of Riverdance. The charm of Bill Whelan’s Celtic score for a small group of traditional musicians, the simplicity of the cultural costumes, the spiritual story of how the river takes the dance to the ocean and across the sea, coupled with the “Clannad” like harmonies of the songs, was breathtaking. And then there was the dancing, such dancing…and the charisma and talent of Michael Flatley. Such was his flair that we didn’t care at all that he wasn’t Irish, but a Chicago-born American.