Reviews

Based on the screen version, this fun-filled musical follows the style of that other John Waters film-to-stage adaptation, Hairspray, featuring characters who break from the confines of 1950s norms in squeaky clean Baltimore (Waters’ home town). The musical is much more fun than the film, with a book by Tony Award-winning Mark O’Donnell (Annie, The Producers, and Hairspray) and Thomas Meehan (Hairspray), and songs by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger (who worked together on The Daily Show).

Fleur Murphy unflinchingly examines the threads of violence in our society with delicacy, insight and humour. The central character (Louisa Mignone) has a toddler who isn’t sleeping well and a husband who has become emotionally and practically absent.

The play starts when the fence is torn down by their new neighbour leaving the houses and their occupants exposed to each other. There are unsettling events suggestive of family violence in the house next door and making choices about how to respond is challenging.

Composer, arranger and conductor Nicholas Buc was the perfect choice to lead the QSO in last night's performance of a fascinating and eclectic selection of the music of famous film score composers. With his impressive experience in the industry and passion and knowledge of the subject and the inclusion of scores from the 1930's up to the 1980's, it was indeed a night of mixed emotions not only because of the music itself but also the reminiscences associated with those memorable movies buried deep in our psyche.

Every now and again a new opera version is performed that changes your views about the text, music and how is to be performed. Simon McBurney’s new version of Die Zauberflöte is just such a production.

I have been involved in theatre for over fifty years and have never seen a production of this Mozart classic that is so well thought out and entertaining. It is truly opera on steroids.