Reviews

Ballet dancers from around the world flew in to join highly credited local ballet stars and an enthusiastic troupe of young dancers, to bring this international ballet extravaganza to the wide stage of the Sydney Coliseum. After the devastating effects of the last two years on live performance, it’s wonderful to see this extraordinary theatre, opened in December 2019 only months before the pandemic struck, realising its promise of bringing international performances and, hopefully, large cast musicals to “the greater west”.

‘That’s what we’re here for!’ exclaims Viv, when challenged about her one-track mind to complete a first-class honours degree. And yet Amelia Bullmore’s play about three women sharing a house demonstrates that it’s not so much an academic education as one in life. Set in the again-fashionable eighties, the music mashups of New Order, Rick Astley and Talking Heads bookend each scene, the set-up coming episodically as we’re introduced to the three women.

Skyfall is the sort of entertainment audiences have been longing for. And, in the week that we lost the composer of the original James Bond theme, Monty Norman, the show was a fitting tribute to the enjoyment that the film franchise’s songs have given audiences over the decades. Now, when you think of the classic James Bond theme tunes, you think of iconic voices: Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Lulu, Simon Le Bon, Sam Smith, Adele, and others.

A single brilliant red bentwood chair sits centre stage.  Jayne Tuttle descends the stairs, a willowy figure all in black.  She seems at first just a little uncertain – as if she doesn’t quite understand the story that she is about to tell us – or that we won’t understand it.  She’s not her yet; she’s unformed; she’s pretending to be the eponymous Betty Blue, who’s sexy and burns down buildings.  It’s a touching picture and it engages our sympathy straight away.