Reviews

This new musical is a winner, like the woman this show immortalises. The story is based upon renowned Australian chef and cook book writer Margaret Fulton. Fulton is now 94 and recently met up with this production’s magnificent team to put the cherry on top of this wonderful musical show. Her life is fascinating as she triumphs over poverty, adversity and a string of dud husbands to become Australia’s most famous and followed writer chef. Her first major cookbook, “The Margaret Fulton Cookbook”, was published in 1968 and sold one and a half million copies.

When the lights go up on this new Australian musical, there’s a sense of maturity - Sydney’s Hayes Theatre is now producing premieres of variety and accomplishment rarely seen in this country before. Evie May, a fictional story based around the long-gone Tivoli vaudeville circuit, is a complex work that starts slow and is not always successful. But when it hits its stride, this show nails it. Some of the music and writing is superb - and it’s given the best start possible with a brilliant production.

Queensland Symphony Orchestra has found a very clever and engaging concept in its Music on Sundays series. The 2018 season of it has just wrapped up with Tradies and Artists. Each show in the series is curated on a theme and hosted by an entertaining emcee. The result is a production that presents a highly accessible way for people who aren’t usually orchestra-goers to understand and appreciate the music.

Willoughby Theatre Company’s production of Shrek, the classic family movie turned stage musical, was a delightful experience on a mammoth scale, with production values on a par with professional theatre I have seen of late.