Reviews

Death is a funny thing; at least it is in Steve Pirie’s Return to the Dirt. The play follows the journey of Steve and his fiancé Claire who are returning to their hometown of Toowoomba to save money for their wedding. Having lived in Brisbane for some time, the trek back to their roots involves new jobs for both. In Steve’s case, he lands a role in the local funeral home where he meets some quirky characters and learns a lot about himself, life, and death along the way.

Jonathan Biggins is back as Paul Keating in his self-penned showcase of political wit and wisdom: The Gospel According to Paul. And the laughs are very welcome indeed, after sold-out shows in Sydney, and several pesky postponements in Brisbane. Biggins presents his evening with Keating as not so much a dinner speech but rather a private salon with the man himself: yes, there are plenty of laughs, but he gives the character heart and soul as well.

The Metro Arts Restrung Festival 2021 featured seasoned and emerging talent from Brisbane's classical and electronic music scenes, blended in a vibrant three days of theatre performances, pop-up gigs, free rehearsals and visual arts. The David Bentley Trio, well known on Brisbane's jazz circuit, these days features the Brisbane-born but internationally renowned Bentley on keys, with fellow Brisbane luminaries Andrew Shaw on double bass and Nathan Goldman on drums. Goldman is a brilliant drummer, keeping time no matter what the style, and Shaw's bass was on groove throughout.

What an exhilarating afternoon of dance Bespoke was. As Li Cunxin said in his program note, ‘there’s always a sense of excitement in the air around Bespoke time,’ Queensland Ballet’s annual contemporary dance season, and this year was no exception. I don’t know whether it’s because this is the first time in two years they’ve staged a Bespoke season, or we were all celebrating that it was good to have it back.