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A Gastronomical Heaven

27/10/2025 Virginia Gray🥉

Good Food & Wine Show – Brisbane Rating

★★★★★

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The ‘Good Food & Wine Show’ needs to be on your radar. Installed at the Brisbane Convention Centre over 3 days, 24-26 October, it was a wonderful addition to the many attractions Brisbane and Southbank have to offer. Minimal queuing to enter, although a couple of feather flags to indicate you are on the right track would have reassured those new to the area.

Upon entry there were helpful items like wine glass lanyards, so you didn’t put your glass down and lose it and helped free up your hands. Shopping trolleys for those serious shoppers, honestly take a wheeled bag – there is so much to choose from, luckily some stalls offered free shipping. The stalls and walkways coped with the crowds and the large spacious hall ideal.

There were special ticketed offers and masterclasses. A great gift idea – from cheese, chocolate, wine and even pasta making. Tasting rooms, free experiences, celebrity chefs. Think Christmas and birthday gifts – either produce or tickets for next year.

With stall holders from all over Australia and New Zealand on offer was such a wide variety of good food and great wine – from Olives to Martinis- cheese to nuts – gourmet meats and some very tasty and innovative ideas this show had something to offer everyone.

Did I try the chocolate infused French wine – you bet I did – and although not a fan of hazelnut, I was converted, the wine as we say was divine, light bubbly, chocolatey with a subtle hazelnut. The stall holder was passionate and protective and imports the wine for distribution after stumbling across it doing an OE in Europe.

With wines from the Granite belt – a reminder of what a great wine making country we live in and to get out West more often, Adelaide and the Hunter Valley, it was a reminder don’t leave home until you’ve seen the country. Sparkling Pinot Noirs and refreshing Pinot Gris and everything in between.

Then the boutique spirits – gin (Sambuca is a favourite), peanut butter whiskey (my new favourite ice cream topper), yup everything you can imagine someone has put it in a bottle.

The cheese stands just made you wish for a 7-day weekend, a back deck with a park view or a balcony overlooking the sea, surrounded by those you love to indulge with.

Try as I might I could not make it around every stall and the 3-day flexi pass is probably the best bet if you are going to make a weekend of it, as you need the time and tummy room to savour this gastronomical extravaganza.

Salute – or gānbēi!

However, you say it – put the Good Food & Wine Show on your to do list next year. Or maybe try to get to a Christmas Market in Sydney and Melbourne.

To book tickets to Good Food & Wine Show – Brisbane, please visit https://goodfoodshow.com.au/.

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Rollicking Great Fun

10/10/2025 Virginia Gray🥉

The 39 Steps Rating

★★★★★

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Currently on at Qpac,“The 39 Steps” is originally a book written in 1915. A spy novel about a man living in London, who becomes entangled in murder and espionage. In 1935 it became a film by Alfred Hitchcock, and he was given 3 love interests. In 1996 when it was adapted for theatre it became a four -hander and this version by Patrick Barlow appeared in 2005.

Using a Film Noir stylized set characterized by a pessimistic tone, dark urban settings, stark lighting with high-contrast shadows that alone made the play impressive. Lighting and sound effects were spot on as were the scene changes and use of a cinematic backdrop. The furniture was painted in muted grey tones and white light used.

From apartments to bedrooms to trains to hotel rooms to sidewalks, the ever-changing sets were flawless. And how the audience enjoyed it – laughing, chuckling, clapping and totally engaged. All ages and a full house for opening night – a well-deserved standing ovation at the finish.

The actors had to play 130 characters between them, a whirlwind of costume and scene changes. From cops and robbers to innkeeper and bellhop, this play has it all.

The Umbilical Bros are two very talented and diverse actors. It feels wrong to separate them but such comedic powerhouses – facial expressions, voices, mimics, nuances that just kept the pace frenetic and enjoyable.

David Collins has a long list of acting credits, and he was more than capable of pulling off the multiple roles and physical chases that just kept coming – such a comical face and the voices, with trademark curly hair adding to the characterisation of mad cap farce reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin.

Shane Dundas is also a fantastic comedic actor well suited to the physical, playing his multiply roles of serious (in a comedic way) characters that meant playing madams and spy. Wearing a multitude, yes, many, hats, and a faint essence of John Cleese does come to mind.

Lisa McCune commanded the stage and her hero’s attention, from her femme fatale to a” butter couldn’t melt in her mouth” character she was mesmerizing. Her opening costume was reminiscent of the Golden days of Hollywood – only in a silver-coloured way. So good to see her stretch her wings and showcase how talented she is.

Ahh our hero – Richard, played by Ian Stenlake. Was he naïve, was he hiding something or heck does the hero get the girl in the end. Wow to be running that much and not get too breathless to speak, just fantastic.

All in all, a show not to be missed – Kudos to the director Damien Ryan and his team. This is a very clever and flawless performance.

To book tickets to The 39 Steps, please visit https://www.qpac.com.au/whats-on/2025/the-39-steps.

Photographer: Cameron Grant

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Not a Fairytale Love Story

29/09/202529/09/2025 Virginia Gray🥉

Blue Rating

★★★★★

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“Blue” is a new work written and directed by Claire Yorston. Currently showing at Pip Theatre in Milton in the intimate Level 1 Studio, a black box theatre until October 4th.

The storyline was given as a romantic drama with a dark twist and came with content warnings of abuse – physical and verbal.
This opened on Friday night the 26th and the audience were privileged to an intimate setting to feel like privileged onlookers as the story unfolded.

Let’s start with the set. With double columns this could have been a very awkward space, but instead Claire designed a set where you could look and visualise the personal spaces of the characters. Designed to portray a working café, a bedroom, a lounge room and a beach, the furniture, props were enhanced by an ambitious soundscape that complimented this. And kudos to the talented light and sound tech operator Carter Firmager who managed that side very professionally, there were a lot of cues, and it all went very well. Lighting designed by Claire and sound and music by Hannah Page.

Reagan Warner, a well-known actor around Brisbane played the man. Reagan has a presence and holds the audience with the beginning monologue. His voice is rich, and the dulcet tones lulled the audience into a false sense of a fairytale romance.

Hayden Parsons played the boy – Elias who works at the coffee shop, and Laura Renee, the girl – Annette who is on the corporate ladder.

Both talented actors and well-cast for these roles.

Boy falls in love with girl, girl seems to take a while to warm up to him and then the whirlwind of romance sweeps them to marriage – the cracks appear straight away.

I don’t want to give the full plot away – I want you as the audience to experience the sudden twist like we all did on Friday night – when it happened there was a stomach drop – I could feel the hum of peoples brains trying to recalculate and compute as we moved away from the society norm of DV to what was unfolding before us.

Laura plays Annette with the coolness of someone focused on getting ahead, who warms to Elias’s charms and gentle way. Costuming is simple but suggestive of status.

Elias is that loveable scruffy kid who grew up with slightly alternative family and Hayden played him as gentle and kind.

Try to see new works, especially this one. Serious new drama must work harder to attract an audience, and this deserves to play to a full house. It is an honest portrayal of a relationship that shimmers on the outside but a toxic lava on the inside.

Not all love stories are fairy tales.

To book tickets to Blue, please visit https://piptheatre.org/2025-blue/.

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David Williamson’s The Great Divide

25/05/2025 Virginia Gray🥉

The Great Divide Rating

★★★★★

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Villanova Players’ opening night of The Great Divide seemed to go off without a hitch. The Ron Hurley Theatre is a great venue for live theatre, with lots of parking, comfy seats, and great acoustics. Trust Google Maps; it may feel like it is leading you astray, but it will get you there.

With great little bars and restaurants in the area, I tried “The Old Seven” before the show as it was so close to the venue and had delicious food.

With the constraints in BCC spaces, director Elizabeth Morris planned a simple but functional set. The crew helped set the mood with lighting and kept pace with the very fast scene changes.

The play deals with the politics of developer vs local and people’s perspective of what something is really worth to them. Topics are very current – lack of rentals because of Airbnb’s; the modernisation of amenities that drives up costs, which attracts wealthy people able to pay more, further widening the divide between mogul and battler.

The play is dialogue-heavy with innuendos and references the older audience members related to. Although touted as a comedy, it is slightly reminiscent in style of another Australian classic, “Black Rock.” It is layered with deceit, manipulation, vulnerability, and naivety but delivered with comedic relief.

Alex, the politician standing for mayor, was played by Carissa. She gave the character an interesting voice that suited Alex as unlikeable and cold. As a developer and investor she is only out for herself although tries to justify it with manipulation and giving false hope.

Jane Binstead and Jade Davis played a mother and daughter combo that the audience recognised. Jade, as the daughter, Rachel was sullen and pouty while taking onboard the unfolding events. Jane’s character Penny was a solo mum who ran for mayor to try and protect her way of life.

Nathan Seng, the newspaperman, reminded you of someone who lived in a small town, surfed, and wanted to only print the truth. Ken Dutt played the interviewer, dressed in the standard black pants and white shirt, making brief appearances. Troy Bullock, the councillor, helped the play to feel like you were back in the 80s with his dress and mannerisms. Victoria McCrystal’s character ‘Grace” was reminiscent of Kirsten Vangsness. Everyone could be clearly heard.

The cast moved through the very fast scene changes in fast black outs and their enthusiasm for the play was enjoyed by the audience with chuckles and comments in appropriate places.

Kudos to the director, cast, and crew for putting on an enjoyable community theatre production. It is always worth checking out the local theatre scene. Throw in a trip to one of the great bars and eateries around the suburbs, and you have a fabulous, affordable night out.

To book tickets to The Great Divide, please visit https://www.villanovaplayers.com/.

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