Show Reviews

Roll up! Roll up! For this is no ordinary show– The Marvellous Elephant Man The Musical is a colourful feast of sound and flair under the Sydney Spiegeltent at the EQ Moore Park that will keep you entranced. The talented trio of writers and composers of this musical took additional roles onstage to showcase their versatility. Musical Director Sarah Nandagopan performed on the piano, Marc Lucchesi and Jayan Nandagopan acted and brought their instruments into the story via their characters. The Marvellous Elephant Man brings us the story of John Merrick, a man who, in real life in the late…

Mention Agatha Christie to anyone, and you know you’re in for a classic Whodunnit mystery. With such a prolific author and playwright, there’s the usual expectation of interesting characters, intrigue, murder and the pointing of fingers. The Genesian Theatre Company presents The Hollow, a play that debuted in 1951 and ran for 11 months in London. The director Molly Haddon, herself a very experienced Agatha Christie actor, has assembled a dynamic cast inside a historic Sydney building, The Genesian Theatre. Built in 1945, the theatre lent itself aptly to this time period with its grand wood ceilings and plush, heavy…

Hunters Hill Theatre performed the world premiere of award winning Australian playwright Melvyn Morrow’s latest play, Pope2Pope, on Friday 18 August 2023. It was a play with religious themes that treads the fine line between comedy and some difficult truths. The director Elaine Hudson and the company did so with finesse and steady balance, cleverly staying on this line. Pope2Pope, as the name suggests, was set inside the Mother of the Church Monastery, in the Vatican Gardens. The set design was simple but effective, with a traditional large red sofa on a red luxurious carpet taking centre stage. This repetition…

The Turn of the Screw, written and directed by Tooth and Sinew’s Richard Hilliar (after Henry James) was a very clever and creative production. An eerie atmosphere was established, from the moment the audience walked into the theatre through the mist to their seats. The preshow orchestral interlude, composed by sound designer Chrysoulla Markoulli purposefully used amplification and dynamics to capture my attention and left me with an unsettled feeling. Whilst waiting for the show to begin, I got a subtle hint of what was to come by seeing the addition of something strange growing down from the ceiling onto…

The Good Food and Wine Show rolls into the International Convention Centre in Sydney this weekend (June 23rd-25th), and it is not one to miss. Hall 2 of the ICC hosts a massive range of vendors this year, with food and drinks to satisfy all your cravings and curiosities. A fun, carnival atmosphere hits visitors as they enter by Liqueurs on the Lawns, equipped with its very own DJ provided by Cointreau. For those who like a little spice in their life, Cointreau offers a spicy margarita made with Tabasco sauce, sure to warm anyone up in the cold Sydney…

David Williamson’s When Dad Married Fury is a cheeky comedy that explores the tensions created in the family unit when inheritance is discussed, especially when a new, young, beauty-queen wife joins the picture. Hunters Hill Theatre’s production brings both the funny – and flawed – character traits to the fore whilst tackling the darker themes of the play. The simple set lets all the tension and drama hold its own space. Red-painted walls and a giant lit-up dollar sign make it no secret what the play’s themes will be about. Clever staging choices also made certain scenes and themes stand…

A Singular Crime / Un Crimen Argentino is a 2022 thriller based on the 2002 Reynaldo Sietecasebook of the same name. It’s inspired by a true story occurring in 1980 Rosario, Argentina during the “Dirty War” military dictatorship. The book was a best seller, and now the film leaves audiences just as intrigued as they try to solve the crime alongside the protagonists. It is airing at the 2023 Spanish Film Festival and is a must-watch for any who love a mystery. Unlike the book, A Singular Crime primarily follows around two court clerks, Antonio González Rivas (Nicolás Francella) and Carlos Torres (Matías Mayer), alongside the judge’s secretary, Maria Bussato (Malena Sanchez), as…

The Spanish Film Festival is back this June and July and celebrating it’s 25th year! Presented by Palace, the film festival is accessible online, or in person, in major cities Adelaide, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. There are plentiful films to choose from with helpful category groupings such as ‘New Spanish Cinema’, ‘Spotlight on Argentina’, ‘Focus on Female Filmmakers’ and more. I had the pleasure of viewing ‘Cork’ (‘Suro’), a Drama/Thriller feature film debut from Director Mikel Gurrea, that is creating a lot of excitement in its New Spanish Cinema category. It has already won a slew…

The Spanish Film Festival returns and is celebrating its 25th year! This time, the festival will be heading to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Byron Bay, bringing with it a selection of films from across Spanish-speaking cultures. With subdivisions of New Spanish Cinema and Cine Latino and a range of genres available, there will be something for everyone in the festival program this year. The preview film for the 2023 Spanish Film Festival was Alberto Rodriguez’s Prison 77 (In Spanish, Modelo 77). Prison 77 is a prison drama film set in the late 70s that follows the fictional…

What I was expecting: A courtroom drama about a rape case, and the effect it has on the lawyers who are trying the case. A play that was going to be uncomfortable and confronting, but presented an important discussion into the way we think about “consent”. What was presented: A dark comedy that looks at the breakdown of a housewife’s relationship with her husband. It was a deep and complex interrogation of the concept of truth, perspective and fidelity that had me laughing with and relating to the characters. Although the play does follow a rape case, the case and…

A brightly lit warm stage… Endless greenery… A quaint park bench… Lively music and bubbles… This is the home of The Dog Logs, the latest production of Hunters Hill Theatre currently playing at Club Ryde. It’s impossible not to know who lives here – if the dog bowl, ruined newspapers, and the can of trash weren’t clues enough – and I anxiously wait to see just how we’ll be introduced to man’s best friend; the animal I cannot get enough of. Of course, despite the pitch I was given to attend opening night – The Dog Logs is not just…

Hunters Hill Theatre’s latest production, the iconic Australian play Secret Bridesmaids’ Business, is a play you must see. I attended the opening night on Friday and highly recommend you join the bridal party for this brilliant conclusion to their 2022 season. Elizabeth Coleman’s smash hit Secret Bridesmaids’ Business was first performed in April/May 1999 and has been an audience favourite ever since. Performed all over the country and adapted for the small screen into a 2002 telemovie and 2019 miniseries. The tale takes place the night before/morning of Meg’s wedding, “the best day of any woman’s life”, and we witness all…