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The full glory and emotional heft of Giuseppe Verdi’s fraught and dramatic love story La Traviata is magnificently captured by Opera Australia. I am in awe of the spine-tingling efforts of Australian/Mauritian soprano Stacey Alleaume, who is utterly captivating in the lead role. Her rich and rounded vocal tone reaches remarkable heights in a bravura showing that must be seen and heard. It is no exaggeration to suggest this is one of the truly great operatic performances

One has been there and done that, knows which way is up and is stuck in her ways. The other has the world at her feet. She has plans to forge ahead with life and make the most of it. They are known as Old One (Caroline Lee) and Young One (Eva Seymour). Photos by Darren Gill Young One takes a job on the deli counter at a supermarket, intending to stay no longer than six months, but Old One is sceptical. Addressed by Old One as “good for nothin’” and “freshman”, she is im

The desire to break free of an abusive relationship is at the heart of Waitress, which is based on a 2007 independent film of that name, which starred Kerri Russell. Jenna Hunterson works as a waitress and prolific baker at Joe's Pie Diner in a small town in America’s South. Photos by Jeff Busby She is trapped in an unhappy marriage to Earl, who treats her shamefully and expects her to hand over all her earnings, when she falls pregnant to him. Jenna goes to the doctor,

A woman psychologically tormented and traumatised by her husband is at the heart of the debut narrative feature for Australian filmmaker Jasmin Tarasin. Sarah Smilie (Maeve Dermody) feels trapped in a coercively controlling marriage. She lives in a beautiful home with her well-to-do husband, Jake (Alexander England), who is frequently away on business. And so is the case on her 40th birthday, which she spends with their 13-year-old son, Otis (Sonny McGee). Clearly all is

Can money buy your happiness? Perhaps not, because even if you are “into” the person that is into you, if they come from a poorer background, the voice at the back of your head must be working overtime. And, because you are human, it is asking, “are they only into you because of your wealth?” Well, Marianne Farrère (Isabelle Huppert) has plenty of currency to splash around – I am talking about hundreds of millions or, even, billions. So, she doesn’t even bother asking

With strong autobiographical elements, this classic American play, which premiered in Chicago in 1944, is a piece of memory theatre. We are in St Louis in 1937 and Tom Wingfield (Tim Draxl) is both narrator and a central character. Photos by Pia Johnson He is giving us his own nostalgic, emotional and subjective recollections of what went down. Inspired by Tennessee Williams’ turbulent life, this portrait of a shattered family announced Williams as a major literary figur

Acclaimed Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton’s latest movie, Wolfram is another disturbing representation of the country’s colonial past. It is set in the early 1930s in and around the fictional outback mining town of Henry (named after a grumpy cat Thorton used to have). It is a time of cruelty and exploitation to try to make it rich by mining Wolfram (an old term for Tungsten, which hardens steel). A couple of reprehensible types, the entitled and arrogant Casey (Er

A cute Babe-like (1995) whodunnit with some good humour and sight gags. That is what you are in for with The Sheep Detectives. Nothing to think about too deeply and some of the comedy hits the mark better than other attempts, but overall, it is a most enjoyable romp. George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), who lives in a long, silver caravan on his farm in the small village of Denbrook, is totally besotted with his flock of sheep. He fervently believes all are special and knows eac

Twenty tracks, some deliberately discordant, others melodic, written to one of history’s greatest literary figures – that is the inventiveness of The Juliet Letters. The changes in tempo reflect significant mood shifts – from bitterness, disillusion and despair to vulnerability, cynicism and obsession. It is the work of an unlikely pairing, English rock singer/songwriter Elvis Costello and classical, contemporary chamber ensemble The Brodsky Quartet. Costello first saw T