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A spectacular four concert series over 11 days finishes in grand style with three of the doyens of musical theatre treading the boards.   I run out of superlatives when I try to describe the phenomenal voices of Marina Prior, Lucy Durack and Simon Gleeson … for they are living treasures. Their depth, range, texture, tone and control are something to behold – a privilege to witness in their full glory.   Together, they are an incendiary combination.   The concert incorporates

Grand performances, stunning staging and striking costuming characterise a musical adaptation of the 1997 animated film of the same name.   The story concerns a legend surrounding the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia.   The tale begins in St Petersburg in 1906 when the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna Romanov (Nancye Hayes) bids farewell to her youngest granddaughter. Photos by Jeff Busby The Dowager Empress is moving to Paris, but before she does she gifts Anasta

Maestro John Foreman met Casey Donovan, Paulini and Rob Mills on the set of Australian Idol more than 20 years ago. Foreman was the original musical director of the show and all four, including Foreman, have gone on to forge enviable careers.   Put them together a couple of decades on and you have the makings of something special.   That is exactly the case with John Foreman’s Australian Pops Orchestra and The Idols of Music Theatre at Melbourne Recital Centre. Individually a

1.     MJ: The Musical (Lyric Theatre) – The tense lead up to superstar Michael Jackson’s Dangerous world tour and his relationship with his abusive, controlling father. 2.     The 39 Steps (Comedy Theatre) – Slick and oh so cleverly acted and staged, this enticing parody of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock British spy thriller is riotously funny. Photo by Cameron Grant (photo on the front page by Daniel Boud) 3.     The Talented Mr Ripley (Arts Centre Melbourne) – Sydney Theatre C

Bernadette Robinson brings sizzle to the Melbourne Recital Centre, paying homage to some of the greatest female singers to have played at Carnegie Hall.   It is an emotion-charged 85-minute set with the 40-piece Australian Pops Orchestra, conducted by David Young, featuring musical director Mark Jones on piano. Time and again, Robinson extracts maximum value from songs that build and build to a rousing crescendo.   Her ability to hold notes is quite astonishing, along with th

Christmas came early to the Melbourne Recital Centre, as the mellifluous voice of Silvie Paladino filled the concert hall with glad tidings.   She was the starring artiste warbling carols to the musical accompaniment of conductor John Foreman’s spectacular Australian Pops Orchestra.   It was an afternoon and evening of celebration (there were actually two concerts) after what Paladino said had been “a hard week … in a broken world”.   She went on to acknowledge the transforma

If the media call is anything to go by, those attending one, several or all of the Australian Pops Orchestra’s concerts over the next fortnight are in for a special treat.   Maestro John Foreman AM is looking to spread joy, happiness and optimism over the festive season. He will be doing so with his magnificent 40-piece orchestra and a dazzling array of guest artistes, that have trodden the boards on Australian and international stages.   All four concerts over a total of nin

As a conventionally brought up, white, heterosexual male, I was excited by what I saw and learnt from Two.   In fact, opening our eyes to difference and embracing it continues to be one of society’s challenges.   I put it to you that while we may have come some way, we still have a long way to go.   Non-binary Kit (Sienna Macalister) is strong willed. They know who they are and they want others to accept who they are too. Photos by Leonie Leonida But the person most challenge

The ugly threat of colonialism looms large in Brodie Murray’s well realised Soul of Possum.   We are on the Murray River – Wamba Wamba country – in 1853.   Suddenly, the bush is devoid of its usual wildlife.   There is an unseen danger.  Photos by Darren Gill Wirramanda ( Balla Neba) tries to warn brothers from another clan, but they are immediately dismissive.   However, before long, the elder of the pair, Warru (Wimiya Woodley), senses the peril too, causing a falling out

Come From Away is a brilliantly composed, intense and emotional musical. So much so, that it gets me every time.   When I first saw it, I thought I had seen nothing like it. Photos by Ken Spence Now, several years later, having attended several productions, I feel the same way.   Perhaps that is why I keep coming back to the well, leaving just as moved and appreciative as if experiencing this stunning show as a novice.   Now it is OSMaD’s turn to move mountains and that they

Imagine losing the love of your life on your wedding night, only to have the chance to win her back from the underworld, subject to strict conditions.   Surely, you’d back yourself.   But wait, the story gets much darker because although you and your wife are reunited, the conditions are too much to bear.   In short, you are severely limited in how you can engage with her and you are not allowed to tell her that that is the case. But, after hearing her desperate pleas, you re

Each year I keep coming back for a repeat dose of Christmas cheer.   Why? Because The Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol is a fine, heartfelt and meaningful production, in which the actor who plays Scrooge changes from year to year.   Charles Dickens’ tale of greed at the expense of humanity may date back to 1843, but its message never grows old.   And this representation is as slick, assured and as family friendly as they come, finishing with merriment and mirth. Photos by Michelle

In good conscience, I can’t say I could recommend this play to … well, anyone.   Within minutes, I was wishing I was anywhere else other than in Theatre Works watching Nihilistic Optimism On Trampolines. Photos by Sian Quinn Seeing workers at a trampolining facility hooking up, bonding, squabbling and bored out of their tiny minds hardly seemed like the most engaging of entertainment.   The work picked up somewhat after one of their number began composing a yarn involving the

An array of cocktails, mocktails and sleight of hand at close quarters, with some hijinks and a party atmosphere to boot.   That is what in store for you when you step into the Japanese Magic Bar experience. As you order your drinks, seated at five “stations” – a table and four bars – five magicians razzle dazzle you with their mind-bending repertoire of illusions.   One after another, you get a few minutes with each, before they move on to the next group.   And then there is

Intense. Visceral. Passionate. Angry. Confronting.   My instant reaction to a remarkable two-man show about art and what it means.   It is the late 1950s. A master painter lets loose – doesn’t hold back – in “schooling” his assistant. Photos by Olivia Morison In short, it is verbal diatribe of biblical proportions.   Ken (Jordan Briggs) is like the cat that got the cream, after being hired by renowned artist Mark Rothko (Dylan Smith) as his “helper”.   Ken is engaged to work

Taking its cue from bouffon, a form of theatrical performance rooted in grotesque mockery, satire and physical comedy, Golden Soil & Wealth For Toil takes aim at The Lucky Country.   Swiss dramatis t Friedrich Dürrenmatt ’s 1956 tragicomedy The Visit offered the perfect framing. Photos by Darren Gill For it is, indeed, a fair question to ask whether Australia is still the land of opportunity it was once seen to be.   Given the cost-of-living crisis and the widening gap betwee

Danish author and poet Hans Christian Anderson based the literary fairy tale The Red Shoes about a peasant girl named Karen on his loathed half-sister of that name.   The story, first published in an 1845 collection of his works, is that of a girl being forced to dance continually in red shoes.   The peasant girl’s mother dies when Karen is still very young.   Adopted by a rich, old lady, Karen grows up vain and spoilt. Photos by Brett Boardman Before her adoption, Karen had

Insults, treachery and love are interchangeable in this new, modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, which crackles with absurdity and wit.   It centres around the vicissitudes faced by two couples feted to be together, but not before a whole heap of melodrama. Photos by Grego ry Lorenzutti I speak of the acerbic Beatrice (Alison Bell) and aristocratic soldier Benedick (Fayssal Bazzi), both sworn off love and marriage. They are constantly testing each other

Do you believe in ghosts?   Noted sceptic and author Professor Adrian Chambers (Peter Houghton) most certainly does not?   The 62-year-old has written 14 books on the subject.   At a very poorly attended new book reading and signing, he is waylaid by the only person who turns up, librarian Beth Jackson (Emily Trheny). Photos by Darren Gill Although their awkward exchange has Chambers cringing, he certainly takes notice when she offers him half a million dollars to take up a c

The multitalented PJ Lane takes us on a most entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable walk down memory lane, as he pays tribute to his famous father.   With special guests Patti Newton and Rhonda Burchmore, PJ Lane sings, dances and delves into the life and times of fellow entertainer, Don.   Complete with a striking 12-piece band and four glittering showgirls, PJ has a strong, powerful and melodic voice, which he uses to full effect. The variety show is interspersed with black