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April, 2018

Why the Melbourne International Comedy Festival isn’t as funny as it used to be

, Apr 20, 2018

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What may really be flattening out the mood at the festival is the "acknowledgement of country", which is played at the start of each show.

Razer: Anne Edmonds’ comedy is truly, madly, deeply Australian – and that’s why it works

, Apr 12, 2018

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For comedy to work, here in this country, it must be truly Australian. It must evoke the minutiae of a time and place, be unashamedly local.

The Rocky Horror allegations seem strangely inconvenient for the arts fluff of The Advertiser

, Jan 12, 2018

Coverage of Craig McLachlan's sexual misconduct allegations (or lack thereof) is highlighting the limits of rigour in Adelaide arts journalism.

‘Petty, vindictive and ill-informed’: rotten tomatoes thrown at opera critic’s ‘hissy fit’

, Aug 17, 2017

Former Age opera reviewer Michael Smith's missive on why he quit has given us a reason to read online comments as the Melbourne arts community bites back.
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That’s not what I meant! Beware the deceptive pull quote

, Mar 10, 2015

What to do when "an extraordinary disappointment" in your review becomes "Extraordinary!" on the side of the theatre.
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Carmen rides back into the ring: sponsor must butt out

, Oct 15, 2014

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Carmen met her match in the political bullring. But in an opera-worthy plot, she’s back from the dead ..
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With a sponsor picking the opera program, Carmen goes up in smoke

, Oct 09, 2014

West Australian Opera has ditched its upcoming season of Bizet's Carmen after a major sponsor raised objections to the depiction of cigarette smoking in the 1875 four-act opera.
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Press gallery party time — and Shorten got the laughs

, Jun 19, 2014

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It's Mid-Winter Ball time in federal Parliament -- so who was hot, who was not, and who drank the most red wine?

The Ring looked more like cheap bling

, Nov 28, 2013

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Tacky stage design of the Ring disappointed audiences and would have benefited from a single artist's vision, writes critic and historian Ian Britain.

The Curtain closes — but we’re over at Daily Review

, Nov 12, 2013

Crikey has launched Australia's newest arts website, The Daily Review -- the new home for theatre criticism and debate.

REVIEW: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Theatre Royal, Sydney

, Nov 07, 2013

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is, above all, a Good Night Out. The Sydney production of the Broadway hit features a winning cast and sounds much better than it looks.

REVIEW: Motherland | Metro Arts, Brisbane

, Nov 07, 2013

An untold story about the marriage between a Russian president and a Brisbane heiress is fodder for Kathryn Lyall-Watson's accomplished new play at Metro Arts.
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Theatre review: Design For Living, Playhouse Theatre, Brisbane

, Oct 31, 2013

Wesley Enoch’s production ditches the wit and subtlety of Noel Coward’s sexual politics fable in favour of over-the-top farce, writes Alison Cotes.

REVIEW: Design For Living | Playhouse, Brisbane

, Oct 31, 2013

Wesley Enoch's Design For Living strips Noel Coward's sexual politics fable of its morality play in favour of over-the-top farce. And buries much of the wit at the same time.
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Theatre review: Grease, Lyric Theatre, Sydney

, Oct 31, 2013

Nothing about this production breathes new life into the hackneyed musical, writes Lloyd Bradford Syke.

REVIEW: Grease | Lyric Theatre, Sydney

, Oct 30, 2013

It's systematic. It's certainly hackneyed. Why, it's Greased Lightening. Again. And with a cast that, frankly, doesn't do much to revive the '70s stage favourite.

REVIEW: The Crowd | Concert Hall, Sydney

, Oct 30, 2013

The Australian Chamber Orchestra tackles a big theme in a big way in an audio-visual spectacular at the Sydney Opera House.
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Theatre review: Singled Out, Seymour Centre, Sydney

, Oct 29, 2013

Australia's becoming a nation of singletons -- a topic eight playwrights tackle with aplomb, writes Lloyd Bradford Syke.

REVIEW: Singled Out | Seymour Centre, Sydney

, Oct 25, 2013

Singled Out is a heroic undertaking which deserves more than cynicism and lip-service. And what a coup to remind us of one of the great actors still in our midst who should never have been off our radar. Or producers' radars.

REVIEW: Cinematic Orchestra | Hamer Hall, Melbourne

, Oct 24, 2013

The Cinematic Orchestra played for one magical night during the Melbourne Festival. Every member brought something dazzling to the stage of Hamer Hall.