Stage
‘Petty, vindictive and ill-informed’: rotten tomatoes thrown at opera critic’s ‘hissy fit’
Emily Watkins August 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.
That’s not what I meant! Beware the deceptive pull quote
Ben Neutze March 10, 2015
What to do when "an extraordinary disappointment" in your review becomes "Extraordinary!" on the side of the theatre.
Carmen rides back into the ring: sponsor must butt out
Ray Gill October 15, 2014 2 Comments
Carmen met her match in the political bullring. But in an opera-worthy plot, she’s back from the dead ..
With a sponsor picking the opera program, Carmen goes up in smoke
Ben Neutze October 9, 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.
Press gallery party time — and Shorten got the laughs
Crikey June 19, 2014 9 Comments
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
Crikey November 28, 2013 3 Comments
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
Crikey November 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
Crikey November 7, 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
Crikey November 7, 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.
Theatre review: Design For Living, Playhouse Theatre, Brisbane
Curtain Call October 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.