I TELL YOU WHAT I THINK
First on Entertainment

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

How do you handle it when the odds are stacked against you, the elements are playing havoc and you have a gun to your head?   That is the contention explored in the remote northern Minnesota wilderness in the peak of winter.   In this case, there are four main players – five, if you count flashbacks. Barb (Emma Thompson) is a recent widow.   She was happily married for many years and during the ordeal that plays out, she reflects fondly on her courtship and union.   Barb sets

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