I TELL YOU WHAT I THINK
First on Entertainment

It starts with a statement of fact, unbelievable though it may appear. Three years ago, the US government enacted a mandate banning premarital sex, except for one night a year and then only with protection. All is fair in love and war if you are married, but not if you are single. So, you can just imagine that that results in a lot of horny people hanging out for that 12-hour period (7pm to 7am). Still, the results of the ban have been significant. Unwanted teen pregna

English playwright Jez Butterworth’s first professional play was the corker Mojo. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1995, when he was 26 years of age. It won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Now, Almost Pisces Productions, a female founded theatre company, has reimagined it with an all-girl cast and it’s a beauty. Photos by Darcy Bryce Mojo is set in Soho’s Atlantic Club, which is run by local gangster Ezra (who we don’t meet), during

Spider-Man is my favourite superhero. Having said that, Brand New Day really tested my patience. I felt every bit of its extended running time, and it is too convoluted for its own good. Further, time and again, it trawls back through previous instalments of the franchise. The subject matter is mind control. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) has all but single handedly been protecting New York City. So much so that major crime in all five boroughs is down. But Spidey’s real

A searing love affair between a former Italian war bride and a well-travelled National Geographic photographer comes alive under the direction of Jessica Claughton. With music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Marsha Norman, the musical is based on the 1992 romantic drama by Robert James Waller. Photos by Suzanne Martin Photography The book had previously been transposed into a successful 1995 movie featuring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood by director Eastwood.

They are largely Indigenous children whose future is looking decidedly shaky. From a young age they are in trouble with the law for a variety of offences. Breaking into homes and stealing money and valuables, they play the system. Often, they are immediately bailed, only to rinse and repeat. Then, in many cases, incarceration follows. Photos by Clare Hawley So, is it the system that is working against them? What part do they have to play in their own rehabilitation?

Life throws up real challenges for the 17-year-old daughter of a split home in the UK who aspires to run her own florist business. The one person play by Emma Dennis Edwards, inspired by the true story of Tottenham community leader Gina Moffatt, is unflinching. It doesn’t hold back In patterned jeans and striking green top, Lucy Ansell takes on the role of the central figure, Angelique. Photos by Jess D'cruze But more than that, she also adopts the persona and voices of

It has such an energetic heartbeat. The performances, the showmanship, the musicality, the choreography, the set, the costuming, the sound, the lighting – this show has it all. Think pop anthems extraordinaire. Power ballads. Hip-hop. Photos by James D. Morgan (Getty Images) And the audience is up throughout and why wouldn’t they be? SIX is irreverent, slick and sassy, and puts a smile on your dial. Just perfect for the winter blues. SIX sizzles and girl power rules.

A frustrating script that is badly developed, featuring forced acting and loose direction. That in a nutshell is the new Australian movie The Birthday Trip. It is pretentious, heavy handed and, in large measure, boring. No wonder it is hard to get patrons to spend good money to see Aussie films. Three couples drive to an upmarket weekend farm stay in the Southern Highlands to celebrate the girls’ 30th birthdays. The getaway has been organised by artist Clare Lapsley

Heinz Lewin, born in Wiesbaden, Germany on 22nd March 1888, was one of the many artists and composers whose lives were tragically cut short by the Holocaust. In his case, the 54-year-old Jew perished in the gas chambers at Auschwitz in September 1942. Assuming a German accent and in costume, writer Zeddy Lawrence unravels his life and music with the help of gifted pianist Tomi Kalinski. Lawrence, who is Lewin’s great grandson, shares stories about Lewin’s heritage, achie