Alex First
Cruel Brittania: After Frankenstein, at The Showroom, Arts Centre Melbourne - 80 minutes
English author Mary Shelley’s (1797–1851) gothic novel Frankenstein was first published in 1818. Now Kristen Smyth has crafted and...
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Alex First
5 days ago3 min read
What's This? (National Drama School), at Theatre Works' Explosives Factory - 80 minutes
American writer Edgar Allan Poe (19th January, 1809 – 7th October, 1849) cultivated mystery and the macabre. There is horror in his work....
Alex First
6 days ago2 min read
Eurovision on Tour - 3 hours, including interval
From relatively humble beginnings in 1956, when only seven nations competed, the Eurovision Song Contest has grown into a juggernaut of...
Alex First
Nov 153 min read
Midnight Carousel, at Theatre Works - 100 minutes, plus interval
As many of us know, work can be all consuming. So much so that to our detriment we tend to neglect those nearest and dearest to us, the...
Alex First
Nov 142 min read
Chorus! (Opera Australia) at Geelong Arts Centre - 1 hour
It is only natural that the principals or leads receive the greatest plaudits in all forms of entertainment, be that opera, ballet,...
Alex First
Nov 132 min read
My Brilliant Career (MTC), at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner - 2 hours 20 minutes, including interval
Quite some undertaking … to turn the iconic novel My Brilliant Career, about a young girl/woman who doesn’t fit in, who charts her own...
Alex First
Nov 113 min read
The Magic Flute (Opera Australia), at Geelong Arts Centre - 2 hours 45 minutes, including interval
A light, lively and joyous family friendly production of Mozart’s final opera before his passing, The Magic Flute is a cavalcade of fun...
Alex First
Nov 113 min read
Peter and the Starcatcher, at The Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne - 2 hours 20 minutes, including interval
A Peter Pan origin story, Peter and the Starcatcher is a slapstick pantomime fantasy, infused with music, dance and puppetry. So, it is...
Alex First
Nov 102 min read
Made in China: 2.0 (The Show Room, Arts Centre Melbourne) - 60 minutes
I am faced with a predicament that I can’t say I have confronted too many times after a few decades of reviewing. I have just seen a...
Alex First
Nov 93 min read
Sister Act, at Regent Theatre - 2 hours 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval
From the opening words “oh, crap”, uttered by Sister Mary Lazarus, as played by the indomitable Rhonda Burchmore, we know Sister Act will...
Alex First
Nov 72 min read
MARVELous The Show, at The National Theatre - 2 hours plus interval
MARVELous The Show is an irreverent, R-rated, musical parody of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has fans squealing with delight. It...
Alex First
Nov 33 min read
Sweet Pea (Mover’s Call Theatre Company), at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory - 80 minutes
Eight former friends and their partners and ex partners, all in their 20s, come together to commemorate the life of Bean (Jacob Gamble),...
Alex First
Nov 23 min read
Consent (Bottled Snail Productions), at Chapel Off Chapel - 2 hours 20 minutes, plus interval
What constitutes sexual assault and how difficult is it to prosecute? That is one of the key questions asked in the dramatic, at times...
Alex First
Nov 12 min read
Your Name Means Dream (Red Stitch Actors' Theatre) - 100 minutes, plus interval
Just how far can artificial intelligence take us? Can it deliver genuine companionship and more for the lonely, elderly and ailing? ...
Alex First
Oct 312 min read
Golden Blood (MTC and Griffin Theatre Company) - 90 minutes, with no interval
A whip smart dramatic and comedic script and a couple of stellar performances characterise a seedy story set in Singapore. Singaporean...
Alex First
Oct 312 min read
Cats & Dogs - The Ian Potter Centre, NGV Australia, Federation Square
This is an exhibition that starts from a place of wholesome and enduring love. After all, who doesn’t have a special place in their heart...
Alex First
Oct 252 min read
All The Things We've Done, at Theatre Works - 60 minutes
Fret Jet markets itself as an airline that handles your internal angst, one that can deal with your sharp pangs of guilt. Mind you, as...
Alex First
Oct 242 min read
Life in Plastic, at Chapel Off Chapel - 60 minutes
She just may be my favourite entertainer … and with good reason. Time and again, Christie Whelan Browne has shown me that she is,...
Alex First
Oct 203 min read
The Passion of Pauline, at The Mission to Seafarers - 60 minutes
Now, here is a decidedly different conceit – take a real-life criminal trial and turn it into a TV gameshow. That is precisely what New...
Alex First
Oct 192 min read
Finucane & Smith’s Global Smash Club, at Trades Hall - 75 minutes
From high octane pop and rock to soulful melodies and operatic arias, this is a rampant, raucous, defiant, unabashed and provocative...
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