Berlin: a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
April 21, 2023 by Alex First
Joanna Murray-Smith’s remarkable insight, attention to detail and writing prowess are front and centre in a captivating production of Berlin at Melbourne’s The MC Showroom. Read more
Music that imposed itself: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
April 20, 2023 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Turley’s Mirage, Elgar’s cello concerto and Shostakovich’s 10th symphony provided a rich blend of styles at the Opera House last night. Read more
Pear-Shaped: A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
April 11, 2023 by Alex First
Having closely watched all 75 minutes of Pear-Shaped, I remain utterly confused about what I just saw. Read more
Handel’s Samson: A music review by Shirley Politzer
April 10, 2023 by Shirley Politzer
Cheering, foot stomping, loud clapping, and a standing ovation were how Handel’s Samson oratorio was received at the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House. Read more
Rolling Thunder Vietnam (Australian tour) reviewed by Alex First
April 10, 2023 by Alex First
Rolling Thunder Vietnam is a deeply emotional, richly rewarding musical and narrative experience that takes you to the heart of the highly divisive Vietnam War. Read more
Julia: A Sydney theatre review by Alex First
April 6, 2023 by Alex First
Brilliantly performed by Justine Clarke, who, as the 27th Australian Prime Minister, displays determination, indignance and frustration, I would suggest one’s political predilection will have a fair say in how Joanna Murray-Smith’s words go down. Read more
Linoleum – a movie review by Alex First
April 5, 2023 by Alex First
A quirky, feel-good, sci-fi comedic drama, Linoleum concerns a decent man of science in Ohio who has always aspired to become an astronaut. Read more
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever: A Sydney theatre review by Alex First
April 4, 2023 by Alex First
What a hoot! Read more
Fences: a Sydney theatre review by Alex First
April 3, 2023 by Alex First
We’re among African-Americans in a working-class suburb in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 1950s. Read more
The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? A Sydney theatre review by Alex First
March 31, 2023 by Alex First
Melbourne-based, I flew to Sydney to catch up on five shows over five nights. One I was keen to see was The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? Read more
Madama Butterfly: An opera review by Murray Dahm
March 27, 2023 by Murray Dahm
This Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (HOSH) production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly was first seen in 2014 and here makes its triumphant return ‘home.’ Read more
Silly Little Things: A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
March 17, 2023 by Alex First
Rosie is a 20-something-year-old florist shop owner and party girl for whom life has its challenges. Read more
Don Quixote (The Australian Ballet): Reviewed by Alex First
March 17, 2023 by Alex First
I was mesmerised by the performances of the two leads in an intoxicating production of Don Quixote by The Australian Ballet. Read more
Prodigious pianist brings Roaring Twenties to the 2020s
March 16, 2023 by AAP
When Simon Tedeschi plays the nostalgic notes of Rhapsody in Blue, the virtuoso hears the story of his family in the Roaring Twenties. Read more
Green Day’s American Idiot: A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
March 16, 2023 by Alex First
Three disaffected young men are at the centre of punk rock band Green Day’s rock opera American Idiot. Read more
Living: A movie review by Alex First
March 15, 2023 by Alex First
The expressive question “you call that living?” may well be asked of the chief protagonist in the movie Living. Read more
Wolf Play: A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
March 14, 2023 by Alex First
Put succinctly, intriguing. Read more
Berhardt/Hamlet: A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
March 13, 2023 by Alex First
We are in Paris in 1899. Read more
At the Adelaide Festival with Alan Slade
March 13, 2023 by Alan Slade
The Adelaide Festival Theatre is an impressive structure and one of South Australia’s most prestigious venues. Read more
When the Rain Stops Falling: A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
March 10, 2023 by Alex First
What a phenomenal piece of writing by Andrew Bovell (who wrote the powerful Australian film Lantana, which debuted in 2001). Read more
& Juliet: a Melbourne musical review by Alex First
March 10, 2023 by Alex First
A riotously fun, thoroughly entertaining musical for our new, enlightened times, & Juliet picks up Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet where it ended and kicks it up a gear. Read more
A concert of colour: A music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
March 9, 2023 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Young’s reflected lights, Saint-Saens’ kaleidoscopic second piano concerto and Mussorgsky’s art gallery stroll, resulted in a visually provocative program last night from the SSO under the baton of 39-year-old Estonian Mihhail Gerts. Read more
At the Adelaide Festival with Alan Slade
March 8, 2023 by Alan Slade
Most Jewish Australians will have heard of William Cooper (1860? – 1941), the Aboriginal political activist who, in 1938, led a delegation of the Australian Aboriginal League to the German Consulate in Melbourne to deliver a petition condemning the “cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government of Germany”. Read more
Taking on the Russian Titans: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
March 7, 2023 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Twenty-six-year-old Albanian-born pianist Marie-Ange Nguci might well have bounded onto the Recital Hall stage wearing boxing gear last night because there was no way she could avoid stepping into the ring with four heavy-weight Russian composers all threatening to knock her out. Read more
At the Adelaide Festival
March 7, 2023 by Alan Slade
Cédric Tiberghien, the French classical pianist, started learning to play the piano at age 5, which may explain his masterful rendition of Mozart’s Sonata K331 in the concert he gave in the magnificent Adelaide Town Hall as part of the Adelaide Festival. Read more
Made in China 2.0: a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
March 7, 2023 by Alex First
I am faced with a predicament that I can’t say I have confronted too many times in four decades of reviewing. Read more
Creed III: a movie review by Alex First
March 3, 2023 by Alex First
After retiring from the ring three years ago, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) lives to fight another day in Creed III. Read more
Empire of Light: a movie review by Alex First
March 2, 2023 by Alex First
Set in the English coastal town of Margate during the turbulent early 1980s, Empire of Light is a sensitive drama romance. Read more
Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
February 26, 2023 by Alex First
Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical sizzles with powerhouse performances and a rousing score. Read more
The Rocky Horror Show: reviews by Henry Benjamin
February 24, 2023 by Henry Benjamin
With a massive musical intro, it was time again to see the Roxy Cinema candy seller part the curtains and send us off on to the wild ride that is The Rocky Horror Show. Read more
