Bright young stars shine In West Side Story: a review by Victor Grynberg
August 22, 2019 by Victor Grynberg
If PORGY and BESS is the pre-eminent American Folk Opera, then certainly WEST SIDE STORY is the outstanding American Musical. Read more
Birth of the Cool
August 16, 2019 by Arts Editor
MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL – a documentary featuring the life and career of musical giant and cultural icon Miles Davis, a true visionary, innovator and originator who defied categorization and embodied the word, will be screened in a short season. Read more
Kirill Gerstein’s journey through genres: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
August 6, 2019 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Visiting 40-year-old Russian-American pianist, Kirill Gerstein, is at the top of his game. Read more
Whiteley: a stunning triumph for Opera Australia
July 17, 2019 by Victor Grynberg
Victor Grynberg reviews the premiere of a new Australian opera recounting the life of the iconic artist Brett Whiteley… Read more
“The Collaborator” by Diane Armstrong: a book review by Geoffrey Zygier
July 11, 2019 by Geoffrey Zygier
In The Collaborator, her first book in almost a decade, noted Australian writer Diane Armstrong weaves together two interconnected tales. One is her interpretation of a true story, a reworking of an extremely controversial and still unresolved episode from the Holocaust. Read more
“God Versus Gods: Judaism In The Age Of Idolatry”: a book review by Rabbi Raymond Apple
July 11, 2019 by Rabbi Raymond Apple
The Bible is punctuated by the tussle between the Almighty and the false gods. Read more
Da-da-da-darr plus rarities: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
July 4, 2019 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Beethoven’s fifth symphony, a Verdi overture and a Prokofiev violin concerto made a perfectly balanced program for the Masters Series SSO concert last night. And that was before the bonus attractions of a female Chinese conductor and a celebrated Russian/Israeli violinist. Read more
La Traviata on the harbour
July 3, 2019 by Arts Editor
Opera Australia has announced that Verdi’s much loved work La Traviata will return to the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage in 2020. Read more
Diplomacy: a theatre review by Hila Tsor
July 3, 2019 by Hila Tsor
After its first sold-out session the political thriller, ’Diplomacy’, is back for an encore at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre. Read more
An Unexpected Love – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
July 2, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
It seems that folks in Argentina have a fairly relaxed outlook on life. It certainly appears so in this charming romantic comedy from director/writer Juan Vera.
Move over Franz, Lang Lang is in the building: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
June 30, 2019 by Fraser Beath McEwing
You know it’s a Sydney Opera House gala celebrity event when the concerto is played last. Read more
Madama Butterfly reaches new heights: an opera review by Victor Grynberg
June 30, 2019 by Victor Grynberg
When Opera Australia premiered their new era digital sets last year with the production of AIDA not everybody was as enthusiastic as this critic. Read more
Australian World Orchestra back together
June 28, 2019 by Arts Editor
Following last year’s sensational response to the concerts led by Maestro Riccardo Muti, the AUSTRALIAN WORLD ORCHESTRA (AWO) is returning with an eclectic and bravura program for this July, and to present the newly formed AWO SIX, an elite ensemble of AWO all-stars. Read more
PUFFS or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic
June 26, 2019 by Hila Tsor
A theatre review by Hila Tsor. Read more
My Sack Full of Memories: a book review by Geoffrey Zygier
June 18, 2019 by Geoffrey Zygier
People are motivated to bare their lives in public for different reasons. Read more
Tolkien – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
June 13, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
It is not necessary to have read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien to view this offering from director Dome Karukoski (Tom of Finland). However, for aficionados of the books or movies, clues to the author’s ideas are strewn throughout the production and it is fun to take note of them.
An evening with The Scott Van Gemert’s Big Band: a music review by Ron Jontof-Hutter
June 7, 2019 by Ron Jontof-Hutter
I attended a concert given at Melbourne’s Paris Cat Jazz Club given by Scott van Gemert and his 17-piece jazz big band this week. Read more
Red Joan – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
May 28, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
Even though she has played everything from a spymaster to a queen, it’s hard to believe that Judi Dench can so expertly portray an ordinary elderly woman. But her character proves to be far more complex than she at first appears.
Claytons Brahms and genuine Chopin: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
May 16, 2019 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Two composers who borrowed from Brahms flanked the real-deal Chopin in the SSO’s Masters Series concert last night at the Sydney Opera House. Read more
The Relational Judaism Handbook: a book review by Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen
May 12, 2019 by Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen
A couple of years ago Ron Wolfson, a professor at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles published Relational Judaism (Jewish Lights, 2013). Read more
Pokemon Detective Pikachu – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
May 9, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
I quite like a fantasy adventure and know little about the craze for Pokemon that engulfed the world a few years back. It is a plus because I came to it with fresh eyes. It’s a minus because I didn’t like this offering very much.
Poms – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
May 9, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
Poms is in the tradition of The Fully Monty whereby a disparate bunch of people come together to reach a specific goal. The ladies here, and they are for the most part ladies, do keep their gear on but get to shake their tushies and strut their stuff, eventually.
Long Shot – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
April 30, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
“Unlikely but not impossible” states the poster advertising the unlikely pairing of Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. That’s the point of course, but this is billed as a romantic comedy and it does deliver on both counts.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in concert: a music/film review by Hila Tsor
April 25, 2019 by Hila Tsor
I have to admit that I’m a bit of a Harry Potter nerd. At the beginning of the year I reread all the books and got sucked into a world of wonder, friendship and adventure again. Read more
Gloria Bell – a movie review by Roz Tarszisz
April 25, 2019 by Roz Tarszisz
Having reviewed the original version of this film, Gloria, over five years ago, I wondered why director Sebastian Lelio shot it again. He says because Julianne Moore wanted to do it and that for him, it is a film about feelings – Gloria’s and our own.
All On A Thursday Morning: a book review by Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen
April 14, 2019 by Rabbi Jeffrey Cohen
The subtitle for this book is appropriate being an ‘easy to use’ collection of Rabbi Gourarie’s weekly articles on personal growth. Read more
‘Invented Lives’ by Andrea Goldsmith: a book review by Geoffrey Zygier
April 5, 2019 by Geoffrey Zygier
The Western world today is a place where victimhood is a badge of honour, one where people compete in public arenas to be among the elite of those who suffer. Read more
Ludwig and Pyotr step up again: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
April 4, 2019 by Fraser Beath McEwing
An SSO Masters Series concert with two sure-fire blockbuster works would usually leave room for something quirky from artistic director, David Robertson’s black book of offbeat music he likes to share, but it didn’t happen last night. We got the Beethoven violin concerto and Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony neatly divided by interval. Both these works are favoured with plenty of playtime around Australian orchestras because they are so popular. Read more
Bright Swallow by Vivian Bi: a book review by Geoffrey Zygier
March 28, 2019 by Geoffrey Zygier
Among the major threats to our planet’s wellbeing is tribalism. Read more
An exciting piano package from Alessio Bax: a music review by Fraser Beath McEwing
March 26, 2019 by Fraser Beath McEwing
Italian pianist, Alessio Bax, ticked all the right pre-concert boxes for his Sydney Recital Hall performance last night. Read more
