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The tale of Sweeney Todd – the ‘demon barber of Fleet Street’ who slit the throats of his victims and then passed on their corpses to Mrs Lovett, who turned them into meat pies – was first published in a Victorian serialised novel or ‘penny dreadful’ called ‘The String of Pearls’, and almost immediately turned
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By Anders Furze
It’s undoubtedly a remarkable story. In the immediate wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the entire United States airspace was shut down. Almost 7,000 passengers on 38 planes were diverted to the remote town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada. Locals spent the following week hosting the “come from aways” and something of an impromptu
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The Torrents is not, in fact, a play about the battle faced by content creators against illegal downloaders. Stand down, tech-heads. It is, though, a play that speaks forcibly to the current moment. Unabashedly, somewhat gracelessly, so, if through a prism of a particular slice of 19th century pioneer Australiana. Its star is obvious from
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By Anders Furze
Towards the end of Shakespeare in Love, Melbourne Theatre Company’s major 2019 production, the play returns to an image of Shakespeare sitting and writing at his desk, illuminated by candlelight. The moment jolts: for much of its running time, this is a portrait of writing that’s social and highly energetic. It’s also a portrait of
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S-27 (or Security Prison 27) was a former secondary school in Phnom Penh that was used by the Khmer Rouge to imprison, interrogate, torture and execute those who were deemed to be enemies of the regime. From 1975 to 1979 an estimated 20,000 people were incarcerated there, of whom almost all were killed. Forced confessions
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A particularly Antipodean colloquialism for masturbation is sung in full operatic voice in the Joan Sutherland Theatre mere moments into the world premiere of Whiteley. Behind the performers, the Hills Hoist is familiarly rendered (digitally) into the appropriately painterly backdrop. An Esky makes a welcome appearance in scene two. Yes, this is gloriously, garishly all-Aussie
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What’s left to say about a sold-out run of a cherished musical in a production already heaped with praise? Well, you’ll get no argument from me. Once is, unlike its characters to each other, easy to love. And this all-new production from Darlinghurst Theatre, a Sydney premiere, is a faithful and heartfelt adaptation. After seeing
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Humans were offered a glimpse into what lies beyond planet Earth when in 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first person to journey into outer space. As Scottish playwright David Greig notes, it was at a press conference shortly after he returned to Earth that Gagarin was asked if he had seen God. “No,” he replied,
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The jumbotrons are back. After Opera Australia gave Aida a digital makeover last year, with dazzling impact, the dance of the giant tellys returns to the Joan Sutherland Theatre to illuminate another bel canto work. The result is not as easy a fit. But thoughtful directorial moments and thrilling singing elevate a dusty piece of
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Melbourne’s King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are a rare breed in that they are post-Generation X hard rockers who are actually doing interesting things. There are many fine younger musicians out there doing great work, but for whatever reason, little of it is happening in guitar-based rock. Evidence of this can be seen in the lack of
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