Performing Arts Reviews:
2008–2022

      Musica Viva present Moscow: BORODIN QUARTET at City Recital Hall Angel Place. Spending the day to-ing and fro-ing in a mental debate with myself about whether I should try to get to a concert given by the Borodin Quartet, after electing to pass on the Saturday program of Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Brahms (Brahms being the naysayer, of persuasion, in my dilettante mind – or, truthfully, just the inertness of the animal pleasure of not having to dress and leave the house or even the bed. So, after wrestling with young students with works by Martin McDonagh, Wendy…

ORESTES 2.0 by Charles Mee. Presented by CRY HAVOC & GRIFFIN INDEPENDENT at the Griffin/Stables Theatre. In the experience of my American life, in the theatre (over there), three of the most challenging writers that I saw and were memorable (for one reason or another!) were works by Richard Foreman, Mac Wellman and Charles Mee. All three write in structures and forms that we, in Australia, hardly ever see explored by our own writers or on our own stages. Although, Richard Foreman has had several outings over the past few years in Sydney (including: my head is a sledgehammer; Now…

Hello, it’s the moderator Pearly Productions here. While this blog is normally reserved strictly for Kevin’s reviews, we couldn’t help but post this picture from the RAA website to give everyone a chuckle. It was originally spotted as a bill poster advert in Adelaide. I have confirmed that it is NOT Kevin… and he is wondering why he wasn’t paid for this gig… It’s even more amusing because “Lawrence of Arabia” happens to be Kevin’s favourite film character of all time!  

  Focus Theatre in association with B sharp present BENT by Martin Sherman. The theme of the 2010 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is The History of the World. BENT in my estimation, along with Mart Crowley’s THE BOYS IN THE BAND and Tony Kushner’s ANGELS IN AMERICA are the three most significant Gay themed plays of the last century. All three had an enormous impact on the history of the gay and lesbian communities and to the greater community. BENT first appeared off-Broadway in 1978. In 1979 a production, starring Ian McKellen and Tom Bell opened in London.…

SIX QUICK CHICKS @ RAVAL, The Macquarie Hotel, Level 1, 42 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills. SIX QUICK CHICKS is a cabaret/burlesque company of rotating artists. In this new, very well appointed venue RAVAL at the Macquarie Hotel six chicks present a show that is full of brave quirky talents. A ‘hostess’ introduces a series of guests during her ‘cooking’ show. The guests, this night, were single ‘stand-up’ comic acts of various and contrasting exaggerated eccentricities. This form of entertainment is one of absolute risk and skill. RISK. ABSOLUTE. I can tell you, I’d never do it – for whatever the…

Australian Chamber Orchestra, ACO, present’s Tour One: Tognetti’s Mozart at the Angel Place Concert Hall. The Australian Chamber Orchestra augmented by “period” instruments, oboe, bassoon and horn gave a refreshing concert of four composers. All the works bar the Mozart being “firsts” for the orchestra. Schubert: Quartet Movement (Quartettsatz) in C minor,D703 ( 1820). Later Haydn: Symphony No. 46 in B major (1772). The Schubert is the surviving sections, introduction and coda, of the unfinished Twelfth String Quartet. The work has ‘a clear autobiographical program’ of a love affair that was unable to be fulfilled because of economics and the…