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Some more “Pictures” 1. ALLIEDBrad Pitt and Marion Cotillard are teamed up by Robert Zemeckis (ROMANCING THE STONE (1984); the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy; FORREST GUMP (1994)) in ALLIED. Max Vatan, a Canadian espionage agent meets up with a French Resistance agent, Marianne Beausejour, in Casablanca to assassinate some Nazis. They do. They fall in love. They return to London. They marry. They have a daughter. Then, guess what? British Intelligence suspects that Marianne is a double agent. Oh, poor Max has a dilemma, country or wife and child? His duty is to assassinate her, immediately, when the British…

2016 was a disappointing year at the theatre in Sydney. Most of the Good Work came from the independent co-op productions and theatres. The Sydney Theatre Company just seems to be consistently artistically rudderless and moribund (is it driven, led, by Corporate visionaries or by artists? Money or art? Bums-on-seats rather than genuine artistic risk, exploration? Who are the dominant Board members? Bankers, Administrators or Artists? Be interesting to talk to Jonathan Church, don’t you think?)  Belvoir appears to be in some dynamic of flux with a balanced mixture of hits and misses – a gradual return to consistency in…

Hi everyone There have been no plays on my calendar for the past few weeks, so I indulged in a film-going binge. Just for change I thought I would just sum up some of my experiences. I am not suggesting that I am a film critic (yet) but some of us have missed Margaret and David as a guide, so here is a quick flick from me about what I have seen. Maybe you’ll go see. 1. NOCTURNAL ANIMALS – This is the Tom Ford follow up to his A SINGLE MAN. NOCTURNAL ANIMALS is not as satisfying. Beautiful to…

Brevity Theatre Co in association with Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival presents, VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM, by Charles Busch, at the Kings Cross Hotel, Level 5.  Feb 25th – 7th March. Brevity Theatre Co with the blessing of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival for 2015 have, according to the Director’s notes, by Samantha Young, with her collaborators: programmed, procreated, pillaged and performed VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM, because Charles Busch, the writer said they could. This play is not unfamiliar to Sydney audiences – we have caught it before. Whatever liberties this company have taken with…

LOBBY HERO by Kenneth Lonergan at the Tap Gallery, 9th -27th July, Tues – Saturday 7.30pm, Sunday 5pm. Those of you who read my blog may have noticed a slowness in diarising, of late. Perhaps? It is because I have been rehearsing a play. That is directing one. We need you to come. At the instant of writing, I think it will be not bad. I feel kind of confident. Uh. Um. Phhh! So, PLEASE come. The actors are great and have worked hard and the play by Kenneth Lonergan is terrific. In one of my long blogs (some say…

Peach Theatre Company presents THE HISTORY BOYS – A Comedy by Alan Bennett in the Playhouse at the Sydney Opera House. THE HISTORY BOYS by Alan Bennett is, I reckon, already – it was only first presented in 2004 – a modern classic. The National Theatre of Great Britain toured it’s premiere production to Sydney in 2005 (or, 06?) at the Sydney Theatre. It was a lavishly designed work with video whizz-bangery and more, designed by Bob Crowley, directed by Nicholas Hytner. The company of actors had been playing it for months and months, into years, I think, in repertory…