Reviews and Features
LATEST
Dear My Brilliant Career
There’s been a fair bit of buzz surrounding you lately, celebrating the fact you’re an original Australian musical, with music by Mathew Frank, lyrics by Dean Bryant, and book by Bryant and Sheridan Harbridge. And yes, it’s a rare and remarkable feat that you’ve…
Dear Book of Mormon
You’re the musical people see when they don’t like musicals. You kinda feel like something dreamt up by a couple of sniggering teenage boys. The anti-musical. So, it makes complete sense that your writers are Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park….
Dear Putting It Together
You’re all class. Never before have we seen such a grandiose set and world class singers crammed into such a tiny theatre. It sounds odd but actually it works. Like going to a concert hall for a show and sitting four metres away from the action. Let’s get down to it:…
Dear Calamity Jane
Whip crack-away! It’s possible there may never be another show quite like you in design. When you describe yourself as being an ‘immersive frontier adventure’ you’re not wrong. Your unruly cast of…
Q&A with the cast of Calamity Jane
Dear Calamity Jane, Saddle up! With many of us having caught you in musical form the last time you graced our city, or having grown up with the timeless film starring Doris Day, we’re excited as a…
Dear Cats
You’re back for your 40th anniversary. You’re a show for the bucket list. But you know what? It’s hard to know how to respond when we’re asked whether you’re worth seeing – because…
Dear Les Miserables
You’re beloved. Iconic. Stop anyone on the street and they’re likely to have seen you in some form in the last 40 years. Even if it’s in the Russell Crowe form. (Nothing wrong with that). Now you’re…
Dear Bloom
Your director, Dean Bryant, has done it again. Turned a depressing topic into an uplifting musical. Last year we had songs of hope set against a story of teen suicide (in Dear Evan Hansen), and now…
Dear Guys & Dolls
If we were any other musical, we’d be stomping our feet and throwing our toys out of the cot right now. You see – it’s a pretty big advantage you have here. Long before your cast have stepped onto…
Dear Annie
Aww gee, you’ve got heart. There’s a reason your story has endured since the days of being a comic book strip first printed in the 1920s. This famous little red-head has featured in 80 years of…
Dear MJ
When we see a show, we’re accustomed to hearing the ushers remind us: ‘no filming or photography during the show.’ YOUR ushers, however, need to add ‘and no singing.’ That’s how much you know we…
Dear Pirates of Penzance
For nearly 150 years your comedic story has endured: part operetta, part musical. You made John English synonymous with the late eighties and early nineties. You’ve enjoyed being a send-up of…
Dear Hadestown
It’s your first trip to Australia. Very few of us have seen you in the flesh before, and yet, you’ve already gathered a cult following. Impressive work. You combine the mythological story of Orpheus…
LATEST
Dear My Brilliant Career
There’s been a fair bit of buzz surrounding you lately, celebrating the fact you’re an original Australian musical, with music by Mathew Frank, lyrics by Dean Bryant, and book by Bryant and Sheridan Harbridge. And yes, it’s a rare and remarkable feat that you’ve…
Dear Book of Mormon
You’re the musical people see when they don’t like musicals. You kinda feel like something dreamt up by a couple of sniggering teenage boys. The anti-musical. So, it makes complete sense that your writers are Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park….
Dear Putting It Together
You’re all class. Never before have we seen such a grandiose set and world class singers crammed into such a tiny theatre. It sounds odd but actually it works. Like going to a concert hall for a show and sitting four metres away from the action. Let’s get down to it:…