Cloc ups the ante

Another Cloc season, another unbelievably excellent theatre performance.
Cloc’s production of Miss Saigon shows that there is an amazing depth of amateur talent in Melbourne.
The two week season was practically a sell out before it opened (on opening day there were only tickets left for 2 performances).
The production was the equal of any professional production I [...]

Chicago

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, two people turned up for a beginners tap class at the Victorian College of the Arts.
One was a library officer with ambition, the other was a student at the VCA secondary school.
After that beginners tap class they went their separate ways – one [...]

Gutenberg

In 1450 Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press.
In 2008, Bud and Doug wrote a show about it.
No, not just a show….a big, splashy musical spectacular. Now they just need ten million dollars or so to put it on….In this two-man musical spoof, Bud and Doug perform a backer’s audition for their new [...]

Warne – the musical

I’d ummed & aahed about going to see this – on the one hand it’s a musical & Matt Hetherington is in it, on the other hand – a musical about Shane Warne!
You can see my dilemma.
However the musical and Matt won out and on a very hot Melbourne night I headed for the Atheneum. [...]

The year of magical thinking (MTC)

When I was choosing my plays for this year’s MTC subscription I was in two minds about whether to choose this one.
My hesitation was caused by stuff that was going on in my private life at the time, and I was worried that a play about a writer who lost her husband and her [...]

Moonlight & Magnolias (MTC)

The premise of this play seemed promising… partway through the filming of Gone With the Wind David O. Selznick hires a new director, Victor Fleming and a new scriptwriter, Ben Hecht and locks them in his office for a week while the three of them rewrite the screenplay. Hecht has never read the [...]

Is there life after high school?

Back before Christmas I headed to Chapel off Chapel to see Is there life after high school?
It has, I hasten to point out, nothing to do with the High School: the musical franchise.
This musical, which had its Broadway debut in the early 80’s, tells the stories of nine adults attending their high school reunion. [...]

Billy Elliot – Melbourne Night 2.

Guest blogger Julie W. talks about her Billy Elliot experience.
How good is Rhys Kosakowski?
He was awesome.
He is a beautiful dancer and he can sing.
Loved ‘Electricity’

Wow and double wow!
Really she just sums Rhys’ up – I saw him in Sydney and thought he was brilliant. May have to try and see him in Melbourne [...]

Billy Elliot – Melbourne – first night

Melbourne turned on wet and wild weather for the first night of Billy Elliot at Her Maj.
Outside it may have been wet, wet, wet but inside the show was hot, hot, hot.
Josh Waiss Gates made his Melbourne debut as Billy and, despite being a little off his game due to a cold, he [...]

The Phantom of the Auckland Opera

Let’s face it.

The Phantom of the Opera is in Auckland.
The Tap Sisters are in Auckland.
The Tap Sisters’ hotel is opposite the Phantom theatre.

Anyone care to guess what is going to happen?
Yep, Sunday November 16, 2008 we took ourselves across the road to the final NZ performance of Phantom of the Opera.
And what a show it [...]