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Welcome to Cultural Binge
The rating system is simple:
★★★★★ – Terrific, world-standard. Don’t miss.
★★★★ – Great, definitely worth seeing.
★★★ – Good. Perfectly entertaining. Recommended. Individual mileage may vary.
★★ – Fine. Flawed and not really recommended, but you may find something to appreciate in it.
★ – Bad (& possibly offensive).
See more reviews over at The Queer Review.
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New Breed 2024 (Sydney Dance Company) ★★★★
Choreographed by Piran Scott, Dean Elliott, Siobhan McKenna & Amber McCartney. Sydney Dance Company. Carriageworks. 4–14 Dec, 2024.
Sydney Dance Company’s annual showcase of emerging choreographers, New Breed, is back for 2024 with a mini-advent calendar of different treats. The four works on show are each completely unique, using dance in different ways to explore ideas of how human bodies interact with the world.
Amber McCartney, Siobhan McKenna, Dean Elliot & Piran Scott. The performance opens with its most easily accessible piece, Piran Scott’s Breath. Choreographed to the music of John Butler’s acoustic track ‘Ocean’, Breath embodies the deep connection Australians have with our coastline while taking us through one person’s life, from first breath to last (the ending is very Hamilton). The most lyrical and romantic of the four works, it draws us in and opens the night strong.
Piran Scott’s Breath. Photo: Pedro Greig. Courtesy of Carriageworks. Up next is Dean Elliott’s Full In / Half Out, a look at athleticism and friendly (?) competition. Blending the worlds of gymnastics and dance, a troupe of dancers in skin-tight, glittering bodysuits (by Aleisha Jelbert) bend and stretch, flip and leap, all jostling for attention and superiority. There is a healthy dose of humour mixed with the impressive sensuality of Elliott’s work. Of all the pieces, Elliott showcased the dancers’ strength and physical prowess the most – I wish my back had that level of flexibility.
Dean Elliott’s Full In / Half Out. Photo: Pedro Greig. Courtesy of Carriageworks. Have you ever been in a room of people talking when suddenly all the conversations pause at the same time and there is a moment of silence? This kind of group behaviour is at the heart of Siobhan McKenna’s Say It Again, the most experimental of the pieces. An interesting exploration of sound through movement and the tension we feel to subconsciously find order and unity, but also independent expression, Say It Again uses the rustle of the costumes (complete with bulbous, ruffled sleeves) and vocalisations as its only audio accompaniment. It was a real “lean in” moment. While not completely successful, this feels like the beginning of an interesting practice, and it will be exciting to see where this piece evolves next.
Siobhan McKenna’s Say It Again. Photo: Pedro Greig. Courtesy of Carriageworks. The performance closes with my favourite piece, Amber McCartney’s haunting Leech. When I say ‘haunting’, I don’t mean in a lyrical, emotionally longing sense. I mean it in a literal “I will have nightmares now” sense. McCartney throws us into a world of science-fiction body horror. In a pre-recorded introduction, McCartney speaks of her love of 70s and 80s sci-fi, and specifically cites Philip Kaufman’s 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body-Snatchers as a key reference for Leech. However, I saw clear echoes of more recent psychologically disturbing films like Jonathan Glazer’s 2013 Under The Skin and Alex Garland’s 2019 Annihilation as well.
Amber McCartney’s Leech. Photo: Pedro Greig. Courtesy of Carriageworks. With a discordant soundscape by Alisdair & Robert Macindoe and Robert Downie, the dancers form a mass of seemingly disassociated limbs and appendages that move with unnatural grace. Like a newborn foal, these grotesqueries slowly learn to become more human-like. Brilliant costume design and subtly low lighting keep you unsure how many performers are on stage as they combine and separate, at times with two heads, at times with four legs… it is thrilling to watch.
One thing is clear from these four works: there is a rich breadth and depth of choreographic talent in Australia, and our contemporary dance scene has a strong, bold future.
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Looking Ahead to the 2025 Season
Sydney’s major theatre companies have announced their 2025 seasons and there is a lot to pick over. Sydney Theatre Co is in transition between Kip Williams and Mitchell Butel’s regimes and Griffin is going into its first full nomadic year so it’s not quite business as usual.
I’ve poured over the announced works looking for interesting tid-bits and connections across the companies. As always there are a lot of classics, big names, shows that were hits overseas or interstate and a handful of brand new works to enjoy.
Surprisingly this year, there doesn’t appear to be any dueling productions (in 2024 Australia saw two totally independent productions of Cost of Living, and three independent productions of The Inheritance). Whether that’s by luck or by design is anyone’s guess.
Okay, let’s jump in.
Aria. Ensemble Theatre THE INESCAPABLE DAVID WILLIAMSON
After sneaking out of retirement in 2024 with two new plays The Great Divide at Ensemble Theatre and The Puzzle at State Theatre Company South Australia, David Williamson is spreading his influence further by revealing another World Premiere, the return of a Sydney classic and more all over the East Coast.
His new play, Aria, continues Ensemble’s love affair with opera dramas (after 2024’s Masterclass). They also have return of one of his best loved plays from the 80s, Emerald City, which is interesting as it is promising a “refresh”. What does that actually mean? It could be anything from removing any out-dated language to giving it a new, modern spin. I guess we’ll have to book to find out.
But that’s not all, Mark Kilmurry’s 2023 production of Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica is heading up to Queensland Theatre and there’s also a revival of The Removalists, his groundbreaking 70s hit, happening at Melbourne Theatre Company. It seems like Williamson is well and truly back as the King of Australian Theatre.
Jacky. Belvoir. MELBOURNE’S BEST
Some notable shows are moving up north from Melbourne. Sydney Theatre Co has nabbed Sarah Goode’s production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? that got raves at Red Stitch. I really wanted to get down there to see it, so I’m chuffed it’s traveling up. Hayes has an acclaimed production of Ghost Quartet coming up, but more on that in a bit. And the British fringe show Sauna Boy, that I saw at Midsumma down in Melbourne this year, is coming to Sydney for Mardi Gras.
Melbourne Theatre Company has a couple of transfers on the way. Belvoir is bringing up Jacky putting the spotlight firmly on Guy Simon (I still giggle when I think of his turn in Holding The Man earlier in 2024, but that sadly means he can’t repeat his role in Whitefella Yella Tree at STC). And STC is bringing up Katie Weston and Tom Gleisner’s musical Bloom.
Whitefella Yella Tree. Sydney Theatre Co. ONE MORE TIME, FOR THE DUMMIES
Do we need to stage an intervention for Heather Mitchell? I’m starting to feel like STC has her locked in a basement and only lets her out to reprise her stunning performance as Ruth Bader-Ginsburg. Yes, Suzie Miller’s RBG: Of Many, One is back for its third run. I love the show, but I’m sure part of this return is simply economic – the running costs on this must be low now, with the sets and costumes all made and only a single performer. It’s no secret STC took a financial hit this past year so it’s no surprise to see their 2025 season filled with returns like this (and The Dictionary of Lost Words), and top-notch imports from other theatres (see above). They’ve also picked up Dylan Van Den Berg’s terrific Whitefella Yella Tree that wowed in its debut season at Griffin.
Also, Sarah-Louise Young’s lovingly fun An Evening Without Kate Bush is back (this time for Mardi Gras) and Trophy Boys gets a return run at Riverside.
The Half-life of Marie Curie. Ensemble Theatre. SEQUEL-ISH
Okay the following shows aren’t actually sequels, but there is a clear line between these debut plays and shows we’ve already seen.
I’m getting strong Photograph 51 vibes from Ensemble’s The Half-life of Marie Curie. Add to that Ensemble have director Sean Rennie tackling another Tennessee Williams, this time it’s The Glass Menagerie. I loved his take on Suddenly Last Summer so I have high hopes. And Ensemble are giving us more Harold Pinter with a double bill of The Lover & The Dumb Waiter.
Over at STC, Merlynn Tong is back with Congratulations, Get Rich! (恭喜发财, 人日快乐) after her terrific Golden Blood made the move from Griffin to STC (and toured). And there’s the new adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley by Joanna Murray-Smith (who’s no stranger to the work of Patricia Highsmith, having penned Switzerland that was revived at Ensemble this year).
Unsurprisingly, after the enduring runaway success of Counting & Cracking and The Jungle & The Sea, Belvoir has developed a new play with S. Shakthidharan. The Wrong Gods (a co-production with MTC) that will undoubtedly sell out, so don’t sleep on this one.
The Talented Mr Ripley. Sydney Theatre Co. WE HEART EXISTING I.P.
Pre-existing IP (intellectual property) abound in 2025. And yes, I’m using the phrase “intellectual property” deliberately for the somewhat soulless and legalistic tone it provides. Theatre has always adapted books, news and later films for the stage as a safe way to develop new works and attract audiences “look, this is brand new but still familiar. Please buy tickets.” Is it cynical? Not necessarily, although I would argue that one mainstage adaptation this year probably is there just for the money (no, I’m not pointing fingers just yet).
Apart from the previously mentioned The Talented Mr Ripley at STC, they also have a new version of D’Arcy Niland’s The Shiralee adapted by Kate Mulvany. Plus Joan Lindsay’s enduring mystery The Picnic at Hanging Rock hits the stage via playwright Tom Wright.
Grief is the Thing with Feathers. Belvoir. Belvoir has new theatrical versions of Helen Garner’s The Spare Room (with Judy Davis!), Max Porter’s Grief is the Thing with Feathers (not to be confused with a different adaptation of the same book done by Enda Walsh, this one is brand new), but the one I’m most excited for is Virginia Wolfe’s Orlando starring Janet Anderson. Take my money!
Meanwhile Ensemble are reclaiming the play Dial M For Murder from the legacy of the Hitchcock film and bringing it back to the stage, with Jeffrey Hatcher adapting Frederick Knott’s original. Riverside has the stage adaptation of Looking For Alibrandi. And Hayes are debuting the musical theatre version of Pedro Almadovar’s adored film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (I saw a production of this in London years ago and didn’t love it to be honest, but Hayes excel at reclaiming show like this so I’m excited to see what happens).
The Player Kings. Seymour Centre. A ROLL CALL OF CLASSICS
Pinter? Check.
Shakespeare? Check.
Beckett? Check.
Tennessee Williams? Yup.
Sam Shepard? Yes please.
Sondheim? Thank god!
There’s no shortage of familiar, classic names on stage, and while some of the choices are a little… well worn, others are delving a bit deeper into the canon to find interesting picks. What’s got my eye? The Pinter’s at Ensemble (I love a double bill of one-act plays, I’m waiting patiently for someone to do some of Tom Stoppard’s earlier short works), as well as The Glass Menagerie as mentioned earlier.
In addition to Romeo & Juliet and Henry 5 (notably not styled as Henry V), Bell Shakespeare are dusting off Coriolanus (is it really the first time they’ve done it in 30 years?!) which is great to see. It was understandable that they focused on Shakespeare’s blockbusters in the post-Covid years and it’s exciting to have the repertoire get opened up again.
And speaking of Shakespeare, Sport For Jove are staging The Player Kings (Shakespeare’s Richard II and Richard III, in new adaptations by Damien Ryan) at Seymour Centre. It’s a two part epic, but we’re used to that now, right?
Circle Mirror Transformation. Sydney Theatre Co. THE PRIZEFIGHTERS
2024 Pulitzer Prize, Obie Award and Outer Circle Critics Award winning play, Primary Trust, hits the fast track from New York to land at Ensemble. Ensemble has had success bringing modern American award winners to Sydney so this has the ingredients of a hit.
On the other side of the harbour, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Annie Baker lands at Sydney Theatre Co with her Obie Award winning play Circle Mirror Transformation (with Rebecca Gibney making her STC debut). And STC have got Amy Herzog’s buzzy play 4000 Miles lined up for a big revival.
Hayes brings Tony-nominated blue-grass musical Bright Star to the stage. Written by Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and Edie Brickell, this one has an interesting pedigree and is exactly the kind of show I love seeing at Hayes. Hardly a beloved Broadway hit, its charms may work better on the small scale than a big main stage.
Two shows at the Opera House also have my interest. Firstly there’s the return of Olivier Award winning laugh-fest The Play That Goes Wrong – a pitch perfect hit of physical comedy. And there’s the ever excellent Tony and Olivier-nominated actor Samuel Barnett starring in Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen, which, despite the title, isn’t about how I feel when going to review a fringe show in the suburbs… jokes (kinda).
Nucleus. Griffin. NEW WRITING
New writing is hard to pre-judge but some of the announced new works quickly piqued my interest.
Alana Valentine has a new play with Griffin (playing at Seymour Centre) called Nucleus. I’m a sucker for science plays and mixing this with environmental questions feels right in my wheelhouse.
Griffin’s other big show is getting a lot of chatter, but probably more for the nudity than anything else at this point. Will Naturism be worth seeing in all its glory? It’s certainly going to give STC’s Wharf 2 space a shake up.
Cruise. KXT on Broadway. Don’t miss the Olivier Nominated Cruise at KXT on Broadway (highly recommended by mates in London) and a feminist look at Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Ophelia Thinks Harder.
And Melanie Tait’s got another new play on the way at Ensemble, although How To Plot A Hit in Two Days doesn’t sound like it’ll be quite as gentle as The Queen’s Nanny was this year.
Bloom. Sydney Theatre Co. MUSIC & THEATRE & MUSICAL THEATRE
Outside of the Hayes we’ve got some musical offerings from STC and Belvoir.
As mentioned already, STC has Bloom coming up from Melbourne. Congratulations, Get Rich! (恭喜发财, 人日快乐) describes itself as a “musical comedy”, but doesn’t list any songwriters or lyricists. I’m assuming its karaoke setting means we’re in for some mangled pop tunes.
At Belvoir, the luminous Meow Meow is back with Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes, her own quixotic take on the Hans Christan Andersen tale of possessed footwear but it too looks to be more cabaret than Broadway.
Ghost Quartet. Hayes. Thankfully the Hayes has a packed slate of familiar shows ripe for reinvention, and rarities for the MT nerds. They’re kicking off the year with the show I’m probably most excited about, Dave Malloy’s esoteric Ghost Quartet about… okay I’ve seen the show, listened to the recording, read the Wiki and I have no clue what the hell is going on, but the music is stunning. Written after Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812, it’s about ghosts and memories and cameras and alcohol and weird stuff. Trust me, have whatever whiskey themed cocktail Hayes dreams up and let the luscious score envelope you.
Hayes is also giving us new takes on The Pirates of Penzance, The Producers and Once On This Island in addition to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Bright Star. When it comes to new writing, they’re giving Phar Lap a full production. I heard nothing but raves from its presentation at the Festival of New Works, so that’s looking good!
The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale. State Theatre. Then we have the big commercial musicals coming to town. We kick off the year with the reimagining of the epic Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale. In its original form the show was a spectacular, well, flop is a strong word but it wasn’t a hit. This new version scored strong reviews when it premiered at the Watermill Theatre in the UK, but that version had immersive outdoor elements. so we’ll see how it goes inside the State Theatre. I have to admit, I really love the score.
Then we’ve got big classics like the upcoming open air Guys & Dolls from Opera Australia (not to mention Candide), a terrific new show in Hadestown (which I love), a kinda new jukebox show in the Michael Jackson show MJ (which I’m dubious about but everyone I know who’s seen it overseas says it’s an amazing show) and a return run for The Book of Mormon. And that’s just the shows already announced.
Kimberly Akimbo. State Theatre Company SA and Melbourne Theatre Company. INTERSTATE GOODIES
If you fancy hopping on a plane (or a train, or a nice long drive) there’s some eye-catching things happening interstate. At Queensland Theatre, Daniel Evans is directing Aaron Sorkin’s original play A Few Good Men (that would later be turned into the Tom Cruise film). Melbourne Theatre Company and State Theatre Company SA are putting on Broadway hit Kimberly Akimbo (music by the great Jeanine Tesori) starring Marina Prior and Casey Donovan. I saw this on Broadway and TBH I didn’t LOVE it as much as I wanted to, but a fresh production (and lower expectations) might do the trick. MTC have also got Broadway’s 2024 hit Mother Play, starring Sigrid Thornton.
Red Stitch are reviving Joanna Murray-Smith’s 1995 play Honour and staging Max Friedlich’s inter-generational work drama Job that was a big deal on Broadway this year. And Melbourne’s getting Beetlejuice: The Musical.
The Birds. Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne. Meanwhile Paula Arundell is taking on Hitchcock’s The Birds in an intriguing “theatrical feat of audio engineering” at Melbourne’s Malthouse. I don’t know what that means but I’m so up for it!
Victorian Opera is also staging Sondheim’s Follies. I adore Follies so that might get me on a plane. They’ve even got a chamber production based on Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.
2025 Sydney Theatre Co. SOME FINALS THOUGHTS…
It’s an interesting year for Sydney theatre. Belvoir and Ensemble are forging ahead with their own mixes of new and classic works – they both know their audiences well and cater to them well. Sydney Theatre Co seem to be in “Survive ‘25” mode (that may be me being dramatic, but they’re definitely taking their foot off the peddle for the year with fewer productions. All giving freshly minted Artistic Director Mitchell Butel time to settle in). Griffin is still producing a reduced slate in different venues which shifts the local landscape a bit. While I’ll miss their output this year, it makes space for audiences to get out and explore the other independent theatre options available at The Old Fitz, New Theatre, KXT on Broadway, Seymour Centre and more.
So get your season tickets lined up (or just go with the flow) and enjoy.
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People Will Think You Don’t Love Me (KXT Broadway) ★★★★
Written by Joanna Erksine. World Premiere. KXT Broadway.15-30 Nov. 2024.
It’s a horror trope we know well. The protagonist has a transplant (a heart, a brain or an arm usually) and they become possessed by the original owner’s spirit, ala 1991s trashy ‘Body Parts’. In People Will Think You Don’t Love Me, writer Joanna Erskine plays with these fantastical genre trappings to give us a relationship drama between a young married couple and the girlfriend of an organ donor.
Told in a not-always-linear fashion, we meet Michael (Tom Matthews) and his wife Liz (Grace Naoum) as they visit Tomasina (known as Tommy, played by Ruby Maishman). It’s awkward and no one knows what to say. They want to thank Tommy for the fact Michael’s life was saved by a heart transplant from her dead boyfriend, a musician named Rick, but Tommy stands confused and slightly annoyed. As Michael continues to recover, and he and Liz start to adjust to their new, healthier lives, Michael finds himself visiting Tommy again, to learn more about Rick… and hopefully explain why he can suddenly now play the guitar and piano.
Tom Matthews. Photo: Phil Erbacher. The first thing that hit me watching People Will Think You Don’t Love Me, was how good these three performers were. There’s a real sense of relief you feel when you don’t see the actor, you only see the character, and there is nothing to break that illusion. Erksine’s script is driven by subtext and unspoken thoughts that are writ large in the eyes of all three characters. Smart direction by Jules Billington never overplays the emotions but keeps things tightly, realistically, in check.
Ruby Maishman & Tom Matthews. Photo: Phil Erbacher, The psychological horror vibes are driven by some great sound design and composition by Clare Hennessy that creeps up on you and pushes things just far enough to let you acknowledge what it’s doing. Sam Wylie’s production design hides things in plain sight in a simple apartment set up.
But it all comes down to Erskine’s text which is hooky enough to tease you along through the uninterrupted two hours-ish running time. It’s a good balance between the domestic drama (is Michael cheating on Liz with Tommy?) and the supernatural (is Michael slowly turning into Rick?). The final speech by Liz lays out the issues with neat, emotional resonance that brings it all back home.
Grace Naoum. Photo: Phil Erbacher. If it starts to overstay its welcome, it’s because the storytelling is neat and clear, and the emotional stakes are well established. You may know, or think you know, where the story is going, but it’s the journey that makes this trip worthwhile.
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August: Osage County (Belvoir) ★★★★★
Written by Tracy Letts. Belvoir St Theatre. 9 Nov – 15 Dec, 2024.
Why do we enjoy watching families tear themselves apart on stage? Is it cathartic to hear people say the things we never would? Is it comforting to watch people worse than ourselves? Or is it just because the drama gives us a feast of potentially great acting? Whatever it is, August: Osage County at Belvoir has it in spades – an unsettling, addictive blend of harsh truth and dramatic flair.
The Weston family gather after the disappearance of their father Beverly (John Howard). The three Weston daughters, Ivy (Amy Mathews), Karen (Anna Samson) & Barbara (Tamsin Carroll) return with their own dreams and resentments that boil over in the oppressive Oklahoma heat. They are joined by their Aunt Mattie Fae (Helen Thomson), her husband, Charlie (Greg Stone), and her infantilised adult son, “Little” Charles (Will O’Mahony). Together they have to deal with the matriarch of the house, the formidable Violet (Pamela Rabe), whose pill-popping truth-bombs drive them all to the edge. All the while Johnna (Bee Cruse), a young Cheyenne woman hired to help around the house, watches.
Johnny Nasser & Pamela Rabe. Photo: Brett Boardman. Pamela Rabe is rightly drawing rave reviews for her bitter/funny/tragic Violet. She’s a tough survivor with an acid tongue and a sharp mind, fueled by her addiction to painkillers. The kind of character you love to loathe. Rabe doesn’t just sink her teeth into the role, she rips open its throat and wears its skin like a cloak. Violet is awful… but rarely is she categorically wrong. Like all the best “villains” her motivation is understandable if often deplorable. Imagine Martha from Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf after George has passed away and you’ll get close to Violet’s core.
Tamsin Carroll. Photo: Brett Boardman. However the real superstar performance comes from Tamsin Carroll as the oldest daughter Barbara. Carroll is simply magnificent as a middle-aged woman cracking under the familial pressure coming from all sides. Her performance is seamless and deeply empathetic, so much so it grounds the play, letting the other actors push things broader for laughs. As the foil to Violet, Barbara cuts through the fear and rage with weary clarity. On a stage full of rich, lived-in performances from each and every actor, Carroll shines as its heart.
John Howard. Photo: Brett Boardman. Eamon Flack has directed the show with an understated elegance. After wowing audiences with his showmanship in great productions of Holding The Man and The Master & Margarita etc, this time Flack’s hand is light. Drawing out masterful performances (and creating moments of physical comedy that seem to come out of nowhere), Flack lets the text rise to the fore. He gently turns John Howard’s Bev (who only appears in the first act) into a haunting, melancholy presence that lingers for the whole play.
Set Designer Bob Cousins’ apparently sparse set is also deceptively subtle. The wide open space of the stage stands like the sun-bleached Great Plains, surrounded by elements of a house torn apart and reassembled, with windows and doors out of place. Morgan Moroney’s lighting gives it texture and an essential blast of heat.
Bee Cruse & Esther Williams. Photo: Brett Boardman. Tracy Letts is a visceral writer. He creates a pungent, stifling air with his characters that is intoxicating, like a modern day Tennessee Williams. With August: Osage County he weaves three or four play’s worth of drama into one rich tapestry of dysfunction with a paradoxical lightness of touch that reminds you what good writing, really good writing, can achieve.
Letts never takes the easy way out, by writing characters that are mere cyphers or punchlines (okay, maybe Rohan Nichol’s Steve is a bit one dimensional on the page). Each member of the Weston family has a unique, broken interiority that drives them. They’ve each been damaged by the generation before them and are just trying to do their wounded best. Letts doesn’t judge his characters, he lets them roam free and sees where they will collide.
Anna Samson. Photo: Brett Boardman. Lines like “Why were they ‘the Greatest Generation?’ Because they were poor and hated Nazis? Who doesn’t . . . hate Nazis” hit sadly differently as we head toward Tr*mp 2.0, but Letts text still cuts sharp with its indictment of America (Weston = Western), and how we often replicate patterns of abuse to become the things we despise.
“Thank God we can’t tell the future. We’d never get out of bed.” Amen.
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Wicked: Part 1 (Cinemas) ★★★½
Directed by Jon M Chu. Screenplay by Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox. Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. In cinemas from Nov 20, 2024.
Let us be glad! Let us be grateful! After what feels like a decade of teasing, the film adaptation of the stage adaptation of the book based on the earlier children’s story has finally premiered in Oz (or Aus if you prefer). Wicked is finally here, well, the first half of it anyway.
Covering the events of the first act of the stage musical Wicked: Part 1 is set years before the events of The Wizard of Oz taking us back to the university days of the popular Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande) and the outcast Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo). When the two young witches are forced to share a room they go from frenemies to besties. Under the tutelage of Doctor Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), a goat and a History professor at Shiz University and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), the Headmistress of Shiz University, it becomes clear that Elphaba has a natural talent for witchcraft. When Elphaba’s talents get her an audience with the Great & Powerful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) she realises things aren’t what they seem.
The long gestating film comes to the screen with a pedigree worthy of its enduring stage success. Jon M Chu proved he has the vision and skill to direct musicals after the excellent, and relatively low budget film of In The Heights. Emmy, Grammy & Tony winner Cynthia Erivo steps into the coveted role of Elphaba (let’s face it we’re all crossing our fingers she gets an Oscar soon). Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh fills Madame Morrible with a cutting sense of humour. Olivier Award winner Jonathan Bailey slips into Fiyero’s famously tight trousers with ease. And of course, Grammy Award winning theatre kid Ariana Grande arrives with her hair-flicks perfected to play Galinda/Glinda. This team knows what they’re doing.
While there are no new songs in this half of the story there is substantial rearranging and new elements added to existing numbers that will make fans happy (and helps to plug some narrative holes for the newcomers).
Grande especially shines with excellent comic timing. Her Glinda is brilliant and precise as she literally bounces off the walls with gleeful abandon. Bailey flirts up a storm, his charm knows no bounds. Erivo knows when to take Elphaba from stern to sparkling and gives us the girl beneath the green skin. The relationships between these three core characters are firmly established and the leads have great chemistry. Watching Galinda and Elphaba fight-montage during ‘What Is This Feeling’ is a sheer delight. Fan of the stage show will be elated by moments, and special appearances, in this frothy, Galindafied cinematic version.
But it all threatens to be too, too much. Visually overstuffed and often emotionally overwrought, the film of Wicked is all glitz and kicks trying to outdo itself at every turn. Each song is “enhanced” with new vocal riffs, like everyone is desperate to win their season of ‘The Voice’. The pursuit of jaw-dropping visuals makes some moments nonsensical (Shiz’s pointless turbine-twirling library belongs in Hogwarts, not here).
Maybe it was the running time, or maybe its a reverence for the stage show, but the film struggled to build up to its big moments. Narrative leaps that work fine on stage feel unjustified on screen. We never really see Elphaba transition from hated outsider to welcome class-mate (we get why Glinda is her friend, but the crowds assembled to see her go to the Emerald City seem to come out of nowhere) and those flying monkeys seem to switch allegiance for no reason. It’ll be interesting to see how newcomers go with the film.
Despite my quibbles with the pacing and the gilded delivery there is no denying this is a gorgeous film. From the art nouveau inspired Shiz Univerity to the art deco Emerald City, every element is a flight of fancy that fills the screen. The design play off of the stage show, and you’ll recognise elements of Susan Hilferty’s original costumes and Eugene Lee’s scenic design. While at times it threatens to get lost in the special effects, its saved by the core performances. The orchestrations are rich, and the songs will be on high rotation at home (assuming they stitch them back together for the soundtrack, many of the key tunes are broken up by scenes in the film).
In Wicked: Part 1 everyone may deserve the chance to fly, but I’m left wanting a more solid grounding in Elphaba’s character and story. Ironically, despite splitting the narrative into two the thing the film needs is more time to add the connective tissue between moments. But with this cast, and these songs, I guarantee you’ll I’ll be watching this film on repeat for years.
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Sweat (Sydney Theatre Co) ★★★
Written by Lynn Nottage. Australian Premiere. Sydney Theatre Co. 11 Nov – 22 Dec 2024.
First staged in 2015, but not seen on Broadway till 2017, Lynn Nottage’s Sweat was hailed as an insightful look at working class America (aka Tr*mp voters) by hand-wringing audiences desperate to understand what had happened in the wake of the 2016 election. It is a look at the insidious nature of racism and how the “haves” stay rich by pitting the “have nots” against each other and wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just get along.
Set in a bar in Reading, Pennsylvania, a blue-collar factory town, we watch the fallout of events at a local steel factory. Tracy (Lisa McCune) and her best friend Cynthia (Paula Arundell) have worked side by side on the factory floor all their lives. When the company decides to find a new manager by promoting internally, they both go for the job. Things get more complicated when drastic cost-cutting leads to industrial action, putting the two women on opposite sides of the picket line.
Deborah Galanos, Lisa McCune, James Fraser, Tinashe Mangwana and Paula Arundell in Sweat, 2024. Photo: Prudence Upton I’ll say this for Nottage’s earnest script, it gives these performers space to really act. Paula Arundell is outstanding as Cynthia, a woman of tough, hardy grit who finds herself in a world of suits and meetings. Lisa McCune uses her innate charm to chart a serious arc for the embittered Tracy, taking her from likable buddy to angry white racist. Deborah Galanos completes the tight trio of friends as Jessie, the permanently drunken sidekick with expert comic timing that never slips into parody. Markus Hamilton also impresses as Brucie, Cynthia’s estranged husband who has already suffered a dehumanising defeat at the hands of his own corporate bosses. Gabriel Alvarado elevates his role of Oscar, the Colombian glassy who works behind the scenes at the bar, saving him from being little more than a plot contrivance.
Tinashe Mangwana, Paula Arundell, Gabriel Alvarado and James Fraser in Sweat, 2024. Photo: Prudence Upton Sweat is happy to let scenes, and monologues, linger as it makes its way to its conclusions. Unfortunately those conclusions are rather obvious and their resolution underwhelming. Despite Jeremy Allen’s intricate set (with some excellently integrated lighting moments), the play feels awfully static and flat. Director Zindzi Okenyo (who excelled co-directing Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner and Is God Is) gets great performances from the majority of the cast, but is less successful wrangling the script into shape and making us care. The final physical confrontation is unconvincingly staged, and the closing moments, reaching for poignancy, are undercut by a cringe-worthy revelation and a last line that spoon feeds the audience.
Which isn’t to say there aren’t things I like in the script. The subtle commentary on drug dependency is interesting, but so lightly included it’s easy to overlook the parallels between Black Brucie’s dope smoking and white Tracy’s oxycontin. The circular nature of racial animus, with each new incoming community being hated by those already there. The slow build of Oscar’s character is satisfying to watch, as is the deteriorating relationship between Tracy and Cynthia. But the play lacks a focus as both Tracy and Cynthia take a back seat in the second act (Cynthia literally disappears from the play) and the finale is handed to side characters to deliver.
Deborah Galanos, James Fraser and Tinashe Mangwana in Sweat, 2024. Photo: Prudence Upton Sweat has been declared a “masterpiece” and a “thesis on the decline of the working class” but having seen it twice, in two different productions, I honestly just find it to be middling. Not bad, not at all, Nottage’s plotting is tight and her characters can be rich in the hands of the right performers, but I don’t find the play to be particularly revelatory. The big messages about how people turn on each other instead of the power structures above them feels so basic as to be pointless. I had a similar reaction watching Nottage’s Clyde’s at Ensemble last year (thankfully Sweat is mostly spared Clyde’s sickly sit-com faux-sincerity). It’s clear that I personally do not connect with her writing, which does not bode well for the upcoming musical MJ which she wrote the book for.
James Fraser, Yure Covich and Tinashe Mangwana in Sweat, 2024. Photo: Prudence Upton Overheard discussion after the show suggests that many people found Sweat to be wonderful and prescient, an interesting slice-of-life. I’m clearly in the minority here and I’ve tried hard to find the gem that so many others see, to no avail. Of the Pulitzer Prize winning plays on Sydney stages right now, STC’s Sweat and Belvoir’s August: Osage County, you can guess which one I’d rewatch last. I might just stop torturing myself and skip Nottage’s next play.
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Jesus Christ Superstar (Capitol Theatre) ★★★★½
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics by Tim Rice. Capitol Theatre. 6 Nov 2024 – 19 Jan 2025.
Rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar is back and it’s louder, sweatier and glitterier than ever before. Oh and sexier! Is Jesus allowed to be this sexy? It’s very conflicting.
Vocally this show is no joke. Michael Paynter may look like a hipster Hillsong youth pastor on the verge of a scandal, but his rock tenor voice wails like an electric guitar possessed by the devil. The effortlessly clear tone of his high notes is a wonder to behold, and his rendition of “Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)” scored not one, but two mid-song ovations on opening night. It was remarkable.
Javon King and Michael Paynter. Photo: Jeff Busby. Paynter is paired with Javon King as Judas. King, a more experienced musical theatre performer, makes Judas a smoother, more lyrical character. He brings a more intellectually conflicted tone to the numbers. The musical theatre credentials are backed up by Peter Murphy as the frustrated Pilate. Mahalia Barnes delivers smooth R&B vocals as Mary. Let’s be honest, there is absolutely nothing to the character of Mary. She wanders on, sings a song, wanders off, but Barnes makes the most of her moments and her voice is gorgeous to luxuriate in.
Michael Paynter with ensemble. Photo: Jeff Busby. The casting of Reuben Kaye as Herod is a genius move, injecting a chaotic dose of queerness into the show. Where previous iterations of this production had treated Herod as a Leigh Bowery / “club drag” character, Kaye makes the role his own with more of a theatrical “drag show” performance. It’s a welcome breath of fresh air and colour in the sea of greys and browns.
Reuben Kaye. Photo: Jeff Busby. This particular staging has been doing the international rounds since it premiered in London’s Regent’s Park OpenAir theatre in 2016 (it would return in 2017 and then be retooled for indoor theaters and go on tour) and there is a definite mid-teens “H&M lounge-wear” feel to the baggy, monochromatic styling. The choreography by Drew McOnie explodes with moments of ecclesiastical conformity and dynamic worship. Tom Scutt’s design has lost much of its original scale but still evokes a brutal landscape, with its metallic catwalk crucifix and elevated scaffolding. On a side note, Robert Tripolino, who I saw play Jesus when this production was staged at London’s Barbican Theatre in 2018, will be jumping back into the role for the Perth leg of the tour. He’s excellent as well.
Javon King. Photo: Jeff Busby. Jesus Christ Superstar has a massive cultural footprint in Australia thanks to the record breaking 1992 production. In that production Jon Stevens’ Judas served up rockstar sex appeal in tight leather trousers, this version sees Paynter’s Jesus slowly disrobing before being beaten, bloodied and glittered. There’s something very, well… Catholic about staring up at a sweaty, six-packed messiah. It’s the sort of jacked Jesus the manosphere would believe in.
In some ways, Jesus Christ Superstar works best when treated as a concert, more than a piece of theatre and this production straddles the best of both worlds. With no dialogue, the only acting required happens in the vocals, and this team of singers over deliver. There’s little in the way of subtlety but the roof-busting big notes more than make up for that. Michael Paynter’s performance alone is one for the record books.
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Oscar (Australian Ballet) ★★★★½
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. Composed by Joby Talbot. Sydney Opera House. 8-23 Nov, 2024.
Oscar Wilde, bon vivant and one of the greatest writers and wit of the twentieth century has a legacy few can compete with. His plays, novels and writings are the stuff of legend, but the life of Wilde, sparkling and scandalous as it was, is ultimately a tale of hubris colliding with homophobia leading to his downfall. Now, through the opulent beauty of choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and composer Joby Talbot’s original ballet, Oscar, presents his story through a romantic lens with an eye on his legacy.
Told in two acts, each with an opening monologue delivered by Sean O’Shea, Oscar begins with Wilde in court, sentenced to two years prison for gross indecency. Locked in jail, Wilde dreams of his earlier life through the lens of one of his stories, ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’. In Act Two, suffering from an infected injury, Wilde’s dreams turn to nightmares as he envisions ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, casting himself as the disfigured portrait jealously watching while his perfect self enjoy the fruits of the world.
Photo: Daniel Boud The narrative is not linear, but a fluid combination of dreams delving into Wilde’s psyche. A bit of poetic licence translates Wilde’s great love, and one of history’s most manipulative “evil twinks”, Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie), into a more sympathetic and romantic character than he was in reality. Those with a strong familiarity with Wilde’s story will recognise many of the characters from his life, his first lover turned friend Robbie Ross, his trio of famous actress friends Sara Bernhardt, Lillie Langtry and Ellen Terry, his wife Constance and their two sons and of course Bosie, and Bosie’s father Lord Queensbury (if you’re new to Wilde’s tale, its best to do a quick read of the programme).
This ballet, the first full-length ballet commission by Australian Ballet in about two decades is stunning to watch. Talbot’s music has luscious melodies that sound full and vivacious with the full orchestra. The sound is all encompassing and cinematic in its scope. The aural storytelling hits with clarity. Wheeldon’s choreography is playful and sensual bringing a wide range of characters to life, showing us Wilde’s transformation from haughty toast-of-the-town to broken, delirious prisoner. Along the way we’re treated to the storybook Nightingale, a pair of vaudevillian drag queens, key scenes from The Picture of Dorian Gray, an orgy and more.
Photo: Daniel Boud At the performance I saw, Joseph Caley performed as Wilde and was utterly magnetic, full of lost longing. His moments with his Shadow/Dorian (Jake Mangakahia) were beautiful as was the pas de deux with Bosie (Elijah Trevitt). Other standouts included Jill Ogai as the Nightingale, Rina Nemoto as Constance Wilde and Mason Lovegrove as Basil Hallward.
Oscar is a wonderful addition to the Australian Ballet repertoire and will obviously be seen worldwide. This is a score I will listen to repeated (once it is released) and show I look forward to revisiting again.
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MQFF 2024 Reviews
Once again I’m reviewing films at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival this year for The Queer Review. I’ve consolidated my reviews (and those by other Queer Review reviewers) here so they sit in the one place. I’ve listed them in star rating order to make things easier for people considering going and added interviews we’ve run with some of the talent and creators.
I’ll be updating this page as more films are reviewed.
INTERVIEWS
Close To You ★★★★ REVIEWS
Baldiga – Unlocked Heart (Baldiga – Entsichertes Herz) ★★★★½
Fragments of a Life Loved ★★★★½
Any Other Way – The Jackie Shane Story ★★★★
Little Richard I Am Everything ★★★★
The Summer with Carmen (To kalokairi tis Karmen) ★★★★
The Summer With Carmen ★★★ REVIEWS
The Astronaut Lovers (Los Amantes astronautas) ★★★1/2
Backspot 
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The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2 (Seymour Centre) ★★★★½
Written by Matthew López. Seymour Centre. 7-30 Nov, 2024.
Grab a cushion1 and strap yourself in for a literary, theatrical marathon because The Inheritance has finally come to Sydney! The Olivier and Tony Award winning play (also Evening Standard Award, Outer Circle Critics Award, Drama Desk Award, GLAAD Media Award… you get the idea) has taken its time to get to us, but it’s here and it’s well worth all the hype.
A contemporary-ish tale of gay men in New York taking liberal inspiration from EM Forster’s novel ‘Howards End’, The Inheritance focuses on young gay couple Eric (Teale Howie) & Toby (Ryan Panizza). Toby is a magnetic, sexy writer whose YA novel “Loved Boy” is being turned into a play. Eric is more of a home-maker, working in progressive politics with his friend Jasper (Jack Mitsch) and making both great brunches and cocktails for his friends. Their lives are changed by three events that happen in quick succession. An older gay couple Henry (John Adam) and Walter (Simon Burke) move into their building, subletting till their new townhouse is completed. A chance encounter at The Strand bookstore brings a young actor, Adam (Tom Rodgers), into their lives. And Eric discovers they are being evicted from his rent-controlled family home…
Teale Howie & Ryan Panizza. Photo: Phil Erbacher. Let’s tackle the elephant in the room. The Inheritance is long. It is two plays, running at just over three hours each. I know I called this website Cultural Binge, but I didn’t mean it that literally. Thankfully each part has two intervals, breaking the whole story down into roughly six one-hour episodes – this is like bingeing a miniseries on streaming.
Matthew López’s writing has been structured to keep things moving and varied. Characters come and go (we are literally only introduced to a major character in the final sixth act of the story) and locations change from an abstract space, in which EM Forster himself is running a writing class, to Eric & Toby’s New York apartment, an escape to Fire Island, Paris in the winter and more. Scenes, and monologues, are long, but ever evolving. It is definitely wordy and a lot to take in at times. This is a winding, scholarly tale and makes no excuses for that (but does make a few well received jokes at its own expense). The language is beautiful, the speeches eloquent and the emotions complex and deep.
Teale Howie & cast. Photo: Phil Erbacher. It is preachy at times, and moments that felt thrilling when the play premiered in 2018 come across a little awkwardly now (some parts feel like you’re rewatching Dawson’s Creek and wondering who swallowed the thesaurus) but that is a rarity. The script is laced with insights and wordplay, jokes and one-liners you’ll want to remember (my favourite is Toby’s “My heart is always pure. Unfortunately it happens to be surrounded by the rest of me.”) Watching this cast sink their teeth into monologues that span decades, and no doubt pages and pages of script, is like watching Olympic athletes get their turn to compete – it’s a joy to see experts excel at what they were trained to do. I’m in awe of anyone who can remember this gargantuan script, let alone act it with specificity and humanity.
Ryan Panizza. Photo: Phil Erbacher. Ryan Panizza (Hubris & Humiliation) is simply a revelation as Toby Darling. He captures the mix of arrogance, insecurity and charm that make the character such a presence you really notice his absence when he’s not around. While Toby is all cheeky self-obsession and sexy looks at first, the role gets progressively more intense and Panizza stepped up to the plate. He may be serving up blatant beefcake at times (we call it “The Draxl Effect2”) but he proves he has the acting muscles to back up the Marvel-movie-sized ones.
Similarly Tom Rodgers tackles the most difficult part in the plays, the dual roles of Adam & Leo (including a scene where the two characters interact). As echoes of each other, Rodgers adds subtle differences to the parts to differentiate them while keeping their core similarity to the fore. The change would have benefitted from a stronger costuming distinction though and maybe a less sexualised depiction of Leo’s descent into addiction.
John Adam & Jack Richardson. Photo: Phil Erbacher. John Adam turns the potentially unlikable Henry Wilcox into a warm blend of friendly, intelligent conservatism that challenges the progressive assemblage of younger gay men. And Jack Richardson (Turn of the Screw) brings some sparkling comic relief, particularly as Tucker (as promised). Elijah Williams, who impressed earlier this year in A Case for the Existence of God, also adds strength and dignity as Eric’s best friend Tristan. In short, this ensemble is all excellent.
Teale Howie, Tom Rodgers, Quinton Rofail Rich & Vanessa Downing. Photo: Phil Erbacher. Kate Beere’s clean set design holds some hidden surprises. The use of the full height of the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Theatre was an unexpected treat (the photos don’t really do the space justice). Alexander Berlage’s lighting is similarly precise and evocative. This is a beautiful looking show.
I’ve made no secret of how much I love this play (having seen it a number of times in different productions). I’ve been lucky enough to follow it from first previews in London to now. I know the writing and story is right up my alley and this production does wonders in bringing it to life. This is an achievement of theatre making, and not the kind of show you see every day, or indeed every year. Not to be missed.
1 I mean this literally, there are extra cushions for your seat available as you enter the theatre.
2 The Draxl Effect: If you cast Tim Draxl and he doesn’t take his shirt off, did you ever really cast Tim Draxl at all? An existential question for the ages.
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Cultural Binge 