Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre MelbournePatricia Cornelius's Australian adaptation of Lorca's classic puts the wounds that men inflict on women centre stage' Sign up to receive the top stories …
This stylised adaptation of Mark Haddon's bestseller is effectively an animated book rather than a translation into theatreArts Centre MelbourneThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-T…
REINVENTION is what keeps myths alive. On the other hand, the reason we keep picking them up and remaking them is that they keep being true.
Since the beginning of 2014 I've been logging my disparate online essays and reviews in one place, so they're easier to track. You can find the Miscellany tumblr here.
Malthouse theatre, MelbourneA complex and rarely-staged Patrick White play is directed like a musical score, and the cast is extraordinaryUntil now, Patrick Whites fourth play Night on Bald …
Melbourne's Malthouse theatre launches its 2014 season with a deliciously funny Simon Stone comedy that illuminates the absurdity and vanity of human behaviourAlison Croggon
This contemporary twist on the conventional love triangle has formidable performances but gets bogged down by poor directionAlison Croggon
Melbourne Theatre Company's strong production of Noël Coward's 1930s romantic comedy is all fun and games " with the darkest of subtextsAlison Croggon
Melbourne Theatre Company, Southbank TheatreA play about domestic violence in post-Nazi Netherlands may seem like grim fare for children but it proves ultimately upliftingThe Book of Everyth…
Northcote Town HallWatching Arden v Arden, the Hayloft Project's adaptation of the anonymous sixteenth century play Arden of Faversham, it occurred to me that sometimes obscure plays are obs…
Theatre Works, MelbourneBeneath the frothy fun and glorious wit, Sisters Grimm's production skewers prejudices around race and sexualityIt is melodrama on amyl nitrate; the recipe a dose of …
Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, until October 6Men of Steel's playful yet poignant production about old furniture is a metaphor for modern life and a lot of funBack in 2002, Spike Jonze made a…
The next big things in comedy, theatre, dance, art, film and music feature in a packed programmeEvery September the Melbourne Fringe festival lurches over the horizon. Last year, 3400 indepe…
Melbourne Theatre CompanySimon Stone's faithful reimagining of Chekov's work lays bare the play's emotional machinery in an elegant productionI can only hope that this lucid, pitch-perfect p…
The enfant terrible with a populist touch talks cinema, Eurocentrism and his burning desire to explore who we areIt's impossible to ignore Simon Stone. At 28, he is one of Australia's most e…
Alison Croggon: Do repeat viewings lead to a richer theatre experience " or is the first thrill of a brilliant production impossible to recreate?Alison Croggon
Melbourne Theatre CompanyWatching " or, more precisely, listening to " Melbourne Theatre Company's production of The Crucible, it's striking how pertinent Arthur Miller's parable of social p…
Alison Croggon: He stands six metres tall, weighs more than a tonne and relies on a vast team of puppeteers " King Kong's latest starring role is centre stage in a new Melbourne musicalAliso…
Theatre Notes will remain here as an archive. The blog is fully searchable using the search box to the right, and there are browsable lists of all reviews since 2004 and of notable interview…
Dear Readers As some of you will already know, I've decided to close down Theatre Notes. It's a decision that's been staring me in the face for a while now, and it's fair to say that I've b…
Warning: here be spoilers From medium to medium, the real is volatilized, becoming an allegory of death. But it is also, in a sense, reinforced through its own destruction. It becomes reali…
Last week I saw two adventures in theatrical poetry. Malthouse Theatre literally brought poetry into the theatre with Jane Montgomery Griffiths's and Marion Potts' theatricalisation of Dorot…
Despite Melbourne's uncertain spring, Ms TN had a most excellent adventure at the 2012 Melbourne Festival, Brett Sheehy's last before he takes up the reins as AD of the Melbourne Theatre Com…
Melbourne Festival Diary #10 After three weeks of full-on performance, Dance Teritories was a refreshing return to the basics: a stage, a performer, an audience. Dance Territories presented…
Melbourne Festival Diary #9 We're heading towards the end of the festival, which closes on Saturday, and Ms TN is feeling, truth be told, rather ragged. On the one hand, devoting myself to …