386 stories by "Simon Parris"
Ahead of its time in 1966, Cabaret startled audiences by merging a traditional book musical with the avant-garde stylings of a concept musical, a form that producer/director Harold Prince wa…
Operas are no use sitting in dog-eared scores on the shelf. Operas are made to be heard and experienced and enjoyed. Blancke Knochen Opera takes Massenet's score for sumptuously melodious op…
The Shanghai Ballet's highly traditional production of Swan Lake is distinguished by the exquisite use of a huge corps de ballet of angelic dancers. In the late 1990s, international choreogr…
Shining, shimmering, splendid, Aladdin transports audiences on a magic carpet ride to a whole new world of kaleidoscopic intensity. Looking pleasingly pristine and perfectly polished in Her …
After creating a sensation in a four-night run at New York City Center last October, the stars aligned for the production to transfer to Broadway for an all too brief season. This revival of…
Entering the space, the Imperial Theatre auditorium and stage are unrecognisable, reconfigured into an immersive arena without any trace of a traditional proscenium arch.
A glossy, if rather slender, new musical, War Paint is a chance to luxuriate in the performances of a pair of Broadway's greatest divas. Two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christin…
As dainty and delectable as a well-cooked soufflé, the new stage musical Amélie is a feather-light confection of pure charm. Based on the affectionately remembered 2001 film, Amélie focus…
Broadway producers have taken blue chip title Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which had mixed reviews in London, and diminished it to the point where it almost seems to be some sort of el…
returned WWII serviceman forms a swing band to win a national competition, finding love along the way with his best friend's widow. Although this description gives the sense that the ensuing…
Premiering in 1964 at the tail end of the Golden Age of Broadway, Hello, Dolly! benefited immensely from the finely honed experience of its original creative team. The musical won a whopping…
Filling the gap for New York baby boomers left by the closure of mega hit Jersey Boys, ambitious new musical A Bronx Tale has entertaining moments but struggles to overcome the unusual mixtu…
Following the Disney model of the day by including five or so songs, the 1997 Fox animated movie Anastasia has long held a special place in the heart of fans who made it a worldwide hit. Mus…
Reuniting many of the high wattage talents behind Matilda, new musical Groundhog Day is a slickly produced, crowd-pleasing show in the best Broadway tradition. Multi-talented Australian writ…
To borrow Norma Desmond's expression, Glenn Close is enjoying a phenomenal "return" to Broadway, and to her 1994 Tony-winning role, with this unique, glossy, concert-like staging of Sunset B…
New Broadway musical In Transit is doubly unique, winning points for both its originality and for being an entirely performed a cappella. It is a time of extremes on Broadway. Sunset Bouleva…
Victorian Opera presented another authentic introductory opera experience with this highly accessible, sweetly amusing production of The Princess and the Pea.
Created by choreographer David Bintley and his creative team in anticipation of the 2012 London Olympics, Faster is a real crowd pleaser. The piece has even more scope to be popular here giv…
Camille Saint-Saën's one act opera was composed a decade or so before Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, and reflects a similar degree of western fascination with eastern exoticism. The f…
Let's Give Three Cheers and One Cheer More for the hardy team at Melbourne Opera. This skillful, lovingly reverential production of H.M.S. Pinafore is the sparkling gem that Melbourne Gilber…
Victorian Opera is at its imaginatively creative best with this beautifully realised and gorgeously sung production of Respighi's The Sleeping Beauty. The three acts of Respighi's 1922 opera…
Esteemed book writer Terrence McNally imbues the musical with comedy and warmth while also incorporating men's issues such as depression, suicide and sexuality. Composer David Yazbek draws f…
Original Australian musical Ladies in Black retains its down to earth charm in this welcome national tour.
Beloved Verdi classic Il Trovatore makes an all too rare Melbourne appearance in this ambitious production by CitiOpera. In presenting the fully staged opera, CitiOpera uses its limited reso…
All this merry mayhem is, of course, the creative construct of highly successful English troupe Mischief Theatre Company, who struck West End gold with The Play That Goes Wrong.
