NOT: Burning Daylight, Marrugeku, Meat Market, Arts House, 5 Blackwood St North Melbourne

Burning Daylight is a contemporary dance and theatre production about the remote north-western coastal town of Broome by the indigenous and multicultural troupe Marrugeku. It was a reasonably entertaining production but on balance I have given it a NOT based on a single criteria – would I recommend it to a friend? And the answer, [...]

HOT: Mao’s Last Dancer Page to Picture, Cinema Nova, 350 Lygon St, Carlton

I have no idea why Mao’s Last Dancer has only received middle-of-the-road reviews. I was on the brink of tears for most of the film, until the end when the dam burst into an ugly-screwed-up-face fit of uncontrolled bawling. RM admitted even he was getting teary. So, five stars for emotional effect.
The rich, lush film [...]

HOT: Who’s That Chik?, Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne

Candy Bowers wanted all the critics to introduce their reviews by saying that Who’s That Chik? features ‘a girl in skin tight dance pants’. So if you’re expecting crisp white linen suits and the perfect diction of God of Carnage, you’re in the wrong theatre.
Candy B’s self-written, autobiographical show is billed as ’a hip hop tale [...]

NOT: La Boheme, Kino Cinemas, 45 Collins St, Melbourne

It really seems like every time I head to the cinemas for my dose of opera and ballet it is raining. Which just makes it a perfect match.
This rainy Saturday afternoon it was the production of La Boheme from Teatro Real Madrid. As much as I love the Puccini opera I have to admit that [...]

HOT Alert: Week of 14 September

Not so busy this week, which is good because I really need to catch up on some old posts….

Melbourne Twitter Underground Brigade (@MTUB) have their monthly meeting to bring together Melbourne’s Twitterers. Softbelly Bar on Friday 18 September;
La Boheme showing as part of the World Opera and Ballet season at Kino Cinemas on Saturday 19 [...]

HOT: La fille mal gardee, Kino Cinemas, 45 Collins St, Melbourne

In my view there’s no better way to spend a rainy weekend that to immerse yourself in the beauty of ballet. The Royal Ballet production of Frederick Ashton’s La fille mal gardee (The Wayward Daughter) starred my favourite ballerina Marianela Nunez with Carlos Acosta, and it was a frothy comedy full of pretty colours and [...]

HOT ALERT: Week of 24 August 2009

Get ready readers! This week’s the beginning of the Melbourne Writers Festival and I will be attending three sold out events:

live broadcast of ABC1’s Q&A on 27 August;
filming of the ABC’s popular First Tuesdays Book Club on 28 August; and
Chris Tsiolkas, author of The Slap in conversation on 30 August.

What else this week?

Screening of the [...]

HOT: Traces, Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition St, Melbourne

The circus troupe Les 7 doigts de la main are all young graduates of Montreal’s National Circus School. Their latest production to come to Melbourne is Traces, which explores the traces they, and we, want to leave behind when we’re returned to the dust.
The dynamic dance and awe-inspiring acrobatics are very similar to Montreal’s other [...]

HOT: Raise the Red Lantern, the Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Rd, Melb

The National Ballet of China’s has brought their sumptuous production of Raise the Red Lantern to the Arts Centre and it’s a beautiful production that’s well worth seeing.
Zhang Yimou’s film Raise the Red Lantern was banned in China when it was released in 1991 so it’s slightly incongruous that the communist government has now [...]

HOT: Giselle, Kino Cinemas, 45 Collins St, Melbourne

The second of my forays into World Opera and Ballet was the lovely 2006 production of Giselle by the Royal Ballet.  Romanian ballerina Alina Cojocaru was deservedly promoted to the top rank of Principal after this performance of Giselle -  her bright smile and blithe spirit were perfect for the innocent Giselle, her technique was [...]