WHEN Salman Rushdie wrote about “midnight’s children”, he was thinking about the Indian and Pakistani children born in India at midnight on August 15, 1947, when it was divided into two countries. Playwright Tessa Bremner […]
IN his latest opera, “The Love of the Nightingale”, Australian composer Richard Mills takes on the classic Greek myth of the Nightingale and the Swallow and turned it into a contemporary opera. Exploited in poetry […]
“ME and My Girl” is a charming musical with no deep messages, but lots of funny one-liners, some double entendre and a delightfully catchy score. The storyline revolves around a young Cockney barrow-boy, Bill Snibson, […]
TWO of Canberra’s respected elders of the arts, Chrissie Shaw and Geoff Page have combined their might with younger artists to present a delicate, rich and pleasing tale of love in old age. There are […]
HOW important is accuracy in memoirs? How do you structure a memoir? And how forthright can one be when many of the protagonists are still around to dispute a writer’s view of his world? Three […]
BOOK REVIEW “Fall on Me” By Nigel Featherstone, Blemish Books. Reviewed by Helen Musa This novella by Canberra region writer Nigel Featherstone was based on a 2010 artist’s residency at Kings Bridge Cottage in Launceston’s […]
BELCONNEN Arts Centre recently hosted a very distinctive artist-in-residence, the Egyptian dancer-choreographer Suraya Hilal and her group of artists. With the overall title of “Alchemy”, Hilal staged a closing weekend of performances at the centre […]
“LOVE Song” provides an engaging and easy night’s entertainment. Performed with zest and clarity, Jordan Best’s direction ensures the work surprises and delights right through to the conclusion. Kolvenbach’s play threads that line between the […]
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” By Peter McDonald, for Ickle Pickle Productions, at Belconnen Theatre until October 13. Reviewed by Helen Musa “SNOW White” is one of Ickle Pickle’s best shows in a while. […]
WITH a mispitch, brass untunefulness and a sloppy military-like band entrance, I feared this show might prove to be over-hyped. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded. Unashamedly nostalgic, this slick, tightly rehearsed and entertaining American production […]
NICHOLAS Hasluck has written a fascinating novel. “Dismissal” is a word that has a special resonance in Canberra and Canberra has a special resonance in the book. The reason is that Nick knows Canberra very […]
TOBIAS Cole’s energetic enthusiasm for choral singing is infectious; one can’t help but be swept up in his love of the art. Such was the case in this concert, which involved audience participation, including a […]
THIS exhibition of curated work from the NGA collection can usefully be tackled in two visits, conveniently divided as it is between the ground floor Orde Poynton Gallery and the first floor Project Gallery. Upstairs, […]
THROUGHOUT the ages, portraiture has memorialised a person’s legacy, power, class and wealth. From Leonardo DaVinci’s “Mona Lisa” to Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn Monroe”, portraits are centred on the self and often contain something profoundly […]
CONCEIVED, captured and edited over a three-year period by Canberra-based artist Christopher Fulham, this is the first collection of video art to be commissioned by the National Film and Sound Archive. The work is not […]
ANOTHER capacity audience enjoyed the latest in the 2011 season of recitals by Selby and Friends – well, this time there was only one friend, cellist Emma-Jane Murphy. The bold programming featured music by Beethoven […]
IF your only familiarity with “Grease” is the popular film, then this stripped-back production from Free Rain Theatre may provide some surprises, including how well it utilises the tiny Tuggeranong Arts Centre stage. Director Fiona […]
THIS might well be the most important and influential Australian book of the 21st century. In 323 pages Bill Gammage, adjunct professor at the ANU’s Humanities Research Centre, recasts our entire perception of Aboriginal Australia. […]
WHAT a great show! I have nothing but superlatives for every aspect of this raunchy, funny, emotive and clever musical where a cast of mainly puppets are brought to almost unnerving real life to tell […]
“THE Pig Iron People” confirmed the experience of what theatre can be. With an excellent script, deft direction and a very professional acting ensemble, the audience was clearly invited to be part of the event. […]
A NEW service being rolled out by the ACT government aims to keep older Canberrans out of hospital. The Geriatric Rapid Acute Care Evaluation (GRACE) Service provides care to unwell Canberrans in residential aged care […]
UNHAPPY Canberra taxi plate owners and drivers rallied outside of the Legislative Assembly today (February 19), where they demanded $76,000,000 from the ACT government. Chairman of ACT Taxi Plate Owners Association (ACTTPOA) Petar Ivanovski says ACT and interstate families […]
THE ACT government is making “big” legislative changes to the education system, according to Education Minister Yvette Berry. Following the “Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse” and the Glanfield Review, the ACT […]
IT’s not clear why Canberrans are spending significantly more on petrol than other parts of Australia, says Tara Cheyne who is the chair of a new committee investigating fuel prices. The ACT Legislative Assembly passed […]
EVERYONE has relationships go sour from time to time, says Relationships Australia’s new Canberra and Region CEO Alison Brook. “You might have a dispute with a supervisor at work or there might be conflict within […]
