Wednesday 28 January 2026 Sydney Opera House Playhouse Theatre Aakash Odedra Company Photography by Ken Leanfore Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) The performance began with a voice over explaining the story behind Songs of the Bulbul. In Persian culture, bulbuls (or nightingales) are revered for their songs that are often directed to a rose […]
Tuesday 27 January 2026 Sydney Opera House Joan Sutherland Theatre Opera Australia Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) Hansel and Gretel started its creative journey in 1813 when the appropriately named Brothers Grimm published this rather grisly fairy tale of a witch who grooms, cooks and eats children. It’s hard to imagine that a children’s […]
Saturday 10 January 2026 Sydney Opera House CIRCA Photos by Daniel Boud Circa is one of the world’s leading touring circus ensembles based in Brisbane. They generally tour three shows internationally at one time and the current show Duck Pond has been travelling the globe since 2023. Lead by Yaron Lifschitz, they stay true to […]
20 November 2025 Playhouse Theatre, Sydney Opera House Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) Photos by Brett Boardman Written over 400 years ago, Romeo and Juliet has permeated our culture in ballet, pop music, art, film and literature. And this is due to Shakespeare’s genius in portraying the human condition with timeless acuity in a […]
8 October 2025 Flight Path Theatre, Marrickville Feet First Collective Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) What a powerful solo performance by Samuel Addison as a conflicted gay boxer that had us pinned to the floor for the entire bout. The intimate space of the Flight Path Theatre in Marrickville only heightened the sense of […]
Wednesday 1 October 2025 Seymour Centre Clockfire Theatre Company Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) Having reviewed many contemporary dance performances, Ruins could have been devised by Bangarra Dance or Sydney Dance Company, only this theatrical work has a script and dialogue. Equally surprising there is no choreographer or movement director in the cast and […]
Friday 29 August 2025 Seymour Centre Omusubi Productions Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) Jizo (地蔵/womb of the earth): stone statues that have a spiritual power for protection and longevity. 80 years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, The Face of Jizo could not be more relevant or timely. It probes the importance of telling and […]
Friday 15 August 2025 Rebecca Jensen and Sydney Dance Company. The Neilson, Walsh Bay Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) Having spent the early years of my career working as a foley artist and sound effects editor, when I heard about a contemporary dance work based on the art of foley, I was intrigued. Rebecca […]
Wednesday 4 June 2025 Sydney Opera House Bangarra Dance Theatre Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) For their brand new production, Illume, Bangarra Dance Theatre have been allowed onto the stage of the Joan Sutherland Theatre for the first time, and this huge new space was barely big enough to contain their brilliance. Every aspect […]
Seymour Centre Saturday 31 May 2025 Outhouse Theatre Company Review by Paul Neeson (Arts Wednesday) Consensus is a difficult thing to achieve, especially when it is being used as a weapon to stifle debate and silence opposition. This is one of the many themes explored in Outhouse Theatre Company’s production of Eureka Day running until […]
Saturday 22 March 2025 Loading Dock Theatre Qtopia James Elazzi is one of Australia’s freshest theatrical voices and his new play, Saints of Damour firmly cements his place as a – I want to say great but maybe it’s too early for that – let’s say formidable Australian playwright. His ability to mine the emotional […]
Saturday 1 March 2025 Belvoir St Upstairs “Those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayana These famous words, fittingly penned by Madrid-born Spanish-American philosopher, Santayana, are at the crux of this riveting, powerful real life drama. In Song of First Desire we are thrown head-long into the Spanish Civil War. We […]