Reviews

Sydney's loss was NTC's gain when the professional NSW premiere of this Tony and Pulitzer prize winning rock musical folded prior it's proposed opening in September 2012. Given its critical reception and comparisons to Rent this reviewer was especially keen to see if it lived up to the hype.

Popularly referred to as 'The Crazy Lady Musical', Next to Normal is the exploration of a woman's decline into bipolar disorder as a result of unbearable grief – and the impact her illness has on her family.

First up, some disclosures: I am a lifelong science fiction fan. HG Wells' War of the Worlds is in my top five sci-fi novels, read so many times that I can watch this show and say, aha, now we're starting chapter 12. And the original double LP of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds was a cherished and much-played part of my teenage record collection.

A Tony-winning musical in local hands, JYM Theatre Co’s The Producers could’ve had the goods but sadly misses its mark, despite being led by an experienced production team, including producer Shlom Eshel and MD Phillip Setton. 

The songs and script by award winning Mel Brooks are hilarious. Max Bilaystock, a has-been Broadway musical producer, and nerdy accountant Leo Bloom, scheme a sure fire plan: to produce the worst musical ever, and take off with the backers’ money after closing on opening night. 

Though Williamson’s play was written more than 35 years ago, it seems strangely relevant and current given the nature of AFL in 2013. And although the play has achieved iconic status, particularly in Melbourne where Footy is an addiction, we shouldn’t forget that, at its heart, it’s a broad comedy with a stinging underbelly. The plot is negligible….the philosophical questions unanswerable. At what stage does football stop being a sport and become a business? How do you balance the love of sport with the love (and necessity) of making money?