Reviews

When Dirty Dancing the movie opened in 1987 it drew mainly adult audiences, but between then and now somewhere along the way the story was hijacked by girl-power and today it’s recognised as being No. 1 on “Women’s Most Watched Movies”. This inbuilt fanatical acceptance by the female audience has meant that from its first production as a stage musical in Australia in 2005, Dirty Dancing has had a head start in the popularity stakes. Like Wicked, it’s a licence to print money.

Tommy is a ‘sensation’-al high energy, multi-media rock’n’roll celebration at BMMS.

Live theatre, music video and rock concert ambience meet in two pacy hours of high-energy fun, rating very high amongst rock musicals I’ve seen on Sydney’s Community Theatre circuit over the years.

This hard hitting play examines the ways in which our homes are invaded not just by violent intruders, but also by cultural products that make us cringe because of their cruel ability to damage our self esteem. It is no wonder that this play is populated by mental health professionals and consumers who are in dire need of such services.

Chess was a popular pop / rock concept album, penned by Tim Rice, with Benny and Bjorn of Abba fame, which many of us loved (and probably knew by heart) prior to it becoming a stage musical. Based on Cold War diplomacy as played out across two consecutive World Chess Championships in cities on two continents, there’s a love triangle (albeit with a second act fourth corner) thrown in for good measure. It has a to-die-for score, though its stage career has been a checkered one, through various incarnations and re-writes.