Reviews

This musical gallops away with laughs galore, a glorious big band sound, spectacular choreography and a heart the size of the big red.

Historical accuracy has been sidelined to make room for the cheapest of gags and horse puns as writer Steven Kramer puts it.

The nags are played by actors.  Joel Granger is delicious as Phar Lap.  Much fun is made of his New Zealand origin. The audience is introduced to the future champion with a lavish kiwi accent who struggles to pick up sandwiches with his hooves.

French was most certainly on the menu for this latest instalment in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s 2025 season of eclectic delights. The guest conductor was the widely travelled Lionel Bringuier - a familiar face on many of Europe’s concert platforms and even across the Atlantic with the Los Angeles Philharmonic - whilst at the piano, the charismatic Jean-Efflam Bavouzet joined as guest soloist.

My most vivid recollection of The Seekers is undoubtedly tied to the runaway hit song "Georgy Girl". It played on a constant loop on the radio for what seemed like years. Long enough for me to form a genuine attachment to the lyrics. Ironically, I was a scrawny child, as opposed to chubby, but I still found the song to be hugely aspirational. 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is considered one of Christie’s best novels. Adapting a first-person narration for the stage can be very difficult but Phillip Grecian (playwright) and co-directors, Ann Harvey and William Dowd, facilitate this with aplomb.