Reviews

In Zemzemeh: Rhyme & Reason, Persian Sufi mysticism met contemporary electronica, sacred poetry met sacred geometry, and the result was not so much a concert as a meticulously crafted, ceremonial act of transcendence. Presented by BEMAC, this work by the duo Zemzemeh (Siyavash Doostkhah and Greta Kelly) offered a rare and potent fusion of ancestral devotion and digital-age innovation, weaving together threads of music, poetry, visual art, and philosophy into a seamless spiritual fabric.

There’s something thrilling about witnessing a world premiere that’s already earned its accolades before opening night. In the case of Malacañang Made Us, winner of the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2025, the pre-show buzz was justified. What unfolded on the stage of the Bille Brown Theatre was a work of intelligence, heart, and finely tuned theatrical craft.

Sometimes a production is so creatively concise and fascinating in content; so invigorating in performance and so evocatively staged, it’s difficult to know where to start with a review - especially when the subject matter is so important. The inescapable fact is, it would be remiss of me not to extrapolate on the subject matter depicted in the play. 

The incredible truth being that the toxic fallout experienced in the ‘former’ asbestos mining town of Wittenoom - remains to this day, even though the mine was closed in 1966.

Tchaikovsky is well-known for his emotional Romantic music, his turbulence and melancholy, but his homage to Mozart with Variations on a Rococo Theme expresses his and his generation’s nostalgia for Mozart’s earlier world of refined elegance and restraint.