Maestro 7: Symphonic Dances | Queensland Symphony Orchestra
review, music Catherine Lawrence review, music Catherine Lawrence

Maestro 7: Symphonic Dances | Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Clerici draws out the power of the orchestra in a piece that includes a memorable saxophone solo, sparkling harp and piano interplay, and an excellent ‘wind section conversation.’ The first movement is incredible: lyrical, soaring strings combined with the rising tension from the brass and woodwind, left the audience quite breathless. And of course the finale of the third movement is a very satisfying way in which to conclude any concert.

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Legends (of the Golden Arches) | Joe Paradise Lui & Merlynn Tong
review, theatre Ranjini Ganapathy review, theatre Ranjini Ganapathy

Legends (of the Golden Arches) | Joe Paradise Lui & Merlynn Tong

If I were to liken the production to a Singaporean tea time snack, it would be kueh lapis: the steamed, rainbow-layered kind found in wet markets and confectionery shops alike. Sometimes called a nine-layer cake, it’s chewy, and you can really sink your teeth into it. Peeling the layers apart one at a time is a joy that doesn't fade with age, awakening the inner child in adults just as readily as it delights actual ones. This production was just as sticky.

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Attenborough’s Ocean in Concert | Camerata
review, music, documentary Catherine Lawrence review, music, documentary Catherine Lawrence

Attenborough’s Ocean in Concert | Camerata

Ocean with David Attenborough is a powerful documentary film. However, seeing the work on a large screen can have so much more impact--particularly when Steven Price’s incredible score is played live by Camerata. The production offers audiences a memorable experience, and the warm and extended applause is a measure of the skill of the musicians, vocalists and conductor.

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Old. New. Borrowed. Blue. | Camerata
review, music Catherine Lawrence review, music Catherine Lawrence

Old. New. Borrowed. Blue. | Camerata

Camerata’s Old. New. Borrowed. Blue. is a captivating collaboration with Anthony Romaniuk. Dave Brubeck’s iconic Blue Rondo à la Turk, as reinvented in Romaniuk’s fresh setting for strings and harpsichord, was my favourite piece of the night. Fast, fabulous, and fun, Romaniuk’s arrangement made me smile - playing homage to the jazz original, but drawing classical music and traditional instruments.

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Sheltering | Bangarra Dance Theatre
review, dance Darcie Rae review, dance Darcie Rae

Sheltering | Bangarra Dance Theatre

The Bangarra dancers move beautifully as an ensemble throughout all three pieces. The choreography is often technical and dense, yet they move incredibly well together without losing individual expression in the process. I can recognise what look to me like references to traditional dance styles, mixed in with a more common contemporary dance language. The result is choreography that feels both distinctly Indigenous as well as captivatingly modern and fresh.

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PRAMKICKER | MO Theatre
review, theatre Ranjini Ganapathy review, theatre Ranjini Ganapathy

PRAMKICKER | MO Theatre

PRAMKICKER is a testimony to this indefatigable spirit of women. Even at their worst, supposedly ugliest, and emptiest, kindness and the promise of better days prevail in horizons they dare to imagine and sisterly friendships. PRAMKICKER is an exposé. Newsflash: we are all navigating life in real time with no manual—and that is more than okay.

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Revolution Remixed | Camerata
review, music Catherine Lawrence review, music Catherine Lawrence

Revolution Remixed | Camerata

One of the many reasons to see live music, of any kind, if the to marvel at the artistry and skill of the performers. A definite highlight of the Camerata Revolution Remixed performance was to watch the interactions between the artists, and to see how the musicians bring the composers’ works to life.

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Sweet Charity | Prospero Arts
review, musical Catherine Lawrence review, musical Catherine Lawrence

Sweet Charity | Prospero Arts

Sweet Charity is presented more as a concert, with limited lighting, set, and costumes. Although this gives the audience the opportunity to admire the musicianship and vocal talents of the cast, it requires a show that doesn’t depend too heavily on spectacle, big dance numbers and the general ‘oomph’ that major musicals reply on to attract large audiences and command high ticket prices.

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A Few Good Men | Queensland Theatre Company
review, theatre Catherine Lawrence review, theatre Catherine Lawrence

A Few Good Men | Queensland Theatre Company

A Few Good Men is the must see show of the year—or possibly the Queensland Theatre Company (QTC) production of the decade. It is a show for our time, and a play that goes to the heart of what it means to be honourable and courageous. Director Daniel Evans has created a show that is both epic and intimate, and which emphasises the light and shade of the story. It gets a 6-star, 10 out of 10 rating from me. Go if you can find a ticket for this show!

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The 39 Steps | Woodward Productions & Neil Gooding Productions
review, theatre Catherine Lawrence review, theatre Catherine Lawrence

The 39 Steps | Woodward Productions & Neil Gooding Productions

Ian Stenlake is a great choice for the role of our unsuspecting hero, Richard Hannay. Lisa McCune is a talented actor: charming as the foreign spy, highly amusing as the farmer’s wife, and fabulous as Hannay’s love interest. Casting The Umbilical Brothers is a great idea; the duo is an experienced comedy partnership, which means that Collins and Dundas are very capable of improvising and working hard to see if they can each ‘corpse’ their fellow artists.

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The Lovers | Shake & Stir Theatre Co
review, musical Kathryn Collins review, musical Kathryn Collins

The Lovers | Shake & Stir Theatre Co

As a lover of both Shakespeare and musicals, I was thrilled to hear that Shake & Stir were bringing The Lovers—a contemporary musical reimagining of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream—to Brisbane. Remixing Shakespeare’s classic text with a high-energy pop score and a bold modern attitude, this new musical by Laura Murphy promises humour, romance, and magical spectacle in equal measure.

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Preparing Ground | BlakDance & Brisbane Festival
review, dance, Brisbane Festival Writeousness review, dance, Brisbane Festival Writeousness

Preparing Ground | BlakDance & Brisbane Festival

Through the medium of contemporary dance—strongly supported by cultural dance forms—these three multi-talented Blak females unpacked themes that authentically conveyed their deep connection to Country. Their multidisciplinary approach also unpacked the dehumanising colonisation of First Nations people, the generational trauma of their forced removal, the unjust banishment of speaking their language, the sorrowful devastation of Country brought about through greed, and finally the desecration of Country in order to appease rapidly growing infrastructure—and simple, tangible elements were cleverly used to convey this profound message.

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Trophy Boys | Soft Tread & The Maybe Pile
review, theatre Kathryn Collins review, theatre Kathryn Collins

Trophy Boys | Soft Tread & The Maybe Pile

It’s not always easy to balance sharp political and social commentary with genuinely entertaining theatre, but Emmanuelle Mattana’s Trophy Boys manages to do just this, delivering a show that’s just as laugh-out-loud funny as it is emotionally biting and politically urgent. Making its Brisbane debut at QPAC after a string of sell-out seasons and critical acclaim in Australia and the US, this queer black-comedy offers a gripping interrogation of the pervasive cultures of misogyny and toxic masculinity in private boys’ schools (and beyond).

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The Visitors | Moogahlin Performing Arts & Sydney Theatre Company
theatre, review Catherine Lawrence theatre, review Catherine Lawrence

The Visitors | Moogahlin Performing Arts & Sydney Theatre Company

The Visitors is a must-see show; a relevant, funny, moving and thought-provoking piece that is First Nations storytelling at its finest. The Visitors reminds us of the importance of understanding our own histories, and is a provocation to encourage discussions about how we live today, and how Australian communities deal with visitors, migrants and refugees.

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