Observer

OBSERVER: Death, Deceit and Ducks

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Club Voltaire was the perfect venue for this collection of six vignettes by Cerise de Gelder.Tucked away in Raglan St, North Melbourne, accessed by a narrow stairwell, and with drapery across the ceiling, the venue had the intimacy needed for these explorations of people’s foibles.Gelder’s scenarios were quirky and comic touching, as they did, on…

OBSERVER: Local Theatre Report

Essendon Theatre Company: Love, Love, Love (by Mike Bartlett)Until March 29 at the Bradshaw Street Hall, Bradshaw St., West Essendon. Director: Casey Bohan. Bookings: 0406448368 or trybooking.Fab Nobs Theatre: Come From Away. Until April 5 at Fab Nobs Theatre, Factory 33, 1-45 Industry Place, Bayswater. Director: Sarah Tierney; Musical Director: Sally McKenzie; Ass’t. Director/Choreographer: Aimee…

OBSERVER: You Can’t Say Everything These Days

ward-winning comedian and NSW RAW Comedy State Finalist Rian (‘imagine Ian with an R’) Howlett has had it up to here with statements that are just untrue.Tired of hearing people whinge about the limits of free speech he’s decided to do the only thing left in a world like ours.Howlett’s show You Can’t Say Everything…

OBSERVER: Come From Away

A musical beget from the tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attack event that changed many things forever.Book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff (librettist and lyricist) and David Hein (writer) her husband put the small Newfoundland town of Gander (locally called ‘The Rock’) on the map with Come From Away, when some 38 planes containing…

OBSERVER: The Bunny Club

Monday, March 24, 2025

Blanche d’Alpuget is a successful and prolific writer, and her latest book has taken her in quite a new direction.Best known as a writer for her historical fiction, essays, and biographies of her late husband, former prime minister Bob Hawke, Blanche has just written her first crime fiction novel entitled The Bunny Club.Enter the world…

OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews

The Call(MA). 111 minutes. Now streaming on Netflix.It’s not often that a remake improves on its original source, but The Call does just that, reformatting the material to entertaining, full-blooded effect.Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) returns home to see her mother (Kim Sung-ryoung), who is in hospital suffering from a brain tumour. Having lost her mobile phone…

OBSERVER: ‘OK’ with John O’Keefe

There is never a dull moment in the life of champion golfer Tiger Woods. On his personal side, Tiger has confirmed his love partner these days is Vanessa Trump who is the ex-missus of Donald Trump Jr. The pair have been dating for last two months. On the business front Tiger’s life of ups and…

OBSERVER: Whatever Happened To … Carole Lombard

Carole Lombard was one of the highest paid film stars in Hollywood during the 1930s. I wonder how many people still remember her.Carole died before I was born but I love watching her old films – she was beautiful and very good in her comedy roles.Jane Alice Peters was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in…

OBSERVER: The Arts with Peter Kemp

Diagrams for Transition –Tonee MessiahMovement through alternating perception is observed as diagrammatic process of transition.A perception of belief in place comforted by its assumed resolution until it is met by an abrupt intrusion which must wilfully be absorbed or rejected.The assessment of what can be acknowledged and what might be a threat to equilibrium becomes…

OBSERVER: Jesus Christ Superstar

Friday, March 21, 2025

The Rice-Webber production of Jesus Christ Superstar first appeared in Melbourne in 1972. This revival directed by Timothy Scheader proves that the original composer and lyricist have written something of enduring significance. From the opening chords of the electric guitar we are shaken from our theological complacency into new ways of looking at an ageless…