Observer

OBSERVER: Arts Column with Peter Kemp

Saturday, March 8, 2025

he BirdsMUMA is unveilling the eighth Ian Potter Sculpture Court Commission – The BirdsCreated by artists Ben Berean, Callum Morton and Linda Tegg – working collaborative as Monash Arts Projects (MAP) – this temporary installation takes inspiration from the humble bird bath to encourage the return of birds to the urban campus.Comprising six stone boulders…

OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews

Friday, March 7, 2025

Mother(M). 127 minutes. Now streaming on Netflix.Not to be confused with Bong Joon-ho’s outstanding 2009 drama, this dark look at a destructive mother-son relationship is also first-rate viewing, even if its unflinching approach may turn off some audiences.Masami Nagasawa stars as Akiko, a single mother who floats through life, sponging off the goodwill of others,…

OBSERVER: Dalin Oliver – 90-Day Comedian

South African comedian, Dalin Oliver, makes his Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut at Askal with his multi-award winning one man show, 90 Day Comedian from April 11-20 at Askal at 167 Exhibition St, Melbourne.It’s a coming-of-age story for Dalin, drawing on his experiences of performing the show in seven countries and 18 cities – including…

OBSERVER: How To Flirt – The Ted XXX Talk

Daisy Doris May brings Steve Porters – How to Flirt: The Ted XXX Talk to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival from March 27 – April 6 at the Melbourne Town Hall – Lunch Room.Bringing his TEDx-style fresh take on modern dating to Australia after sell-out shows at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, London’s Soho Theatre, and supporting…

OBSERVER: Wage Against The Machine

ward-winning comedian and storyteller Matt Harvey presents Wage Against the Machine on April 11 at Chapel off Chapel in The Loft at 7.30pm.Matt reckons that everyone (possibly everyone) has had a job at least once that they have hated.A boss they thought they were smarter than (probably were) or just wished daily they could take…

OBSERVER: Sisters In Crime

Sisters in Crime present Lifting the petticoats: the underbelly of Regency England on Friday April 4.Dinner is at 6.30 pm, show at 8:00 pm at the Rising Sun Hotel, 2 Raglan Street, South MelbourneRegency England wasn’t ‘all balls, bodices, and beaux for those in high society.’ Markets and gentlemen’s clubs hid secrets, scandals, spies, escaped…

OBSERVER: Local Theatre Report

ShowsGilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria: Fledermaus! April 12 at Moe Plaza. Director: Robert Ray; Musical Director: Geoffrey Urquhart. Bookings: gsov.org.auThe 1812 Theatre: Spider’s Web (by Agatha Christie) Until March 14 at The 1812 Theatre, Rose St., Upper Ferntree Gully. Director: John Mills. Bookings: 1812theatre.com.auMordialloc Theatre Company: Holmes and Watson (by Jeffrey Hatcher) February 27 – March…

OBSERVER: All Shook Up

What do you do with teenagers who have too much time on their hands?Community theatre group Diamond Valley Singers has an answer – you put them in a youth production and get them on stage or behind the scenes.The latest DVS Youth production is the musical All Shook Up, set over a 24-hour period, during…

OBSERVER: A Couple Decides What To Have For Dinner

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Writer/Producer/Director James Hazelden presents A Couple Decides What to Have for Dinner at The Butterfly Club, Melbourne from March 24 -30 as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.James says he had to clear the script with his spouse before he showed anyone else. “I knew that when my wife came along she would immediately…

OBSERVER: Jimmy’s Run

Melbourne author Joseph Connellan’s novel Jimmy’s Run has been adapted into a radio play of the same name and brought to life by actors from the Complete Works Theatre Company.The radio play is now available on all podcasting apps by searching ‘Jimmy’s Run’.Jimmy’s Run tells of the trials and tribulations of Sonya Bird, a city…