Observer

OBSERVER: Don’t Let Me Eat My Baby

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Holly Bohmer presents her debut solo show Don’t Let Me Eat my Babies as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival from March 24 – April 6 at the Motley Bauhaus, Carlton at 7.15pm.Bohmer will bring to life loners, weirdos, the perpetually dull, and the woefully misunderstood. These characters, described as “her babies,” reflect the…

OBSERVER: Vale Graham Simpson

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Melbourne journalist Graham Simpson (also known as Lester Parsons) has died. Graham was many things. He was the Editor of the short-lived National Tattler magazine, p;roduced by Maxwell Newton Publications, where Simpson’s wife Jacqui Johnson worked on the Sunday Observer. Graham Simpson was author of The Judith Durham Story, a sketch-writer for Fast Forward, and…

OBSERVER: Crossroads with Rob Foenander

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Sally StormAhead of a debut album due out later in the year, Melbourne alternative artist Hazel and The Thief have released a new single.Titled Sally Storm, the song paints a picture of a women by the name of Sally, who goes missing during a wild storm. It’s dark and quirky and a little sad. It…

OBSERVER: Macbeth at Royal Botanic Gardens

Would Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Macbeth, suit outdoor presentation?Would strong winds destroy vocal clarity?Needless concerns in the Australian Shakespeare Company’s latest offering of Macbeth in the Royal Botanic Gardens.The view on arrival with my picnic basket – a splendid back curtain of the Garden’s mature trees and a raised stage with a bleak layer of wooden…

OBSERVER: Macbeth Film Review

This engrossing black and white film of the enduring Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth is probably best suited to an audience who know the story. Some character transformations without clearer costume may confuse.That said, the uniform-like costumes, set and monochrome colouring, have a hypnotizing synchronicity that pull you towards the enduring brilliance of Shakespeare’s words.This film is…

OBSERVER: Morning Melodies

This year, Arts Centre Melbourne’s Morning Melodies concert series celebrates 40 years, having presented over 450 live performances to more than half a million audience members.Versatile performer Darren Coggan (pictured) will entertain at the next Morning Melodies on Monday, March 3 at 11am and 1.30pm at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne.Showcasing a selection of songs…

OBSERVER: Macbeth at CPP

CPP Community Theatre presents William Shakespeare’s Macbeth from April 4-12 at the Boronia K-12 College Performing Arts Centre, Boronia.Directed by Kathryn White, CPP Community Theatre is excited to be presenting this play that explores the themes of ambition, guilt, and the corrupting influence of power:“We meet Macbeth, the ambitious nobleman whom three Witches prophesize will…

OBSERVER: Moon Over Buffalo

The Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company presents the comedy Moon Over Buffalo until March 1 at 39-41 Castella St, Lilydale.Written by Ken Ludwig and directed by Ian Frost, Moon Over Buffalo is set in 1953.George and Charlotte Hay are two fading stars concurrently appearing in two plays, Private Lives and Cyrano de Bergerac in Buffalo, New…

OBSERVER: Romeo and Juliet

Melbourne Shakespeare Company presents Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, set against the lush backdrop of Central Park, Malvern, from February 28 to March 16..Transported to the intrigue-filled streets of 1940s Vienna, where secrets lurk in the shadows, this 90-minute production combines Shakespeare’s immortal words with the charm of The Third Man and the intimacy of acoustic…

OBSERVER: Jesus Christ Superstar

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock masterpiece Jesus Christ Superstar will play at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre from March 16, running until June 22.This new production stars Australian musician Michael Paynter, musical theatre star Javon King and soul and blues ‘powerhouse’ Mahalia Barnes.Producer John Frost, on behalf of his co-producers, said: “I am delighted to…