Observer

OBSERVER: Coo-ee to Marie

Monday, December 1, 2025

Congratulations to Trek Musicals, founded in 2016 by Graham Ford, to produce and tour new Australian musicals, on showcasing Coralie McKenzie’s A Coo-ee To Marie, a tribute to Australia’s Queen of Irish song – Marie Narelle.With co-directors Darren Rosenfeld and Michael Try, Coralie takes us back to the early twentieth century on a journey to…

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OBSERVER: December music

One of the best things for classical music lovers about December is the wealth of concerts full of Christmas music.Melbourne Bach Choir has planned a real festival of music for the Christmas season with choral pieces by composers from the 16th to 21st centuries together with well known carols with audience participation and brass and…

Observer

OBSERVER: Afterglow

S. Asher Gelman’s international hit play Afterglow is heading down under for its highly anticipated Australian premiere.Afterglow will play at Melbourne’s Chapel off Chapel from January 30 – February 21 , presented by Midnight Theatricals.The three-man cast comprises Julian Curtis (Gaslight, Cock, Dance Academy), gold medal winning Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham (Strangers in Between, Jock…

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OBSERVER: Much Ado About Nothing

Upon entry to the Sumner Theatre a white scaffolded double storey building centre stage greeted us; its total façade virtually covered by a pale blue replica of Sam Newman’s early 2000s infamous Pamela Anderson wall.In designer Anna Cordingley’s set, complimented by Katie Sfetkidis lighting , everything was visible – voyeurism suggested?Voyeurism satisfied, as we delved…

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OBSERVER: The Tale of Pinocchio

Heidelberg Theatre Company presents HTC Youth’s The Tale of Pinocchio from December 5-13 at 36 Turnham Avenue, Rosanna.Written, directed and acted by younger members of the company, participants are aged from about 12 to late 20s,with the show aimed at children from aged about eight as well as adults.The play tells of Geppetto, a lonely…

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OBSERVER: Meow Meow

Sunday, November 30, 2025

Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes is a hilarious deconstruction of Hans Christian Andersen’s (in)famous fairy tale. The third in a trilogy of Meow Meow adaptations of Andersen tales, this co-production with Belvoir and Black Swan State Theatre Company is a creatively shambolic entertainment that amuses and bedazzles.A world-weary chanteuse drags herself off the floor for…

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OBSERVER: A Day For Losers

Principal photography has concluded on A Day for Losers starring Jacob Sartorius, Dakota Lotus and Benji Krol, largely filmed at Melbourne High School.This bold coming-of-age comedy is the new feature film from internationally acclaimed Melbourne-based writer-director J.G. Clarke (Numbered Lives) and production companies Clarke Films and Cardinal Motion Pictures.Produced by Clarke (Land of Bad, Numbered…

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OBSERVER: Red

Directed by Iain Sinclair, John Logan’s Red crafts a compelling narrative based on a true event. In 1958, the artist Mark Rothko, played by Dylan Smith, was commissioned to paint murals for the famed New York eatery, the Four Seasons.On his first day as Rothko’s new assistant, played by Jordan Briggs, is instructed to observe…

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OBSERVER: Sisters In Crime

Dr Sandra Thom-Jones, the winner of Sisters in Crime’s 32nd Scarlet Stiletto Awards first prize ($2000 plus the trophy), was always told that “autistic people can’t write fiction because we’re not imaginative or creative”.Thom-Jones, who had previously won several awards in the national women’s short story competition, has well and truly proved those nay-sayers wrong…

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OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews

Nuremberg(M). 148 minutes. Opens in cinemas December 4.Apart from one strong performance, this latest examination of the Nuremberg trials is a major disappointment, relying too much on slick presentation and hoary cliches, turning what should be an engrossing and disturbing drama into something barely passable and totally superficial.Based on Jack El-Hai’s non-fiction book, The Nazi…