The type of toe-tapping fun that appeals to all ages, I seriously doubt anyone seeing The Detective’s Handbook will leave the theatre without a smile on their face. An original, musical, farcical take on Chandler-esque, […]
Author: Glen on ArtsHub
Glen produces film, theatre and television news, reviews and commentary for a number of outlets, covering Festivals, interviews and events.
Glen lives in Sydney where he enjoys making short films.
Tweets @GlenFalkenstein
THE ORIGINAL GREASE
Not Grease as we know it but oh so good. The Original Grease is based on a 2010 adaptation of the now-familiar musical’s very first stage production, before it was adopted by Broadway and further […]
UNFINISHED WORKS
It’s tempting to use an art metaphor to blithely summarise Unfinished Works – but that wouldn’t do justice to the play’s supremely astute treatment of its subject matter, which warrants and deserves repeat viewings. Frank […]
THAT EYE, THE SKY
An intense night of theatre with some unexpected comic flourishes, the innovative stage design and direction are the real stars of the New Theatre’s latest production. Adapted by Richard Roxburgh and Justin Monjo from Tim […]
THE ULTIMATE LESBIAN DOUBLE FEATURE
Confident, explicit and not without its share of laughs, The Ultimate Lesbian Double Feature is a short play, split into two parts, staged as part of the 2016 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras programme. […]
THE WHALE
The Whale does not sound like an attractive premise for a play. Six hundred pound Idaho local Charlie (Keith Agius), confined to his apartment, sits on the couch all day, marking essays and watching re-runs […]
THEY’VE ALREADY WON
Melding multimedia with a traditional vaudeville performance, They’ve Already Won is a very modern production for the social media-savvy age. An oft criticism of theatre that it continues to rely on storytelling tropes and methods […]
THE GOOD DOCTOR
Neil Simon’s series of short plays – some macabre, some uproarious, and others filled with great slapstick – made for a very entertaining night of pathos-laden comedy. A writer relates his stories and wisdom to the […]
A Rabbit for Kim Jong-Il
A study in dichotomy, A Rabbit for Kim Jong-Il is both a comedy and espionage thriller; a screwball, morbid farce relying on a patently absurd premise largely based on an inexplicably true story. German rabbit […]
THE REAL THING
Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing teases its audience with the writer’s famous multi-layered story-arcs, in this case involving at least one play within a play where life and art interchangeably imitate each other. Playwright Henry […]
ARMS AND THE MAN
A charmingly irreverent comedy, George Bernard Shaw’s classic Arms and the Man has been splendidly revived by the Sydney Theatre Company, in no small part due to the strength and wit of its two leads. […]
AFTERPLAY
A treat for Chekhov fans, Afterplay is a long overdue catch-up with some of the author’s most famous characters. Set in Russia in the 1920’s, Andrey from The Three Sisters (Wayne Bassett) meets Sonya from […]
BULL
Brutal. Just, so, brutal. Awaiting a crucial staffing decision by senior management, team members Isobel (Romy Bartz) and Tony (Philippe Klaus) round squarely on less confident and clearly nerve-wracked Thomas (George Kemp) to ensure survival […]
DARK VANILLA JUNGLE
Intense, sparse and confronting, Dark Vanilla Jungle is in every sense a discomforting night of theatre. A monologue stretched over 90 minutes, Philip Ridley’s play as performed by Claudia Barrie covers any number of distressing […]
THE ALIENS
Offbeat in every sense of the word, The Aliens enjoyably draws its audience off-centre with the play’s unconventional style, at times both discomforting and refreshing. Filled with intermittently jarring moments and deliberately languid pacing, it […]
MOTHERS AND SONS
There is seldom the opportunity to see a play about a highly topical issue that doesn’t preach or attempt to shove a point of view down your throat. Mothers and Sons succeeds in letting the drama […]
THE TEMPEST
“Your compensation makes amends; for I have given you here a third of mine own life.” Many of Prospero’s quips rang true on the opening night of Bell Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with famed director John Bell […]
Metafour
An hour of abstract surrealism, the cleverly-titled Metafour consists of four short plays by the divisive Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. The action begins even before the curtains open with absurdist performers ushering theatre-goers to their […]
MEN
Three men, one woman and a great script were all that was needed for a humorous, engaging and consistently entertaining night of theatre. The three male personalities, Jules the narcissist (Sean Hawkins), a sex-crazed Bob […]
Re: Memory
A trust exercise extrapolated into theatre, Re: Memory is a distinctive performance piece not meant for passive theatre-goers. Limited to ten per show, patrons are blindfolded and lead behind a curtain two at a time […]
The Invitation
You’ll never guess who’s coming to dinner. Will (Logan Marshall-Green) drives new girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) up through the Hollywood Hills to the mansion of his former wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard), who has invited them […]
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