John Shand Posts

June 4, 2024 / Theatre Reviews - Archive

Hayes Theatre, May 28 9/10 Imagine watching a musical through a kaleidoscope, while the music splinters between genres. Imagine one that touches upon high art and popular culture like a butterfly flitting between flowers. (What other musical references both ABBA and Jean Genet?) Above all, imagine a musical that does…

June 1, 2024 / Album Reviews - Archive

Francesca (Intakt) 8/10 The sound is as lush as ever, spilling from the speakers to fill every corner of the room. In fact it’s odd that David Murray’s reputation was primarily as a tearaway in the heady 1970s, because he was already an unreformed romantic. You could hear that not…

May 29, 2024 / Theatre Reviews - Archive

Audacious. That’s the word for this fifth edition of the Australian Musical Theatre Festival. The five-day celebration was capped by a full-blown show, basically thrown together during that time. Not only did the festival’s artistic director, Tyran Parke oversee this pressure-cooker operation, he also became its last-minute star, playing Guido…