John Shand Posts

November 24, 2018 / Theatre Reviews - Archive

Drama Theatre, November 9 7.5/10 Patrick White led Australian playwrights to a crossroads: the stultifying dead-end of naturalism, or the boundless possibilities of rampant theatricality. The latter offered dreams and fancies painted in surreal extravaganzas, and people’s internal and external worlds mingling like mismatched guests at a cocktail party. Alas,…

November 23, 2018 / Theatre Reviews - Archive

Ensemble Theatre, November 8 7/10 For the snide critic to rip into Alan Ayckbourn’s TV-style sit-coms is as easy as shooting ducks on a pond. But that is to miss many skilful subtleties, most notably the shrewd plotting of his plays, brilliantly exemplified by the 45-year-old trilogy known as The…

November 22, 2018 / Album Reviews - Archive

THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED (Asynchronous) 7.5/10 If you’ve seen the film, to hear the music is to have the magical images once more dancing before your eyes. The Adventures of Prince Achmed is Phillip Johnston’s score for the revolutionary silent feature film of that name made in 1926 by…