John Shand Posts

June 27, 2025 / Theatre Reviews

Belvoir Downstairs Theatre, June 19 6.5/10 Soon Hee never held her baby before she was taken away for adoption; just saw her tiny pink feet retreating in the nurse’s arms. She had fallen pregnant outside of wedlock, which, if discovered, would bring such shame on her family that people would…

June 22, 2025 / Theatre Reviews

Belvoir St Theatre, June 12 7.5/10 As improbable as this seems when we gaze out upon a broken world, or scrutinise our own chaotic lives, living is the easy part. Dying is the trick: not the last breath itself, but the lead-up, once mortality grips you, and asks whether you…

June 14, 2025 / Concert Reviews

Chatswood Concourse Concert Hall, June 9 7/10 I had a little glimpse of what it would be like to be a god. From my box in Chatswood’s Concert Hall, high above the front edge of the stage, I gazed down on a seething mass of humanity in what was effectively…