Review by: Pepa Wolfe
West Side Story, the classic piece of Musical Theatre inspired by Romeo and Juliet and conceived by Jerome Robbins, hit Brisbane this week in a flash of movement and colour.
Director Joey McKneely brings a wealth of experience to the Australian production, reimagining again as he has done around the world, this story of star-crossed lovers and feuding gangs on the streets of 1950s New York.
The rear projection of a grainy black and white still of New York City located the piece, surrounded by tiers of iron balconies, the simple scope of the design hinting at the grand scale of the drama that was about to unfold.
A vibrant production, of swirling movement, soaring vocals and rolling accents all buoyed by the full swell of the 19 piece orchestra, West Side Story maintains an intense energy during the group numbers, but wanes a little during the solo pieces. Both Josh Piterman as Tony and Julie Goodwin as Maria were in fine voice, but the outstanding choreography easily stole the show.
Continue reading WEST SIDE STORY @ Lyric Theatre QPAC, 7th November 2010 – Live Review
Jeff Lang was not always the teller of disturbed tales accompanied by face-melting blues guitar shredding. There was time – in the heady post-grunge days – way back at the beginning of this 15-year-long and counting career, that Lang appeared to fancy himself as a bit of a fringe-rock crooner. His then long locks and fresh face even graced morning television and he seemed always just on the verge of tipping into the mainstream proper. 
There was a great turnout at the Globe theatre on Saturday night, with Brisbane music fans coming together to support fundraising efforts to save the heritage of the Regent Theatre in the city.
The general rule is that you can recycle a trend around about every thirty years. The late ‘90s saw the return of super flared jeans and platform shoes adapted from their 1970’s incarnations, and the final years of the 2000-2010’s saw 1980’s revivals turning everything fluro again, including ruched skirts and the accessories holding big hair in check. As the wardrobes of many of the theatregoers tonight attested, the 80’s success Fame: The Musical is ripe for a comeback. Bucking usual trends, Fame (the movie) actually came out first, then a TV series, and then the musical, and it’s worth noting that the story is not the same as the movie.
Having missed all but the closing bars of opening act, Victoria’s Ryan Meeking & The Few thanks to the perpetual and chronic lack of parking in Sydney’s Newtown and Enmore areas; I got into the warm and cosy confines of the iconic Enmore Theatre just before San Francisco chart botherers Train took to the stage.
Arriving at Sydney’s iconic Basement at around 8.30pm, one could have been forgiven for thinking that they were arriving early enough to catch a decent viewing point of the stage. Alas, walking into the dimly-lit venue an hour before the scheduled start time – past rows and rows of cattle-like drunken Friday night inner city executives at the bars next door – actually saw punters encounter an already half full concert space.
Heading to Lisa Mitchell’s gig at The Tivoli on Friday night, I held some pretty general expectations as to what the “Oh! Hark!” tour would have in store for its Brisbane leg. Some of these expectations were met delightfully, others were interestingly challenged, and in all it was a memorable experience. 
