Reeve, who started his acting career in the theatre was plucked from relative obscurity by landing the role of Superman over a large number of Hollywood hopefuls including Neil Diamond! Landing this gig was a double-edged sword though and he suffered from being typecast as the man of steel for the rest of his active acting career. It forever limited him in the choice of acting roles offered to him.

The fame that came from being the lead in Richard Donner’s film as it became a worldwide phenomenon was overwhelming and Reeve did his best to enjoy the fruits of his labour, this was the seventies after all. He kept busy acting until 1995 when his life was forever changed after he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian event and was paralysed from the neck down.

It speaks to the man’s character that this event became the nucleus for his transformation into a full-time activist. His fight for expanded research into spinal cord injuries and providing aid to people with those injuries became his life’s work. His drive and determination were very impressive, but what’s most extraordinary about the Reeve presented in Super/Man is how much love and affection he instilled in his family. Their displays of emotion will warm even the coldest of hearts.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/WarnerBrosAU/

Tentacles lives up to its name with a riff that wraps around you without ever really resolving. This keeps you invested until the final soundscape coda gives you the blessed relief the preceding has denied you.

Ringtone lock steps you into a new sensation with bold power chords and an insistent note pattern not unlike eighties-era Crim. Pat Mastelotto’s percussive output is stellar and grounds the groove.

Company Of Ghosts starts with a purposive funk groove that sounds as mysterious as Mata Hari beckoning you to discover new worlds before the transportive effect of the sound collage at the tracks’ turnaround.

Danger In The Workplace finds the percussive sound of Markus Reuter’s touch guitar and Tony Levin’s Chapman stick brought to the forefront with this ominous workout. Danger indeed.

Satieday Night brings the EP to a close with a slow burn intro followed by a marauding gang of malcontent notes that seesaw between contentment and a contrivance to leave you wanting more.

So many ideas via so few tunes.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/moonjunerecords2/

Thoughts immersed in raw emotion and then thrown as audio projectiles with little respite given to a lack of contextual investigation. Topics of the day filtered through the broken prism of social media where an idea, any idea gets splintered into a thousand shards, each with the ability to do harm.

Two combatants, friends, warriors, survivors sparring with communications of the highest order. Unafraid to pour salt in wounds and agitate the already agitated. Touching on so many ideas, post dialogue lasts long into the night. Was my past as minefield laden? Was the unsurmountable as far or as wide for me?

This one sizzles in the grey matter like good art is supposed to and never lets you take the easy out. Well, not before you’ve found some demanding truths of your own and discovered a way to relate to your own past in order to find a direction to the future.
Rob Hudson

seven methods of killing kylie jenner
24 February – 19 March 2022
La Boite Theatre, Brisbane
www.laboite.com.au

Cast
Moreblessing Maturure
Iolanthe

Creatives
Playwright: Jasmine Lee-Jones
Co-Directed by: Zindzi Okenyo and Shari Sebbens
Stage Manager: Ayah Tayeh
Lighting Designer: Kate Baldwin
Sound Designer: Kim ‘Busty Beatz’ Bowers
Production Designer: Keerthi Subramanyam
Voice & Dialect Coach: Angela Sullen
Audio Visual Designer: Wendy Yu
Producer: Leila Enright
Lead Community Engagement Consultant: Effie Nkrumah
Brisbane Community Engagement Consultants: Saro Roro, Grace Edward, Anisa Nandaula
Social Media Community Consultant: Rebka Bayou
Sydney Community Engagement Consultants: Henrietta Amevor, Bernadette Fam, Moreblessing Maturure
Sydney Stylists: (Niwa Mburuja and Wanyika Mshila)

Pacing is all with Kurios and the ebb and flow of intensities is what keeps the interest of the audience on point. It would be easy to overwhelm them with the pure physicality of the endeavour, so mixing things up is a successful strategy. Some of the quieter moments are quite revealing to the performer’s on-stage personas.

There are a few of these dulcet moments that don’t work as successfully as others but seen in the context of the overall show, it gives onlookers a moment to catch their breath and engage in anticipation of the next miraculous human feat. The production is as always, fantastic with an amazing steampunk look to both costumes and set design.

The show is also enhanced by a cracking live band and live vocals that provide emotional nuance. There are no other live shows out there that have the impact of a Cirque du Soleil performance and this new edition is strong with amazing new feats and the quirky Continental sensibility that has alway made these productions stand out from the rest.

Cirque du Soleil: Kurios – Cabinet of Curiosities will be playing in Brisbane until February 23, 2020. Head to www.cirquedusoleil.com/kurios for more information and tickets.
Rob Hudson

Edna is fourteen years old and in love for the first time. Her object of desire is pop star Harry. He’s completely unobtainable but that does little to stop her compulsion. She and her girl friends all have the same crush, but Edna is not the type of girl to be easily denied.

What starts out light and of good cheer turns dark as infatuation turns into obsession. First love often times knows no bounds and Edna is razor sharp in her wants. As things spiral out of control, the comments on our societal norms become more pinpoint.

Using high energy song and dance to set the tone and slipping the subversion in under the veneer of happy teen life gives Fangirls that extra bite. Your loud cheers for the extremism on display only adds to the guilty pleasure.

Cast
Edna – Yve Blake
Harry – Aydan
Brianna – Kimberley Hodgson
Jules – Chika Ikogwe
Lily – Ayesha Madon
Saltypringl – James Majoos
Caroline – Sharon Millerchip
Swing Performer – Melissa Russo

Creative
Book, Music & Lyrics – Yve Blake
Director – Paige Rattray

Fangirls is currently playing at Queensland Theatre’s Bille Brown Theatre until October 5, head to their website for more information and to purchase tickets – www.queenslandtheatre.com.au
Rob Hudson

Anger and fear have created a divide that becomes filled with selfish outbursts and recriminating discourse. The love that exists is challenged and through the white noise of profanity and unchecked rage, beacons of light begin to burst through.

This emerging flame of illumination emits from the spiritual centre that all humans possess but one that is slowly extinguished by a separation of one’s spiritual self. In this case it takes the distraction free focus of the young to empower the elders and provide the reconnection.

Many families live in a state of conflict. Sometimes that energy blasts the elements into broken shards but then there are times when the heat provides the warmth for those same elements to melt back together again.

CAST
PRESTON – Benjin Maza
ABIGAIL – Lisa Maza
NANNA LOU – Roxanne McDonald
AKIRA – Ebony McGuire
ERIC – Colin Smith

From Darkness is currently playing at La Boite until September 28, head to their website for more information and to purchase tickets – www.laboite.com.au
Rob Hudson

Would this clash between the inclusive and earthy power of rock and the frivolous glitz of Broadway type theatre work? Would the fourteen new Lloyd Webber songs rock or talk? The songs actually end up being quite a mixed bag. Many of the ALW songs drag a bit are they are generally too long and don’t fit comfortably with a rock ethos. The songs from the movie are a different thing altogether and they really save the day. They help to elevate the proceedings substantially and the audience responding in kind.

The dialogue in the play is actually quite a bit more cheeky than the flick and there are ample moments where this comes into comic play. Lead actor Brent Hill successfully fills some big shoes as Dewey Finn and captures the cheekiness just right. Once you recalibrate your expectations from the movie and put yourself in Broadway Musical mode, the end results are quite infectious.

What really helped make the night successful was the sheer verve and talent of the young members of the cast. They are a mega talented group and the members that made up the onstage band were quite adapt in their musicianship as well. It’s a big, loud and raucous production and its entertaining enough to easily overlook its shortcomings.
Rob Hudson

School Of Rock is currently playing at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane until August 17, 2019 – click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

So starts the night when Brisbane Immersive Ensemble deliver their special brand of magic and bring the popular board game Cluedo to life for some real live action. The evening begins with a room filled with merry makers along with Professor Plum, Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Dr. Black and the rest of the Cluedo cast dressed to the hilt and totally in character.

As the adult refreshments flow and the discussions climb in volume, there is suddenly a loud scream that settles a hush upon the room, a murder has been committed and it is up to us arm chair detectives to solve the crime. We separate into groups and get to work. There are interrogations to make and suspects to grill.

The night is a delicious blend of food, spirits, insane chocolates and doing your best Sherlock Holmes imitation. The Cluedo cast do a great job and no matter how hard you try, they never break character – it’s most impressive. Through applied logic and some degree of detective work, a suspect is identified and apprehended. All in all, it’s a unique and engaging night and the next time Brisbane Immersive Ensemble bring the show to town, it’s one not to be missed.

Rob Hudson
www.brisbaneimmersive.com

Rendered in high definition and featuring the best seats in the house, the presentation is almost faultless. Kelli O’Hara as Anna is strong of voice and her expressive stage craft is outstanding. Seeing Ruthie Ann Miles return to stage as Lady Thiang is very inspiring after the tragedies she’s had to endure and Ken Watanabe puts in a workman like take on the King of Siam. The songs are as memorable as ever and the young cast are uniformly cute.

The multi-award winning and critically acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I will screen in Australian cinemas for one night only on November 29.

The King and I: From The Palladium
29 November 2018
Book ticket through www.kingandimusicalcinema.com or see your local cinema for details

Moll (Jessie Buckley) is a girl with a past, one that is never completely explained. Her life is a dull one punctuated by vividly violent nightmares. She soon meets local Pascal (Johnny Flynn) in the small isolated island community they call home and sparks fly.

The film is geared to never letting you off the hook and its creepiness aids in both drawing you in and freaking you out. It establishes both these feelings very well. The story revolves around a series of gruesome murders that have rocked the community. Suspicion is everywhere but it is most intensely focused on Pascal, who has a police record.

This film excels at challenging the viewer to not sit on the sideline and establish a connection with both the characters and their actions. There is depth to be found but you must seek it out. The reward is well worth the effort.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/IconFilmDistribution.Au