Author archives: Damien Barrett

I said it when I reviewed the first instalment Wicked and I’m saying it again – this world does not deserve Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jon M. Chu.  Last Wednesday night I attended the Sydney premiere of the second instalment of the global phenomenon Wicked For Good. The geeky 14 year old…

If Six and & Juliet had a baby, it would be The Lovers. This energetic and highly entertaining reimagining of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened on Wednesday night at Sydney’s Theatre Royal to thunderous applause and standing ovations. Giving us “love, pop and Shakespeare” The Lovers is the brainchild…

Hello shoppers. Full disclosure – I absolutely hate Rent as a show. I find it depressing, annoying and irritating. The majority of the characters in it are unlikeable and toxic. The cultish fandom (known collectively as “rent heads”) are alternative, wear a lot of black and are generally combination obsessive…

Here You Come Again  Book by Bruce Vilanch in collaboration with Gabriel Barre and Tricia Paoluccio Adapted for the Australian stage by Fiona Harris and Mike McLeish Songs by Dolly Parton Following its Australian premiere in Melbourne and a stint in Perth, the Sydney season Of Here You Come Again…

A ribbit-ing good time! The world is on fire, and people are dying. War and plague ravage the globe, and arts funding faces cuts. Humanity needs a bloody miracle to be saved! Dionysus, the god of theatre, teams up with his trusty sidekick Xanthias on an odyssey to the Underworld….

Hedwig holds a place unmatched in the queer music theatre cannon. This is the story of “internationally ignored song stylist” Hedwig Schmidt, an East German rock n’ roll goddess who demolishes the theatrical fourth wall in an 85 minute straight to audience rock concert experience. She has had her heart broken…

Hir by Taylor Mac is a sharp, biting satire that delivers a gut punch to conservative societal tropes. In this tight and clever kitchen-sink, single set, four-actor play at the New Theatre, director Patrick Howard gives us a piece of theatre that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. Modern American society, war,…

Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and T.S Eliot (lyrics) Theatre Royal Sydney Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats was the first musical I ever saw. It was a Wednesday matinee and a school bus trip down to Sydney from Newcastle. I remember sitting in the stalls at the Theatre Royal, staring…

Book Thomas Meehan / Music Charles Strouse / Lyrics Martin CharninDirected by Karen Johnson Mortimer Produced by John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia with Fowles Entertainment and Power ArtsCapitol Theatre Sydney In the current political climate we all need a little bit of sunshine. The revival of the much loved Broadway…

Written & Directed by Xavier Coy The New Theatre, Newtown Full disclosure: writing this review has taken me a couple of weeks since opening night. The reason? This piece of work challenges, questions and confronts you, and in all honesty, it took me a while to process it all. This…