Review
Jack White returns to the grimy intimacy of the Melbourne venue where he wrote one of his hits
Jack White, rock and roll royalty, could fill a much bigger venue than the Corner Hotel several times over – but this grimy intimacy is what he prefers.
- by Will Cox, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Cameron Woodhead, Andrew Fuhrmann and Tony Way
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Melbourne live reviews
Trump in a dumpster plus a little bit of opera? This is a Christmas show with a difference
F Christmas is a holiday variety special that delivers wildly defiant joys with a dose of reality.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Andrew Fuhrmann, Cher Tan and Tony Way
Twist on Frankenstein transports the classic to London under Thatcher
Cruel Britannia’s atmosphere of uncanniness and threat created by gender conformity resonates with deeper truths that a more straightforward retelling might miss.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Will Cox and Nell Geraets
You don’t often see a performer of this calibre slumming it down an alleyway
Mike McLeish’s solo show, Pensive Like a Fox, is a charming and offbeat cabaret filled with off-the-wall tangents and genuine poignancy.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Tony Way, Kosa Monteith and Jessica Nicholas
★★★★½
Arts
Not just for the true believers – this reborn Jesus Christ Superstar will blow you away
This production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic rock opera is a triumph.
- by Kate Prendergast
An evening of high-spirited dance showcases new works by local artists
Every movement speaks to the delicate balance between constraint and freedom, pressure and release, in these offerings from VCA graduates.
- by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Cameron Woodhead and Andrew Fuhrmann
★★★★
Performing arts
This could be the sincere message of love and unity we badly need right now
Every aspect of Coldplay’s monumental show puts the audience front and centre.
- by Shamim Razavi
WA
Music
Astral wizards Empire of the Sun woo crowd with cosmic chaos
It’s been eight years since the electro-pop astral wizards released their last album Two Vines, so how does their fresh album Ask that God stack up?
- by Sarah Brookes
They’ve still got it: 90s icons Take That kick off Australian tour in Perth
They defined the teenage years for many Millennials, with 56 number-one singles internationally and 42 number-one albums. Now, 34 years after their careers were launched, Take That are on tour again.
- by Rebecca Peppiatt
Gangsters and toy koalas: This unknotting of a sibling relationship is oddly affecting
A portrait of a dysfunctional family loving each other in the ways they know best, Golden Blood is a story of yearning and ambition.
- by Sonia Nair, Barney Zwartz, Michael Dwyer, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen and Jessica Nicholas
★★★★★
Melbourne live reviews
Cold Chisel at 50 show why they’re one of the world’s great rock bands
Jimmy Barnes sang with every atom of his visibly scarred body. Pianist Don Walker, guitarist Ian Moss, bassist Phil Small and drummer Charley Drayton played like their lives were on the line.
- by Michael Dwyer