Idomeneo: an opera review by Alex First
July 7, 2023 by Alex First
Superb staging is a hallmark of Mozart’s dramatic opera Idomeneo, set on the island of Crete shortly after the Trojan War. Read more
Jurassic Creatures – a Melbourne exhibition reviewed by Alex First
July 6, 2023 by Alex First
The Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movie franchise has grossed more than $6 billion globally. Read more
Midnight: The Cinderella Musical – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
July 4, 2023 by Alex First
Cinderella, like you have never seen her before. Read more
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – a movie review by Alex First
July 3, 2023 by Alex First
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest action heroes of the big screen. Read more
Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Wonder Reviewed in Melbourne by Alex First
July 3, 2023 by Alex First
Disney on Ice is always wonderful family entertainment, but 100 Years of Wonder is the best yet. Read more
Jewels (The Australian Ballet), reviewed by Alex First
July 2, 2023 by Alex First
With music by Gabriel Faure, Igor Stravinsky and Piotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky and choreography by George Balanchine, Jewels – by name and nature – is a gem. Read more
Is God Is – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
June 27, 2023 by Alex First
Revenge is the cornerstone of Is God Is, an incendiary play that explodes onto the MTC stage. Read more
Lightscape, at the Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens: reviewed by Alex First
June 19, 2023 by Alex First
Following its success last winter, a new, gorgeous exhibition of colour and creativity returns to the Royal Botanic Gardens this year. Read more
Masterclass – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
June 16, 2023 by Alex First
Oh my. What a breakout, beguiling, absurdist, slapstick comedy Masterclass is. Read more
Broadway Diva at The Butterfly Club – reviewed by Alex First
June 15, 2023 by Alex First
Olivia Ruggiero is talented. No doubt about it. Read more
Robyn Archer: An Australian Songbook – reviewed by Alex First
June 13, 2023 by Alex First
The highly entertaining two-hour show could be called the soundtrack of the glorious Robyn Archer’s life. Read more
The Culture: a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
June 12, 2023 by Alex First
Will (Mina Asfour) and Katie (Laura Jackson) are millennial best friends who live together. Read more
Death of a Salesman – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
June 8, 2023 by Alex First
Almost three-quarters of a century after it was written, the power, passion and desolation intrinsic to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949) remains intact.
Rocky Horror Show – a Melbourne theatre review
June 7, 2023 by Alex First
Half a century on, the Rocky Horror Show remains a delightful, bizarre and engaging romp that encourages audience participation. Read more
Euphoria: an installation at the Melbourne Town Hall
June 6, 2023 by Alex First
As Gordon Gekko, in the 1987 Oliver Stone-directed hit film Wall Street, Michael Douglas said “greed, for lack of a better word, is good”…writes Alex First. Read more
Climbers – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
June 4, 2023 by Alex First
It’s all good, clean, innocent, engaging, adventurous and flirtatious fun, until it isn’t. Read more
The World According to Dinosaurs: A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
June 2, 2023 by Alex First
Having just sat through The World According to Dinosaurs, I am sorry to say I can’t really tell you much about the narrative, save for an extinction event.
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Jacky – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
May 30, 2023 by Alex First
Racism, disadvantage, “the mob” and money collide in the incendiary new work from Declan Furber Gillick, five years in the making. Read more
Worstward Ho: a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
May 27, 2023 by Alex First
Irish writer and Nobel Prize winner Samuel Beckett’s works can be difficult to get your head around. Read more
Catch Me If You Can: The Musical – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
May 25, 2023 by Alex First
Tony Burge, who assumes the role of lead FBI agent Carl Hanratty chasing boyish con man Frank Abagnale Jr. excels in Cloc’s production of Catch Me If You Can. Read more
I Wanna Be Yours – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
May 23, 2023 by Alex First
Navigating the vicissitudes in a relationship can be tricky at the best of times, but cross-cultural unions, more often than not, face additional difficulties. Read more
Beautiful Highness: a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
May 22, 2023 by Alex First
Today, deteriorating mental health is spoken about far more often than it used to be, which is a good thing, but what does it look like up close and personal? Read more
Book Club: The Next Chapter – a movie review by Alex First
May 14, 2023 by Alex First
Book Club: The Next Chapter is a feel-good sequel to the 2018 film Book Club. Read more
November: A movie review by Alex First
May 11, 2023 by Alex First
On 13th November 2015, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks took place in Paris and the city’s northern suburb, Saint-Denis. 130 people were killed, and 416 injured. Read more
Once (Darlinghurst Theatre Company) – A Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
May 10, 2023 by Alex First
A brilliant slice of musical theatre, Once has an inspiring, ear and eye-pleasing balance of heart and humour. Read more
Happy Days (MTC) – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
May 8, 2023 by Alex First
Absurdist and existential, Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days is a play strictly for selective tastes. Read more
The Critical Marriage – a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
May 7, 2023 by Alex First
A new Australian work, The Critical Marriage by Mark Andrew, is the inside story of a relationship between a couple of intellectual heavyweights. Read more
Driftwood The Musical – reviewed by Alex First
May 5, 2023 by Alex First
Set against the backdrop of the Holocaust, Driftwood The Musical is a deeply moving tale of tribulation and triumph. Read more
Australian Whitney Tribute Show – I’m Every Woman: Reviewed by Alex First
May 2, 2023 by Alex First
The plaudits are mind-blowing, the statistics staggering, the downfall tragic, but her musical legacy lives on. Read more
Selling Kabul: a Melbourne theatre review by Alex First
April 30, 2023 by Alex First
We are in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2013, as the US troops are starting a major withdrawal from the country. Read more
