弦外之影 Hidden Tunes review | The Motley Bauhaus

Presented by Small Ripples Theatre, 弦外之影 Hidden Tunes is a Mandarin language pop musical focusing on the #MeToo movement at a prestigious music university. Exploring the themes of sexual assault and violence against women within a musical setting comes with its own challenges and sensitivities, and for the most part, this production does an admirable job at presenting entertainment through pain.

A group of students are ready to take on the new year at university under the tutelage of the revered and influential Professor Yang. When Xiao Qian (Lansy Feng) is assaulted by the Professor, rumours spread like wildfire across the campus, with even her friends uncertain as to who or what to believe. The story is predominantly told through the eyes of A Jia (Yujia Du) a new student and friend to Xiao Qian who strongly suspects something terrible has happened, but where acknowledging it would cause problems for her.

#SWIFTTOK review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Bauhaus

There's no denying that Taylor Swift is one of the most influential pop stars the world has seen. Her recent concert tour in Melbourne is said to have injected $174 million into the local economy. There are a lot of "Swifties" out there, and one of them is Dean Robinson. Their TikTok is dedicated to all things Swift and they have amassed a following of over 17,000 people, which makes them the right person to put on a show about the Swift Sensation.

In #SWIFTTOK, Robinson “plays” an obsessed 14-year-old fan who knows everything about Swift. They share the conspiracy theories surrounding new album release dates and discuss all the easter eggs that Swift leaves in her songs and lyrics for fans to decipher. Some sound so incredibly far-fetched but these are legitimate claims about Swift and her career.

Spice Up Your Life - Midsumma Festival review

Say what you will but the 90s were one of the best decades for music. After all, it was an era that included Britney Spears, Tina Arena, Backstreet Boys, S Club 7 and the Spice Girls. Presented as part of Midsumma Festival, Spice Up Your Life takes the audience back to a time where music was pure and fun and where neon windbreakers, bandannas and overalls with straps down were considered fashionable.

The six performers, Jacqueline Irvine, Rachel Bronca, Alexia Brinsley, Nik Murillo, James Terry and Finn Alexander, blast their way through a number of some well known 90s pop tracks with half the fun being guessing which one will be next. There was a wave of approval that seemed to flow through the audience with each new song, indicating that the cast had done their research well.

Shania Choir - Melbourne Fringe Festival preview

I'm going to try my hardest to not make any cheesy Shania Twain jokes throughout this, but my excitement and fandom of seeing a Shania Twain focused show might prove difficult to contain. As part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, a 14 person choir will be exploring the star power that is Shania Twain through performance and lots of joyous singing.

"Shania Choir is a group of a capella singers united by a love for leopard print and armed with the prerogative to have a little fun," Shania Cassie tells me. "This 11 gal, three guy group have come together to form a choir dedicated entirely to the one and only Shania Twain. We explore the personal and professional life of Shania Twain through song, dance and drag."