Author: Tiffany Barton
Review: At What Cost? A Must See Triumph For Perth
•
★★★★★ When it comes to Aboriginality, who gets to decide your identity? Does it come down to the colour of your skin or the mob who raised you? Or is it just ‘a feeling’? In Australian colonial history, Tasmania came as close as possible to genocide. From an estimated population…
Review: The Diary of Anne Frank Balances Heartbreak With Hope
•
★★★★½ The Diary of Anne Frank premiered on Broadway in 1955 and won several Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Actress. In 1956, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The original script was written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, in close collaboration with Anne’s father, Otto Frank…
Review: The Almighty Sometimes Sees Art, Illness & Identity Collide
•
★★★★☆ When it comes to mental illness, does creativity belong to the illness, the medication, or the person themselves? Black Swan State Theatre Company’s production of The Almighty Sometimes tackles this question head-on in a gripping and emotionally charged drama. Eighteen-year-old Anna is an aspiring writer who has been on…
Review: Romeo and Juliet Sees Fresh Fire At WAAPA
•
After stunning performances in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Dance Nation, the WAAPA third-year acting students are back with a stellar production of Romeo and Juliet. This is a cohort that oozes talent and professionalism, and it has been a joy to witness their work as their time at WAAPA…
Review: The Shepherd’s Hut Brings New Theatrical Life To Winton’s Work
•
★★★★☆ When Tim Winton’s book The Shepherd’s Hut was published in 2018, it received strong praise for the unique vernacular voice of its teenage protagonist Jaxie Clackton, its depiction of the harsh landscape of Western Australia’s desert, its spiritual and moral reckoning, and its brutal, high-impact ending. Black Swan State…
Review: Which Way Home Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company
•
★★★★☆ Which Way Home, presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, is a beautiful play filled with warmth, humour, crackling dialogue, and a whole lot of heart and soul. Based on writer Katie Beckett’s own childhood – she lost her mother young and was raised by her Dad – it radiates…
Review: POV Re:group Performance Collective 2026 Perth Festival
•
Parents are supposed to guide and support their children. But what if they aren’t able to do that? What if an illness is holding them back? More problematically, what if it’s a mental illness? How do we talk to our kids about mental health? POV, created by re:group performance collective…
Review: Reuben Kaye Hard To Swallow 2026 Fringe World Perth
•
Reuben Kaye’s website boldly declares, “Reuben Kaye already knows he’s an icon. It’s time for you to find out too.” Hard to Swallow proves he isn’t exaggerating — he’s simply ahead of the curve. From the moment he storms onto the stage like a glitter-drenched gale-force hurricane, it’s clear he’s…
Film Review: Pillion Is A Tender Twisted Love Story In The Fast Lane
•
Pillion is the Dom Rom Com of the year, and it’s got everyone talking. It just scooped three awards at the British Independent Screen Awards, including Best British Film and Best Screenplay, and it won the Un Certain Regard Best Screenplay Award at Cannes. Written and directed by Harry Lighton…
Review: Severe Lacerations To The Head 2026 Fringe World Perth
•
Kate Smurthwaite is no ordinary comedian. She’s an utterly fearless firebrand with a hell of a lot to say. In her one-hour show, Severe Lacerations to the Head, the British comedian takes hilarious pot shots at Trump, calls out racism and Islamophobia in Perth, speaks passionately about the genocide in…
Film Review: Sirāt Is A Haunting Road Into The Unknown
•
A father searches for his missing daughter at a rave in southern Morocco, accompanied by his young son. The country is in a state of emergency. The military arrives to evacuate the LSD-soaked ravers from their beat-driven utopia. Father and son escape the militia and follow a band of raver…
Film Review: The Blue Trail Shines In A World That Forgets Its Elders
•
What does it mean to be ‘honoured’ by a state that wants you out of sight? The Brazilian film The Blue Trail asks a question that feels alarmingly urgent in our era of performative politics and social neglect. Tereza is 77 years old and lives in a small industrial town…
Film Review: The Mastermind Is A Thoughtful Twist On The Heist Genre
•
Kelly Reichardt, the director of The Mastermind, is best known for her minimalist, character-driven films that explore everyday struggles. Interesting then, that she chose to make a heist movie in The Mastermind. The heist trope usually contains slick characters, sharp clothes, a glamorous crew of experts, witty dialogue, intricate and…
Review: Urinetown The Musical Is Smart, Silly & Subversive
•
Twenty-six years after its debut at the New York International Fringe Festival, the hilarious and irreverent musical with the world’s worst title is taking to the stage in Perth. Urinetown, brought to us by Western Sky Projects, is a brilliant production, replete with excellent performances, tight direction, polished choreography and…
Review: Heart Is A Wasteland Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company
•
Indigenous theatre is often typified by a deep spiritual connection to Country, the Dreaming and the Ancestors, and enriched by song, dance and powerful symbolic imagery. In John Harvey’s superb play, Heart is a Wasteland, presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, all of these tropes are skilfully employed to create a…
