Emily Cat 176

  What a performance. Don Quixote staged in the 60th year of The Australian Ballet. Using Rudolf Nureyev's choreography the dancing was sublime, the story enchanting and a wonderful live orchestra. What a day. Lead dancers were Yummi Yamada and Brett Chynoweth with Simon Dow playing Don Quixote. All performers were so good and l love seeing the ballet de corps in any production. The Arts Centre was full and we all enjoyed the performance. I love seeing the arts up and thriving again. My all time love is musical theatre but ballet runs a very close second. This production was the first of 5 that l will be seeing this year. My best friend gave me this gift for Christmas. What a wonderful gift and what a wonderful year ahead. www.theaustralianballet.com.au

  This was the second half of a wonderful weekend.  I love ballet and no matter how many times l see Swan Lake l still love it. It was another full house on Sunday and the ballet was performed by the Victorian State Ballet. It was wonderful. Tchaikovsky's music soared and the dancing melded to it. The costumes and everything came together seamlessly. The Victorian State Ballet company dance to a high standard and l would recommend seeing them yourselves. www.victorianstateballet.org.au/ Can l also recommend that you look at your suburban theatres. The arts are thriving in the suburbs. I saw this production at The Frankston Arts Centre. Have a look at their website, there is so much on. /artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au/Home

  I will never tire of hearing that excited buzz before a performance. The air hums with anticipation for what lays ahead. What a beautiful old theatre the Comedy Theatre is. I'm a sucker for a chandelier. The Mousestrap is a play that is 70 years old and still going strong. This production is under the direction of the venerable Robyn Nevin. The set never changes and it, along with the actors, are set in the 1950's.  I'm not going to talk about the play itself and l will definitely not talk about the ending. What l will talk about is the excellent cast of Anna O'Byrne, Alex Rathgeber, Laurence Boxhall, Geraldine Turner, Charlotte Friels and Adam Murphy. they were all so good especially Laurence Boxhall. The dialogue moves along at a good pace and there are a few laughs along the way too. It's a clever mystery that keeps people guessing until the end. The lady sitting next to me didn't guess who the killer was nor did many l overheard coming down the stairs. I k