Melbourne Arts 28/03 Video

Melbourne Arts 28/03

 Arts Centre

Frankston Arts Centre

Get Hypnotised - Gerard V - Dinner and Show 01/03 6.30pm

Australian Welsh Male Choir 50th Anniversary Concert 01/03 7pm

Robertson Brothers 1960's Variety TV Show 02/03 7.30pm

RESPECT: The Aretha Franklin Story 03/03 3pm

The Sunshine Club 05/03 7.30pm

1927 & Boom Crash Opera 08/03 7.30pm

artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au

Kingston Arts Centre

And Then There Were None -Shirley Burke  Theatre 29/02 - 09/03

Maharashtrachi Hasya Jatra 03/03 4pm

www.kingstonarts.com.au

Blues Clubs

Hume Blues Club

Thursday nights at the Thornbury Bowls Club, free entry

humebluesclub.com

Birds Basement

Mucho Mambo 01/03 7.30pm

Tom Waits for no man 02/03 6pm

The Virgil Donati Sunday Band 05/03 - 09/03

birdsbasement.com

Way Out West Music Club

wowrootsmusic.com

Meat Market

meatmarket.org.au

Jazz Clubs

Paris Cat

** Multiple Acts with tickets selling fast. Please look at the website.

pariscat.com.au

Uptown Jazz

The Stephen Magnusson Trio 01/03 8pm

Julien Wilson's "One Flight Up" 02/03 8pm

uptownjazzcafe.com

The Drunken Poet

Traditional Irish Music every Friday 6pm

Kier Stevens 01/03 8pm

Paul Quinn - A Bad Penguin 02/03 3pm

The Tommy's 02/03 9pm

Rob Black 03/03 6.30pm

Ezra Lee plays the songs of Merrill Moore 05/03 8pm

L J Parks 06/03 8pm

Open Mic Night 07/03 5pm

thedrunkenpoet.com.au

Folk Clubs

Newport Fiddle & Folk Club 

nfc.org.au

Victorian Folk Music Club Inc

vfmc.org.au

New Melbourne Folk Club

instagram

Peninsula Folk Club

1st Sunday of the month at Frankston Bowls Club 5.30pm

peninsulafolkclub.org.au

Theatres

Drum Theatre

drum.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au

Bunjil Place

The Painter and The Paint Maker in Conversation 01/03 11am

Queen Forever - A Night at the Theatre 02/03 7.30pm

Music of the Night - A Tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber and West End Musicals 03/03 2pm

The Smeds and the Smoos 04/03-05/03

www.bunjilplace.com.au

Regent Theatre

Wicked 02/03 - 02/06

marrinergroup.com.au

Forum

Yussef Dayes 06/03 - 07/03. Tickets selling fast

forummelbourne.com.au

Forty Five Downstairs

fortyfivdownstairs.com

The Butterfly Club

The Big HOO-HAA 01/03 8.30pm

The Saturday Experiment : Chaos Factory 02/03 8.30pm

Fresno: In Concert 04/03 7pm

Signal 04/03 8.30pm

Fruitcake 06/03 7pm

thebutterflyclub.com

Her Majesty's Theatre

Grease The Musical 25/01/16/03

hmt.com.au

Athenaeum Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show 09/02-23/03

athenaeumtheatre.com.au

Princess Theatre

Groundhog Day the Musical 24/01-07/04

www.marrinergroup.com.au

The Round

Who Killed the Hedgehog 08/03 7.30pm ( The play is performed in Farsi)

www.theround.com.au

Theatre Companies

Beaumaris Theatre Company

beaumaristheatre.com.au

Phoenix Theatre Company

phoenixtheatrecompany.org

Mordialloc Theatre Company

mordialloctheatre.com

Heidelberg Theatre Company

Rumors A Farce 16/02-02/03

www.mtc.org.au

Malvern Theatre Company

The Lifespan of a Fact 16/02-02/03

malverntheatre.com.au

Essendon Theatre Company

essendontheatrecompany.com.au

Williamstown Musical Theatre Company

www.wmtc.org.au

Altona City Theatre

altonacitytheatre.com.au

Museums

The Johnston Collection

johstoncollection.org

Heide Gallery

Surrealist Lee Miller 04/11-14/04

www.heide.com.au

The Dax Centre

www.daxcentre.org

Hellenic Museum

Viewfinder until 24/03

Paint the Past 08/03 6pm

www.hellenic.org.au

Gallery Smith

gallerysmith.com.au

Mornington Peninsula Gallery

www.mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au

McCelland Gallery

Stella Short Film Festival 02/03 5pm

mcclelland.orb.au

The Lume

thelumemelbourne.com

The Dead South-Monday Video

Monday's video from me. Have a great week.

The Dead South - In Hell I'll Be In Good Company (Live at The Grand Ole ...

I love The Dead South.

I shared this video before, but , deleted it by mistake. Not only is this song good, it's being sung live. The Dead South is a 4 piece band from Canada. They tour extensively but don't know if they've ever been to Australia.

If you're interested, look at the other video l have shared today. That is all about the records l was sent from Canada.

Hope you enjoy the video.

Books on Friday - The Sleeping and The Dead

It's book review time.

I haven't read any of the Vera or Shetland series, but, did read this stand alone novel.

Ann Cleeves is a good writer and her talent shines in this early novel.

Happy reading.

Tsinandali Festival 2019 I Georgian National Ballet Sukhishvili

I love ballet but will only be seeing one or two this year.

Georgian Ballet is like no other. I'm not that keen on the music but, oh my, the dancing. It is colour, it is movement, it is energy.

The National company is called Sukhishvili and l have my fingers and toes crossed that one day they will tour in Australia.

Films - Force of Nature

Films - Force of Nature

I saw another film last week. That makes 2 in the space of a month or 6 weeks. This is very unusual for me as l normally go for months without seeing anything. Franchise films don't really appeal to me. I know a lot of people love them, maybe you as well. I'm not knocking these films just saying that l don't really like them.

Force of Nature is based on the Jane Harper book of the same name. This was the second book in the series and it wasn't my favourite. The Dry is set in the country in the middle of a crippling drought. This story is set in the bush. Eric Bana returns as Aaron Falk with Jacqueline McKenzie as his offsider. Both of the Australian Federal Police Officers are investigating a company who take a group of employees off for a team building exercise in the Australian bush. Their contact at the company goes missing after placing a call to Falk and this is how the film starts.

The performances are good and it's so good to see Deborra- Lee Furness back on the big screen. Richard Roxburgh, who plays her husband, is always in everything he does. I really like him as an actor. Another real star of the film is the scenery. The film was shot in the Yarra Valley and the Otways. Dense bush land that is very easy to get lost in. It's beautiful country but can be deadly.

The film is good, perhaps not quite as good as The Dry, but it is a different film to it as well. There is one more Falk novel and l don't know if that will be filmed. I actually preferred that book to Force of Nature. Exiles is the last Falk novel as l don't think Jane Harper is writing them anymore. If it is filmed l will go and see it. 

This film is good without being great. 3.5 of 5 stars.

 

Arts of Friday 16/02/24

 Arts Centre

Frankston Arts Centre

Damian Mullin - Elvis Forever 16/02 6.30pm

The Beach Boys Experience 16/02 7.30pm

The Piano Men: The Songs of Elton John & Billy Joel & Invictus Quartet 7.30pm

The Black Sorrows in Concert 18/02 4pm

artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au

Kingston Arts Centre

Morning Melodies 20/02 10.30am

www.kingstonarts.com.au

Blues Clubs

Hume Blues Club

Thursday nights at the Thornbury Bowls Club, free entry

humebluesclub.com

Birds Basement

Australian Foreigner Show the "Cold as Ice"Tour 16/02 7.30pm

Paco Lara Flamenco Quartet 17/02 7.30pm

The Harmonix Experience 21/02 7.30pm

Taylor Henderson 22/02 6pm

birdsbasement.com

Way Out West Music Club

Bondi Cigars with Support Miss Lou's Blues 18/02 2pm

wowrootsmusic.com

Meat Market

Guiding Wyrm Core Signals 18/02 10pm

meatmarket.org.au

Jazz Clubs

Paris Cat

Peter Gaudion's Blues Express 16/02 6.30pm

All l ask: Elly Poletti sings Adele 16/02 /17/02 9pm & 6pm

Soul Chic presents The Eva Cassidy Experience 16/02 9.30pm

Tamara Kuldin's Gents of Jazz 17/02 9.30pm

Joyful Summer Jazz with ade ishs & eMotion Band 18/02 6pm

Vanessa Lezama presents "Latin Fusion" 18/02 6.30pm

Chris Johnstone Septet presents the music of Miles Davis 22/02 7.30pm

Emerson presents Soul and RnB Classics Remixed IV 22/02 8pm

pariscat.com.au

Uptown Jazz

The James Sherlock Trio 17/02 8pm

uptownjazzcafe.com

The Drunken Poet

The Backyard Banjo Club 16/02 8.30pm

The Galway Rovers 17/02 3pm

Boogie Brothers 17/02 9pm

Yolanda Ingley II 18/02 4pm

Paddy Murphy 18/02 6.30pm

Bob Hutchinson plays the songs of Damien Rice 20/02 8pm

Brittle Sun 21/02 8pm

thedrunkenpoet.com.au

Theatres

Drum Theatre

drum.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au

Bunjil Place

Comedy Bites: Summer Stage Edition 16/02 6.30pm

Guuranda Jacob Boeme ( Rehearsal ) 22/02 11am

Littlefoot & Company's Spoken Word Night 22/02-12/12

www.bunjilplace.com.au

Regent Theatre

marrinergroup.com.au

Forum

The Butterfly Effect 17/02-18/02

forummelbourne.com.au

Forty Five Downstairs

The Whisper by Brodie Murray 15-25/02

Joe Whyte In Waking Hours 12/02-09/03

fortyfivdownstairs.com

The Butterfly Club

The Big HOO-HAA 16/02 8.30pm

Caberet Unscripted 16/02 5.30pm

Drawing Straws 20/02  7.30pm

Glee Club 22/02 5.30pm

thebutterflyclub.com

Her Majesty's Theatre

Grease The Musical 25/01/16/03

hmt.com.au

Athenaeum Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show 09/02-23/03

athenaeumtheatre.com.au

Princess Theatre

Groundhog Day the Musical 24/01-07/04

www.marrinergroup.com.au

The Round

Michael Cormick Sings Bacharach 21/02 11am

www.theround.com.au

Theatre Companies

Beaumaris Theatre Company

beaumaristheatre.com.au

Phoenix Theatre Company

phoenixtheatrecompany.org

Mordialloc Theatre Company

mordialloctheatre.com

Heidelberg Theatre Company

Rumors A Farce 16/02-02/03

www.mtc.org.au

Malvern Theatre Company

The Lifespan of a Fact 16/02-02/03

malverntheatre.com.au

Essendon Theatre Company

essendontheatrecompany.com.au

Williamstown Musical Theatre Company

www.wmtc.org.au

Altona City Theatre

altonacitytheatre.com.au

Museums

The Johnston Collection

johstoncollection.org

Heide Gallery

Surrealist Lee Miller 04/11-14/04

www.heide.com.au

The Dax Centre

www.daxcentre.org

Hellenic Museum

Viewfinder until 24/03

www.hellenic.org.au

Gallery Smith

gallerysmith.com.au

Mornington Peninsula Gallery

Know my Name : Australian Women Artists 25/11/23-18/02/24

www.mprg.mornpen.vic.gov.au

Elizabeth George.

Have you ever read books by an author and loved them so much that you read every single one? 

When l first discovered Elizabeth George l did read all her early books. Here was an American writing about crimes in England with English characters. Can l just say now how much l enjoyed her writing and didn't guess at first that she was American.

Then l stopped reading her books. I don't really know what happened. Other authors came along and l got interested in other books. Now this book is number 21, l think, and l stopped reading the series at about book 5/6. I think l may have dipped into some others but can't be sure. So that's quite a few books in between. Like all crime series the actual crimes change but there is also a continuing story regarding the characters. 

I don't know if l will be able to pick up that story, but, l saw this book and thought it worth a read. I actually went crazy on Sunday and bought 3 books. Not bad for someone who doesn't like owning books. At least l won't have to buy any more any time soon.

This book is a Lynley novel. Acting Chief Superintendent Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. These characters have been in the books from the beginning and it will be like meeting old friends again. Some of the earlier books were so good and l would suggest, if you are interested, going back and starting at the first book. Deception on his mind was especially good. I remember it involved a local Asian family and a terrible crime that ripples through a small beach community. I think that might have been book no.9.

Will l like this book?  Maybe, maybe not. I will let you all know next week.

Happy reading.

 

Fiona Basile - Photographer

 On Saturday l went to a talk by Fiona Basile. Fiona is a photographer, journalist, writer and open water swimmer. 

Immerse is a coffee table book that she has written about the Pole Dancers which is a group of open water swimmers who swim off Seaford beach. Most were there to hear about the swimming, l was there to hear about the photography.

This project was born in COVID and the strict lockdowns we had in Melbourne. Although we couldn't go further than 5 kms we were allowed to go out for 2 hours and exercise keeping a clear distance from anyone else. I went out and walked for the whole 2 hours; Fiona discovered open water swimming.

The book contains interviews as well as photos and, oh my, what beautiful photos. Seaford is a southern beach side suburb in Melbourne and these photos were taken in Port Philip Bay, Melbourne's bay, my bay. There is no photoshopping or tweaking, no need for all that. Each photo shows the beauty and might of the sea. Most were taken when Fiona was in the water or on the jetty.

As l sat there listening to Fiona speak of the bay and the people l thought this is the beauty of photography. It can capture the place and its' people in the moment and photo exhibitions can tell a story. Years ago l went to a photo exhibition of Cuba. It was so interesting. Most photos were in black and white and even without the colours it conveyed a sense of place. Of course video is important ( and l do have a YouTube channel) ,  but there is something special about photos.

I'm not planning on becoming an open water swimmer myself but I love photo exhibitions and will definitely be trying to see more this year. If you are near Frankston this April Fiona is having an exhibition at The Frankston Arts Centre or you can purchase the prints and book at her website.

www.fionabasile.com

It begins

 

I call myself a patron of the arts but would love to be artistic too.

Well, it starts today....

Wish me luck.

Books on Wednesday - Garry Disher

Do you keep reading a book even if it's not interesting. Do you think once started it needs to be finished?

There are 2 books in Books on Wednesday this week. Do l normally read more than one book a week, no, but l did start 2 this past week.

Do you keep books and re-read your favourites? I don't. Once a book is read it is passed onto someone else to enjoy. I know some people love their books and have groaning bookcases full to the brim. Good luck to those people but l am not one of them. Books can take over and personally l would rather pass it on and love the thought of a book going from hand to hand.

Garry Disher is this weeks author. He is a well known Australian author and his books are based in Melbourne, my home town. He is also a recipient of the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction. His main character is Wyatt and this character features in both books.

Watch the video and see what l thought of them.

Now we're Swingin'

Do you like Swing music?

I love Swing music and l saw a great show on Friday.  There was a smaller band; piano, drums, upright bass, 2 saxophones, a trumpet and a trombone and a good singer Tom Burlinson. 

This music doesn't go out of fashion, nor does the dancing. Look at all the Swing dancing on YouTube and listen to that wonderful music.

The show covered songs from the 40s and 50s yet they still sounded fresh. Both shows were sell outs and l saw the 2nd show at 1.30. 

What a treat.

Definitely a great start to the 2024 Morning Melodies.

Apologies

 Apologies there is no arts on Friday. Busy week and no internet into the house this week.

Will be back on Monday bigger and better.