Bette and Joan

 

 Bette and Joan by Anton Burge.  Ensemble Theatre, Sydney  March 20 – April 25  2026

Reviewed by Frank McKone
March 27

Cast
Jeanette Cronin as Bette Davis
Lucia Mastrantone as Joan Crawford

Creatives
Director: Liesel Badorrek; Assistant Director: Jessica Fallico
Set & Costume Designer: Grace Deacon
Lighting Designer: Kelsey Lee
Composer & Sound Designer: Ross Johnston
Video Designer: Cameron Smith
Stage Manager: Krystelle Quartermain
Assistant Stage Manager: Lara Kyriazis



It’s my habit, as a reviewer, when seeing a play new to me, to not read too much about the play, and especially not to read reviews, even of previous productions, so that I can respond on the night with the immediate feelings and thoughts that arise without being influenced beforehand.

In the case of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, whose lifetimes closely matched my parents’ who were not often film-goers, I think I never saw any of the Hollywood movies which made Bette and Joan famous, though I certainly recall their names from my younger days.  But I was never aware of the feud between them.

As I expected at Ensemble Theatre, I appreciated very much the acting skills of both Jeanette and Lucia, clearly directed precisely in creating every detail of facial expression, voice and physical action that the playscript required; and the original use of video brought to mind visually the questions the characters talk of – about acting and knowing the difference between reality and fiction.

Yet I felt there was something missing.  I got the picture, so to speak, but I found myself at Intermission hoping for something in the second half which would reveal what the playwright’s purpose would be beyond showing us these two women battling away at each other.

There were a few hints in second half when they were older, in 1962, looking back on their film-making experiences in the 1930s, 40s and 50s but nothing definite enough to make me like either of them, or to feel more empathetic towards them as personalities, apart from sympathy for the social issue of the treatment of women compared to men.

So, after the show, I wondered if I should find out whether other reviewers had doubts like mine.

Lyn Gardner in The Guardian in 2011 made this comment about the original West End production that year: But this kitsch play is not trying to be more than it is, and [Greta] Scacchi and [Anita] Dobson carry it with an alluringly wicked twinkle in their eyes...and  it is only a pity there is not more excavation of the emotional pain felt by these two icons, whose public success was matched by private disasters.
[ https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/may/12/bette-and-joan-review ]

Anton Burge wrote the script which is littered with references to Bette and Joan’s shows. I would have liked to see more of a resolution at the end was a comment in a review of the Brighton Little Theatre production in 2024. 
[ https://rozscott.com/bette-and-joan-by-anton-burge ] 

So, though Jeanette Cronin as Bette Davis and Lucia Mastrantone as Joan Crawford surely gave as good as those acting in the play’s first presentation, and despite Anton Burge’s claim (in the Ensemble’s program notes) that it was never my intention to create merely a catalogue of anecdotes, I find I’m not the only one to want a bit more of a resolution and excavation of the emotional pain.

Maybe, if it’s not there word for word in Burge’s script, then, as director, Liesel Badorrek could indulge in a bit of poetic licence to make it happen.

But don’t let my quibbles stop you from seeing Bette and Joan, because Jeanette and Lucia give stunning performances.

 

 

 

Cellist James Morley delivers outstanding performance

Canberra Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Jessica Cottis

Soloist: James Morley

Llewellyn Hall

Thursday March 19, 2026

By Tony Magee

In a presentation where the overarching theme was friendship, Canberra Symphony Orchestra excelled in one the finest concerts I’ve heard from them.

Conductor Jessica Cottis was in full control, sweeping the musicians through the multifaceted program with precision.

Jessica Cottis conducts the CSO. Photo: Arianne Schlumpp

Opening with Through Changing Landscape by Australian composer Alice Chance, tentative steps forward began with just flute, with other instruments gradually joining until the full orchestras was playing.

A solid brass foundation emerged, then high above a piccolo made its mark, with piano octaves below.

Pizzicato from the five doubles basses and then the cellos carried the piece further with two massive orchestral climaxes as the high points.

Inspired by a long train journey with changing scenery as the train progresses, it was a very happy piece.

One of the few happy aspects to Prokofiev’s last years is the friendship he enjoyed with the young cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, for which he composed the unusually titled Symphony-Concerto for cello and orchestra, Op.125.

Outstanding young cellist James Morley was the soloist and he delivered a spectacular performance of incredible insight, technique and depth of emotion.

Playing from memory, he delivered superb tone production and projection.

James Morley. Photo courtesy Ukaria Cultural Centre

The opening Andante was in march tempo with a wonderful bass foundation. The following Allegro giusto brought forward furioso playing from Morley with dramatic interludes from the trombones and tuba in unison with timpani.

There followed an incredible cello cadenza where Morley was able to explore the full range of his instrument.

The closing Allegro marcato featured a wonderful and majestic fanfare from the horns underpinned by slow and deliberate pizzicato playing from the double basses.

At the conclusion of the work, the audience erupted in thunderous applause which just went on and on, and both Morley and conductor Cottis were called back again and again to take their bows.

Morley is studying at the ‘Hans Eisler’ School of Music in Berlin and has previously studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the ANU School Music, where he won Best Recital Award and the Audience Choice Award in the 2019 ANAM Concerto Competition, performing the Prokofiev Symphony-Concerto with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

He plays the ‘Ex-Robert Barrett’ cello made in 2004 by Rainer Beilharz.

The concert closed with a superb performance of The Enigma Variations by Sir Edward Elgar. 

Elgar described how, on the evening of 21 October 1898, after a tiring day's teaching, he sat down at the piano and began to improvise various melodies in styles which reflected the character of some of his friends. These improvisations, expanded and orchestrated, became the Enigma Variations.

He is also quoted as saying that he would not explain the Enigma, “It’s ‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the connection between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture.”

Then, cryptically, “Through and over the whole set is another and larger theme which ‘goes’ but is not played…”

Elgar liked to tease his friends about guessing the Enigma. 

In November 1899, Elgar was in conversation with Dorabella Penny, subject of the tenth variation. Elgar asked: “Haven’t you guessed it yet? Try again!.” 

“Are you quite sure I know it?” “Quite.”

And on another occasion: “Well, I’m surprised. I thought you of all people would guess it.”

“Why me of all people?”

“That’s asking questions!”

Speaking with Troyte Griffith in 1923 - the subject of the seventh variation - Griffith asked, “Can I have one guess? Is it God Save the King?”

“No of course not, but it is so well known that it is extraordinary that no-one has spotted it.”

Is there actually a musical theme on which the variations are based? Most people assume so, but Elgar always referred to the subject matter as “it”, never tune or theme.

The famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin claimed to have solved the mystery in 1984, when he announced from the stage of Carnegie Hall, before conducting a performance of The Enigma Variations, that the solution was Rule Britannia. He later retracted this statement.

Sir Edward Elgar. Photo: Charles Frederick Grindrod circa 1903.
Courtesy National Portrait Gallery, London

Canberra Symphony Orchestra filled Llewellyn Hall with a spectacular performance of the work. The third variation, Richard Baxter, was joyful. The fourth, William Meath Baker, was bold, featuring triple forte timpani.

After a timpani introduction, the sixth, Isabel Litton, continued with prominent brass. Troyte Griffith’s variation, number seven, featured a delightful clarinet opening.

The most famous of the variations is the ninth, Nimrod, dedicated to August Johannes Jaeger. It has been used countless times in television and film scores - from Monty Python to Dunkirk. The opening bars are a quote from the slow movement of Beethoven’s Pathetique piano sonata.

The tenth, Dorabella Penny, began with woodwinds and then a beautiful viola solo played superbly by Tor Frømyhr. Leader of the cello section, Patrick Suthers, opened the twelfth variation, Basil G. Nevinson, and his excellent playing was featured prominently throughout.

With the first variation being dedicated to the composer’s wife, Caroline Alice Elgar, the work came full circle with the Finale being Elgar himself.

So closed an absolutely superb concert from the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and one that I will remember with fondness for a long time.

IRONY DONE HERE

 

Irony Done Here. 

Created and performed by Shortis and Simpson. Sound engineer Bevan Noble. Smith’s Alternative. Smith’s Alternative. March 21-22 2026

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

Canberra’s supreme satirists have been serving up full platters of irony and swipes at the establishment for years. Shortis and Simpson’s latest offering is no exception. But there is a difference. Irony Done Here  is a retrospective look at the last 30 years of music and song that have delighted audiences. Musician and songwriter John Shortis has composed a litany of songs that have been sung by singer and choir leader Moya Simpson. They bristle with wit and mockery. Simpson sings with a cheeky sleight of the vocal chords, at times joined in by Shortis with his trademark grin that laughs at life’s foibles. There is no offense in the smile, only a delighted amusement at the silliness of human behaviour, political shenanigans and social issue absurdity.

 Shortis and Simpson’s satirical view of the satirized world is less glitzy or theatrical than Canberrans have been treated to in the Wharf Review. Theirs is a cabaret revue that hits its target to suit its particular audience or in many cases its requested commission. For example their political satire Stop Laughing, This is Serious with illustrated cartoons by former Canberra Times cartoonist Geoff Pryor grew out of Shortis’s research into the National Library’s archived collection as part of his Harold Wright Fellowship. It is this love of research and work with various cultural institutions that give Shortis and Simpson’s performances an integrity and intelligence that can too often be overlooked in favour of the snappy punch line. Their material is often carefully researched in collaborations with excellent playwrights like Graham Pitt (Stop Laughing It’s Serious) and John Romeril (Prime Time) Other collaborations include performances with artists like Margaret Roadnight and Peter J Casey. Shortis’s arrangements are appealing and catchy. Simpson’s singing shows her flexible range from Blues (Honey Bee Blues) to Rock. (Prime Time)  Her comedic skills are on show in abundance in her rendition of a swipe at Sir John Kerr set to Shortis’s changed lyrics of the G and S patter song from Pirates of Penzance. She fills Smith’s Alternative with laughter with her tongue in cheek spoonerisms (Learless Feader) inspired by America’s songsters of satire the Capital Steps. There are times, however, when Shortis and Simpson let their feelings be known with a gust of anger. The demise of Vivaldi, another of their various spiritual homes, gives rise to one number in their repertoire that doesn’t hold back, and Simpson gives full vent to F**k the ANU.

What makes Irony Done Here a must be revived show is not only its retrospective collection of Shortis and Simpson’s shows over the past thirty years but its nostalgic glimpse of the vast contribution that the duo has given to the Canberra community and the nation over the past thirty years since their car broke down in Bungendore and the rest is history. The title of the show reflects their quick wit when a next door neighbour’s sign Ironing Done Here inspired the title Irony Done Here. In the intimate setting of their spiritual home Smith’s Alternative the closing night audience was treated to a sentimental journey down the years from Simpson’s native England and Shortis’s work on TV jingles to a triumphant song writing and singing partnership that has cast a discerning eye on the funny side of history.

 

But wait! That’s not all! Simpson’s contribution to Neil Cameron’s lakeside event The Dreamkeeper gave rise to the creation of community choirs Can Belto and the Worldly Goods Choir. Shortis’s research into the collections of so many cultural institutions from yet another spiritual home the National Library to the CSIRO (Sounds of Science) have cast a satirical eye on our PMs from Edmund Barton to Tony Abbot on one hand and the behaviour of the pollinating honey bee on the other. Key moments in our nation’s history such as the Dismissal have been revealed through laughter and song and serious satire and Shortis and Simpson’s nostalgic retrospective is a vital account of the duo’s shows and accomplishments over the past decades.

Rumours of retirement appear somewhat overstated. Simpson suggests that Shortis’s brain will never stop whirling and there’s plenty a song still to be sung. I found Irony Done Here intriguing, informative and hugely entertaining in a charming and feel good way that had me laughing, thinking and humming along. I hope that the retrospective can be revived as a tribute to history and the many artists who have contributed to Shortis and Simpson’s journey over the past thirty years in Bungendore and nationwide. There’s no keeping a good duo down apparently and audiences can catch Shortis and Simpson's The World At Our Feet on this Saturday at Ainslie Arts Centre with the Worldly Goods Choir and Jacqui Simmond’s senior dance group GOLD. It will be a good opportunity to see irony done there.

3 ON 3 - APEIRON BAROQUE

 

John Ma (violin), Marie Searles (harpsichord),

Guest artists: Jared Adams (violin), Isaiah Bondfield (violin),

Anton Baba (cello/gamba) and George Wills (theorbo/guitar)

Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, March 22

 

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

 

Apeiron Baroque can always be relied upon to provide something different in their concerts and this one was no exception. With three violinists and a continuo section of three more players, this ensemble certainly made beautiful music together.

John Ma (violin) and Marie Searles (harpsichord) were joined by guest artists Jared Adams (violin), Isaiah Bondfield (violin), Anton Baba (cello/gamba) and George Wills (theorbo/guitar). All artists had a formidable list of credits nationally and internationally.

From left: John Ma (violin), Jared Adams (violin), Isaiah Bondfield (violin), Marie Searles (harpsichord), Anton Baba (cello/gamba) and George Wills (theorbo/guitar)

Another of the delights of an Apeiron Baroque concert is to hear the music of less familiar composers. In this case, they played short works by eleven composers from the Baroque period including Vierdanck, Krieger, Roncalli, Balbestre, Finger, d’Hervelois, Schmeltzer and Dornel as well as the more well-known Telemann and Pachelbel.

They commenced with all six artists playing the lively Capriccio No. 26 by Johann Vierdanck. The melodic Sonata No. 5 by Johann Krieger was next with John Ma the solo violinist with the continuo. George Wills on guitar played a beautifully reflective Preludio and Passacaglia by Ludovico Roncalli and Marie Searles, harpsichord, played another quietly reflective work by Claude Balbestre.

The concert continued with a variety of works that each demonstrated the richness of the music from this period. Each member of the ensemble was featured in certain works. Highlights included a jaunty gavotte by Telemann, which the ensemble clearly enjoyed playing, as well as exquisite works by Marais, Schmeltzer and Dornel.

Violinists John Ma, Jared Adams ad Isaiah Bondfield

John Ma provided lively and often amusing anecdotes about many of the composers. Claude Balbestre, for example, was one of the most famous organists of his time. His fame was so great that he was eventually forbidden to play as the churches were always too crowded when he performed.

The full ensemble concluded this excellent concert with a fine performance of Johann Pachelbel’s possibly now too well-known Canon. Ma explained, humorously, that in the life of every Baroque ensemble there comes a time when it’s inevitable that this work be played.

Photos by Peter Hislop

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 23 March 2026.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.

 

Irony Done Here

 

Irony Done Here, by Shortis and Simpson, at Smith’s Alternative, Canberra Sat/Sun March 21/22, 2026

Reviewed by Frank McKone
March 22 3pm

John Shortis and Moya Simpson have been creating a range of shows for the past 30 years.  Irony Done Here, the title derived with their nice sense of humour from a Bungendore neighbour’s “Ironing Done Here” is just typical.

Amusing word play is central to their satire, to which they add what I call song play.  Moya can turn our expectations on our heads.  I won’t forget her American Country and Western songs about the nature of love.

Despite this seeming to be their swansong, John is unable to put the keys away, and promises he is already writing a new show – an epilogue, say?

I began my review of their first show together as follows:

Shortis & Curlies John Shortis, Moya Simpson, Andrew Bissett at The School of Arts Cafe, 108 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan.  Season: Thursdays to Saturdays till June 29, 1996.  Bookings: Phone 297 6857.  Professional.

If you are a Liberal politician confident that cutting government spending is the only way to go; or a Labour politician feeling sorry for yourself after 100 days of the new [John Howard] regime; or a veterinary surgeon operating out of Woden Valley; or someone who thinks that a national gun register is not a good idea; or Princess Diana; or Jeff Kennett; or even a frozen embryo who hopes to inherit your dead father's estate: then you shouldn't see this show because you probably won't laugh.

Their, possibly, last show is a selected history of 30 years in 90 minutes, including, to use their term, ‘human’ songs as well as their iconic political satires, showing their always engaging range of lyric writing, music composing, and song making in action, which is not always about subtle ironies in our lives.  Empathetic celebration has its place on the right occasion.

They managed this even for our first Prime Minister, Edmund Barton, whose pay was so low, he had to live cheaply, more or less in his office.

But I think the best bit of irony done here is that, among the prime ministers with the least sense of humour and appreciation of satire, Tony Abbott provided the best title for one of Shortis & Simpson’s previous shows and which I now designate as the title revealing the guts of Irony Done Here – A Suppository of Wisdom.

The show is wise because it reveals the truth through incisive humour.  It is a measure of both John’s and Moya’s art and intelligence – for which the audience at the conclusion of the 3pm show on Sunday spontaneously thanked them personally.

At https://shortisandsimpson.com/about-us/ they have provided brief notes about their histories, and quotes from many reviews.  I was pleased  to see one of my own, on a projection of a past advertising poster, for The Three Scrooges - Comedy Christmas Cabaret, at The Street Theatre in 2005:

 “,,,this is a terrible show.  It’s funny, for a start.  Even worse, it’s satirical.” 

 

 

 

 

IRONY DONE HERE - Shortis and Simpson - Smith's Alternative

 

    Conceived and performed by John Shortis and Moya Simpson

    Smith’s Alternative March 21^st and 22nd 2026.

    Performance on March 21^st reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

It is 30 years since John Shortis and Moya Simpson presented their first political revue in the School of Arts Cafe in Queanbeyan. The title of that show was "Shortis and Curlies", and it also featured another young Canberra entertainer, Andrew Bisset.

It is also 30 years since the duo decided, after years of doing school shows, community arts projects and cabaret shows with other people, to settle in Bungendore.

This fateful decision provided them with the title of this current show, “Irony Done Here”; the delightful story of how that title came about; and a reason to pause and look back over those 30 years.

In typical Shortis and Simpson style, this affectionate retrospective revisits triumphs and pitfalls along their path to becoming local legends who consistently draw loyal audiences of political junkies to cabaret venues, theatres, even national institutions, eager, much like the characters in “Bridgeton”, to hear the duos unique views on the latest upheavals in the house on the hill.     

There is a reason for the duo’s extraordinary success in a field where others have long since come and gone. In “Irony Done Here” their audience is treated to some ‘behind closed doors’ stories which provide the clues.

Shortis reveals how their revues have provided a pathway to channel his passion for political satire and music history into a successful career. He describes his process and inspirations, mentioning fellowships at the National Library, especially “Sheet Dip”, an excerpt from which is featured in the show, and commissions from other national institutions along the way.

Simpson demonstrates how her gift of a thousand voices, and skills learnt as a schoolteacher, led to her becoming Shortis’ muse, able to capture and reveal the wicked wit, wisdom and cheeky humour of his erudite lyrics. She also refers to successful solo projects, her own skills as a composer, and her passion for choral singing that has led to her establishing several choirs.

The program revisits favourite original songs and parodies from their myriad shows, among them “The Ipswich Fish Shop” performed in their first show “Shortis and Curlies” but still as hilariously relevant, and now perhaps a back-handed compliment to the longevity of the subject’s career.

Throughout the show the couple pay tribute to the local venues with which they have enjoyed long associations over the years, especially, in addition to The School of Arts Café, Vivaldi’s, The Street and The Q, the Canberra National Folk Festival, and of course, Smith’s Alternative, as well as many of the collaborators with whom they have worked on projects, some of whom were in the audience.

Throughout the show, it was surprising to note how fresh, funny and relevant the chosen excerpts remained. But there were also moments of poignancy to remind that life is not always a bowl of cherries.  

Apart from being hugely entertaining, “Irony Done Here” is also a revealing expose of the dedication, hard work, ingenuity and talent required to maintain a successful career in entertainment.  Shortis and Simpson are exemplary examples of all these requirements.     

 

                                                        Photo by Sabina Friedrich

     This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 22nd March 2026

ALMOST, MAINE

Written by John Cariani. Directed by Zachery Bridgman. Mockingbird Theatre. Belconnen Arts Centre. March 18-28.

It’s easy to see why Almost, Maine has become a much staged piece since it was first performed back in 2004. It’s one of those plays that can be adjusted to the needs of a large or small cast. There’s a large passing parade of characters, not all of whom return. Short scenes are the go and loose ends abound.

This perceptive and funny production works very well with just four actors and a heap of doubling and a snowy set with a wonderfully wide sky full of stars. Some of the stories that the audience are given a brief glimpse of are sad, some are happy; but there’s always more than a hint of a wider universe in the white snowy ground and the overarching sky.

A big group could have a different actor play each part across the multiple scenes and characters but this production makes a wise choice to give each of the four actors a chance to play a range. It’s also busy and it is sometimes hard to keep track.

Wendy Wakwella stands out for a particularly tough character who has no idea about love but is delighted to learn by doing.

Jayde Dowhy is especially moving as the woman who comes back to say yes to a partner who has moved on instead of waiting for her answer.

Alastair McKenzie is touching as the bloke who gets a revenge tattoo after being dumped, only to find a kind of hope in its misspelling.

And Alexander Wilson makes something gentle of the young man who is trying, with a snowball in his hand representing the earth, to explain something about distance and closeness.

There’s much more going on and there are performance variations which mean that different audiences might see different casting in the odd scene. To go into more detail would be to spoil the fragility of this script.

An atmospheric play, full of feeling. 

Alanna Maclean