Author: Natalie Salvo

Robert Ian Bonnick is a warrior. This successful man has had a career that most people could only dream of. But, what some of us may not know is that he had to overcome extreme adversity and challenges in order to get there. In his debut book, Soul Survivor, he describes his own personal rags-to-riches…

Power is a fundamental thing. A lack of it can render someone a wretched husk, and too much of it can make people go drunk and blind. Writer and editor, John Freeman knows all this, because he chose it as the topic for the latest instalment of Freeman’s Best New Writing; the anthology that includes exciting…

It didn’t matter if you were six, one hundred and six, or somewhere in between. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory made us all act like little kids in a candy shop. This was a joyous musical based on the beloved Roald Dahl book and one that successfully straddles the lines between lightness and darkness. It…

In 2005 Nigel Marsh wrote Fat, Forty & Fired about his year embracing life away from the office. In some ways, Jacqueline Raposo’s The Me, Without: My Year on an Elimination Diet of Modern Conveniences is cut from the same cloth. Raposo’s book is both memoir and a case study into her failed life at…

The Beatles’ last official live concert was in San Francisco in 1966. They also did one last impromptu appearance on the rooftop of Apple in 1969 to bemused onlookers. This means that many of the band’s more experimental and expansive songs from their studio years have only been performed by tribute acts. The All You…

The Day the Rock Star Died returns to our screens soon. The show is a series of half-hour programs and handy little primers to some beloved musicians who are no longer with us. Their story is told through the use of some archive material and interviews with esteemed authors, producers and broadcasters. The AU Review…

Phil Collins is an artist who doesn’t take himself too seriously. The solo musician and former member of Genesis has written a memoir titled, Not Dead Yet, as you do. He has been on the receiving end of some jokes but he takes them all with good humour. Ahead of his Australian and New Zealand…

Melbournian actor, Stephen Lopez played Usnavi De La Vega in the debut Australian production of In The Heights in Melbourne in 2015. The show, a quadruple Tony award-winning work, written by Hamilton creator and Moana composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, is a modern summer musical boasting hot, Latino rhythms. A return staging of the show will be hitting the Sydney…

Paul Capsis is one of Australia’s most versatile performers and is equally at home in the world’s of theatre, film & television, and of course cabaret. He’s a gifted interpreter of song, and has sung with a diverse and varied group of musicians and singers, including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Russell Crowe, the Soweto Gospel…

The Brian Jonestown Massacre once said, ‘Thank God for mental illness.’ English playwright, Alan Bennett shares this sentiment. His dark comedy, The Madness of King George III has been revived at Nottingham Playhouse and will be broadcast around the world for NT Live. In short, it offers an enjoyable history lesson and proves that no…

He loves a sunburnt country; a land of sweeping plains. Okay, that was actually Dorothea Mackellar. But the same also applies to Peter Spearritt. This historian, emeritus professor and author shows a real enthusiasm for the wonderful land of Oz in Where History Happened: The Hidden Past of Australia’s Towns & Places. This is one personal, colourful and…

Most people wouldn’t know how to take a newspaper out on the road. But Clancy Overell and Errol Parker aren’t like most. These two, true blue Aussie blokes are the brainchild behind Australia’s favourite satirical newspaper, The Betoota Advocate. It’s one that shares a few things in common with The Chaser, The Shovel and The…

To some people, Eric Clapton is god. But for author and journalist, Philip Norman, the Slowhand guitarist is unquestionably human. A talented star sure, but also a fallible guy. Slowhand: The Life & Music of Eric Clapton is a detailed biography covering Clapton’s extraordinary career. Clapton’s life has been chronicled before. The legendary artist has…

When you’re a teenager you often feel like the world is against you. You’re too mature to be a child but not yet independent enough to be an adult. This is often a period associated with angst and growing pains. The Climbing Tree examines these existential problems while framing them around a nation’s past and…

Ten comedians walk into the Opera House. They deliver some cracking jokes. Hilarity ensues. Rinse and repeat. This is how you could sum up the 8th Just for Laughs All-Star Gala. Local and international comics came together to deliver some wonderful observational and improvisational comedy. Our nation’s very own Dave Hughes was MC for the…

Lean on Pete is about a poor boy in more ways than one. This troubled teen was abandoned by his Mum and lives with his selfish father in poverty. His saving grace comes in the shape of an aging racehorse named Lean on Pete. This slow-burning drama sees this teen fall off his horse, only…

The Betoota Advocate are currently touring their roadshow Australia, and Clancy Overell and Errol Parker treat audiences to a no holds barred live show in true Betoota-style, filled with their trademark wit and humour. We caught up with the pair as they approached the end of their national run. Can you please start by introducing yourself?…

Rachel Cassidy has inadvertently become an authority on stalking. The CEO of the Anti-bullying Council and charity worker was once stalked. So she decided to write a book to shine a light on these issues to ensure that victims might not feel alone. Cassidy thus proves that the victims of this crime are not always…

Alice Pung reckons she grew up not always understanding where she fit in. But, things have changed and she now has a distinctive voice in her writing. The Chinese-Australian author has published her memoirs, several books of young adult fiction, and has had pieces feature regularly in The Monthly. And that’s all when she’s not…

Dionne Warwick knows the way to your heart. This glorious singer has been the voice and occasionally the muse for some of the world’s greatest songs. Whether it’s falling in and out of love, the fact is that in her concerts and albums, Dionne shows us that this emotion is all that you need. This…

Bill Murray and Jan Vogler walk into an airport. The comedian and cellist bond over music and decide to tour together. The result is New Worlds, where these two men are joined by some other friends. The AU Review’s Natalie Salvo caught up with Vogler to learn more about the show, swimming, West Side Story…

Bill Murray and Jan Vogler could be the odd couple except that that name was already taken. Okay, “odd” is probably too strong a word. An unlikely pairing seems more appropriate because Murray is a Hollywood actor, comedian and occasional bartender, and Vogler a world-renown cellist. New Worlds saw both men making their Sydney Opera…

London’s calling, California’s dreaming, so Melbourne must be dancing if Now Sound: Melbourne’s Listening is true. The documentary is a celebration of the independent music scene in our very own, world-renowned, live music capital. This film is a passionate little time capsule joined at the hip to a very special time and place. Tobias Willis…

Queerstories is a popular event where Australia’s best LGBTQI+ writers gather for some good, old-fashioned storytelling. The show began at the Late Night Library in Kings Cross, Sydney and has gone on to tour other states and towns. It makes sense that, because this all began in a library that people should be able to…

History is a complex beast and this is certainly apparent in Madiba. This musical weaves together the late Nelson Mandela’s story and the history of South Africa’s apartheid. The show is ambitious and tries to cover a lot in its two-hour runtime. This is a celebration of the long road to freedom for Mandela and…

Natalie Salvo recently caught up with Sydney producer Stephan Wellink to talk about his latest film Sam Spiegel: Conquering Hollywood, which is currently screening at the Jewish International Film Festival. We learn more about Sam Spigel, the iconic producer of films like Lawrence of Arabia, and the production of the documentary. Can you begin by briefly introducing…

What goes on tour stays on tour. Except if you’re the Scottish artists who feature in Lost in France. This music documentary is a boozy and breezy look back at a once-forgotten, 1997 Brittany tour. The artists reunite again in 2015 and in doing so, prove that some things – like friendship – never change….

Groucho Marx once said he wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would have him as a member. For us mere mortals, the world’s most famous nightclub remains elusive territory. It only existed for 33 months and if you were lucky enough to be there, chances are the velvet rope held you back. Studio…

In the Mood is a revue show celebrating the music, fashion and dance from the 1940s. Younger audiences may be unfamiliar with the big band tunes and jazz era songs. But for the older crowd, this music is a part of the fabric of their childhoods and the stuff their parents used to listen to….

Try to imagine something that could be your biggest joy and greatest nightmare. It’s not easy. But finding out you have an identical twin sibling has got to be up there. The Twinning Reaction is a documentary that covers a bizarre and bittersweet example of this with brutal honesty. The results are not what you’d…