The play that offers up a pessimistic yet compassionate snapshot of life as a Millennial

The Age

02-05-2025

Under Gary Abrahams' direction, the characters join the fray at different junctures throughout the night and circle each other in various formations of anger, joy, nostalgia and regret.
In-jokes are carried out to their headiest conclusions in a particularly memorable choreographed sequence, spittle-specked invectives are uttered – mostly by Emilio, whose memories differ from those who've had to navigate a different version of the truth to cope with living in the hometown they're still in – and feelings are irrevocably hurt.
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The play is pitched at such a frenetic level that it can be hard to maintain momentum throughout – it's split into two halves, unlike the original which ran for an uninterrupted 140 minutes – and the intensity of the exchanges are diffused when any one character is monologuing at length. Instead, the play is at its strongest at its bookends with intimate conversations that grapple with the sum of a life. The conceit of Death, while portentous, ultimately fizzles in the final sequences.
A striking work of fiction that dares to situate itself in the aftermath of COVID, The Comeuppance combines horror with social realism to probe existential fears and chart our collective mental state. Are we OK? No, not really.
Reviewed by Sonia Nair
Hans Zimmer ★★★
Rod Laver Arena, April 29
'I haven't done anything yet,' Hans Zimmer grins when he walks out on stage in Melbourne to immediate, rapturous applause. It's not hard to see why the mere sight of the man might cause such a response – any movie lover of the past few decades will know his iconic film scores, from The Lion King and The Dark Knight to Dune and James Bond.
Zimmer's unique compositional style melds classical and synthesised elements, so a show bringing it all to life is a little like seeing the MSO if they were all wearing leather and performing in an arena with drunk men heckling them.
Unlike other composers who might stay behind the scenes, Zimmer is a part of the experience: the 67-year-old plays guitar and keys throughout, and also chats candidly. 'I treat this like a big dinner party,' he says. 'It's like my best 10,000 friends coming over.'
More than 20 musicians are on stage, with instruments including an electric cello, two drum kits, bagpipes, brass and a large gong. The technical prowess on show is impressive: special mention to Leah Zegler, whose vocal range in the Interstellar suite is incredible, and Pedro Eustache, who makes the Armenian duduk sing sorrowfully alongside Melbourne's own Lisa Gerrard for the music from Gladiator.
Zimmer's music is masterful, often building from an unassuming foundation to something grand and sweeping – What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World? from 2013's Man of Steel is a great example, beginning with Zimmer on piano. It's a joy, too, to hear the spirited music from Pirates of the Caribbean live.
But the show is let down by a poor sound mix – a blown speaker blares intermittently, and at one point the bass is so loud that it is actually painful on the ear. Generic footage accompanies the music – even stills from the films would evoke a stronger emotional response from the audience, who first found the music this way. The concert's runtime of more than three hours means there are also dips in energy – a tighter selection of music may have made for an overall more cohesive experience.
Still, there are great moments in the show, such as the iconic Lion King music, though the strange inclusion of a non-Zimmer composition (He Lives in You) is ironically my favourite moment of the night. Zimmer ends on Time from Inception – a meditative piece that has the arena silent. It's a reminder of what good music can do.
Reviewed by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
JAZZ
International Jazz Day Celebration ★★★★
Hanson Dyer Hall, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, April 29
In 2011, UNESCO designated April 30 as International Jazz Day. Since then, the annual event has become a universal celebration of jazz, with cultural and educational activities held around the world in the lead-up to IJD.
This year, the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music hosted a free concert on the eve of International Jazz Day, highlighting some of the most recent additions to the teaching faculty – a faculty that now includes many of this city's finest jazz musicians.
Andrea Keller (head of the jazz and improvisation department) was positively beaming as she introduced the musicians, who performed in different combinations alongside special guest Simon Barker. Barker has been working as artist-in-residence with the Con's jazz students, many of whom were in the audience on Tuesday to marvel at the Sydney drummer's artistry.
They were treated to a masterful display of technique in the service of musicality – not just by Barker, but by all the performers. Solos were deliberately compact, emphasising communication rather than parades of individual virtuosity. International Jazz Day is about the value of shared experiences, after all.
Alto saxophonist Angela Davis lent her ravishingly graceful sound to several ballads, while tenor saxophonist Carlo Barbaro variously strutted, swaggered and delved into turbulent freeform clouds.
The rhythm section (Brett Williams on piano, Stephen Magnusson on guitar, Sam Anning on bass and Barker on drums) sketched deft backdrops for the shifting frontline, instinctively driving the energy forward or pulling back to a whisper when required.
Gian Slater sang mostly wordlessly – including on a striking duet with Barker, where her voice rose like a ceremonial chant over Barker's expressionistic drums.