All stories by Steve Dow on BroadwayStars

Thursday, February 8, 2024

From Sarah Snook to Suzie Miller: how a tiny Sydney stage launched Australian greats by Steve Dow

A crucible for playwrights and actors for more than 50 years, the Stables is closing for an $11m renovation. Some of the theatre’s many alumni reflect on its early days Get our weekend cul…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:48AM
Sunday, October 8, 2023

Sydney Opera House at 50: the stories behind the superstitions, sleepovers and scene-stealing moments by Steve Dow

From Hugh Jackman’s black eye to ‘benevolent’ ghosts in the back seats, tour guides, security and stage managers guide us through five decades beneath the white sails Get our weekend c…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:25PM
Saturday, January 1, 2022

Orgies, BDSM and smacking fruit: the ‘smutty’ play recreating 44 Sex Acts in One Week by Steve Dow

Fresh produce is the real star of David Finnigan’s live radio play, an ‘apocalyptic romcom’ for a Sydney festival crowd not afraid to get sticky A juicy watermelon is made to sound lik…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:24PM
Friday, December 10, 2021

Hannah Gadsby – Body of Work: a joyful guide to blasting Netflix and messing with Christian bakers by Steve Dow

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera HouseThe Australian comedian has opted for a feel-good show, but without any easy sentimentality What better way to symbolise your favourable turn in f…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:36PM
Wednesday, May 29, 2019

25 years of Marrugeku: ‘risk-taking’ dance that crosses the divide by Steve Dow

The dance company is rare in that it looks at contemporary issues from Indigenous and non-Indigenous viewpoints. If those viewpoints clash, that’s the point In 2014, self-taught Walmajarr…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:36AM
Tuesday, April 30, 2019

You're Safe Til 2024: how can theatre help us come to terms with climate change? by Steve Dow

The playwright behind Kill Climate Deniers is back with another work about ecological catastrophe – and a message of hope How can chickens teach us about the great acceleration of human ac…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:18AM
Thursday, July 6, 2017

Orange Is The New Black's Yael Stone brings her marriage to Belvoir's stage by Steve Dow

The Blind Giant is Dancing stars Stone and her husband, Dan Spielman, of political thriller series The Code. ‘We just have to try and be careful,’ Stone saysIt’s 1980s Australia and Lo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:36PM
Wednesday, June 14, 2017

How to make the gr Australian musical: from The Sapphires to Strictly Ballroom by Steve Dow

With Muriel’s Wedding the Musical making its debut in October, we take a look back at mainstage shows through the ages – the good and the badThe great Australian musical can easily be mi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 03:33PM
Sunday, June 4, 2017

Tribunal: the participatory performance making Australians face up to forgotten people by Steve Dow

The piece forces audiences to bear witness to the damage carried out against Indigenous people and asylum seekersDarug-Yuin elder Aunty Rhonda Dixon-Grovenor is cloaked in a large possum fur…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:05PM
Wednesday, May 10, 2017

King Charles III review – Shakespearean take on future reign raises unique questions for Australia by Steve Dow

Roslyn Packer theatre, SydneyAfter an acclaimed run in the UK and on Broadway, Rupert Goold’s production of Mike Bartlett’s audacious play holds particular resonance for the coloniesThe …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 05:54PM
Tuesday, February 14, 2017

The Homosexuals, or Faggots: new play satirises white privileged gay life – and rings true | Steve Dow by Steve Dow

An upcoming piece of queer theatre by Declan Greene reflects uncomfortable truths for those it skewersThe faggots are burning. The fire alarm rings in gay couple Warren and Kim’s angular S…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:36AM
Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Sydney festival's Circus City delights and astounds by Steve Dow

With productions from Brisbane’s Circa and Montreal’s Cirque Éloize, the Parramatta program clearly demonstrates the artistry of Big Top performersRoll up, Circus City has come to town:…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:36AM
Monday, January 9, 2017

Measure for Measure review – Russians add layers to Shakespeare's problem play by Steve Dow

Roslyn Packer theatre, Sydney festivalShakespeare in Russian might sound off-putting – but in this violent, visceral contemporary production, the spaces between words hold the most meaning…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:54AM
Wednesday, December 14, 2016

‘I wanted something to celebrate’: Indigenous playwright tackles tradition in The Season by Steve Dow

Nathan Maynard’s comedy about family dynamics and the ancient practice of muttonbirding is delightfully funnyFather and son are circling one another. “I could put you on your back, smart…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:12AM
Tuesday, November 22, 2016

In an angry world of Trumpism and Brexit, theatre can save lives | Steve Dow by Steve Dow

From Hamilton to Every Brilliant Thing, the dark theatre space hones our attention and shapes the empathy we sorely needA few summers ago, I took a friend to a Sydney Theatre Company season …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:36PM
Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Andrew Upton and Simon Phillips on farce, Mamet and what's next for Sydney Theatre Company by Steve Dow

It has been an emotionally exhausting year for Australia’s biggest state stage company – so what better way to end it than in farce?Actor David Woods is playing a Frenchman, Victor, whom…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:12AM
Friday, September 23, 2016

Disability and the 'new normal': why Australia needs to ramp up access to stage and screen by Steve Dow

Australia is ‘20 years behind’ in terms of disability-led performance and the fight for real representation is just beginningIn the old courthouse in Geelong, 75km south-west of Melbourn…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:56PM
Sunday, September 11, 2016

Reimagining The Drover's Wife: Leah Purcell weaves Indigenous Australia into classic tale by Steve Dow

The Aboriginal actor and writer radically retools Henry Lawson’s short story into a bush thriller with elements of her own family history In the rehearsal room at Sydney’s Belvoir Street…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:24PM
Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Stage in strife: where to next for Sydney Theatre Company? | Steve Dow by Steve Dow

Australia’s leading theatre company has been thrown into turmoil after the premature departure of artistic director Jonathan Church. Can it be saved?Promote local where possible, and be br…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:41AM
Friday, April 22, 2016

Disgraced review – Pulitzer-winning play challenges audience to question their tolerance by Steve Dow

Wharf 1 theatre, Sydney Theatre CompanyTerrorism, race and religion are just some issues that swirl through a New York apartment, in the Australian premiere of Ayad Akhtar’s confronting pl…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:13AM
Monday, April 4, 2016

King Charles III review – Shakespearean take on royal reign raises unique questions for Australia by Steve Dow

Roslyn Packer theatre, SydneyAfter an acclaimed run in the UK and on Broadway, Rupert Goold’s production of Mike Bartlett’s audacious play holds particular resonance for the coloniesThe …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:44PM
Thursday, March 3, 2016

Julie Shanahan on dancing in her 50s and life beyond Pina Bausch by Steve Dow

Adelaide’s Shanahan comes full circle, returning to her home town with Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal after first seeing them perform there in 1982Classically trained, willowy Adela…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:49PM
Tuesday, February 16, 2016

TV stars Yael Stone and Dan Spielman on bringing their marriage to Belvoir's stage by Steve Dow

Exploring Australian political corruption in Australia, The Blind Giant is Dancing stars the Orange is the New Black actor opposite her husband. ‘We just have to try and be careful,’ Sto…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:09AM
Monday, December 28, 2015

Robert Wilson: 'the art my generation produced won’t be seen in 50 years' by Steve Dow

Avant-garde theatremaker on the genius of Lady Gaga and why contemporary artists such as Marina Abramović will become a ‘footnote’ in historyLady Gaga is “a genius” declares avant-g…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 06:51PM
Monday, August 31, 2015

Benedict Andrews returns to Australia with new play Gloria by Steve Dow

The Australian writer and director on the allure of the Sydney stage, directing his first feature film and why it toughens him up to live in Iceland Benedict Andrews “misses terribly” th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:08PM
Monday, August 3, 2015

Peter Sellars: Shakespeare wasn’t racist, he was an 'unbelievably subtle' writer by Steve Dow

With Desdemona soon to be staged in Melbourne and Sydney, the director and his lyricist Rokia Traoré discuss working with Nobel laureate Toni MorrisonDesdemona is dead. But only in death, f…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:55PM
Tuesday, July 28, 2015

The Helpmanns honour excellence, yes, but also investment in the arts | Steve Dow by Steve Dow

Did a glitzy awards ceremony give George Brandis pause for thought, as it did the rest of the audience, about the true value of arts and culture in Australia?Paul Kelly honoured at Helpmanns…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 07:20PM
Monday, July 20, 2015

Leticia Cáceres on Death and the Maiden: 'This play has lasted the test of time' by Steve Dow

The theatre director on her production of Ariel Dorfman’s play, her freedom-fighting Argentinian parents and why power shouldn’t rest with one personThe Argentina-born Melbourne-based di…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 04:18AM
Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Barry Humphries: Australia's arts cuts linked to its 'fundamental philistinism' by Steve Dow

Back to direct the Adelaide cabaret festival, Humphries has some advice for George Brandis from Sir Les and says he’s still available for 21st birthdays Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 01:49AM
Monday, September 8, 2014

Sydney and Melbourne 2015 theatre season: no big ideas, no diversity by Steve Dow

After major Australian theatres announce their upcoming season, some critics accuse them of playing it too safe Australias 2015 season of new theatre work in pictures Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:22PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards