The Age (Melbourne, Australia)
from the Melbourne Writers' Festival 2013
"Sideshow ... brought a revolutionary punk attitude and striking aesthetic to Sydney in the 1970s and '80s but rarely rates a mention in official histories
Raphael's book is a visually lush portrait not only of the company and its larger-than-life founder Michael Matou, but of the culture in which it emerged
It offers the kind of understanding impossible to attain simply by reading play scripts of the era or the occasional program that might surface"
*
from the Melbourne Writers' Festival 2013
"Sideshow ... brought a revolutionary punk attitude and striking aesthetic to Sydney in the 1970s and '80s but rarely rates a mention in official histories
Raphael's book is a visually lush portrait not only of the company and its larger-than-life founder Michael Matou, but of the culture in which it emerged
It offers the kind of understanding impossible to attain simply by reading play scripts of the era or the occasional program that might surface"
*
Sue Ingleton
actor, comedienne, writer, teacher
"I devoured the book. It’s a love story whose centrepiece is Michael Matou - like a sun and around him the stars, the brightest of which is Martin. But it’s not just about human love, it’s about Desire, it’s about Passion and life’s forever challenge of honouring the flame that burns inside us
They created the world of OZ, magical, extravagant, fake, fantastic, fabulous, tacky, terrifying, dirty, outrageous ...
This is a divine, heartfelt, oft times hilarious, oft times chilling chronicle especially as you read towards the endings [that many of us experienced] as slowly Matou slipped away from us; Its a chronicle of a time, of an age of theatre, of an amazing unique group of artistes
Matou’s unique artwork fills the pages; artistically the whole book is like a palimpsest, photographic images bleeding through like ghosts; It’s like holding a talisman, a magician’s compendium
It is self–published. Buy it”
*
Kinny Gardner
actor, performer, director, administrator
My favourite author! I ADORE the book. Devoured it from cover to cover and then re-read it. Witty and laugh out loud funny at times. So incisive, and illuminative of a way of life and attitude to artistry, rare and quite fascinating. Painful ... too. Bravo for your courage, your sensitivity and your honesty.
Kinny Gardner
actor, performer, director, administrator
My favourite author! I ADORE the book. Devoured it from cover to cover and then re-read it. Witty and laugh out loud funny at times. So incisive, and illuminative of a way of life and attitude to artistry, rare and quite fascinating. Painful ... too. Bravo for your courage, your sensitivity and your honesty.
*
Ruth Williams
reader
It's just beautiful; amazing pure energy just seemed to pour out of it. Sadness intertwined with almost purity of soul.
*
Ruth Williams
reader
It's just beautiful; amazing pure energy just seemed to pour out of it. Sadness intertwined with almost purity of soul.
