Arts

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Theatre Review: Mortals really do be fools at the Australian Shakespeare Company’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Centennial Park Sydney

Heralded as one of his most beloved plays, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no stranger to adaptation. The delightful tale of love, fairy’s and mischief, despite its troublesome undertones around consent, continues to mesmerise audiences. Performed at Sydney’s Centennial Park, the Australian Shakespeare Company have created a beautiful and incredibly humorous depiction of the…

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No Pay, No Way

Theatre Review: No Pay? No Way! Is a funny play that makes much cents!

Sydney Theatre Company’s latest production, No Pay? No Way! may have celebrated its golden anniversary but it feels as relevant as ever. This farce about cost-of-living pressures and a healthy distrust of corporate greed could be about modern Australia- except that it took its inspiration from real-life events that occurred in Milan in the 1970s….

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The Beatles’ Love announces Las Vegas closing date – why you need to see this spectacular production

After an incredible 18 year run exclusively at The Mirage in Las Vegas, the Cirque Du Soleil production of The Beatles’ Love is coming to an end. So if you’ve never had a chance to see this show – which as I go on to say in the below article from 2017, is possibly the…

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Daniel Muggleton takes on an intimate Melbourne crowd at QT, Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Daniel Muggleton is a Sydney-based comedian and rising star on a national tour following his International debut in 2023. Muggleton offers a taste of uncomfortable humour joining a fine lineup of performers this year at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It is a pleasure to catch him at an intimate performance in QT Melbourne, where he…

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Matt Bell

Matt Bell explores Melbourne’s haunted dating spots in Dead To Me – Melbourne International Comedy Festival

If like me, you wondered how walking around haunted spots in the Melbourne CBD would make the perfect backdrop for a comedy show could possibly ever work, you will be happy to know walking and laughing is the perfect way to spend the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2024.  Our host is comedian and bachelor…

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A laugh riot for kids and parents: Jon and Jero’s STUFF! at Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Jon Walpole and Jeromaia Detto have crafted a comedic gem at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival with their show STUFF! As Jon and Jero, these two Melbourne comedians bring a whirlwind of laughter and joy to the stage, making it a must-see for families with kids aged 4 and up. The 55-minute show held…

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I had a front row seat to the feminist event turned prank Love Unboxed, and yes, it was a shit-show

There have been a lot of articles written in the last two days about an event which occurred on Wednesday night. An event that was advertised as ‘a conversation exploring sex, love, relationships and marriage’ with three very prominent feminists and a surprise guest. An event which went awry when it was exposed to be…

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Rocky Horror Show

Rocky Horror Show returns for another kinky run of the 50th anniversary production

With a little over a year since the first Sydney run of the 50th Anniversary Production, Rocky Horror Show is back at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. Featuring mostly the same cast and staging (check out last year’s recap here), this production has kept the momentum going after five decades of this outrageously naughty sci-fi…

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Theatre Review: Chicago is a seductive jailhouse romp with star-studded glam

Full of murder, greed and that oh so seductive razzle dazzle, Broadway’s longest-running musical has found its way back to Australia for a limited season. Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two strong individuals with big aspirations who find themselves locked up and on trial for murder. When they learn of…

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One of Vivid Sydney’s long-time curators takes to the Middle East with Dhai Dubai

I’m staring up at the 67-metre tall Al Wasl Plaza as elaborate video works slide across the steelwork panels; a call to Prayer echoes through the air. The structure, which designers Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture revealed for Expo 2020 Dubai, is the perfect centrepiece for Dhabi Dubai. This small-scale light and arts festival…

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Ali Wong announces first ever live Australian tour

Renowned stand-up comedian and award-winning actress, Ali Wong, is excited to announce Australian dates for her “Ali Wong: Live” comedy tour, taking in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane this July. Produced by Live Nation, the tour has been a massive success, playing to full houses right across North America, Paris and London! Having captivated audiences worldwide with her…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Playwright Henry Naylor brings Afghanistan to life

British playwright Henry Naylor presented his personal journey, a one-man monologue entitled, “Afghanistan is Not Funny” at Holden Street Theatre for the Adelaide Fringe. The original show was directed by Holden Street’s Artistic Director Martha Lott, and then was further developed by New York’s Soho Playhouse’s Artistic Director, Darren Lee Cole. The title is the…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Elf Lyons Raven releasing inner demons using the power of mime

Elf Lyons bounces on stage. The audience is crammed into the basement-like Gallery Theatre, the front row with a plastic sheet “for protection.” In fact the entire set is covered in plastic, looking like Patrick Bateman’s room from one of the murder scenes from American Psycho. We’ve already been warmed up with a soundtrack including…

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The 24th Biennale of Sydney Arrives: 3 artists not to miss

It’s been a big week for the arts in Sydney with the 24th Biennale of Sydney, titled Ten Thousand Suns, opening at various venues across the city. Until the 10 June art from around the world will make its home across 6 iconic venues; the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artspace, Chau Chak Wing…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Lydia Lunch and Joseph Keckler tell “Tales of Lust and Madness” – The Garage International (14.03.24)

Lydia Lunch and Joseph Keckler are both one-of-a-kind New York performers. The Garage International theatre is a converted church behind the Adelaide Town Hall and is an appropriate venue for the evening’s spoken word entertainment. Chandeliers incongruously light up the seating area in what was the hall, while ushers frantically add chairs to accommodate the…

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A close up shot of women's faces in a crowded auditorium. They appear to be listening intently.

Review: All About Women at the Sydney Opera House continues to give a voice to women’s stories

With All About Women at the Sydney Opera House running for over ten years now, you’d think there would be nothing left to say. How I wish that was the case. Held each year to mark International Women’s Day (March 8), the festival brings together some of the change-makers, the activists and the courageous women…

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Interview: David West Read on blending Shakespeare and Max Martin-penned pop for & Juliet

What if Romeo’s ending, was Juliet’s beginning? The Emmy-winning writer of TV’s Schitt’s Creek flips the script on Shakespeare in this hilarious and poignant story of self-discovery and second chances. Legendary songwriter Max Martin delivers one of the most addictive and joyous soundtracks to ever hit the stage, in this inspiring new musical that proves…

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Rejoicify, Melbourne. Wicked is here!

Melbourne’s esteemed Regent Theatre was draped in pink and green on Thursday night as the city welcomed, for the second time, the Australian production of Wicked presented by John Frost for Crossroads Live. With a green carpet, Ozmopolitan cocktails, the Ozdust Boutique and, of course- lots of bubbles, the foyer of the grand theatre was…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Infamous the Show is a sexy high flying circus with thrills galore

The Infamous circus tent is a beacon in Ellis Park, on Adelaide’s West Terrace, right next door to Adelaide High. The massive purpose built Spiegel big-top houses the Ashton Family touring circus. The circus was acquired by James Henry Ashton in 1850, and today is run by 6th generation Ashtons and is now known as…

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Juliet

Theatre Review: (Pop) cultures collide in high-energy new musical, & Juliet

Well, dip my eyeballs in glitter. The brand-new musical, & Juliet, is now in Sydney, and it’s a high-energy mash-up of Shakespearean storytelling, 90s pop music, and gender-bending progressiveness. Re-working the story of Romeo & Juliet (1597), the story starts with William Shakespeare (Rob Mills) and his wife Anne Hathaway (Amy Lehpamer) (yes, you read that…

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The Lehman Trilogy

Theatre review: The Lehman Trilogy is an absolute theatrical masterclass

The Lehman Trilogy opens in 1844, where a young man from Bavaria, Hayum ‘Henry’ Lehman (1844 – 1855), arrives in New York with a dream to work his way up in a bold new world. Lehman is joined by his two brothers, Mendel ‘Emanuel’ Lehman (1847 – 1907) and Mayer ‘Potato’ Lehman (1850 – 1897),…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Plenty of Fish in the Sea is a rollicking shanty story

A sparse looking bedroom; a bed, wardrobe and a mirrorless mirror stand are the only props on stage. A nun drags the bed by a rope slung over her shoulder. Gazing out to sea, she casts a rod, landing herself a wayward traveller, apparently lost at sea. He lands on the bed, dazed and confused,…

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The Eric Andre Show Live came, saw and chugged some ranch in Sydney

Chug, Chug, Chug! The prevailing chant of The Eric Andre Show Live as the famed absurdist comic brought his touring live show to Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion this past weekend. Andre is right. Aussies love chugging things. And so each and every guest – singer Donny Benet, comedian Nikki Osbourne, and a few audience members –…

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Mona Foma Review: Dancenorth’s Wayfinder is a visual and aural feast for the senses

Dancenorth is a collective based in Townsville (Gurambilbarra) and is described as a centre for dance making, collaboration and artistic exchange, based on the lands of the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun, and the Bindal of Thul Garrie Waja. Led by Artistic Director, Kyle Page, Executive Director Hillary Coyne and Associate Artistic Director Amber Haines,…

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Adelaide Fringe review: Ten Thousand Hours proves that effort and perspiration have their rewards

Gravity and Other Myths is the company presenting the show Ten Thousand Hours. The title of the show pays respect to those performers who spend upwards of 10,000 hours honing their craft. It’s generally considered how much time is required to become competent at a craft. In a way there is a nod to both…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: The Masonic Hall basement hosts a plethora of visual experiences

The Masonic Hall on North terrace in Adelaide is an imposing building, that has a sense of curiosity to most people. For the 2024 season of the Adelaide Fringe, the Electric Dreams collective have bought together a selection of visual treats. Entrance to the shows are via the front entrance into the basement, where a…

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Theatre Review: Rent’s narrative lacks impact, but the iconic songs stand strong

The streets of New York’s East Village are bustling with love, art, culture and spirit. Despite oppressive powers threatening to break friendships and crush dreams, this resilient group of friends celebrate the power of the human spirit, bringing people together to stand up for what they love. This is Rent. Jonathan Larson’s hit musical has…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: CIRCUS OF F[ACT]S is a fun-filled afternoon for the kids

The Adelaide Fringe is spread over several hubs around Adelaide, and indeed around the state. Fools Paradise in Victoria Square, in the city centre is one of those.  A couple of large circus tents, a trapeze school, food and drink outlets and some fun installations are dotted around. While it may not have the glamour…

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Maho Magic Bar

Adelaide Fringe review: The Maho Magic Bar is full of surprises

Recreating the feeling of the famous magic bars dotted throughout Tokyo, The Maho Magic Bar has set up shop in Adelaide Fringe‘s Garden of Unearthly Delights. The Garden itself is probably the best known hub of the Fringe, in the parklands east of Rundle Street in Adelaide. While the clientele relaxes in the outside bar waiting…

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Adelaide Fringe review: Prinnie Stevens is back with Lady Sings the Blues Vol 2

After the success of Lady Sings the Blues at the Adelaide Fringe in 2022, Prinnie Stevens is back this year with the second instalment of her show. With such an incredible array of blues artists that have shaped today’s musical world, it’s only fitting that the music deserves a second chance. This year the show…

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