Arriving in Sydney’s vibrant inner-east feels like stepping into a city that has learned how to reinvent itself without losing its edge. Just past the iconic Coca-Cola sign at the crossroads of Kings Cross and Potts Point, where neon glow meets leafy side streets and boutique energy, you’ll find a pocket of Sydney perfectly suited…
Co-founders of Erth, Scott Wright (Artistic Director) and Steve Howarth (Head of Design), have brought their large scale, animatronic puppet dinosaurs to life in the world premiere of Erth’s Dinosaurs, now playing at the Sydney Opera House. Geared towards kids (5+) and families, Wright and Howarth really show their commitment to teaching young audiences about…
There are standing ovations… and then there are the kind that feel inevitable. The opening night of MJ the Musical at Brisbane’s QPAC Lyric Theatre didn’t just earn one – it triggered waves of them. The kind that start mid-show, ripple through the crowd, and return again before the final curtain even has a chance…
As the Adelaide Fringe reaches the final quarter of its four-week life, the tempo of the event changes. The audience and the artists are tired and weary. Some are elated. Some are just waiting to be newly discovered. With over 1500 shows on offer, it can be difficult to be heard above the noise of…
Comedian Elf Lyons is no stranger to the Adelaide Fringe, with rave reviews of her show Raven back in 2024, making her the talk of the town. Which is no mean feat in the cut-throat world of the Fringe. This year, she has brought the ballet “Swan Lake” to life in a way that even…
Few texts are as closely associated with a single era – or as widely mischaracterised – as The Great Gatsby. In truth, the two go hand in hand; the imagined glamour of the Roaring Twenties often serves to obscure just how deeply cynical and pessimistic the novel is. Despite its brevity, abridged adaptations inevitably prioritise…
“Fuccbois: Live in Concert” is a comedy that satirizes boy bands and that culture, but featuring women and non-binary actors in the lead roles. The premise is the band’s final concert and has the audience actively singing along. The music is authentic pop. The show is currently being performed at the Adelaide Fringe and heading…
It’s been 115 years since the first International Women’s Day in 1911. A day that celebrates women’s achievements and raises awareness about discrimination. 115 years of fighting for equality, for fundamental human rights, for basic respect. I wonder what our foremothers would say if they had a glimpse of our world today. A world where…
On the surface, this deeply confrontational play deals with several heavy themes, including (but not limited to) trauma, discrimination and the destructive aftermath of both. But it’s equally concerned with an even more ambitious matter: the nature of truth. The action begins with several figures in hazmat suits sweeping a crime scene as Laurenz Laufenberg's…
This is not the story of Josephine Baker that you know. As the title suggests, it is “for”, rather than “about” the famed singer, dancer and actress. Baker’s story defies neat narratives, and while this performance touches on many elements of her life, from her onstage persona to her Rainbow Tribe of adopted children and…
Multi-award-winning comedian, podcaster (A Gay And A NonGay), radio presenter (The Hits Radio Breakfast Show), TV host – and unapologetic gay icon – James Barr is bringing his fearless, critically acclaimed stand-up show Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex to My Mum) to the Adelaide Fringe Festival. A deeply personal hour of comedy,…
History has always belonged to the victors – but Coco The Time-Travelling Tart would like a word. Logging on to meet London’s self-proclaimed “Champagne enthusiast” and historical menace, our Peter Gray was immediately thrown into her gloriously unhinged orbit. Fresh from sold-out gallery tours and 30 million-plus online views, Coco is bringing her chaos Down…
*Interview contains adult language and references After completely sold-out runs at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne Fringe – and taking home the award for Best Comedy – Sophie Power isn’t so much returning to Adelaide Fringe in 2026 as she is staging a full-scale uprising. Her debut solo show, CVNT, is exactly what it…
The most popular prestige television shows of recent years have made it clear that we all love to watch rich people being awful, but Chekhov’s 1904 masterpiece is a reminder that this is nothing new. The action in The Cherry Orchard centres around an aristocratic family in terminal decline, and the coddled individuals who prioritise…
From the producers of burlesque show The Delinquents, their new show Fafi D’Alour is just as fun and exciting. A five piece band sets the tone of the evening in the upstairs room at the House of Delinquents in Adelaide’s Pirie Street. It’s a feature of the Adelaide Fringe that venues are created all over the…
The opening night of Head Over Heels could have been a complete disaster. Days before the season commenced, the air conditioning system broke, the preview was cancelled completely, and one of the main performers was struck down with illness, unable to perform. Having the director announce this before the lights went down makes you wonder…
The laughs feel a little different in 2026 – fuller, louder, maybe even a touch sentimental – as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival celebrates its 40th birthday. What began in 1987 as a relatively modest gathering of funny people has grown into something that now feels woven into the city’s DNA. For four decades, every…
As the audience take their seats in the Speigeltent, the atmosphere is already electric. Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett is described as the hottest cabaret, East of Berlin! The three piece “haus band” are already on-stage, filling the tent with upbeat tunes. Meanwhile, dazzling performers sashay through the assembled throng, handing out flags emblazoned with “Slut”,…
The darkened stage contains little but a white telephone upon a table. It rings. Young dancers, clad in harlequin-style outfits race to answer it, reminding us of the time that was commonplace in our homes. It becomes a dance of calling, answering and connecting, setting the scene for what is to come. The young Taiwanese…
Nestled amongst the attractions of sideshow alley at the rear of the Garden of Unearthly Delights is an unassuming collection of white ocean containers. They house three of the Darkfield experiences, Seance, Flight and Invisible. The nearby screams of patrons being flung high in the air on the various rides lend a strange contrast to…
Oscar Wilde‘s farce The Importance of Being Earnest is all about two young men about town who lead double lives, avoiding their social obligations. It is normally played in a rather rigid format by rather experienced thespians. It’s a play that explores explores themes of identity, social expectations, and the nature of truth and deception. Which…
There would be very few people who, at some stage in their lives, hasn’t been labelled as “dramatic”. Let me rephrase. There would be very few WOMEN who, at some stage in their lives, hasn’t been ACCUSED of being “dramatic”. Perhaps this is why comedian Nikki Britton’s new stand-up Not To Be Dramatic at Adelaide…
The Greek mythological tragedy Orpheus and Eurydice is an epic tale of how the musician Orpheus descends into the Underworld to rescue his wife, Eurydice, after she dies from a snake bite on their wedding day. His music moves Hades, allowing her to return, on the condition that Orpheus walks ahead and does not look…
Holden Street is known as “Home of Theatre” during the Adelaide Fringe. For some 23 years, the artist-run hub has been at the forefront of cutting-edge theatre. Hidden away in Hindmarsh, it’s like a secret gem in the inner west. This reviewer saw a small selection of plays, each of which were world class, thought-provoking…
Three friends, one artwork, three very different perspectives. ART The Play, written by French Playwright Yasmina Reza and directed by Lee Lewis, is the story of three friends – Marc (Richard Roxburgh), Serge (Damon Herriman) and Yvan (Toby Schmitz) – whose 20+ year friendship is thrown into turmoil when Serge decides to spend 160,000 euro…
The circus spectacular, La Ronde made its debut at the Adelaide Fringe last year to rave reviews. Since then it has toured and transformed and is back at the Fringe better than ever. Created by the producers of Blanc de Blanc and LIMBO and with a blend of familiar and new characters, it is sure…
The Fairbairn brothers, Lachlan and Jaxon have developed a good social media following from their interactive banter. Their show Fair Dinkum brings the social media to a live stage with a form of improv sketch comedy. Their sold out show at the Factory in the Garden of Unearthly Delights caused some logistical issues, with extra…
Nelson, the third of six children, was the most intellectually ambitious of the Rockefeller family, whose staggering influence was best put to use as patrons of the arts. Although his legacy isn’t without its spots, the former US Vice President was less concerned with expanding industrial wealth than he was with using it to shape…
Los Angeles’s swag of massive art galleries and museums isn’t talked about in the same way people talk about the art scene in dense urban centres like New York and Chicago. It’s clearly much different, in more ways than one. In New York, art is vertical. Museums and galleries play around with scale, weaving through…
Meet Nathan Alexander, one of the brilliant minds (alongside Amy Johnson) behind Realscape Productions. These creative producers are all about pushing boundaries and delivering work that’s both mind-bending and emotionally charged. They’ve got a knack for blending different genres, from sci-fi dance in “Future Cargo” to psychological thrillers in “Ghost Stories.” And let’s not forget…
