Arts

Wide shot of a dark room with spotlights shinning on a man suspended in mid-air by a rope.

Cabaret Review: Velvet Rewired at the Sydney Opera House is Studio 54 on steroids

With a disco soundtrack that had more than one person dancing in the aisles, Velvet Rewired at the Sydney Opera House is an explosion of glitter, glam and classic 70s hits. Lead by the iconic Marcia Hines, the night is filled with aerial feats, acrobatics and vocal talents. The show adopts a vaudeville – style…

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Sydney Jewish Museum

The memory of Holocaust survivors kept alive through the Sydney Jewish Museum’s new exhibition

2022 is the thirty-year anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Jewish Museum. The tagline for the museum is ‘Where History Has a Voice’, and this mission statement is perfectly encapsulated within their new exhibition, Reverberations: A future for memory. With the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), visitors to the exhibition can experience an intimacy…

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Tim Minchin

Digital Review: Tim Minchin: Back delivers on the old songs, new songs and f**k you songs

Chameleon comedian and musician, Tim Minchin has had some busy years working in theatre and on films. After an eight-year break away from live touring, he returned to the live stage with his show, Back, only for Covid-19 to hit. Filmed live at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in the UK, Back is a clever blend…

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Two women have a heated exchange around a kitchen table.

ArtsLab: Here we are again! at 107 Projects showcases the next generation of talent

ArtsLab is Shopfront Arts Co-op’s emerging artist residency program which offers free space, masterclasses, networking opportunities and professional mentorships over a six-month period. At the end of the residency the participants present their work to the public. More than just about creating work, ArtsLab teaches young artists how to create a sustainable career in the…

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Interview: Courtney Meagher from Artrage on how The Rocky Horror Picture Show Immersive Spectacular enhances and celebrates the film

WA arts and cultural organisation, Artrage, is bringing a new version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show experience to the stage, and it begins from the moment you enter the venue. For the Perth shows, you’re greeted by a brightly decorated, retro-style bar that serves drinks with names like ‘Pretty in Pink’ and features rows…

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Christmas Caroll

Theatre Review: A Christmas Carol is a deeply moving and wonderfully immersive theatre experience

Journey to Victorian London and immerse yourself in the joys of Christmas with this stunning Old Vic revival of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. A truly unique theatre experience, this production encompasses the heart, soul and meaning of what makes the festive season so special. After travelling through London, Broadway and across the…

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A blind folded woman is kneeling down, her hands held up in prayer.

Theatre Review: The Jungle and the Sea at Belvoir is truly extraordinary theatre

Written and directed by S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack, The Jungle and the Sea at Belvoir follows a family as they fight to survive during the Sri Lankan Civil War. Spanning fifteen years, we witness the family, Mother Gowrie (Anandavalli), Father Siva (Prakash Belawadi) and their four children, Lakshmi (Emma Harvie), Madhu (Nadie Kammallaweera), Abi…

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Theatre review: Ella Hickson’s Oil is bold and thought-provoking, though hindered by an overly ambitious scope

Oil has had a painfully obvious effect on our world, but we don’t often look back and wonder at how we got here. That’s what Oil, the production by British playwright Ella Hickson – brought to life once more by the Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA –  does in a surreal and ambitious…

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Theatre Review: RBG: Of Many, One reminds us how far we’ve come and how much we stand to lose

Make no mistake, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a bad-ass. The late US Supreme Court Justice didn’t get a name like ‘The Notorious RBG’ for standing in the shadows. This feminist icon is the inspiration for the new Sydney Theatre production RBG: Of Many, One and is a truly inspiring show. Heather Miller is incredible in…

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Comedian Michael Shafar brings new stand up special to Adelaide & Melbourne

Comedian and cancer survivor, Michael Shafar, is back with a fresh new comedy show. Shafar is a regular on television shows The Project and Studio 10 as well as having a huge following on YouTube. We’ve also captured him at the Adelaide Fringe, where his stand-up comedy shows were well-received. Shafar’s comedy is not for the…

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11 Events you do not want to miss at Perth Festival 2023

Perth Festival celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2023, and artistic director Iain Grandage looked to the stars when pulling together this program. In his address at the program launch held at the Perth Concert Hall last week, Grandage talked about how the stars are central to, and connect, cultures around the globe; and how for Noongar…

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Win a double pass to Fringe Festival Brisbane show SEX FEST

Following their debut show earlier this year, award winning Meanjin performance collective T!TS AKIMBO are back with a brand new beast – SEX FEST 2022. This one day festival is happening across eight hours, in seven different rooms, with fifty femme and non-binary artists and experts giving you the sex talk you wish you had. Presented as…

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Dance Review: The United Ukrainian Ballet bring Tchaikovsky’s exquisite Swan Lake to Australia

Prepare to witness one of the world’s most beloved ballets, Swan Lake, as performed by the immensely talented United Ukrainian Ballet, which only formed less than six months ago. From the brilliant mind of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, reimagined by Elena Glurjidze and assisted by Sara Knight, this captivating production tells a classical tale of good…

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Two women hang from a chandelier.

Cabaret Review: L’Hôtel at the Sydney Opera House is a decadent indulgence that will leave you wanting more

Bringing together performers from Australia and abroad, L’Hôtel at the Sydney Opera House combines cabaret, circus and a touch of burlesque all within the walls of an opulent French hotel lobby. Directed by Craig Ilott and choreographed by Lucas Newland and Jo Cotterill, the audience is invited to take a seat in Le Salon and…

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Four friends sit around a table having a drink.

Theatre Review: Never Closer at Belvoir (25A) is a powerful depiction of friendship that is a must see

A group of friends gather in a house, drinks in hand, as one begins to tell a ghost story. The atmosphere is playful, vibrant and full of friendly bickering. Someone turns on the radio and they begin to dance. The throwaway abandon of youth is heavy in the air when suddenly, in the distance, an…

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Theatre Review: RENT remains a timeless look at NYC during the AIDS crisis – The Queens Theatre, Adelaide

Rent is a musical written by Jonathan Larson about a year in the life of a group of artists struggling to survive in New York during the AIDS epidemic. It Is loosely based on Puccini’s opera La Bohème, contrasting the lavish life with the poverty and homelessness of New York. Some hundred years previously, in…

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An older woman shows a younger woman photographs in an album.

Theatre Review: Looking for Alibrandi at Belvoir is heartfelt and courageous

Based on the 1992 novel by Melina Marchetta and adapted for the stage by Vidya Rajan, Looking for Alibrandi follows the trials and tribulations of 17 year old Josephine Alibrandi, a third generation Italian migrant, as she navigates life over the course of her final year of high school. Directed by Stephen Nicolazzo, the play…

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Comedians Lano & Woodley announce 2023 Moby Dick tour dates

When is an iconic story about a whale, not a story about a whale? When it’s a brilliantly funny Lano and Woodley show of course. The comedy duo, who have had a love-hate relationship over many years, are back with a completely improvised and hilarious take on the Moby Dick story. New stops on the…

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Tickets to the Melbourne season of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap are on sale now!

Don your trusty fedora and slip into your trench coat as you prepare for the arrival of Agatha Christie’s timeless murder mystery, The Mousetrap. After hitting London’s West End back in 1952, The Mousetrap has gone on to captivate millions of budding detectives around the world, amassing over 28,500 performances in the last 70 years….

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Review: Tutankhamun gets his own projection-based immersive exhibition with Nat Geo’s Beyond King Tut

By now, I’m sure you have had the chance to hear about, or see for yourself, the “immersive” art exhibitions that have seemingly popped up in every corner of the globe. Popularised, in part, by their ability to be adjusted for social distancing guidelines in recent years – even becoming a drive through experience –…

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Five museums in the USA you need to visit (that opened during the pandemic)

As we led into 2020, we were excited about a number of museums and attractions opening around the world. Of course, due to the pandemic, many saw delays, and others still haven’t opened to this day. And many that did missed out on much of the fanfare you might have otherwise expected, due to a…

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Review: Milk Crate Theatre’s DUST is a collaborative work in reframing lockdown

For over 20 years, Milk Crate Theatre have engaged with disadvantaged people, devising works which challenge norms of performance. Developed over the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns, DUST was conceived over a number of zoom sessions before being fleshed-out in the person earlier this year. Drawing on themes of isolation and enforced reflection, the story centres…

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Crowds walk out of the main theatre at the Sydney Opera House.

Review: Antidote at the Sydney Opera House raises more questions than it answers but it will make you hungry for change

Antidote at the Sydney Opera House is marketed as a ‘festival of ideas, art and change’ and the 2022 line-up presented a diverse and intriguing list of topics from climate change to the war in Ukraine. Over the last few years, it feels as if the stability we have so long expected and taken for…

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Review: Phantom Of The Opera grows in a new light at Sydney Opera House

Over three decades Phantom of the Opera has been solidified as a paradigm-shifting theatre production without equal. I know many people who don’t care for the theatre who would relish in every single second of any iteration of this story, no matter the time, setting or season. And those who do have a particular love…

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Theatre Review: Razor Gang Wars will immerse you in the world of Sydney’s criminal underworld

It’s a cold, dark night in Sydney. As the wind whips around St James’ Cathedral, there’s a whisper of something sinister. The shadows appear to be moving and an overwhelming sense of anticipation hangs in the air. This is Deadhouse: Tales of Sydney Morgue and we are about to step into Razor Gang Wars: The…

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Review: Sydney Theatre Company’s A Raisin in the Sun is as urgent as ever, 65 years later.

A Raisin in the Sun was the first play in Broadway to be written by an African American woman, premiering in 1959 and starring Sidney Poitier. Sixty-five years later, it finally makes its Australian mainstage premiere, presented by Sydney Theatre Company. Three generations of Youngers live in a cramped 2-bedroom apartment on Chicago’s gritty south…

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Jane Eyre

Theatre Review: A re-imagining of Jane Eyre that will leave you in the dark

There would be few people who are not familiar with Charlotte Brontë’s classic story of Jane Eyre. Even if you have not read the original novel, there are numerous film adaptations and stage productions that have re-imagined this haunting and Gothic tale. I was interested to see what this latest offering from director Michael Futcher…

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Theatre Review: Come From Away is still as moving, uplifting and hilarious as ever (Melbourne)

Three years ago, Come From Away crash-landed on Australian shores to rave reviews praising everything from the performances to the music. Now, the Tony award-winning musical has returned to Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre to spread its infectious joy and poignant narrative to new and returning audiences. This is one of those shows where every individual element…

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Theatre Review: Trust Me, It’s the End of Our World After All was an intense and entertaining 60-minute treat

In the world of endless streaming services and instantaneous hand-held entertainment, theatre can seem a bit inaccessible and highbrow – at least, to a large proportion of the younger generation. And that’s what the team at Beyond the Yard Theatre are trying to remedy with their production Trust Me, It’s the End of Our World…

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