As the applause dies down and the lights go up, the audience glances at one another, glassy-eyed and slightly dazed. What had we just experienced? It felt as if we had witnessed open heart surgery – while the person was still conscious – and the thought uppermost in my mind was – how the hell…
Delta Goodrem and guests walk the red carpet at The Phantom of the Opera opening night. Experience the phenomenon of one of the most successful musicals of all time, when Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary show makes its Sydney Opera House debut. Nathan captured the excitement and glamour of the red…
Cirque Du Soleil’s first brand new production since the pandemic, Drawn To Life, is also their first official Walt Disney collaboration. This is despite having had a theatre on the Disney Springs grounds in Orlando since 1998. The beautiful space was their first custom built, permanent venue and residency outside of Las Vegas, with the…
After a successful season early in 2022, Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett returns to Sydney Fringe. We caught the show in February, and it was an absolute hoot. I hadn’t laughed so hard in months. I swear a dislodged a filling that night. The show is packed with laughs, it leaves you gasping and is definitely…
This Thursday, the 25th of August, the SOUND WEST conference day will be held at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta. The conference will bring a shining light on the hotbed of talent coming from Parramatta and Greater Western Sydney. Amongst the speakers will be the rapper Masked Wolf, Dylan Alcott AO, Fred Schebesta (founder of Finder),…
On Monday 16 November 2009, the Australian Parliament formally acknowledged and apologised for the harsh treatment and ongoing trauma of Forgotten Australians and former child migrants. There are an estimated 500,000 children who experienced care in institutions in Australia throughout the 20th century – Kaz Therese’s grandmother and mother were two of them. Incorporating video,…
Audiences watching Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde either know the drill or at least have some concept of what happens. But it’s a testament to Kip Williams and the Sydney Theatre Company that this production bedazzles and surprises. This is a rendering that is brimming with so many different layers, that it…
It’s easy to assume a classic story will feel tired and dull when it’s reproduced for the thousandth time – but that was not the case with The Glass Menagerie. Perhaps it was the vivacious talent delivering the script or the timelessness of family drama, but this Tennessee Williams piece felt just as relevant and…
Trigger warning: Sexual assault Prima Facie tells the story of Tessa (Jodie Comer), a young, tenacious and determined barrister who is at the prime of her career. With a sharp mind and an ironclad belief in the word of the law, she has never lost a case. Even when working on cases that would trigger…
1996-ish. Canberra-ish. Artie Whig (Will Carseldine) is facing an uncertain future, about to be cut off by his no-nonsense father John (Kevin Hides). Unless he marries and finds a career, the young gadabout can kiss his allowance goodbye. Meanwhile, Minister for the Environment Robyn Shi (Hsiao-Ling Tang) and her advisor Gertrude (an absolute scene-stealing Emily…
With Moulin Rouge wowing audiences in Sydney, Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre is hosting its own tragic tale of Parisian courtesans and ill-fated love affairs. Verdi‘s iconic La Traviata opened last week, led by Lorina Gore and Kang Wang as star-crossed lovers Violetta and Alfredo. A joint venture between Opera Queensland, State Opera South Australia, and West…
After a delayed start, Robyn Archer: An Australian Songbook has finally made its way to the Bille Brown Theatre stage and, happily, it was more than worth the wait. Setting aside the assumed Aussie repertoire, An Australian Songbook explores the history of our country through a rather unexpected collection of Australian music, anchored by the…
National treasure Robyn Archer has set up home at Queensland Theatre for the next couple of weeks. Alongside her long-time band members, George Butrumulis (Zydeco Jump), Cameron Goodall (The Audreys) and Ennio Pozzebon (Keating: The Musical), she’ll be taking audiences on a journey through Australian song – and it won’t always be the tracks you’re…
SXSW have announced an annual Asia-Pacific installment, with Sydney set to host in October 2023. It’s the first time the iconic conference and festival of creativity has expanded beyond North America since its inception in 1987. A joint collaboration between the NSW Government, Destination NSW, TEG, and SXSW, SXSW Sydney will bring together the world’s…
Following its successful launch in Canberra earlier this year, the groundbreaking National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) Australians & Hollywood exhibition will remain on show throughout 2023. The blockbuster exhibition, which celebrates Australia’s contemporary cinematic, acting and filmmaking success, opened in January and now its extended run will give Canberra and national audiences an expanded…
Fiona O’Loughlin was a regular face on television in the 90s. Her self-deprecating humour about her home and family life made her a popular guest on several chat shows. That came to an end after she collapsed on stage and admitted that she was battling alcoholism. Now that she is clean and recovered, O’Loughlin is…
Charming. That’s the word I’d best use to describe what Moulin Rouge! has bought to a Sydney crowd that’s absolutely aching for a playful musical following the previous few years. While he’s busy doing the round in Australia right now for his new movie Elvis, Baz Luhrmann has no doubt already been through the Capitol…
It is 1899 and the world’s most famous actress, Sarah Bernhardt, is rehearsing for Hamlet. But, to the horror of critics and the delight of the Parisian gossip mills, she won’t be reprising her role as Ophelia. Nor will she be embracing the age appropriate Gertrude. Bernhardt craves something more audacious, something bold. Something that…
The Australian production of Once, the eight-time Tony Award-winning musical (based on a critically acclaimed 2007 film) has come to The Regal Theatre in Subiaco. It’s a charming, joyous story, and even before the show started, there was a palpable feeling of excitement in the air – assisted by musicians wandering between the rows, playing…
Today we’re stoked to be premiering the new track from JaZZella! “Quit Bitchin’” is the latest from the travelling musician, showcasing a playful, soulful sound that’s the perfect antidote to the current cold snap – even if those cheeky lyrics bite just as hard as the wind! “Quit Bitchin’” is the third glimpse we’ve had…
Intimate, heart-breaking and occasionally very funny, Jason Robert Brown‘s The Last Five Years has taken to the La Boite Roundhouse stage under the direction of Darren Yap. Chronicling two 20-somethings as they fall in and out of love, the musical navigates the years of miscommunications, crossed wires, and heartfelt attempts to salvage something that perhaps…
Whip out your retro windbreaker, rock the double denim look and prepare to relive the good old ’90s in all their glory with the nostalgia-fuelled Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical. Following successful runs across the US and the UK, garnering rave reviews from original film stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon, this throwback musical…
Experience the timeless Cinderella story you know and love, now with a contemporary spin in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, a Tony Award winning Broadway musical from the minds behind The Sound of Music. After captivating audiences across the US, this spellbinding production has floated into Melbourne, lighting up the famous Regent Theatre with dazzling costumes…
Whilst it’s perfectly understandable for audiences to attend a comedy show under the assumption they’ll be humorously entertained, the moments of seriousness and self-reflection are often what stay with you. Such is the case with Poncho Orange: Keep It Up!, the latest one-man-show from melting pot oddball clown Dani Cabs, a 60-minute journey into his…
The self-proclaimed love child of Salvador Dali and the Mighty Boosh, Australian comedian Dani Cabs has created a larger-than-life alter ego in Poncho Orange, a Latino-lovin’ buffoon, liquifying the English language so that you can slurp its runny honey, gooey goodness down into your internals and be transported into his world of play, love, and……
Museum-goers will finally be able to live out their Larry Daley dreams, with the Australian Museum keeping the doors open a little later every Thursday throughout May and June. Not only will you be able to explore the AM’s current exhibitions after dark, but Nights at the Museum will also be offering a stacked roster…
Queensland Theatre‘s second production of 2022 sees Australian screen and stage legend Angie Milliken return to her Brisbane roots. And she won’t be the only theatrical icon in the building when Theresa Rebeck‘s Bernhardt/Hamlet opens later this month. Set at the turn of the 20th century, when famed French actress Sarah Bernhardt staged a performance…
Nostalgia. It can happen to anyone, any time. The song that’s playing, that film you saw, the piece of memorabilia you found in your parent’s cupboard. They can spark memories of a time and place that you may have thought you’d forgotten. It’s those feelings of going back, remembering and sometimes cringing that Cameron…
There could not be a more suitable title for a comedy show. We All Have Bloody Thoughts is exactly what you’d expect from a comedian that is known for quite shouty diatribes, especially from his appearances on the now defunct ‘Tonightly’ show, various other stand-up appearances or his opinion articles which dance on the line between…
Have you ever wanted to hear an explicit rap about the incestual ways of ancient Greek figures set to the tune of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”? Or how about The Little Mermaid‘s “Under the Sea” as a spoken word piece, all the while its performer is donned in a mermaid tail being glistened by…
