Arts

Think now that summer is over Sydney goes into hibernation? Think again. With the exception of last year, moving into autumn is often a time when the city’s dynamic cultural scene comes alive, and 2021 will be no exception, with some of the best things to do in Sydney. Particularly after the year that was,…

The average Australian spends close to 40% of their waking hours on the internet. That’s over 6 hours a day scrolling, liking, searching and connecting to other people. But what happens when your screen time begins to take up all your time. What happens when the connections you make online become more real than the…

My closing memory of Yas Queen is a rousing rendition of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” with the audience standing and cheering a stunning performance. The journey along the way was a roller coaster ride of emotion. The opening number was also strong, but a number of factors threatened to derail the show. There was the…

It’s an interesting time to be a woman right now. The news coming out of Canberra of harassment, assault and rape is shining a light on the fact that the “boys club” in this country is still alive and well – and women are, rightfully, angry. Angry that it is 2021 and we are still…

To say that it’s been a difficult time for the arts industry over the last year is an understatement. The Adelaide Fringe was one of the last events held in 2020 before Coronavirus hit and is now back in a far reduced capacity and social distance friendly way. Which doesn’t mean that everything is smooth…

Reuben Kaye is no stranger to Adelaide audiences. He is entertained and delighted us over several festivals and fringes. As emcee tonight, Kaye invites us down his late-night Kaye Hole with a group of fellow performers. The Kaye Hole is a safe place, except if you’re a straight heterosexual man who, for once, find themselves…

You may remember Paul McDermott from our television screens back in the eighties as one of the Doug Anthony All Stars. He’s not as stunningly attractive these days, but with his new bearded look, one could say that he’s still got a certain appeal – to other men with beards, perhaps. Forty years of entertaining…

Japan is a nation well known for its far-reaching history and passion for keeping culture and traditions alive. From the ancient tea houses of Kyoto to the quaint building styles of Gifu’s Shirakawago, you can practically read the history of the nation through its architecture and city design. One of the more elusive forms of…

Magic duo Sam & Justin (known as The Showmen) present the Adult Only Magic Show at Gluttony. The show is marketed as an incredible array of hilariously raucous comedy, mind-bending illusions and stunningly dangerous stunts. The fast-paced show has plenty of audience participation with free drink cards for those helping on stage. Not that many…

DIRT is the story of an Australian tourist, played by Will King, travelling in Moscow who hooks up with the local tour guide (Patrick Livesey). The romantic interplay between the two evolves over the course of the performance, but each has a hidden story that gradually unfolds. The play is set in contemporary Russia and…

Amy Hetherington’s one-person stand-up show Don’t Feed The Ducks is a little of a misnomer. If you are expecting an hour of duck jokes, you’d be disappointed. There are duck jokes. But, there’s also a whole lot more to the show. From the moment that the audience are squeezed into the broom-cupboard sized Hell’s Kitchen at…

A swanky new performance venue is about to open in Melbourne’s old Metropolis House on Sydney Road. The Brunswick Ballroom is set to become Melbourne’s most eclectic and diverse new entertainment venue, hosting Australian and international acts, from music and cabaret to comedy. Spearheaded by new venue owner and impresario Andrew Kay AM, Brunswick Ballroom…

With everything that occurred in the year that was 2020, Appropriate, directed by Wesley Enoch seems, well, appropriate. Written by the American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the play centres around a dysfunctional American family brought together by the death of their father. As they begin to sort through his belongings they struggle between a desire to…

Theatre was briefly back in Melbourne before another five day lockdown saw shows rescheduled. Before the enforced hiatus, I was fortunate enough to catch a performance of The Gang of Five at La Mama Mobile Theatre. The Gang of Five opened to a full house, based at Creative Spaces’ Studio 1. Repurposing a dance studio…

Melbourne’s theatre scene is back! If you’ve missed the feeling of sitting in one of Melbourne’s lavish theatres, enjoying snacks and a drink from the bar while enjoying a show to remember, get excited because there’s a stellar lineup of shows ready to blow you away. From the Comedy Theatre to Her Majesty’s, Melbourne’s best…

Comedy returns to Australia from March 2021 with news that Ben Elton is returning for his first stand-up show in 15 years. In 2019, Ben Elton announced a brand-new comedy show called Ben Elton Live, which was to tour Australia in 2020. That was postponed for obvious reasons. His tour has been expanded with new…

Being a teenage girl is rough. Expectations are high, bodies are changing, social media is all consuming and society deems your interests as silly. There have been countless attempts to represent teen girl culture both on stage and screen, yet most rarely seem to get it right. Originally premiering in 2019, Fangirls attracted a buzz…

Mix Reuben Kaye with a 10:15pm timeslot and you’re bound to get scandalous late night debauchery, filthy fun and plenty of laughs. The Kaye Hole at the Rechabite, as part of Perth’s Fringe World Festival, didn’t disappoint. The Kaye Hole is Reuben’s variety show (separate to his earlier solo show), supported by his band, featuring…

More than 8,000 love stories and break up mementos have been sourced by the eternally playful folk behind QT Hotels & Resorts for a temporary museum dedicated to relationship relics of the past. Twisting the idea of Valentine’s Day, QT Gold Coast will turn into “Heartbreak Hotel” from 1st to 21st February, showcasing a pop-up…

What defines Port Macquarie? In the scope of New South Wales, a state with some of the beautiful coastal towns in the country, Port Macquarie may not seem all that distinctive. Until you get there. Make the four-or-so hour drive from Sydney (5.3hrs from Brisbane), like many do throughout the year, and you’re rewarded with…

Charismatic, bedazzling, intelligent, salacious and unbelievably natural on stage. Reuben Kaye’s self-titled cabaret drag solo show has it all. Humour, theatre and brute/obscene honesty as well as an entrancing level of crowd interaction. Described as “the evil love child of Liza Minnelli and Jim Carrey”, Kaye is one of the headline acts at this month’s Fringe…

It is with no small amount of amusement that I tell you, Magic Mike Live has been one of the most difficult reviews I’ve ever had to write. It would be easy for me to sit here and wax lyrical about how attractive the dancers were (because they were) or how much the crowd of…

Globally acclaimed Queensland contemporary circus group Circa have delivered a sequel to their ground breaking 2017 show Humans. Humans 2.0 is a ‘love letter to humanity’, exploring trust, vulnerability and the extremes of human ability. Those extremes are of evident immediately, as the cast of 10 begin with outrageous feats of acrobatics. At times it…

Autocannibal presents a dystopian circus exploring the nature of sustenance. Isolated as the only remaining human in a world bereft of food and water, our protagonist battles a sea of junk and plastic, avoiding the obvious reality that there’s only one thing remaining for him to truly eat. Mick Jones is a versatile performer, delivering…

Sybylla Melvyn announces (triumphantly and somewhat without apology) that this is a play all about herself. Stuck on her family property as the eldest of eight, her drunken father (Jason Chong) has squandered much of the family resources while her mother (Blazey Best), keen to marry her off, is worried she’s too plain. In strong…

And you thought the art of cinema was dead? Reading Cinemas Australia have announced it will open Australia’s most advanced cinema complex to date at the newly redeveloped DFO complex in Jindalee, Brisbane, just in time for Boxing Day. Reading’s new complex will be the company’s first in Queensland to feature full reclining seats in…

Love it or loath it, you cannot deny Disney’s 2013 animated musical Frozen is one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons of our time. With box office figures, soundtrack sales, and merchandise revenue not seen since the Disney Renaissance of the early 1990s, Frozen was the cultural sensation the House of Mouse had been chasing…

Pippin is the first major musical to return to Sydney theatres, with distancing restrictions easing just before the show’s opening. The show’s offering of colour and magic are perfect medicine for our current climate. But, on another hand, its somewhat confusing premise and over-reliance on smoke and mirrors are yet another symptom of them. This…

Sydney Writers’ Festival and Sydney Festival are joining forces for one weekend in January to present four major events at Carriageworks. The four events, presented under the banner Something to Talk About will see Sydney audiences spending time with the 2020 Booker Prize Winner, Douglas Stuart; perennial Festival favourites Jennifer Byrne, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and…

With international travel still on hold, Australia’s summer arts festival have a distinctly local flavour this year. The freshly announced program for Perth Festival 2021, for example, is focused on celebrating and contemplating Western Australian artists, creatives, and landscapes, in all aspects this summer. Built around the theme of “Bilya”, meaning river, the 2021 festival will…