Fringe World Festival is back in Perth despite the hardest of hard borders in WA but the local talent is shining, with Lisa Woodbrook‘s It’s Not Me, It’s Definitely You: Songs of Amy Winehouse & Lily Allen a fine example. As a supremely talented vocalist, Woodbrook’s show – as the title suggests – contains plenty of…
Described by Bangarra Director Stephen Page as “narrative dance theatre and contemporary ceremony”, Wudjang: Not the Past follows the journey of a young woman Nananhg (Jess Hitchcock) as she struggles to understand her cultural heritage while existing in a white system. When ancestral bones are discovered during excavation for a dam, one of the men,…
For Perth’s annual Fringe World festival, the delightfully ridiculous Shakespearean drinking game Booze & the Bard has returned for 2022 with two shows: their tried and true Macbeth, the Scotch Play and the brand new Twelfth Pint (or What You Spill). We caught the Saturday night showing of Macbeth on the 15th of January and happily…
Forming part of the 2022 Sydney Festival, A Chorus Line at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta delivers a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a dancer trying to forge a career on Broadway. Set on the stage of a theatre during auditions for a chorus line, the musical centres on the lives of seventeen hopefuls and…
Released in 1995, Jagged Little Pill was a cultural moment, packaging themes of angst, sexism, loneliness and self-discovery from the perspective of a young woman to over 30 million albums sold. 25 years later, the Broadway production takes us back to the anguish of the original text, albeit with an updated rap sheet. Designed as…
Celebrities and VIPs walked the black carpet for the opening night of Jagged Little Pill, the Grammy and Tony award winning Broadway musical, inspired by Alanis Morissette‘s ground-breaking album of the same name. Jagged Little Pill is playing at the Theatre Royal from December 2nd to 19th. Grab your tickets HERE
Put on your finest dress, button up your best tux and step into an extravagant world of glitz, glamour and romance at the Moulin Rouge! Based on Baz Luhrmann’s iconic 2001 film, it tells the story of an aspiring composer, Christian (Des Flanagan), who falls in love with Satine (Alinta Chidzey), a prominent cabaret actress and…
Daniel Muggleton leaps out onto the stage, both noticeable and memorable for his bright red tracksuit. A fine fashion choice? Probably not, but if you Google “tracksuit comedian”, he is on the top of the list. So, it’s perhaps a wise one. The venue (Gluttony‘s Piglet – not Adelaide’s Rhino Room where you’ll see him this Thursday)…
The centrepiece of the 2022 Adelaide Fringe is set to be Sky Song, combining aerial drones with music from First Nations artists. Running for 31 nights at the Adelaide Showgrounds, the event will combine state of the art technology from Celestial with traditional Indigenous music. Narrated by the iconic Archie Roach, a swarm of drones…
Millions around the world have already experienced Imagine Van Gogh – a reimagining of the way we immerse ourselves in the pieces of an adored artist, usually limited by the finite nature of their work. 3.5 million tickets have been sold in North America alone, and the concept is currently in Brisbane as it tours Australia…
Similar to how Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers, Jennifer Kent, and Ari Aster all secured their place in the annals of genre cinema with their debut offerings, Julia Docournau‘s bold cannibalistic horror effort Raw cemented the French filmmaker as a name to pay consistent attention to. And just as those aforementioned auteurs all swung big with…
The AU Review film buffs have had their say, now it’s time for the Books Team to have theirs! If you’re considering spending Halloween buried in a book with the lights firmly on (no judgement here!), allow us to recommend a few spooky season reads! From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz On…
Spooky season is well and truly upon us, and the team here at The AU Review are firing up the popcorn maker and getting ready to enjoy our favourite scary movies. If you’re looking for some ideas for that horror marathon you’re planning this weekend, here’s a few films had us checking under our beds…
In recent times, seeing some of the world’s finest pieces of art in the flesh has been impossible. However, you can still travel to Japan (virtually), thanks to the ‘Japan Cultural Expo VIRTUAL PLATFORM’, a platform that will change how we experience the country’s fascinating art scene. This new platform is – as its name…
During COVID-19 the Actors & Entertainers Benevolent Fund of Queensland received an unprecedented number of calls for help, with requests for assistance increasing by 720% since March 2020. Despite being the most difficult year in the Fund’s 46 years history, the charity was able to meet each and every single request for assistance from people…
More than 40 Asian and Australian writers will come together for In Other Words, a new writing and ideas program from the OzAsia Festival team. Curated by Laura Kroetsch, Benjamin Law, and Roanna Gonsalves, the program will run from November 5th to 7th, with guests able to attend either in person at the Dunstan Playhouse…
The creator of the 2020 Olympic/Paralympic centrepiece is building stylish public toilets and looking at the city like a cat. With the Olympics and Paralympics proving a welcome distraction from the current issues impacting our daily lives right now, Kengo Kuma, is a man you should know. He’s the Japanese architectural icon behind the Japan…
Livestreaming from the Sydney Opera House on September 5th, Antidote 2021 promises an exciting and inspiring line-up of speakers for its fifth celebration of ideas, action, and change. Speakers including Elizabeth Kolbert, Benjamin Law, Ronnie Gorrie, Bri Lee, Rick Morton, Cathy Park Hong, and Scott Ludlam will cover a wide range of topics, from climate…
In the comfortably chic apartment “La Vie En Rose” cackles on the gramophone. “A life in pink”, as it translates. “Miss Nightingale” swishes through the sheer curtains to fix the crack in the record. Karla Hillam is Miss Nightingale and her voice and looks are perfect for the role. A shock of red hair falls…
The NSW Government have announced that the forthcoming Vivid Sydney has been rescheduled in the interest of community health and safety. Originally planned between August 6th and 28th, Vivid is now set for celebration from 17th September through to October 9th, 2021. “We all want to see Sydney shine through the spectacular show of creativity…
Kicking off just as mask restrictions (hopefully!) ease in Brisbane next week, the Brisbane Comedy Festival has got a stellar line-up planned for its 2021 iteration. With so much to choose from, including legends such as Ross Noble, Akmal, Cal Wilson, and Jimeoin, as well as internet sensations Nat’s What I Reckon and Christian Hull,…
If you want an example of the transportive power of dance then you need to look no further than Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra. This documentary packs a lot into its slender 96-minute run time, by tracing the origins of this First Nations dance troupe. This film draws together many facets and stories including the…
With San Diego turning 250 in 2019, the city and its surrounds have been shaping up a massive year of openings, new attractions and familiar favourites that ensure the coastal Southern Californian destination remains at the top of everyone’s vacation lists, as we head into Summer 2021. Here’s a guide to what you need to…
A musical about 9/11 might feel a bit risky, so it’s fortunate that Come From Away has a particularly refreshing angle on the subject. With airspaces locked immediately after the tragedy, 38 planes were forced to land on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Over 7,000 stranded passengers were sent to nearby towns including Gander, where…
Check out our gallery from opening night of Come from Away at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre. The hit musical is based on real life events, when 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 people from over 100 countries were redirected to Newfoundland, in the wake of 9/11. Set in Gander, a remote Canadian town that saw it’s population…
Promising epic art installations, fascinating panels, and incredible performances, we’re so excited to see Vivid Sydney reappearing on our calendars later this year. The lights may have gone out in 2020, but the self-styled “playground of the unexpected” will return this August, for three weeks of celebrating light, music, ideas, and the city of Sydney…
Trigger warning: this review contains discussions of sexual assault. Spoiler alert: this review also discusses how the play ends. Set in 1990s Boston, Spike Heels focuses on the intertwined lives of four individuals and one woman’s journey to self-actualisation. Written in 1992 by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Serhat Caradee, Spike Heels is based on…
Macbeth is undoubtedly one of the world’s best-known tales of manipulation and betrayal. Cursed with future knowledge due to a witches prophecy, Macbeth strikes a deal with fate at the cost of his sanity and life. Set in the eleventh century, an ambitious Macbeth (Simon Meadows) struggles against the passions of power and deception through…
MELT Festival is returning to Brisbane later this month, bringing with it all the queer arts and culture we could possibly want – and then even more besides! Gearing up for a huge night at Brisbane Powerhouse are Ruby Clarke, Chloe-Rose Taylor, and Natasha Veselinovic – otherwise known as The Local Lesbians. Teaming up with…
The Theatre Royal in Sydney is currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar refurbishment and to mark its reopening in September, will premiere Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill stage musical. This is the first time it has been staged outside of Broadway. Jagged Little Pill debuted in December 2019 at the American Repertory Theater, however, was closed abruptly…
