There was a good crowd in the Magic Mirror Spiegeltent for the final weekend performance of Rouge. Despite the increasing talk of COVID-19 in the press, audiences remained undaunted and expectant. The tent has a circular stage in the centre, with good views all round. The high fabric and glass covered walls gave the space…
As the audience is shepherded into the tiny downstairs Hell Fire space in the Rhino Room venue, they are greeted by a bearded man wearing nothing but a pair of white briefs. Smiling and friendly, he welcomes everyone with open arms. This is going to be a very intimate performance. Cam Venn explains the show…
All About Women at the Sydney Opera House celebrated feminism with a line-up of powerful and inspiring innovators and thinkers. Coinciding with International Women’s Day (March 8), the festival was originally conceived to push back against the fact that, at the majority of conferences, most of the speakers tend to be male. What has evolved…
NIRIN, the official title of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, will be taking over the city’s foremost art institutions with a total of 700 words in display. 101 artists and collectives, including 39 Australian artists, will have their work displayed from 14th March to 8th June, bringing to life icons like Art Gallery of NSW,…
Dystopia is a dark fantastical production set in a post-apocalyptic future Earth. The opening screen shows a static montage of bomber planes, skulls, wartime destruction. This sets the scene for the performance to come. The audience catches glimpses of the characters, an elfin ballerina, a doll, lone guitarist, a zombie troupe and more. The lone…
From the moment he swaggers into the room, you can tell Tyler Everett (played by Tom Crotty) is going to own the audience. Making eye contact, he begins his story of sex, violence and city living. Dressed in a black leather jacket, white t-shirt and designer stubble, with a backpack slung over his shoulder he…
February 2020 marks the one year anniversary of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child reaching Melbourne. With over 325,000 attendees surging into the Princess Theatre to watch the tale unfold across the last twelve months, the show has been a record-breaking success. Although it has been on stage since its London premiere for almost four years,…
Rip, Drag and Ruminate is a collection of short works from the Adelaide College of the Arts 3rd Year Dancers. Six pieces were presented. The opening sequence by Isobel Stolinski, “To Whom it May Concern”, dealt with art censorship and scrutiny. The Acid Arab soundtrack helped to create an uplifting message which contrasted with the…
This year’s South By Southwest is fast approaching (March 13th 2020, y’all!), and with that haste comes a schedule of cinematic treats for the masses to feast on. Of course with 250 projects to fill the time, getting to each and every screening will be an impossible task, so we’ve compiled our look at 5…
Oxford Street became a rainbow river running through the centre of Sydney last night as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2020 parade chorused through the city. Over 300,000 spectators flocked to the Surry Hills street to watch the celebration of “What Matters”, the theme of this year’s LGBTIQA+ festivities. Leading the parade were…
Billy Elliot was a hard-hitting film that intertwined the beauty of dance with sentiments of toxic masculinity, as well as giving us an intense glimpse into the class struggles working-class England faced in the early 1980s. Not your obvious choice of musical magic; however, Elton John was so moved after seeing the film at Cannes…
Grace O’Malley (Gráinne Mhaol), was a powerful seafaring chieftain in 16th-century Ireland who commanded 200 men at sea, and met with Queen Elizabeth I. Curiously, she is not readily found in history books, so Jennifer Liston has bought her story to life, using original poems, songs and music. The upstairs room in the Gilbert…
The year was 1977. The legend Jim Steinman wrote (along with Todd Rundgren) what would become the biggest debut album of all time. That album is called Bat Out Of Hell. Singer of Bat out of Hell, Meatloaf, became a sensation with his range of powerhouse vocals often coupled with female singers with such pizzazz…
Calling all magical fairytale creatures, pack your bags, vacate the swamp, and fly on down to Her Majesty’s Theatre to see everyone’s favourite green ogre belting out a tune in Shrek The Musical! When I first heard that they were turning Shrek, arguably one of the greatest animated cartoon’s of all time into a musical,…
Walking into Barbaroi is like walking into a familiar street scene from an early 80s movie. The Ukiyo circus tent is set up in an industrial way, with lighting that makes it feel dark and mysterious. There are six characters in this show who are introduced video game style: a bearded juggler, a bare-chested circus…
Billed as a one-woman retelling of the famed 1961 novel (and 1971 film), Malthouse theatre’s production of Wake in Fright is an ambitious undertaking – if not initially perplexing. Producing one of Australia’s most classic outback thrillers as a one-cast show is odd enough, but not least of all when you are greeted by a…
Amanda Palmer has created a deeply personal, autobiographical performance piece that resonates with passion and dignity. As the lead singer of the Dresden Dolls, Palmer is no stranger to controversy and never shies away from the difficult conversation. “Cornflake Girl” by Tori Amos fills Bonython Hall, signally the arrival of Amanda Palmer. Dressed in a…
Last weekend on the Gold Coast, Australia voted for its Eurovision 2020 Contender. In its second year running, the Gold Coast hosted Eurovision 2020: Australia Decides live on SBS. The results ended up being neck and neck between Montaigne and Casey Donovan – but in the end, no one could stop Montaigne with her song…
Before Moulin Rouge! premiered at New York’s Al Hirshfeld Theatre on July 25th, 2019, a theatre where Kinky Boots had called a home for the 6 years prior, the producers did something quite surprising: so sure they were of its popularity, they announced it would tour out of New York – including a 2021 run…
South by Southwest (Austin, Texas, March 13th-22nd 2020) has announced the last round of Keynotes and Featured Speakers to be added to the 34th edition of its annual Conference, which celebrates the convergence of technology, film, and music industries. Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have been added to the…
A December 2020 has been set for the opening date of the long-awaited Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Announced by film legend and co-chair Tom Hanks at the 92nd Academy Awards, the date will see an historic new institution come to life, celebrating the art and science of movies through exhibitions, screenings and public and…
Taking place at Darlinghurst’s National Art School on Wednesday 12th February, more than sixty of Australia’s leading and emerging contemporary artists will be coming together in solidarity to help raise funds for the Australian bushfire crisis. Officially titled HOME Bushfire Relief Art Auction Fundraiser the one-night-only event will donate 100% of all profits earned from…
Last year, Kate Miller-Heidke took out the competition with her gravity defying song titled, well… “Zero Gravity”. Now, it’s that time of the year again – to choose who will represent Australia in this year’s Eurovision 2020. The 65th campiest, wardrobe malfunction prone music competition will take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands this year. That’s right,…
New York City’s famed Broadway Collection isn’t slowing down for 2020, with five new productions set to open throughout the year. From a musical based on cult comedy Mrs. Doubtfire, to an ambitious show tracking the creative process and indelible work of Michael Jackson, these five are well worth paying attention to for those planning…
The Midsummer Carnival is in town, and the big top has set up shop at Brisbane Powerhouse. A troupe of pixies and players invite audiences to wander through their carnival, filled with sideshow games, fortune tellers, and death defying stunts. But hidden amongst the crowd are four young lovers, and as the mischievous Puck sets…
Pipe organs are interesting, yet largely under-utilised beasts. Built into the grand expanse of the building, the organ at Sydney Town Hall is not an instrument in itself but rather turns the entire building into one. Ireland-based Australian composer and artist Robert Curgenven utilised this to its full extent in his immersive production: Bronze Lands (Tailte…
Magic is so often about secrets, smoke and mirrors, but James Galea also adds a dash of silliness to the mix. The hip youngster projects a cool and calm exterior that is so charming. He also has an irreverent sense of humour; his tongue is placed firmly in cheek. In Poof! Secrets of a Magician…
An all-star collaboration of sorts, Anthem sees acclaimed writers Christos Tsolkas, Patricia Corneleus, Andrew Bovell and Melissa Reeves reunite with composer Irene Vela following their 90s-era play Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? A series of stories interweave through the backdrop of Melbourne’s train network, with a range of characters thrust together on public transport…
Performance artist Bryony Kimmings is known for work centering on the personal, with prior shows exploring her partner’s depression, a show devised with her tween-aged niece and another sleuthing the source of an STD. In I’m a Phoenix, Bitch, however, things get far more raw. If one uses life experience as a platform for their…
Based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse returns to Melbourne to dazzle audiences at the newly refurbished Regent Theatre. The play exhibits a deeply moving and emotional story about the bond between a boy and his horse during the outbreak of WWI accompanied by stellar puppetry, captivating lighting…
