Arts

Photo Gallery: West Side Story Opening Night, Sydney (22.03.19)

Celebrities and guests walked the red carpet for the opening night of Handa Opera’s West Side Story currently playing at Mrs Macquaries Point in Sydney Harbour, until 21st April 2019. For tickets and more details, head HERE.

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SXSW Interview: The Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng on how Australia shaped his comedy for America

Set to return to Australia for dates in July, comedian Ronny Chieng has been making a name for himself in the USA as a correspondent on the Comedy Central series The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. While at SXSW last week I had the opportunity to sit down with him to talk about that role,…

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Adelaide Festival Review: Schuldfabrik is a sustainable system of upcycling guilt

One of the more obscure installations at this year’s Adelaide Fringe was the pop-up store, Self – Human Soap. Nestled away in King William Street in the CBD, it looks as inviting as any other high-end beauty store, but this store has a marked difference to the others. Schuldfabrik is a German word, where ‘schuld’…

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The Greatest Show in Las Vegas: What to Expect from “Absinthe”

It’s always worth paying close attention when a Las Vegas production signs on for a substantial extension, even years after it has already been playing in the same spot. It means the show has become its own sizable piece in the endless jigsaw of culture, class and crass that is a typical night on the…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Club Briefs closes out the Fringe with bang – Bonython Hall (17.03.19)

The Adelaide Fringe is over for another successful year and Club Briefs was the perfect way to celebrate the final evening. The Briefs Factory is an Australian creative collective who “manufacture, cultivate and present evocative, irreverent, physical performance”. Our MC for the night is Shivannah, who is sassy, loud and irreverent. Her costume changes between…

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Adelaide Festival Review: Grand Finale is a joyous celebration of life and death

Israeli-born, London-based choreographer, Hofesh Shechter has had an impressive CV since 2007, when he released his critically acclaimed work “In your rooms”. Grand Finale is the first of his full-length works to be presented in Australia as part of the Adelaide Festival. The Hofesh Schechter Company is a diverse group of international dancers from eight…

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Photo Gallery: 360 Allstars shine at the Adelaide Fringe

There are 360 degrees in a circle and this performance is full of “all-round” “Allstars” (get it?). This show is fast paced and an enjoyable demonstration of bike riding, freestyle rapping, drumming, basketball tricks, cyr wheel and more. The music and lighting give extra energy to an already energised group of performers. The added bonus…

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Adelaide Festival Review: Foehn is a light and airy puppet theatre

It would be a mistake to describe Foehn as a puppet show. Not because that is wrong, but because it is much more than that. French performance artist Phia Ménard became a juggler, performance artist and director of the Compagnie Non Nova in the 1990’s. She describes the movement of air as being present at…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Redhead Cabaret: Carrot Tops (+ bottoms) – Gluttony

The Redhead Cabaret is a company of red-haired performers with a mission to share all the energy and pizzaz that this genetic disposition boasts. So reads the manifesto to this late night cabaret. As the sold out crowd fills the tent, a schoolteacher with a whip and a boy in a g-string stand on stage…

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SXSW Film Review: For Sama (Syria, 2019) is an emotionally gripping diary in film form

For Sama is an emotionally gripping diary filmed by journalist Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts. Kateab recorded her life during the Battle of Aleppo (2012-16) in Syria. She had a mission: to bring light on the injustices on Syrians under President Assad’s regime and the fight for freedom. Not only did she cover what was…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Tim Ferguson is Living a Fast Life on Wheels – National Wine Centre until March 17

Tim Ferguson is probably best known as one of the members of the comedy trio Doug Anthony All Stars that were particularly popular on Australian television screens in the late 80’s. In this Adelaide Fringe performance, Ferguson chats to us about his life and times, including his diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis; “Why have just one…

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Adelaide Fringe Hosts the Third Annual Donut Olympics in the Garden of Unearthly Delights (11.03.19)

In what has now become an annual tradition, Tom Flanagan of Donut Diner has presented the third Donut Olympics in the Garden of Unearthly Delights. Teams from Security, FOH, Box Office, event staff and even circus performers and Barbu pitted their skills for the dubious honour of Donut Champions. Events included a watermelon eating contest,…

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Adelaide Festival Review: The Man With The Iron Neck – Dunstan Playhouse (08.03.19)

Note: this play includes references to self-harm and suicide. The topic of youth suicide, particularly within Indigenous communities has been part of recent conversations. Josh Bond and Ursula Yovich, the co-director and playwright of “Man with the Iron Neck” have this to say about the play: “We are overwhelmed everyday and it’s not because of…

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Aussie comedian Ronny Chieng joins a packed Comedy Festival lineup for SXSW 2019

The SXSW Comedy Festival grows every year, and this year is without question its most packed lineup ever, with comedians from Tim and Eric, Broad City, The Daily Show (including Australia’s own Ronny Chieng) and iconic favourites like Kathy Griffin, Todd Barry and Paul F. Tompkins. The roster – including stand-up showcases, improv performances, conversations, podcast recordings,…

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Five shows not to miss at Melbourne’s Brunswick Music Festival

Spanning over the course of the next two weeks, from the third until the seventeenth, the 2019 Brunswick Music Festival is hosting some of the premier music acts from around the globe. With a long list of acts and activities, speakers and galleries to view spanning over such a long period, it can make it…

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Theatre Review: Jersey Boys is an exuberant musical featuring timeless songs (Melbourne)

I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons has returned to Melbourne for 8 weeks and you don’t want to miss out on this breathtaking musical. It follows the journey of four blue-collar boys as they rose through the ranks to become one of the…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Pussy Riot present Riot Days – The Attic, RCC

The top floor of the now defunct Adelaide Uni Bar complex has been repurposed as a Fringe Venue. The Attic is an appropriate venue to present three of the original members of Pussy Riot in a reflection of their imprisonment in Russian jails. With six members of the collective, a type of punk rock opera…

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Photo Gallery: Australian LGBTI Awards – The Star, Sydney (01.03.19)

Celebrities and guests walked the red carpet for the 2019 Australian LGBTI Awards held at The Star in Sydney. Photographer Nathan Atkins was there to bring us these shots.

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Djuki Mala – Umbrella Revolution, Adelaide (24.02.19)

North East Arnhem Land dancers Djuki Mala return to Adelaide Fringe this year to once again deliver their high-energy, and highly original dance performance, and it should be on the top of everyone’s must-see list!   Beginning their performance with traditional dance, Djuki Mala demonstrated their skill at telling a story through movement, whilst behind them projected images set the scene and…

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Photo Gallery: Djuki Mala – Umbrella Revolution, Adelaide Fringe (24.02.19)

Djuki Mala have returned to Adelaide Fringe for what is sure to be another huge season. Don’t miss their energetic performance at Umbrella Revolution in the Garden Of Unearthly Delights. The AU Review sent Kerrie Geier along to take these shots.

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Theatre Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child proves as spellbinding as the story itself (Melbourne)

The universe of Harry Potter is one that has been enamoured internationally amongst all generations for over twenty years now. With the first book of the series being released in 1997, many of us grew up alongside the franchise and the story seems to bind a deep, personal connection with those who read it. Despite reaching the…

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Theatre Review: The Caretaker is a claustrophobic look at a world of pain (at Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre until 24 February)

The Caretaker focuses on three men in their natural habitat. The renowned, Harold Pinter play is a character-driven one that explores the relationship between a homeless man and two brothers. The story is a dense, dialogue-driven piece that unfolds within the confines of a West London flat. Some viewers may enjoy its clever lines, but…

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Five things not to miss at the 2019 Adelaide Festival

The Adelaide Festival opens runs between the 1st and 17th March and there’s a full program which can make choosing what to see a daunting task. Here’s five suggestions that should help choosing easier. Opening night: National Geographic: Symphony for our world Elder park comes alive on Saturday 2nd March for this family-friendly free concert…

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Comedy Review: Conan O’Brien takes aim at Sydney’s Lock Out Laws as he makes his Australian debut

Last night, US late night talk show host Conan O’Brien hit the stage in Sydney, accompanied by a few of his “Australian Friends”, in what was (incredibly) the comedian’s first ever stage shows outside of North America. His TV show band “The Basic Cable Trio” opened the show, while cameras were held notably in the…

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Adelaide Fringe Review: Matt Tarrant presents More Unsolved – Gluttony (until 10th March)

Adelaide born Matt Tarrant has made magic his career and it has served him well as the highest selling solo act of the 2018 Adelaide Fringe after many years of awards and a 2017 stint on Australian Survivor. This year Matt returns to the Fringe with a show called More Unsolved. The show opens with…

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Theatre Review: Glass Onion is no regular John, just a celebration of the Lennon legend (Sydney Opera House)

The walrus was Paul, Clapton was God and Lennon is Legend. John Waters knows this because he’s had a lot of practice. Playing the tribute show, Lennon: Glass Onion since 1992, he sure knows how to live and breathe John Lennon. Oh, and that’s along with a little help from a friend called, Stewart D’Arrietta….

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Circus Review: Matador is a thrilling mix of burlesque, dance, and circus acts (The Melba Spiegeltent until 2nd March)

A thrilling, beautiful, and jaw-dropping production. Matador is a fusion of burlesque, high energy dance pieces, and jaw-dropping aerial acts, all set to a story inspired the tale of the love torn bull and the seductive matador. The two-hour production is a thrilling series of electric solo and group dance numbers with awe inspiring circus…

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Theatre Review: Peter Pan Goes Wrong takes “the show must go on” quite literally (Sydney Lyric to 3rd March)

The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society have returned to Sydney, which may be a surprise to some considering the rather disastrous turn of events in their last production, The Murder at Haversham Manor. Now, they’re back thanks to a sizeable donation from the Uncle of one of the cast members, Max, and here to present their…

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Theatre review: Jesus Christ Superstar was an electric & biblical performance in more ways than one (Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre until 23 February)

A weather report can be a clichéd way to open a review. But when it’s opening night of Jesus Christ Superstar and it has rained to biblical proportions, what do you do? You can sing, “Christ you know it ain’t easy” or tell people that Parramatta has been turned into a scene from Noah’s ark,…

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Five shows not to miss at the 2019 Adelaide Fringe Festival

This year, like any other, sees the Adelaide Fringe Festival produce some of the most worthwhile shows to go see all year,. So many in fact, it’s hard to know where to begin! But we have found you the five shows you’ll not want to miss, when the festival takes over the South Australian city…

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