Arts

Australian cruisers will be amongst the first to see the newest show by Oscar®, Grammy® & Tony Award®-winning composer Stephen Schwartz. His first musical production (which showed on Emerald Princess during its six month season cruising out of Sydney last summer) Magic to Do– combined his lifelong fascination with magic with some of his most famous…

Melbourne’s Regent Theatre was filled up to the brim with people for My Fair Lady on Tuesday night, in anticipation for yet another classic tale of, well… not-quite-love, but respectability and a blossoming companionship. My Fair Lady needs no introduction. Its a story that has been cherished since the film of the 1940s, and as George…

Only Heaven Knows is a beloved musical set in the 1940s and 1950s, telling the story of one young man’s discovery of love and life in Sydney.  Having just finished his critically acclaimed Puck in STC’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Sydney Opera House, Matthew Backer will now make his Hayes Theatre Co. debut as Alan in Only Heaven Knows….

Only Heaven Knows is a beloved musical set in the 1940s and 1950s, telling the story of one young man’s discovery of love and life in Sydney. Playing the dual role of Lea/Lana is Hayden Tee. This will mark Hayden’s return to Australia after his multi award-winning performance of Javert in Les Misérables, which he reprised on Broadway and will soon be…

Simon Griffin‘s pocket book dedicated to punctuation, Fucking Apostrophes, should be a permanent fixture on everyone’s desk. The 62 page resource is crammed full of just about every possible use of the apostrophe in the English language, delivered with a great deal of humour and ultimately leaving you with the thought: “Why the fuck are…

The experience of the hit comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, currently touring Australia, starts before you enter the room, as cast members walk around the foyer, greeting guests, engaging in arguments and letting you know that they’ve lost a dog from the second act – a sign that indeed, things are about to go…

The Depot Theatre’s staging of Educating Rita is particularly timely for students studying HSC English; the opportunity to see a required text performed live should never be overlooked. For this reason, I encourage all parents and their teens to get out and see this play. This production has great heart, and it’s wonderful to see…

“Uniforms conceal and uniforms reveal. They wrap the bodies of millions of Australians every day, deflecting sun and rain, insulating against heat and cold, making feet more mobile, camouflaging thighs and chests that would be distracting to display openly and correcting our all-too-human anatomy by lengthening legs, broadening shoulders and masking disappointing hairlines!” Craig Wilcox, with…

Broadway and West End music theatre star Sierra Boggess is making her debut Australian tour from Saturday 3 June 2017, performing in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Regarded by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber as “the best” Christine in Phantom of the Opera, this international award winning music theatre superstar will wow audiences with her magnificent voice,…

Stating that “no risk was too great for him to take”, William ‘Billy’ Sing, the real life protagonist of Ouyang Yu’s new book Billy Sing, arrived in Gallipoli in 1914 and became one of our greatest snipers. Whilst now regarded as a  war hero, his start in life wasn’t always so auspicious. Born in 1886, Billy grew up,…

Dirk Kurbjuweit is deputy editor-in-chief at Der Spiegel, receiving numerous awards for his writing over the years. Fear is the first of his works to be translated into English, as well as being adapted for film, television and radio. Fear is set in Berlin and East Germany, around the time the Berlin Wall went up. Randolph Tiefenthaler,…

While Aled Jones was recently in Sydney we decided that, in the theme of his new album One Voice, we would ask him to do a couple of surprising duets. Of course, nothing could be as surprising as singing with your 15 year old self… but we think we found him some good ones! So, may we…

Melbourne’s QV Square and the surrounding laneways will later this month be transformed into a vibrant outdoor garden gallery of interactive neon art installations. Running from 17th May until 17th June, Melbourne-based international artist Carla O’Brien will fill the space with her new exhibition Neon Night Garden. Neon Night Garden will be O’Brien’s most extensive…

David Bowie may have been Messer Jones, Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke. But there was no question that this chameleon artist was also one handsome and photogenic man. Blender Gallery are celebrating this with a new exhibition titled Bowie Unseen, which is also part of the Head On Photo Festival. Bowie Unseen includes…

Todrick Hall has one of the most impressive CVs going around. You may know him from his YouTube channel, Season 9 of American Idol, perhaps you saw him on Broadway as Lola in Kinky Boots or you’ve heard the hype surrounding his international touring show Straight Outta Oz. I could honestly talk to him for hours but I jam packed…

POPSART is a new series here at Arts on the AU, which comes care of Brisbane arts journalist Bec Mac. She’ll give us, in her own words: “a weekly video interview with an artist or curator (across any kind of art form) at their opening night, a sneak preview or event and hopefully will give a quick capture…

International comedy star, David Strassman’s brand new show, iTED E uproariously parodies our technology-laden lives. The sharp-tongued Chuck Wood and loveable Ted E. Bare are constantly on their devices. With everyone connected to social media and the internet 24/7, will Strassman get them back under control? And, in a world-first, Strassman simultaneously operates 5 characters…

If you’ve never seen an opera before and if you’re unsure you want to dedicate a few hours out of your night to what could potentially be something not for you, then an operetta may be the perfect choice! An “Opera Starter Pack” as it were. Opera Australia’s latest production of Two Weddings, One Bride…

Melbourne Theatre Company have pulled together a powerhouse cast for their new production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The production, directed by Simon Phillips, is the third and final instalment in a trilogy of Shakespearian reinterpretations directed by Phillips for Melbourne Theatre Company, following on from acclaimed productions of Hamlet and Richard III. Taking on the iconic…

If you’ve ever dreamed of being in a smash hit musical then 2018 could be the year for you! The producers of the international hit musical Jersey Boys are on the hunt for fresh Australian talent, ready for the show’s return to Sydney in 2018. Jersey Boys tells the real life story and the rise…

The show must go on, and that is exactly what happened after director Gale Edwards stopped the show right before Sally Bowles‘ iconic number, “Cabaret”. Of all night’s for there to be serious mic/audio issues of course it had to be opening night, right?! That’s the beauty of live theatre. In what was a marvellous show of team…

Garage Barbershop, a new exhibition at the Blacktown Arts Centre, is a celebration of the craft and culture of barbering, and the important role the humble barbershop can play within the community. The focus of the exhibition is youth worker and self-taught barber Charles Lomu, and his five apprentice barbers, who have set up on…

If you don’t know the name Martin Sharp it’s still likely you’ll be familiar with his artworks. The Australian artist was responsible for designing the covers of Cream’s two studio albums, was the co-founder and principal cartoonist at Oz magazine and produced famous posters of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and more. Martin Sharp – His…

Having made their debut in 2016, IGNITE: Symphonic Dance Anthems returns for two nights only as part of VIVID Sydney. Internationally renowned DJ Dan Murphy joins forces with a full symphony orchestra to present classic tracks which have graced dance floors the world over, such as Sandstorm, Strings of Life and Finally. During the fifteen…

The words ‘Opera Australia’ and ‘piano ditty’ are not normally things you would typically associate with one another. But in the latest Sydney Opera House production Two Weddings, One Bride, the pair look set to become a marriage made in heaven. This operetta is a fun and accessible romp through comedy and farce in the…

Through May and June, Sydney’s The Lyric Theatre will serve as the first Australian venue to host The Bodyguard, a production which is as much a tribute to the life and music of Whitney Houston as her iconic 1992 feature-film debut of the same name. I write “iconic” because the film is fondly remembered for…

Yet again, it’s time to go through a bunch of events not to miss for the month of May. Here are seven of the events we think that’d be well worth going to see and check out, and despite it getting into the colder months of the year, there are many great things to get around to and…

Amy Bodossian is an Adelaide performer and cabaret artist who has recently turned her drawings and words with into her debut poetry book Wide Open. She’s performed at all kinds of festivals, from Adelaide Fringe to Woodford Folk Festival to The Big Day Out, and while that list of stages seems quite impressive, this book is…

The eighth annual Melbourne Cabaret Festival has released a stellar lineup for 2017’s showcase, which will be running throughout June and July. Ten Australian premieres will take place, including an opening night hosted by Cabaret legend and Artistic Director Dolly Diamond, who states the Festival is “…full of homegrown Australian talent with a huge amount of…

Our tale of love, magic, and adventure takes place in the fabled city of Agrabah where unusual friendships are formed, heroes outwit villains, and true love conquers all. Whilst most of the world knows the story of Aladdin, nothing quite prepares you for the absolute extravaganza that is Aladdin: The Musical. When it comes to…