There’s nothing quite like ending your week with something a little sultry, a little bit tantalising, and a little bit jazzy. On Sunday night, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival wrapped things up for another year and who better to do that than the one and only, Dianne Reeves. The Grammy Award winning jazz artist has ventured to…
The first thing that surprised me about The 7 Stages of Grieving was that I laughed. A lot. With a title such as The 7 Stages of Grieving, laughter was not something I was expecting, but such is the extraordinary talent of writers Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman and the exceptional skill of performer Chenoa…
The vast majority of us are not natural born managers. Many managers have had to study, research and gain practical experience in the field before they can earn the title. But what do you do if you’re a creative practitioner, freelancer or sole trader who is in charge of their own career? The idea of…
Debbie Malone experienced six near death experiences in 1992, and from this her life changed. She could see dead people. Initially she was fearful of the visions she was witnessing till she began to embrace her spiritual awakening to try and help the spirits by investigating their murders or help find their missing bodies in…
Blueprint, the new play currently on at the Blue Room, is tremendously watchable and involving thanks to the three actors, Sean Crofton, Jessica Russell, and Phoebe Sullivan. They exude a physicality and agitated nervousness that manages to convey an ambiently compelling story, even if I’m not 100 percent sure what’s happening a lot of the…
Seated at a table at the end of a catwalk thrust out into the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, two girls in their mid to late-20’s take up seats around the same table, wide-eyed and chattering excitedly. A well-dressed bearded man dances his way over to the table holding a silver bucket, singing to the disco music…
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is officially off and running for another year – with hundreds of Cabaret lovers streaming out into the cold Friday city night for the annual festival Variety Gala to mark the Opening Night. For Ali McGregor and Eddie Perfect‘s second year as Artistic Directors, the program demonstrates an emphasis on the cultivation on homegrown…
The panto is back! Bonnie Lythgoe Productions brings The Adventures of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell to the State Theatre, Sydney from 7-16 July. Starring Australia’s favourite Todd McKenney as ‘Captain Hook’, this world premiere will feature sumptuous glittering sets, spectacular effects, gorgeous fairytale costumes, fantastic song and dance numbers, infectious and riotous comedy, magic…
Many tuning in are likely to know Stavros Yiannoukas from his career with Sydney group Bluejuice. A beloved part of our music scene until they parted ways in 2014, the next creative venture had already begun for Stav. That venture was not in music, but as an author. Meet Elliot Foxley – the title character of Stav’s debut children’s book…
Melbourne native Stephen Nicolazzo is no stranger to the works of the Victorian era. His previous adaptations of Dracula and The Happy Prince were staged to much acclaim. Now, Stephen is returning to the era with his latest project, the Australian premiere of the Jen Silverman play The Moors. We caught up with him ahead…
I’ve been to A LOT of live theatre and comedy shows, but none like what I experienced last night. Alarmingly, I wasn’t too familiar with Bridget Everett or Murray Hill‘s work, so I was walking in blind, but I enjoyed the fact they had worked alongside the likes of Amy Schumer and Dita Von Teese. Talk…
Elvis Presley is the OG hunk of burning love, and last night’s Melbourne performance of Elvis – The Wonder of You was the closest thing anyone would ever get to seeing the man himself live. Last week I interviewed Elvis’s best friend Jerry Schilling who emcees the show, and something he said really stood out to me. He said that this show would…
The Visual Arts grows in many bubbles, effervescently forming little universes around a gallery, the artists they represent, the work that is curated there, the investment by the buyer, the academic and critical analysis of the work, the art lover and the people who go there for the free champagne. All these players are greatly…
We first came across Reuben Kaye when he touched down in Adelaide for this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival. The impact he made on the crowds at shows and on stage at the Fringe Club after hours was one for the books, so it’s no real surprise that the entertainer is back in Adelaide for this year’s Adelaide Cabaret…
YouTube star Todrick Hall finally made it to our shores as part of his Straight Outta Oz tour; a show that will defy any preconceived idea you had about a musical or a concert. The evening began with a series of Hall’s videos projected onto a large screen showing his most famous videos dating right…
Cabaret is an art form that has something for everyone. The Adelaide Cabaret Festival, running from the 9th to the 24th of June showcases this perfectly. In its 17th year, it has a great mix of classic and contemporary performers from both Australia and overseas. We have listed some of the must-see acts for you…
Following David Bowie’s death in 2016, internationally renowned composer Warren Willis felt compelled to write a musical. He wanted to create something that celebrated the music and captured the lives of both Bowie and Freddie Mercury, two of the UKS most beloved performers. And so was born Bowie & Mercury Rising. Premiering in his hometown of…
The majority of us know Mark Holden thanks to reality television. He was the touchdown-loving judge of Australian Idol and he made a number of infamous performances on Dancing With The Stars. But there are many feathers to Messer Holden’s cap and his memoir, My Idol Years touches on all of this and more, including…
In one way or another, Elvis has been a part of everyone’s musical exploration. He is an artist who has transcended generations with his groundbreaking songs, and it’s incredibly hard to think he’s not with us anymore. His music does live on however, and with Elvis Live: The Wonder of You touring the country at this…
Have you ever wanted to sit on the couch eating a tub of ice-cream whilst wearing an elegant ball gown worn by one of the characters in Baz Luhrmann’s famous 1990 production of La Bohème? (How can one be sad when one looks so glamorous?). Well now is your chance! Opera Australia has dug deep…
The tragedy (or triumph) of George Orwell’s 1984 as a book is that it is too real for today’s world. It’s a complex, evocative piece of writing where one Big Brother overrules all and controls our thoughts feelings and dare punish us for getting independent thought. This production, adapted by UK company Headlong, first came…
We consider philosophers, world leaders, writers, artists, musicians and comedians as good sources of wisdom. But we don’t rate pirates, hackers and gang members quite so highly. Author Kyra Maya Phillips disagrees and thinks we should look to social misfits as sources of inspiration as she describes in her book, The Misfit Economy. The Venezuelan writer…
Australia does not tread quietly during the winter, with major events and festivals all over the country through the month of June. Here’s just seven unmissable events, festivals and productions not to miss around the country this month! Dark Mofo (Tasmania) Embracing the darkness of the southern winter solstice, Dark Mofo transforms the city of…
It doesn’t matter if you’re the biggest technophobe or if you’re a digital whiz kid, there’s no denying that algorithms are becoming a pervasive part of our lives. Companies like Google know more about us than ever, Amazon can predict our shopping purchases and Facebook likes can be used to distinguish your class, race, gender…
What would you do if your father told you he’d written an erotic novel? Would you cover your ears and ask him to never speak of it again? Or would you invite some friends around for a reading, and record it for the world to hear… Jamie Morton chose the latter, and so the podcast…
The first fifteen minutes of the live discussion saw Jonah Peretti, CEO of Buzzfeed, probed by Leigh Sales, anchorwoman of ABC’s 7.30, Dr Phil-style. This was Vivid Ideas’ first Game-Changer talk for 2017, and quoting Peretti, following questions on where he was born, what his childhood was like and which teachers supported him the most,…
In a unique display unlike any other orchestral performance, the internationally acclaimed Hubei Chime Bells National Chinese Orchestra brings The Imperial Bells of China – Chimes in Concert to Australia for concerts in Melbourne on Thursday 20 July at Melbourne Recital Center and in Sydney on Sunday 23 July at Sydney Opera House. Together with…
Following the critically acclaimed, sell-out season of The Laden Table (March 2017), bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company is presenting the world premiere of Jatinga – an international co-production inspired by the daughters of sex-workers in Kamathipura, Mumbai’s oldest and Asia’s second largest red-light district. Named after the village Jatinga, a place most famous for the phenomenon of…
Last Friday, the Marvel Creating the Cinematic Universe exhibition opened at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and what a visual, popular cultural feast it is, with over 500 objects including the costumes, props, sets and characters all spectacularly animating the voluminous rooms of GOMA. Art and God-like archetypes have been an intrinsic part of…
It’s one of Shakepeare‘s most famous tragedies and the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) is bringing Macbeth to audiences with a modern day touch. Starring none other than Aussie actor Jai Courtney in the title role and Geraldine Hakewill as Lady Macbeth, this is sure to be an outstanding season of Australian theatre. Macbeth opens next week and the cast…
