Arts

Little Death Club is not like most cabaret shows. The slightly twisted and strange collection of acts is what would be classified as Fringe by people who complain that the fringe has become too safe and mainstream. Dressed in black sequins and feather, MC Bernadette “Bernie” Byrne wanders through the crowd, greeting the seated guests…

Set to hit the Adelaide Fringe Festival later this week is foals [art exhibition], which features work exclusively created by kids between the ages of 3 to 16 from around the world. Ahead of the event, we caught up with the exhibition’s curator Sofie Kim to learn more about it.  Can you tell us a…

Anyone who has done a minute’s research into popular music history understands that if you attempt to trace pretty much any style of contemporary music back to its roots, you end up at 1920’s Blues. It’s generally considered that that’s because as these originators of guitar driven music pushed lyrical and melodic boundaries, they influenced…

It’s hard to believe it’s already March, but as we continue to steamroll our way through the year, the arts offerings around the country are only getting better. Here’s just seven of the events we think you can’t miss – from an entire month dedicated to art in Sydney, to theatre, exhibition openings and comedy…

There are many people who ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” but in the case of Meshel Laurie, it was, “What would Buddha do?” The Australian writer, comedian and radio personality was looking towards her Buddhist faith as a way of making sense of the end of her 19 year marriage. Except that there were…

There is a huge exuberance to Bridget Everett. Her performances at MICF last year where a barrage of singing, dancing and getting very close to audience members. Her style has caught the eye of comedians Amy Schumer and Whitney Cummings – who she has both collaborated with on TV projects. She is coming back to…

Michael Gow’s Away is one of Australia’s most popular plays and this latest production makes it easy to see why. The current Sydney Theatre Company and Malthouse Theatre Production sees the play return to its second home at the Sydney Opera House (the show played here one year after it debuted at the Stables Theatre…

It’s passed 5pm on a Saturday afternoon in Adelaide. Away from the sun-kissed public-crawling surrounds of the Royal Croquet Club, Briefs Creative Director Fez Fa’anana sits in a dressing room, meticulously applying makeup. A corporate gig has been lined up for the Adelaide Fringe Festival favourite, meaning it’s all systems go. And that’s just the beginning of his night….

For most people the iconic artist, Andy Warhol is synonymous with the colourful pop art of Campbell’s soup cans, portraits of Marilyn Monroe and the record sleeves from The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones. What some people may not realise is that Andy Warhol was an accomplished commercial illustrator and draftsman who worked in…

The house lights dim, a backing track kicks into life. Inua Ellams – poet, playwright, and performer – appears dressed in what I presume is traditional garb parading through the assembled audience. He entreats us to clap in time (naturally we do), before breaking into self-deprecating laughter. Right from the start Ellams had us in…

It’s not without some trepidation that I accepted an invitation to the Wank Bank Masterclass. Adam Seymour, aka Rural Ranga, perfected the art of Taoist massage during his stay in New York and has presented this class as a way of improving the art of genital stimulation. We are ushered into the tent and given a bag containing…

The first thing you need to know about Amy Hetherington is that she’s possibly the happiest person you could come across. Spend an hour in her company and you’ll come away feeling like you’ve been injected with a ray of sunshine itself. This is exactly what her Adelaide Fringe show, Terminally Positive, aims to do….

For those lucky enough to call Sierra Boggess their friend, sister, colleague, a former colleague, teacher or otherwise, they get to experience a ray of sunshine each and every day. The Broadway star is headed to our shores in a few months but we got to chat with her in the lead up to her…

The Bedroom Philosopher leaves the 86 Tram behind in favour of a furry performance at the Tuxedo Cat for the Adelaide Fringe Festival, introducing us to an entertaining run of songs about cats. Yep, you read that correctly. The Cat Show is a comedic musical projection for the performer to involve the crowd in a special…

As a young student in Swingin’ Sixties London, Michael Peppiatt met the star of British contemporary art, Francis Bacon. Initially just hoping to secure an interview for a university magazine, what followed was thirty years of friendship, late nights, copious amounts of champagne, and an interview that never really ended. The author of an acclaimed…

The list of participants for this year’s SXSW Comedy Festival has now been announced. Now into its tenth edition, the festival continues it’s tradition of celebrating some of the industries best comics; whilst also introducing the industry to some of the brightest up-and-coming talents. In cooperation with the Film, Interactive and Music Festivals, SXSW has…

The Puzzle Collective are proud to present the world premiere of Superhal, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Henriad as a superhero origin story, at NIDA Parade Theatre in Kensington from March 7th to 18th. In an alternate England ruled by beings with superhuman powers, the young Prince Hal rebels against his father, the King, by associating…

There was the bride stripped bare and now there’s the dumped stripped without a care. In The Helen 100, broadcaster and writer, Helen Razer is disarmingly honest in recounting the aftermath of the breakdown of her 15-year relationship. It’s a tale that thumbs its nose at traditional, dating self-help guides and instead offers something more…

Jamie Morton’s smash hit podcast My Dad Wrote A Porno has been given the stage show treatment, and will tour Australia and New Zealand later this year. Imagine you found out that your sixty year old father wrote erotic fiction. What would you do? Well, when Jamie Morton found himself in that situation, the answer…

Broadway actor, American Idol finalist and YouTube star Todrick Hall has announced his musical Straight Outta Oz will be hitting Australian shores in June, following a run of shows in North America and Europe. Straight Outta Oz is a twisted take on L. Frank Baum’s classic creation – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The show,…

In what will be a rare solo appearance poet, writer and Rock n Roll Hall of Famer Patti Smith will take to the Joan Sutherland Theatre Stage at the Sydney Opera House on April 23rd to talk, read and sing from her acclaimed oeuvre. Over the course of the evening Smith will touch on the…

In Opera Australia’s latest production of Tosca the period is transformed into Nazi-occupied Rome. A decision director John Bell explains “A tyrannical regime, resistance fighters hunted down, women forced to give sexual favours in order to protect a loved one — these things are still happening, and always have been, during war.” At the head of…

In John Bell’s latest production of Tosca for Opera Australia we are transported into a troubling Nazi-occupied Rome, combining all the elements of this most tragic opera into a frighteningly real presentation. And above it all soars Puccini’s magnificent music- nothing compares to the works of this master of the operatic art. Scrawled across the…

Michelle Law’s Single Asian Female says all the things we’re not allowed to, the things we should be allowed to. The things we know are right even though more often than not Australian culture and politics gets it so wrong. This show says all of that and lets you laugh while they do it. After…

It’s not every night you go to the theatre to see a show and arrive at a protest. Well, that’s exactly what we encountered on the opening night of a very politically charged ballet work called The Red Detachment of Women. It’s important to understand why there is a backlash to such a show and perhaps…

Saudade [soh-dah-duh] Noun: A nostalgic or melancholic state of longing for something or someone you love, with the knowledge that it may never return. West Australian artist Jacobus Capone’s Forgiving Night for Day is a reflective exploration of the Portuguese word ‘saudade,’ and a celebration of the musical genre Fado as a symbol of Lisbon and…

Based on the life of a transgender person, born Eugenia Falleni, The Trouble with Harry explores Harry Crawford’s struggle to live as a man in the 1920s. The harrowing journey covers issues in gender, abuse, family and crime. Through each emotive character, the audience takes a glimpse into what faces a transgender person in a…

Sitting on a beautiful outdoor terrace in Alexandria at the back of Sun Studios, I had the opportunity to meet up with seasoned professional photographer Matthew Vasilescu, who also happens to be an aspiring film director. In a midst of bright greenery and sunlight, we talked about his long-running immersion, passion and sacrifice that he…

Some of Britain’s most talented folk musicians took to the Perth Concert Hall on Friday for the first of two performances of Flit – a multifaceted and compelling production devised and conceived by Martin Green, the award winning accordionist and composer from experimental folk trio Lau. Thematically Flit explores ideas of human movement and migration,…

Betty Grumble returns to Adelaide for the 2017 Adelaide Fringe Festival, as she describes, ‘the delirium of the non-stop art experience that infects artist and punter alike’. With her new show Grumble: Sex Clown Saves The World, Betty is continuing to entertain, push boundaries and leave the audience with memories they won’t want to lose in…