Arts

Win a double pass to see Superhal in Sydney

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…

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Book Review: Helen Razer’s The Helen 100 is a brutally honest look at heartbreak and BBQ chicken

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…

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Smash hit podcast My Dad Wrote A Porno set for Australia and New Zealand tour

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…

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Todrick Hall’s Straight Outta Oz coming to Oz in June

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,…

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Patti Smith to take part in rare solo speaking engagement in Sydney this April

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…

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Lucio Gallo on his role as Scarpia in Tosca and singing with Luciano Pavarotti

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…

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Opera Review: Tosca is a powerful opera, placed in a powerful setting (performances until March 31st)

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…

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Theatre Review: Single Asian Female, La Boite Theatre Brisbane (15.02.17)

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…

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Asia TOPA Review: The Red Detachment of Women is visually spectacular, but politically controversial.

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…

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Perth International Arts Festival Review: Forgiving Night for Day is a deeply personal portrayal of different emotional states. (Performances until April 16th)

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…

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Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Theatre Review: The Trouble with Harry is a play full of depth (performances until March 3rd).

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…

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Matthew Vasilescu: An Eye for the Camera

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…

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Perth Festival Review: Flit is a compelling and moving work that strikes the perfect balance between the personal and the political

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,…

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Betty Grumble on her love for the Adelaide Fringe & new show Grumble: Sex Clown Saves the World

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…

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Choreographer Tao Ye talks precision, the human body’s limitations, and his work 6 & 8.

Asia TOPA has just kicked off in Melbourne, and with it comes a variety of art from our country neighbours to the north. A collection of amazing performances including Tao Ye’s 6 & 8, originally featured in Paris Fashion Week. These two distinct dance works amazingly precisely the same in their execution. For these performances Tao…

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Laura Sullivan on Finding Notes and Whether She Has Found Yours.

Many of us see random pieces of paper, notes and other paraphernalia on the street without a second thought (unless you’re a sweet soul who takes the effort to put the paper in the bin). Laura Sullivan is different. She’s developed a bit of an instinct to find those sticky notes, cards and other pieces…

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The Fringe Wives Club talk Glittery Clittery and the Adelaide Fringe Festival

The 2017 Adelaide Fringe Festival is off and running, with the heart of the city now brimming with activity; from circus performers to cabaret artists, musicians and drag, everyone in between – there’s something for all punters to get involved in. We checked in with the ladies behind Fringe Wives Club to find out what’s led…

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Win a double pass to see The Play That Goes Wrong in Sydney

London’s biggest comedy hit, the riotous theatrical disaster The Play That Goes Wrong described as Fawlty Towers meets Noises Off, will have a limited season at Roslyn Packer Theatre from 5 April. The Play That Goes Wrong introduces ‘The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ who are attempting to put on a 1920s murder mystery, but as…

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Matthew Backer on political thriller Chimerica, Kip Williams rehearsal rooms and the “Tank Man”

Inspired by one of the 20th century’s most powerful images, the photograph “Tank Man”, Chimerica tackles two decades of complex US-China relations alongside the personal stories that exist beyond the margins of history. We caught up with Matthew Backer during rehearsals to talk about this geopolitical thriller and what to expect from this latest production by Sydney…

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The Bold and Filthy – The Mind Behind a FilthyRatBag, Celeste Mountjoy

I don’t know how everyone sees my art – but I know that people seem really fucked up by my age for some reason. I don’t know if it’s because people underestimate youths or if it’s because of the content. I don’t think my age is disregarded, because here we are talking about it. 17…

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Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017 – What we know!

The MICF is set to take over Australia’s comedy capital from Wednesday, March 29th until Sunday, April 23rd. Here’s what we know so far! The Gala Opening Night Comedy Allstars Supershow will be hosted by none other than Wil Anderson. The 28th annual Great Debate takes over the Melbourne Town Hall on Saturday April 15, as six…

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We speak to Creative Director of Asia TOPA Stephen Armstrong in the lead up to the 2017 festival

In the lead up to one of Melbourne’s most distinguished cultural festivals Asia TOPA, we had an in-depth chat with Creative Director Stephen Armstrong about the significance of such a curation of work and one show in particular, The Red Detachment of Women. What is the idea behind Asia TOPA? There are so many amazing creators and…

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Win a double pass to see Blank Tiles as part of Adelaide Fringe Festival

Scrabble World Champion, Austin Michaels knew over 200,000 words. Then he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Since then Austin has been in a race against time to document his memories, his greatest achievements before they fade from his mind and the world forever. Once the toast of the board game world, Austin’s life was full…

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Anna Lumb (Melbourne) talks Spiegel Rock, 50ft women and going back to the future

An artist who has performed in a castle in Poland, an orphanage in the Angolan jungle, and a field in Malaysia, Anna Lumb is no stranger to the surreal. Lumb’s unique blend of theatre, circus and physical comedy has taken her to some of the world’s farthest corners. Ahead of her hometown appearance at Melba…

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Review: CARGO CLUB is a highly charged examination of personal identity, culture, and history (performances at Metro Arts, Brisbane until February 18th)

Presented as part of BrisAsia Festival, a host of international performers welcome audiences to Cargo Club, an immersive experience exploring global themes and personal experiences. Spoken word, ancient ritual, live art, and cool tunes come together as artists tell their stories, unpacking their own ‘cargo’ in a true cultural melting pot. A joint collaboration between…

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Adelaide artist Haneen Martin on her new exhibition Patterns of Migration

Living in a Western society, for the most part, we are taught to be open-minded; to want to learn and experience new things, embrace new ideas. Though, the comfort resultant of the acceptance of their appearance is a luxury not afforded to many. So, what does it feel like to be put under the microscope?…

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Director Richard Carroll talks Calamity Jane and telling tall tales

Legendary frontierswoman; notorious daredevil; profane storyteller; unwomanly radical – CALAMITY JANE is one of the most immediately recognizable figures of the old American West. And now, after a sell-out performance in August last year as part of Neglected Musicals, The Hayes Theatre is bringing the Wild West back in a  “stripped-back, rough-and-ready reimagining” of the classic musical….

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Review: Nigel Kennedy’s The New Four Seasons + Dedications – QPAC, Brisbane (02.02.17)

I find myself sitting in QPAC, eyes half closed. I’m moving through springtime, by a babbling brook. I’m gazing from a snowy summit, blistering winds gazing my face faster than coarse sands. But all the while, just in my peripheral, I can see these damn yellow sneakers. They follow me through the foothills. They sit…

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Review: The Book of Mormon is worthy of all the hype (Now playing at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne)

The Book of Mormon has been one of the most talked about musicals to ever make its way down under, and this weekend the Australian premiere was held in Melbourne to officially commence its long awaited run on our shores – some six years after it made box office history in New York City. The comedic…

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