Now playing at The Princess in Melbourne is The Book of Mormon – the mammoth Broadway hit we’ve been looking forward to arriving in Australia for some six years. There are endless reasons to see the show, and if you’re a fan of South Park or Avenue Q – the creators of which are behind…
Disco. That most oft maligned of genres is given the celebration it rightly deserves thanks to the gloriously kitsch and utterly entertaining Velvet, which is a part of this year’s Fringe World in Perth.
So many wonderfully talented people are performing within Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza, that it is amazing how its performances under the big top can be coordinated in such a way. It’s quite the production; heading backstage, I see gym equipment sprawled out within the backend of the performance area, while artists (of the trapeze, dance…
Here at the AU offices, we go through all your spruces and gooses and have collated the best events in this, our monthly look at the best the art, theatre and cultural world has to offer this month for the month of February 2017. Go out and enjoy one of these little events around Australia,…
Take a Cirque du Soleil show. Strip out all the colour, the costumes, the set. Turn off the music. What you’d be left with is something that looks a lot like Dimitris Papaioannou’s Still Life. Featuring feats of acrobatic strength and clowning, Still Life is a beautiful piece of moving art, created from the most…
Bringing up the rear of a family of circus runaways, ambitious playboy barristers, and juvenile delinquents, Loretta often finds that the best recourse is blending into the background of their scandalous and unusual existence. But Loretta cannot remain a fly on her family’s wall for much longer. As the four piece’s precarious existence begins to…
You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘wrestling with their inner demons’ – you may even know someone who has. In Institute, English physical theatre company, Gecko, has taken that idea and turned it inside out, giving us a powerful and beautiful physical representation of the inner workings of the human mind. Institute does not follow an…
Described as “part anthem, part campfire story, and part instructions for the dismantling of the gender stories we tell”, Tomboy Survival Guide comes to Sydney Festival all the way from the Yukon in Canada, and serves as one of the most powerful performances to grace this year’s festival. The show is led by Ivan Coyote,…
Native Earth Performing Arts’ Sydney Festival offering, Huff, is arresting, confronting, and oddly comedic. Immensely talented writer and performer, Cliff Cardinal, ensures the audience is continually unsettled, and you will find yourself laughing at circumstances that are far from funny. If you’re looking for a feel-good night out, safely ensconced behind the theatrical fourth wall,…
Following on from documenting the life of the great Jim Henson, author Brian Jay Jones has given us another comprehensive biography, (and international best seller), this time of Star Wars creator George Lucas in George Lucas, A Life. George Lucas, A Life opens in March 1976 with Lucas having a tough time filming in Tunisia…
Here’s Johnny! For years Johnny Marr has created great music and influenced multiple generations of guitarists by wearing various musical hats. Set The Boy Free is the first time the former guitarist of The Smiths has committed the story of his life to paper. This book is a cracking read and it proves that Marr…
With the prospect owning your own home as distant as one of Saturn’s moons, it seems the majority of Sydney is content with living in a rented apartment/house nowadays. Such living arrangements spurred a production of The Inspection, starring NIDA alumni Julia Christensen premiering at Sydney’s Old 505 Theatre tonight. The producer for the show Julian…
In the 1980s, Sydney gangs found a new blood sport – hunting gays. From February 21st to March 4th , Fairly Lucid Productions will present the gripping production, Member, a powerful look into the gay hate crime epidemic that blighted Sydney’s coastline during the 1980s and 1990s. Member follows the story of former gang member,…
King Roger, or Krol Roger, is a rarely performed Polish opera that takes you inside the conflicted mind of the King as he battles with the seduction of a hedonistic Shepard/God. And by “takes you inside” it means quite literally, for the main stage is a giant head- the hollowed back forming stairs and platforms…
Picture yourself at the edge of a rainforest, standing in the sun, eager to embark on a trek. Signs point you towards the path and provide helpful information about the journey soon to be undertaken. As you progress down the track, the canopy begins to close over you. New sounds emerge to drown out the…
Drag is a culture that has a richness entwined with a diverse community of entertainers telling a story in all sorts of ways. It’s then comforting to know that drag artists are still out there keen on simply performing musicals for musical sake. Jonny Woo, along with his long-time collaborator Le Gateau Chocolat is bringing…
If you live in Sydney and love contemporary art, block off March on your calendars now. Art Month Sydney, the annual month long city-wide celebration of contemporary art and artists returns in 2017, running from March 1st – 20th. In 2017 there will be a renewed focus on bringing Sydney’s exciting art precincts to life in…
Opera Australia’s latest production of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci is actually two operas performed back to back. Two quite distinct operas in their composition, and yet they lend themselves to the other so easily that it’s odd to try and think of them as distinct. This production, in particular, uses beautiful subtleties to link them even further….
Celia Pacquola is (quite literally) everywhere. Turn on the ABC and you’re highly likely to see her face either on Utopia, her own new show Rosehaven or in her AACTA-winning role in The Beautiful Lie. Having built a reputation in standup for the better part of a decade, it’s a natural progression for someone who’s…
Moogahlin Performing Arts‘ biennial celebration of local and international First Nations playwriting, the Yellamundie National First Peoples Playwriting Festival returns later this month. In partnership with Sydney Festival and presented at Carriageworks the festival provides a platform for playwrights, either emerging or established, from all across Australia. The festival has since its inception in 2013…
The term “Hakawati” may not mean a lot to people today. In fact, you’d probably be forgiven for thinking it was something Japanese. Hakawati actually means the art of storytelling in the Arabic tradition where story time is combined with the breaking of bread or sharing of food. It’s a wonderful concept and has now…
Urban Theatre Project’s Home Country is not so much a theatrical production as it is a full-bodied cultural experience, and it’s one not to be missed. Over three and a half hours of theatre, music and food, you are immersed into the worlds of others. It is a piece that challenges you to consider your…
God only knows where pop music would be without Brian Wilson. The genius writer of many of The Beach Boys greatest hits has had a profound effect on popular culture. I Am Brian Wilson (his second autobiography; his first was published in the nineties) is a complex and forthright account of his life in music….
First-time playwright, Nathan Maynard, has created a real gem in The Season, premiering as part of the 2017 Sydney Festival. It’s a great yarn, full of laughter and pride in a culture that has been in the shadows for too long. The Season follows fictional family, the Duncans, on their annual pilgrimage to Dog Island…
Ahead of the premiere of Institute at the Sydney Festival, the AU speaks with Amit Lahav, Artistic Director of the Gecko Theatre Company, who are bringing the show to Australia from the UK for an exclusive three night run. Can you talk about Institute and it’s meaning; how it came to life? It takes me…
Kat chats with Dmitris Papaioannou ahead of the Australian premiere of his production, Still Life. Taking influence from the Greek myth of Sisyphus and Camus‘ essay on the same story, the performance takes a look at the human condition and the drive or ‘thirst’ for spirituality. Could you tell us a little about Still Life? About it’s meaning,…
Which Way Home is a moving, charming tribute to the little things that make up a family. The play is both funny and poignant, delivering smiles and sadness in equal balance, leaving you to contemplate your own parental relationships. Produced by pre-eminent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theatre company, ILBIJERRI, Which Way Home fits beautifully…
Opera Australia will present their latest production of the Szymanowski’s 20th-century masterpiece King Roger from the 20th January at the Sydney Opera House. The production is co-produced with the Royal Opera House and was first performed in Covent Garden. Playing the demanding role of the conflicted King Roger is Michael Honeyman. We caught up ahead of the production to…
In a world of political uncertainty, where rhetoric that sits against the values of equality lingers and the seeming equilibrium of the world is driving us all mad, nothing feels more necessary than a perverse drag show enjoying a residency at one of the world’s most prestigious events, the Sydney Festival. Thankfully, Briefs: The Second…
The physical and comedic talents of a dynamic cast smash through the language barrier in this Russian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Combined with powerful design and masterful direction, Cheek by Jowl’s production is a treat for theatre fans and a highlight of the 2017 Sydney Festival lineup. Measure for Measure is a Shakespearean…
