What’s your favourite dish from your childhood? That one meal that brings back memories of home, family and that feeling of contentment. For theatre-maker and singer-songwriter Joshua Hinton it’s his grandmother’s chicken curry. A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen (or How to Make the Perfect One-Pot Chicken Curry) at the Sydney Opera House is an…
Steve Valentine, screen star and world champion magician (appearing in The Illusionists, Wizards of Waverly Place, Crossing Jordan and even Spider-Man 3) will lead the international ensemble of Hook’s Neverland, which will run at Sydney Opera House in January 2027. Valentine will be joined by first-mate, Smee, (Norwegian contortionist Captain Frodo whose previous credits include…
A Room with A View, adapted by Grace Chapple and currently performing at Belvoir St Theatre, is one of the best book-to-stage adaptations I’ve ever seen. E. M. Forster’s original 1908 novel tells the story of Lucy Honeychurch (Nathalie Morris), whose travels through Italy provide her with a glimpse of independence and subsequently lead her…
We are used to seeing unlikely friendships on screen. Think The Odd Couple. Bert and Ernie. You get the point. The Unfriend draws on this tradition and adds a culture clash involving an unexpected, and at times unwelcome, houseguest with some darkly funny results. Under Simon Phillips’ (STC’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) direction, this…
Tinker Tales! is a chaotic physical theatre production hailing from Dutch company, Plan d-. Performed by Andreas Denk (who also handles the script, choreography, and set design), Ali Shafiee, and Chérif Zaouali, the show is incredibly unique and engaging for kids aged six and older. The premise is simple, a group of builders are determined…
Acclaimed UK theatre company Forced Entertainment brings Table Top Shakespeare to the Sydney Opera House. The premise of the performances involves a narrator who retells one of Shakespeare’s plays using various items found around the home. Think of it as CliffsNotes with condiments. The Studio space at the Sydney Opera House contains a rectangular table…
This month the State Library of NSW celebrates its 200th anniversary with a six-week program of talks, performances and live music, including new commissions from some of Australia’s most prolific creatives. On Friday night, the Mitchell Library Reading Room, known for its vast ceilings and the multi-storey bookshelves lining its walls, became the site of…
A name like Housework is one that evokes domestic drudgery, or if you want something a bit more fun, Freddie Mercury in the “I Want to Break Free” video. But do not be fooled; this new play about Australian politics is nothing short of sharp and hilarious. It is a show that will surprise you…
“In order for a dance to exist it requires an audience to witness it.” – Amrita Hepi Bringing together movement and storytelling, internationally renowned Bundjalung and Ngāpuhi artist Amrita Hepi presents Rinse at the Sydney Opera House. A collaboration with acclaimed theatre maker Mish Grigor, this solo work combines dance with theatre to create a…
Welcome to Westerberg High School where you’ll find a liquorice all sorts of jocks, nerds, angsty teens and mean girls. Most notably, the Heathers – a group of nasty girls who rule the school. They take oddball Veronica Sawyer under their wing and everything seems a-okay until things take a sharp turn when Veronica falls…
Earlier this month, while at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I had the chance to see Sydney writer and comedian Hannah Reilly’s brand-new one-woman show, Roleplay. The 70-minute production has already completely sold out its Edinburgh Fringe run, across 22 shows. In part, this came out of early buzz from must-see show lists on publications like The…
The idea of the interactive theatre experience is nothing new. From “whodunit” dinner parties to whatever it is people get up to at those Rocky Horror screenings, there’s always been a market for those of us who want to feel a part of the action. Even sitting front row at a comedy show brings out the more…
Part of the House of Oz series at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival is Birds, a show that is set to make its stars Alex Hines and Sarah Stafford (known collectively as Sons of Susan) fan favourites of the festival. Less a traditional play and more of an absurdist character study, the 50-minute show takes…
One of the must-see plays at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival is a parody of Reginald Rose’s classic 1957 12 Angry Men, that was a hit of the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe. With equal humour and cruelty, this version of the show is titled 11 1/2 Angry Men, due to the shortness of one of the…
Journey into the life and mind of travelling salesman Willy Loman in Neil Armfield’s adaptation of Death of a Salesman, an exploration of the flaws of the American dream, consequences of family expectations and the perceived rules of masculine success. Arthur Miller’s timeless two-act tragedy has stood the test of time, captivating audiences through countless…
One of the longest running and most popular shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the improvised musical Showstopper!. Like this very website, they kicked things off 18 years ago, in August 2008. Since then, there have been a dozen sell-out seasons, and they’ve even taken it to the West End (twice!) for which they…
While the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is perhaps best known for its comedy programming, the world’s largest performing arts festival has something for everyone. British music promoter and musician Andy Macleod certainly understands this, as he debuts his new one-man show at the event, Soho Days and Camden Nights. It’s his second time at the Fringe,…
A tale that travels all the way back to 1905, Fiddler on the Roof is by no means a new musical, yet its timeless themes carry through to today. Premiering on Broadway in 1964, with a film version released in 1971, this musical now marks its 62nd anniversary with its premiere season at the Theatre…
Back in May, while I was attending the IPW travel industry conference in Florida, we had the privilege to preview a number of Broadway shows. Most of them were recent additions to the Broadway catalogue, like the brilliant Tony winners The Outsiders and Maybe Happy Ending. But the classic Chicago was also amongst them, which…
Australians are once again taking over Edinburgh for the world’s largest Fringe Festival, which officially kicks off on August 7th. But with over 2,000 performances to choose from every day, grinding through the massive lists is a challenge. So we thought we’d lend you a helping hand and choose the six Australian performances we don’t…
“Switch On, Light Up, Come Alive” is the theme of this year’s Brisbane Festival, which runs from 4-26 September. This is Ebony Bott’s first Brisbane Festival as Artistic Director, featuring a range of events, including live music, theatre, opera, dance, talks, and film. We’ve chosen five must-see events that showcase new voices, storytelling, and local…
Walk down the street to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre, where Pretty Woman the Musical has landed for the final leg of its debut Australian tour. Strap on those glossy red heels, tighten that bold red tie and witness the stage adaptation of one of the most beloved 90s romantic comedies, now with an array of songs…
Have you ever been swept up in an argument, so positive in your convictions, so certain of your truth, and then suddenly, you’re not so sure? A seed of doubt is planted, but you’ve passed the point of no return. To back down now would be to admit you’re wrong, so you stand firm, your…
Produced and created by Indian Ink Theatre Company, Balloon Dog at the Sydney Opera House is a contemporary adaptation of Kabuliwala, the 1892 Bengali short story by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It is the story of a five-year-old girl called Mini who befriends a local service station worker called Kabir (Jehangir Homavazir). They form an…
Meet Bev, or Chiko, who, in his own words, is “not the best truckie, just the best looking.” He’s every stereotype of Australian masculinity you could conjure up, from his impressive mullet to his truck-themed stubbies (translation: shorts). Written and performed by Jonny Hawkins, Truck Driver at the Sydney Opera House, is an insight into…
If you need any evidence that history repeats itself, look no further than this 1960s rock musical, HAIR. Celebrating an age of freedom, rebellion against war, and experimentation, tackling issues of race, sexuality and gender identity. HAIR takes us back to the 1960s/70s counterculture hippie movement whose obstacles are not so dissimilar from those we…
Choreographed, written and performed by Martin del Amo, Scary Piece of Work at the Sydney Opera House is perhaps the most bizarre show I have ever seen. Pitched as a work that explores fear, its universality and our individual responses to it, this one-person production was a cocaine-fuelled fever dream that left audiences wondering what…
Sheltering at the Sydney Opera House is a triple-bill from the acclaimed Bangarra Dance Theatre. Bangarra’s unique style of dance fuses traditional First Nations movement and narratives with contemporary dance to tell stories that resonate and challenge the audience. Sheltering acknowledges and honours the theatre’s history through the work Sheoak, while looking forward to the…
In NSW, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children make up over 56% of those in youth detention, but only around 4% of the youth population. Presented by the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), Saplings at the Sydney Opera House sheds light on the youth justice system. Written by Yuwaalaray playwright Hannah Belanszky and directed…
Oscar Wilde‘s satiric play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a “Trivial Comedy for Serious People”. South Australia’s State Theatre Company have sprinkled their own flavours into this delicious mix. The best way to describe the event would be queer and quirky – in the most over-the-top camp way imaginable. The plot begins with Jack…
