Sydney Opera House

Over three decades Phantom of the Opera has been solidified as a paradigm-shifting theatre production without equal. I know many people who don’t care for the theatre who would relish in every single second of any iteration of this story, no matter the time, setting or season. And those who do have a particular love…

Nils Frahm is just some guy on a stage fiddling with knobs, tinkering with futuristic glass harmonicas, and clanging away at keys with a penchant for building waves of contemplative sounds. So you can soundtrack whatever stressful thoughts you may have brought with you on a Thursday night. Across the better part of a decade,…

There has been a lot of discussion around International Women’s Day this year, with many expressing strong concerns the day has become tokenistic. Big corporations, largely still run by middle aged white men, throw a morning tea (often organised by the women in the office) and lament lyrically about the organisation’s commitment to inclusivity and…

Livestreaming from the Sydney Opera House on September 5th, Antidote 2021 promises an exciting and inspiring line-up of speakers for its fifth celebration of ideas, action, and change. Speakers including Elizabeth Kolbert, Benjamin Law, Ronnie Gorrie, Bri Lee, Rick Morton, Cathy Park Hong, and Scott Ludlam will cover a wide range of topics, from climate…

You could be forgiven for having never heard of a French sculptor named Camille Claudel. Like many talented and brilliant women history forgot, she existed in the shadow of a man and within the confines of a society that feared the ambitions of women. Growing up with a father who encouraged her and a mother…

It’s one of Sydney’s most sought after dining spots, given it sides right up to Sydney Harbour, and now Opera Kitchen has reopened with a fresh new approach to dining. The venue is now a multi-cuisine food hall, giving Opera Bar more than a few new neighbours for anyone keen to mix-and-match their dining experience….

Sydney Opera House will present two free livestreams of The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Dream this week, a reimagined live performance based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Using gaming and motion-capture technology, Dream will conjure the ethereal surrounds of the forest of sprites and fairies, with narration of the forest by Australia’s very own, Nick…

It’s an interesting time to be a woman right now. The news coming out of Canberra of harassment, assault and rape is shining a light on the fact that the “boys club” in this country is still alive and well – and women are, rightfully, angry. Angry that it is 2021 and we are still…

All About Women at the Sydney Opera House celebrated feminism with a line-up of powerful and inspiring innovators and thinkers. Coinciding with International Women’s Day (March 8), the festival was originally conceived to push back against the fact that, at the majority of conferences, most of the speakers tend to be male. What has evolved…

Although she may have cut her planned quad-run at the Sydney Opera House in half, citing health issues, Houston artist Solange was very much in fine-form as she danced across the Concert Hall last night. The first of two shows (the final one being tonight), Solange and her impeccable band managed to perfectly capture the…

Performance artist Bryony Kimmings is known for work centering on the personal, with prior shows exploring her partner’s depression, a show devised with her tween-aged niece and another sleuthing the source of an STD. In I’m a Phoenix, Bitch, however, things get far more raw. If one uses life experience as a platform for their…

Much like 2018’s widely acclaimed Singularity, a Jon Hopkins live show is defined by the tense relationship between order and chaos. Not chaos in the random sense, but a tightly controlled and wildly frenetic disruption to fundamental sonic throughlines, steered by the gifted musician to transcend the typical IDM experience. If anyone had their doubts…

If you have ever wanted to go behind the scenes of the iconic Sydney Opera House, and blend your own gin as you soak up Harbour-side views, then you’ll want to get around this exclusive Gin & Tour experience coming early next month. Archie Rose Distilling Co. and the Sydney Opera House have collaborated on…

Forget harmony, Kamasi Washington and his exceptional band, The Next Step, are here to preach the virtue of divergence. The kind you’d hear sparingly in Sydney Well, not entirely; they are here to show how top-tier musicians can veer off onto their own paths, only to meet back at one singular spot, occasionally checking in…

Sydney’s iconic Bennelong have not only made a huge change to their beloved wine menu, but a big statement about the strength and vitality of the Australian wine industry. Switching from their wide-reaching wine program, to a menu that is completely Australian focused (except for the Champagne), the destination restaurant has committed itself to showcasing…

VIP guests walk the red carpet for the opening night of West Side Story. The original Broadway classic is playing now until October 6th at the Joan Sutherland Theatre Sydney Opera House You can find more information and tickets HERE

Normally when I write an article about a gig I’ve seen, a lot of what I talk about is very subjective to my own experience. I’m sure there’s been times where I’ve written things that others haven’t agreed with. This article isn’t going to be one of them. What follows is totalling and utterly objective:…

The walrus was Paul, Clapton was God and Lennon is Legend. John Waters knows this because he’s had a lot of practice. Playing the tribute show, Lennon: Glass Onion since 1992, he sure knows how to live and breathe John Lennon. Oh, and that’s along with a little help from a friend called, Stewart D’Arrietta….

Created and performed by renowned Australian actor/musician John Waters and esteemed singer/pianist Stewart D’Arrietta, Lennon – Through a Glass Onion is part concert and part biography, revealing the essence of the life and astonishing talent of one of the most admired icons of the past century. It’s a compelling story and features 31 iconic hits…

Production house Strut & Fret are now welcomed regulars around the Sydney Opera House, enjoying a strong reputation thanks to exciting past productions like Blanc de Blanc and Limbo Unhinged. It’s almost a given now that the masterminds behind these finessed circus cabaret shows will be back each year with another exhilarating project, and for…

A world of starving artists, love at first sight, decadence and jealousy – so sets the scene for Puccini’s formidable La Bohéme. The performance begins with four friends, each a poor artist, struggling to survive another winter. By the end of the first act Rodolfo, a poet, has fallen in love with Mimí, a seamstress,…

The Beatles’ last official live concert was in San Francisco in 1966. They also did one last impromptu appearance on the rooftop of Apple in 1969 to bemused onlookers. This means that many of the band’s more experimental and expansive songs from their studio years have only been performed by tribute acts. The All You…

Legendary duo Basement Jaxx have just announced three special Australian shows for April 2019, re-imagining their long line of hits with a full orchestra and backing singers. The tour, which will take them to iconic venues like the Sydney Opera House and Margaret Court Arena, is a completely updated and refreshed version of a project…

Anyone who has seen the almighty Wu-Tang Clan live before would be forgiven for being a bit cynical about their sold out four-show run at the Sydney Opera House. As far back as I can remember, all nine living members of the Wu have never been on an Australian stage together. The closest we got…

What they say is still true: the Wu-Tang is dangerous. Emerging from a dingy basement in the New York City borough of Staten Island, the Wu-Tang Clan was legendary from the very beginning. The group’s status was cemented in 1993 when the nine MCs came together like Voltron for their classic debut album Enter The…

Ten comedians walk into the Opera House. They deliver some cracking jokes. Hilarity ensues. Rinse and repeat. This is how you could sum up the 8th Just for Laughs All-Star Gala. Local and international comics came together to deliver some wonderful observational and improvisational comedy. Our nation’s very own Dave Hughes was MC for the…

It’s remarkable to think that a TV series about improv could last for 30 years. But indeed, Whose Line is it Anyway? (or Whose Line? as it’s often known, and will be referred to as henceforth), has always beaten the odds. Starting as a radio programme on the BBC starting Clive Anderson, Stephen Fry and…

Earlier today, I stood on the steps of the Sydney Opera House with one of the most iconic names in entertainment, Bill Murray, and acclaimed classical cellist Jan Vogler. The pair are performing tonight and tomorrow night with “Friends”, including cellist Mira Wang, and violinist Vanessa Perez. This marks the first time Vogler has made it to…

A legend across contemporary classical, electronica and experimental music, Ryuichi Sakamoto has had a long an illustrious career. Spanning a number of collaborations, it’s his sixteen year partnership with German composer Alva Noto that has stuck, garnering five albums, along with the soundtrack to the movie The Revenant. A largely improvised affair, the duo meshed sparse…

Michael Falzon is one of Australian musical theatre’s favourite leading men. Currently, he is showcasing his considerable talents in Evita, where he shares the stage with the divine Tina Arena. He is also the creator of Swing on This, a collaboration with Ben Mingay, Luke Kennedy, Matt Lee and Rob Mills, with whom he is currently…