Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra presents the tragic story of naval hero Boccanegra (George Petean) who experiences great loss when the mother of his child, Maria, dies. Her father, Jacopo Fiesco (Giacomo Prestia), resents him and insists the only way in which to achieve redemption in his eyes is to hand his granddaughter over to him….
Seattle formed quintet Band of Horses have long been favourites on Australian shores, and tonight the band made their long awaited Sydney Opera House debut, as part of their Splendour in the Grass visit and off the back off their brilliant LP Why Are You OK. It would go on to be a show that…
Cosi fan tutte to me was like a girls movie night at the opera. My friend and I were full of wistful sighs over corsets, eye rolls over relationship silliness, swoons over dashing (yet infuriating) men, endless giggles and pensive frustrations over wondering who will end up with who. All in all- a great night…
Little Big Shots is Australia’s only international film festival for kids. It’s currently touring the country and has been announced to take over the Sydney Opera House from Friday 5 August through Sunday 7 August. The weekend event will feature the best local and international shorts, animations and documentaries for children (including some that have…
In Ira Glass’ own words, this was a melding of two mediums no one ever asked to see in the same show. A mashup (for want of a better term) of radio and interpretive dance, Three Acts, Two Dancers… could be the most pretentious thing you might ever see, but is far from it. The…
It was only a matter of time before businesses and landmarks stop fighting against Pokemon Go players and start working with them. A lot of this stems from certain areas being hotbeds of activity for the game, and Sydney Opera House is becoming largely known as one such place. In response, the Sydney icon will…
In August Sydneysiders will be treated to a very special production of My Fair Lady at the iconic, Sydney Opera House. But if audiences want to see two fair ladies then they have one very special opportunity; that is, to see Dame Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton live and in conversation. The…
“Love is a bird that nobody can tame” sing Carmen. Nobody but director John Bell it seems, in the latest dramatic and colourful retelling of the popular opera. Right from the opening notes the music is familiar. The set is like that of a film, lending beautifully to the very film-like opera and bringing everything to…
The story behind Australia’s most iconic building, the Sydney Opera House is set to become a feature film in a Danish, Swedish and Australian co-production. Currently in development, the film will be titled Utzon, The Man Behind the Opera House. The film will bring together Swedish-Australian producer Jan Marnell, and Australian producers Marian Macgowan and…
Heathers opened at the Sydney Opera House last Thursday night to standing ovation. Make sure you don’t miss one of your final chances to see one of the best new musicals to premiere in Australia in the past year. Still need more convincing? Here’s five very good reasons: 5. You loved the film If you worry…
On September 6th, the culmination of years of work will debut on the Sydney Opera House stage – a precise recreation of the original 1956 Broadway production of My Fair Lady, helmed by the woman who starred in the production itself as Eliza Doolittle – Dame Julie Andrews. Taking over this role for the 60th…
This August and September the Sydney Opera House will welcome Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, where a classic take on the original 1956 production will come to life. Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the production has been in the making for the past seven years, with contributors aiming to recreate the classic play and re-introdude…
After a sold out season at Arts Centre Melbourne, At Last: The Etta James Story is set to return to the Sydney Opera House for a one week engagement in mid July. First premièring in 2013, the show has been wowing audiences across Australia and New Zealand, telling the story of legendary soul singer Etta James, who did…
Directed by Jennifer Hagan and presented by Strange Duck Productions, Blonde Poison is a gripping tale of betrayal, war and the high price of survival. Based on a true story, Stella Goldschlag is preparing to be interviewed in her home by an old childhood friend, now a successful journalist. As she becomes increasingly anxious about…
And you thought your family was bad. Meet the Blisses. Mother Judith (Heather Mitchell) is a retired stage actress, her husband David (Tony Llewellyn-Jones) is a novelist and their two grown children, Simon (Tom Conroy) and Sorel (Harriet Dyer) still live at home. Hay Fever opens with the siblings exchanging insults and generally talking around…
Stunt Lounge is the first in a new collaborative arrangement between the Flying Fruit Fly Circus and the Sydney Opera House, where recent graduates – and those at the end of their time with the Youth circus – get the opportunity to perform in the prestigious venue. Its aim is to bridge the gap between the…
As part of a new series dubbed Nooks & Crannies by Sydney Opera House and Intel, blending their access to one of the most marvelous architectural feats in the world with good music, José González has performed a beautiful, intimate acoustic rendition of Vestiges and Claws single “Open Book” inside one of the icon’s actual…
To say I’ve been anticipating the return of The Decemberists for some time is an understatement. Since first seeing the Portland, Oregon group in Canada almost ten years ago, I’ve jumped at every chance to see the band live. When first in Australia for Big Day Out in 2010, I was lucky enough to catch…
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys brought his California charm by way of a 38-song set list to the Sydney Opera House last night. The tour is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary album “Pet Sounds”, but could it still be a success without the rest of the full band and so many…
My ideal D’Angelo concert would be about four or five hours long; he would perform every single song he has ever recorded, all full versions, he would bring out Erykah Badu for their stunning cover of “Your Precious Love”, The Roots for the OG “Break You Off”, “The ‘Notic” and “Geto Heaven” with Common on…
It’s one of the most exciting events on Sydney’s cultural calendar. Vivid Sydney has grown into a phenomenal platform of innovative lights, music, and ideas; one which the world pays close attention to as, for a few weeks (five days longer this year), Sydney turns into the shining star of the Southern Hemisphere. One of…
Seeing a band like the great Sleater-Kinney at a venue as prestigious as the Sydney Opera House is something of a strange experiment; because when the band are at their best, they’re one who make you want to jump up and down, and throw yourself all around. This is something hard to do from a more conservative,…
Following the death of one of the world’s most celebrated music legends, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra will be paying tribute to David Bowie at the Sydney Opera House. David Bowie: Nothing Has Changed will unfold over two nights only, May 19 and 21 at 8pm, with the likes of iOTA, Tim Rogers, Steve Kilbey, Deborah…
With the return of the Oscars, Sydney Opera House’s fourth All About Women festival returns on Sunday 6th March, and has created three fictional trailers for films “you probably won’t be seeing this summer” – films that would pass the ‘Bechdel test’. The Bechdel test, a benchmark developed by American cartoonist Alison Bechdel, judges how much…
“We are all more intelligent than we are capable, and awareness of the insanity of love has never saved anyone from the disease.” – Alain de Botton Is love just an illusion? Philosopher, bestselling author and School of Life co-founder Alain de Botton returns to the Sydney Opera House on 9 July to explore what it…
Tom Stoppard’s plays are just so damn entertaining and clever. They always give off such a vibe of established sophistication that he easily fits into the most respected playwrights of history, but his writing remains relevant and modern. And when one gets to experience his plays in such a production as Sydney Theatre Company’s latest…
Luisa Miller is a lesser known earlier opera of Verdi, it’s name perhaps less extravagant then his La Traviata, Don Carlos or Aida, but in its musical telling are far more applicable characters and a genuinely beautiful yet tragic tale of love. This production by Opera Australia is a co-production with Opera de Lausanne of…
In the country to tour his third studio record Vestiges and Claws, which was released a year ago this month, Sweden’s José González made his Sydney Opera House debut last night, accompanied by a four piece band. José, who is no stranger to our shores either in solo or Junip mode (the project that preceded…
“Samsung: Sound + Vision” was a debut collaborative music and visual arts project by Vice and Sydney Opera House principal partners Samsung Electronics Australia, taking over the iconic Concert Hall to showcase the marriage of music and technology, as well as the local and international artists involved. Perhaps the strongest element to this project was…
Strut & Fret Production House’s first show of 2016 lands inside the Sydney Opera House Studio, peppered with flesh, flips, spins and a ridiculous amount of champagne. Vintage white and gold is the theme, a little bit of flair if you wish – no biggie. You enter and you’re immersed in a world of Moët…