Concrete Playground’s Picks for Summer at the House
The 2012-13 season is jam-packed full of local and international superstars who look set to showcase all the things we love about the Sydney Opera House.
Groundbreaking theatre productions, revamped movie masterpieces, acclaimed hip-hop artists and the occasional drag-queen are all ready to set the Sydney Opera House alight this summer with the announcement of another ambitious program from Australia's premiere live entertainment venue. The 2012-13 Summer At The House season is jam-packed full of local and international superstars who will showcase all of the things we love about the Sydney Opera House, from cutting edge and genre-defying entertainment to stadium spectaculars that will have the heart racing and the spine tingling.
After performing in front of sell-out crowds in London, Paris, Berlin and Bangkok, the enthralling international dance spectacular, Blaze, is heading to Sydney. The show combines a host of acclaimed hip-hoppers, entertaining pop-and-lockers as well as acrobatically acute breakers with the work of extravagant set designer, Es Devlin, who has decked the halls for the likes of Kanye and Lady Gaga. Under the direction of legendary West End director and choreographer, Anthony van Laast, who has sellout's like Mamma Mia! and Sister Act under his belt, Blaze is a surefire winner for the whole family.
Continuing the summer of entertainment is La Soirée, a mélange of shocking and awe-inspiring acts from a range of eccentric circus-folk that is sure to leave you giggling, gasping and even a little bit titillated. From scantily-clad contortionists to graceful aerialists and beguiling performers, La Soirée promises to be a mystical world of incredible charisma and skill. For those who prefer their entertainment a little more gender confused, check out the Opera House's adult's-only panto, Little Orphan TrAshley. Australian theatre's jack of all trades, Trevor Ashley (often described as the 'busiest man in Australian show-business') plays 10-year-old little orphan Fannie, who journeys to find her birth parents in order to receive her much-yearned-for gender reallocation to make her truly female. Complete with evil alcohol-dependent matrons, sexy multi-millionaires and an ex-sniffer dog called Bullshit, this Christmas panto promises to be as hilarious as it is outlandish.
For those in search of more X-rated performances, My First Time is hitting the stage in Sydney, fittingly, for its first time. Four actors explore a whopping 40,000 stories of people's first sexual encounters taken from an online forum of the most hilarious, unbelievable, adventurous, cute and ridiculous ways Americans have lost their virginity. Don't miss out on this side-splitting 90-minute play fresh from its highly acclaimed New York run. Another must-not-miss theatrical performance this season is the ferociously feline drama performance, Meow Meow. Three time winner at the 2012 Helpmann Awards and title winner of the top ten 'Best of Cabaret' by Time Out NY, this show is evidently doing something right. With its unique blend of post-modern cabaret and exotic performance, Meow Meow has had even the fiercest of doubters swept up in its bizarre and beautiful world.
Sitting somewhere between Bob Dylan and a "one-man Mumford and Sons" (The Guardian), Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson aka "The Tallest Man On Earth" is set to light the Opera House Concert Hall on fire. With his stadium-friendly vocals, lilting guitar melodies and arrestingly passionate stage presence, The Tallest Man On Earth has rapidly garnered a reputation as a consummate performer. For those in search of danceable, intelligent pop music, the Opera House Concert Hall will also play host to the New York quintet The Dirty Projectors and their irresistible combination of funky, off-kilter rhythms, operatic vocal harmonies and stomping Afro-pop beats.
In what has become an Opera House staple, this summer will see a cinematic masterpiece come gloriously to life with the help of the Sydney Symphony and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. In what promises to be an astounding audio-visual spectacular, Stanley Kubrick's mind-altering, time-bending classic 2001: A Space Odyssey is being given the Opera House treatment combining a giant screen with a sumptuous live soundtrack. Critically acclaimed Australian artist, Sarah Blasko is returning to the stage after the release of her fourth album, I Awake, and she too is using the backing sounds of an eminent orchestra to support her enchanting vocals. The International Sydney Orchestra will accompany this double ARIA and Triple J Album of the Year-winning singer to create a spellbinding musical performance at her first ever headline at the House.
By Sean Robertson and Greta Mayr
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