In the centuries since William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, plenty of other projects have attempted to take his lead, spinning perhaps the most famous love story there is into both straightforward and creative new adaptations. Some have simply brought the exact same story to the stage or screen. Others have kept all the details, but filtered them through a filmmaker's own style, as Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet did. And, back in 1957 on Broadway and 1961 in cinemas, West Side Story revamped the narrative and transferred it to the Big Apple. Created more than six decades ago by famed musical figures Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents, West Side Story is the adaptation that's taken on a life of its own. It's rarely far from stages worldwide, and that now 60-year-old film is a classic. It's also set to dance its way across the big screen again — and sing, too — with its New York neighbourhood rivalry returning to cinemas Down Under via a new remake this Boxing Day. Yes, the Jets and the Sharks are facing off once more. As both the new movie's initial teaser and its just-dropped full trailer show, Tony (Ansel Elgort, The Goldfinch) and María (film debutant Rachel Zegler) will fall head over heels again as well, because that's how the story goes. This time around, Steven Spielberg is in the director's chair, but West Side Story's storyline will obviously remain the same. So, in NYC in 1957, the aforementioned pair will feel sparks fly despite their backgrounds — because Tony's best friend Riff (Mike Faist, Panic) leads the Jets, and María is the younger sister of Sharks head honcho Bernardo (David Alvarez). Also popping up among the cast: Ariana DeBose (The Prom), Josh Andrés Rivera, Ana Isabelle (Imprisoned), Corey Stoll (Ratched) and Brian d'Arcy James (Devs), plus the great Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time) — who also played the role of Anita, Bernardo's girlfriend, in the original movie. The film's long list of talent continues off-screen, too, with West Side Story circa 2021's screenplay penned by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner Tony Kushner (Lincoln), and the choreography coming courtesy of fellow Tony-recipient Justin Peck. Spielberg and company are taking the original Broadway musical rather than its first movie adaptation as their basis, and the results look vibrant and lively, but still with a classic old-school musical sheen. Thankfully — and unsurprisingly — it also looks worlds away from the filmmaker's last feature, Ready Player One. Check out the trailer below: West Side Story is set to open in Australian cinemas on December 26. Top image: Niko Tavernise, 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Sydney's big stage revamps are set to continue, after the Theatre Royal's big makeover and Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall transformation — and this time, the Harbour City is gaining a brand-new spot for shows within a beloved venue. Sydney Lyric Theatre has always boasted a rear-stage space; however, it was solely set aside for changing sets if it was hosting multiple operas. Now, that part of the theatre is going to become its own place to get entertained. Foundation Theatres, which owns and runs both Sydney Lyric Theatre and the Capitol Theatre, has lodged a development application for the refurbishment. The works at Sydney Lyric join the company's already-approved plans to also add to Pyrmont's cultural scene with a 1550-seat Broadway-style theatre and a 1000-seat space for live performances. And, the rear-space makeover will be completed first, targeting a late 2024 opening ready for a huge summer of 2024–25 filled with more shows. Sydney Lyric's new addition will be focused on intimate setups, seating 360 people — including on a rear balcony with 80 seats — and catering to 630 standing folks. Patrons will enter through the same venue foyers, but the new theatre will have its own backstage facilities, including dressing rooms, and be operated as a self-contained site. Whatever graces the space when it launches, the venue's lineup will do so behind the main stage. Sydney Lyric's design kept large-scale repertory opera firmly in mind, aka performing multiple productions a week — hence the need for a rear stage to store a second set. But, despite that aim, the venue hasn't ever been used for opera repertory productions. So, the rear stage is just used for loading main-stage shows at the moment. "This additional venue to Sydney's theatre ecosystem will provide a new performance space of a size that is in critical demand in Sydney, particularly for emerging works and performers seeking to showcase performances to Sydney audiences," said Foundation Theatres CEO Graeme Kearns. "We're looking forward to programming the new venue with contemporary music, drama, cabaret and comedy that will work nicely in Pyrmont's thriving entertainment precinct with the other theatres we have planned for the area." The new theatre also earned support from arts industry figures such as producer John Frost and Sydney Festival Director Olivia Ansell. "Sydney's theatre scene can only benefit from commercial theatre offerings of this size and capability," noted Frost, whose shows include Wicked — which is currently playing Sydney Lyric — plus Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show and Grease. "Finding versatile theatres that can accommodate a broad range of artistic works, in a variety of presentation modes can often be a challenge in Sydney. Presenters and artists across the country will warmly welcome this intimate theatre space to Sydney," added Ansell. Sydney Lyric Theatre's rear-stage revamp is set to open in the fourth quarter of 2024 at 55 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont — for more information, head to the Foundation Theatres website.
Maybe your monthly payday has finally rolled around. Maybe a surprise bonus dropped into your lap. Maybe you won second prize in a beauty contest (a steady source of income generation, we've been raised to believe). Whatever the source, if you're feeling flush, it's time to treat yourself. We've partnered with American Express to round up some solid-gold places for you to go to in Sydney when you just want to splash some cash. These aren't your stuffy, 18-course degustation venues; these are joints you can head to with your mates, splurge on that Burgundy you've been lusting after and have a good time with some quality eats. They all accept Amex too — so you can stock up on points. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
Last year was tough for Australia's hospitality industry, but hope is on the horizon thanks to the inspirational ideas submitted by talented bartenders, managers and venue teams in this year's Idea Lab competition. Beam Suntory's competition initiative awarded grants from $5000–20,000 to support hospo legends and their passion projects with a goal to improve the industry as a whole. And the result is a series of new projects that will revitalise the bars you visit week after week, as well as supporting the industry as a whole. Whittled down from 20 finalists, these six ideas were chosen from around the country as 2021's Idea Lab champions. Read on to find out what's coming — or relaunching — in a city near you. A BETTER SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY FOR HOSPO WORKERS Having spent decades in the Melbourne hospo scene, Nicola Keating (Welcome to Brunswick, Brunswick Mess Hall) is sick of pervasive sexual harassment in the industry. She's joined forces with psychologist Ishma Alvi to launch a sexual harassment and assault policy for Australia's hospitality industry. The duo has been awarded $20,000 to start the project, called The Consent Blueprints, which will create training modules and implement safeguarding tools for venues. The program will also promote risk assessments and risk management protocols for venues and events. The Consent Blueprints is positioned to truly make change in the industry, so watch this space. A MULTIUSE COCKTAIL LAB IN WOLLONGONG Wollongong's escape room bar Breakout Bar is set to expand this year thanks to bartenders Orion Leppan Taylor and Mitchell Bloomfield. The duo want to elevate the local cocktail scene by creating a space that's both a test kitchen for bartenders and a multipurpose event space. The Wollongong Cocktail Lab will include prep islands and high-end equipment, a research and development lab with cocktail-making equipment like centrifuges and rotary vacuums, and a small bar and masterclass section. And the pair has been awarded $20,000 to make it happen. It's not just for hospitality workers either, as on weekends you can expect masterclasses, cocktail-making courses, spirit tastings and other similar events for punters, too. A DEDICATED ICE LAB IN PERTH Western Australian Tom Kearney runs a company called Arctic Fox Ice Co, which supplies quality ice to bartenders and venues across Perth. Alongside providing ice for high quality drinks, Kearney's company aims to offer workshops, training and other cocktail- and ice-related activations. His idea to create a dedicated space for training sessions was awarded a whopping $20,000 from Beam Suntory. If you're a hospo worker in Perth, look out for upcoming details on the Arctic Fox Ice Lab in the near future. A HOSPO DEVELOPMENT NETWORK IN WA There is a lack of personal and professional development available to Australia's expansive hospo community, believes Perth bartender Kaden Pool, from Arcade Palace. Pool says this shortcoming is especially noticeable in WA, so his idea is to create a not-for-profit that provides professional development opportunities for the local hospitality scene. Good Causes will host workshops and training sessions for industry workers and Pool's been awarded $5,000 to make it happen. The not-for-profit will officially launch in 2021, so keep an eye on the Instagram page for more details. A THREE-WEEK CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IN BRISBANE After a long, difficult year, we were all in need of a little extra Christmas cheer according to Queensland man Daniel Rodriguez. To finish 2020 off with a big ol' bang, Daniel's big idea was to go all out with a Christmas celebration in Brisbane that lasted three weeks. He was awarded $10,000 to bring together the city's live music scene in a series of Christmas-themed events geared toward bringing Brisbanites back into its city venues. A NETWORKING COLLECTIVE IN ADELAIDE Adelaide's hospo elite have bandied together for this one under the name The Pursuit of Hospitality. Maybe Mae's Michael Keogh, Cry Baby's Sean Howard, Bar Torino's Kayla Grigoriou and Jack Booker (Yiasou George, Anchovy Bandit) have joined forces to come up with a mentorship community that supports rookies in the early days of their hospitality careers. The Pursuit of Hospitality are at the top of their game as managers, owners and distillers, and so the group aims to provide industry expertise to the next gen. The team has been awarded $5,000 to provide training and networking opportunities to hospo workers, and it plans to bring together the Adelaide community like never before. Top image: Orion Leppan Taylor, Wollongong Cocktail Lab
Civil War is not a relaxing film, either for its characters or viewers, but writer/director Alex Garland (Men) does give Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) a moment to lie down among the flowers. She isn't alone among the movie's stars on her stomach on a property filled with Christmas decorations en route from New York to Washington DC. Also, with shots being fired back and forth, no one is in de-stressing mode. For viewers of Dunst's collaborations with Sofia Coppola, however — a filmmaker that her Civil War co-star Cailee Spaeny just played Priscilla Presley for in Priscilla — the sight of her face beside grass and blooms was always going to recall The Virgin Suicides. Twenty-five years have now passed since that feature, which Garland nods to as a handy piece of intertextual shorthand. As the camera's focus shifts between nature and people, there's not even a tiny instant of bliss among this sorrow, nor will there ever be, as there was the last time that Dunst was framed in a comparable fashion. Instead, Civil War tasks its lead with stepping into the shoes of a seasoned war photographer in the middle of the violent US schism that gives the movie its name (and, with January 6, 2021 so fresh in everyone's memories, into events that could very well be happening in a version of right now). The US President (Nick Offerman, Origin) is into his third term after refusing to leave office, and the fallout is both polarising and immense. Think: bombed cities, suicide attackers, death squads, torture, lynchings, ambushes, snipers, shuttering the FBI, California and Texas inexplicably forming an alliance to fight back, Florida making its own faction, journalists killed on sight, refugee camps, deserted highways, checkpoints, resistance fighters, mass graves and, amid the rampant anarchy, existence as America currently knows it clearly obliterated. (Asking "what kind of American are you?" barely seems a stretch, though.) The front line is in Charlottesville, but Dunst's Lee Smith is destined for the White House with Reuters reporter Joel (Wagner Moura, Mr & Mrs Smith), where they're hoping to evade the lethal anti-media sentiment to secure an interview with the leader who has torn the country apart. That Dunst's character, nor anyone, will never be able to shake the chaos observed and experienced, no matter the no-nonsense demeanour sported, couldn't be more evident from Civil War's opening. This is a raw and deeply resonant movie about trauma, sources for which fill its chillingly realistic visuals constantly, as Garland and cinematographer Rob Hardy (returning from all of the filmmaker's past helming work, including Ex Machina and Annihilation) bring to the screen with haunting immediacy. It's also about desensitisation to that onslaught, for Garland's players and audiences alike. Combine both, even if Lee ignores the personal impact, and you get someone who'll never feel the calm that should accompany lying on a lawn in different circumstances — because the time when she'd soak that in, and the person who could do just that, are long gone. You also get someone so accustomed being surrounded by nightmarish horror that she's no longer aware of what she's lost. Garland's fourth film behind the lens is a probingly complex character study as well. It's a snapshot of a dystopia with far more potential to come immediately true than most such tales — and it gives America and its volatile political reality the filmic treatment usually reserved for almost anywhere else — but it's always also an unpacking of what it means to spend your life immortalising humanity at its worst; pics and it definitely did happen. Navigating the ethics of the gig, Lee is adamant that the job is to chronicle, not to intervene. "We take pictures so others can ask these questions," she advises. Everything about the performance behind not just the line but the figure lives and breathes that idea. That said, she's also as firm in her belief that what she does should spark pause. "Every time I survived a war zone, I thought I was sending a warning home: don't do this," Lee says to Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson, Beau Is Afraid), a New York Times veteran and fellow member of the movie's travelling party. "But here we are," she continues with a sigh. Garland gives Dunst another contrast beyond referencing one of her prior roles: Spaeny's Jessie. (That Civil War arrives so soon after Priscilla, which Dunst recommended Spaeny to Coppola for, adds inescapable emphasis.) Introduced being saved by Lee when they first meet in the thick of a brutal fray, the green as green — and keen as keen — wide-eyed 23-year-old freelancer is similarly snapping the conflict, learning as she's going and convincing Joel to let her tag along. Her vast range of emotions couldn't be in greater opposition to Lee's dispassion. "I've never been so scared in my entire life. And I've never felt more alive," Jessie notes after the movie's most intense scene, an unforgettable nerve-shredder where the foursome and a couple of colleagues (Ahsoka's Nelson Lee and The Brothers Sun's Evan Lai) cross paths with a cruel group of soldiers (led by Dunst's IRL husband Jesse Plemons, Killers of the Flower Moon). No one needs to be familiar with Dunst and Spaeny's cinematic history, and their echoes, to feel the weight of what Civil War is portraying. Spotting the array of cast members from Garland's 2020 sci-fi/thriller TV series Devs — Spaeny, Henderson, Offerman, Sonoya Mizuno (House of the Dragon) as an embedded British correspondent, Jin Ha (Pachinko) as a sharpshooter and Karl Glusman (The Idol) as a spotter — also isn't a must to understand that the author-turned-filmmaker is in his element. Garland has always been fascinated by how folks react to humanity's inherent lust for control and power, whether perpetuating it, fleeing it, being victimised by it or getting it on the record. That was true when he was writing novel The Beach, then penning the screenplays for 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go and Dredd, too. Indeed, as Lee watches on and documents, Dunst virtually plays her director's in-film surrogate. For all of the ways that Civil War can be linked back to now, to recently, to not mere fiction or conjecture, Garland isn't here to overtly connect dots or take sides; he also began writing his script in 2020, pre-dating the Capitol attack. He knows as a given, as he gleans that everyone will, that fractures have become an entrenched part of the US. As intelligent as it is urgent, Civil War is a cautionary tale, then, but never a source of answers. What it sees is the loss, the toll and the consequences when democracy shatters, all through people, aka Lee and company, including the devastation of such grimness becoming a normality. Making The Virgin Suicides come to mind serves the picture in another way, reminding of a stunning Dunst performance laced with unflinching pain just as she's giving another one at the heart of this arresting and searing feature.
Glamping, you've had a great run, but another fancy camping alternative might be about to take your mantle. You can't carry a shipping container on your back like a tent, but you can move them around — and this new portable hotel was created with packing it up, transporting it elsewhere and setting it up in a variety of different places in mind. Designed by the Prague-based Artikul Architects, ContainHotel boasts all of the comforts of a hotel in a structure that's both demountable and portable. First and foremost, visitors will find all of the comforts they'd expect from a hotel, namely proper beds, rooms and facilities, plus windows and balconies, and custom-made plywood furniture too. Reaching 40 feet in height thanks to its two-level structure, with two 20-foot high shipping containers supporting a third on top, the space can sleep 13 guests in total. The three containers have been divided into five bedrooms, a bathroom, a technical room and a storeroom. Inside and out, they're decked out with reclaimed wood — and they're also built on railroad sleepers to cause as little impact to the hotel's surroundings as possible. With being eco-friendly and self-sufficient part of its moveable plans, complete with an inbuilt tank that takes care of the site's water needs, that's clearly important. ContainHotel can currently be found in Treboutice in the Czech Republic, but just where it'll pop up next is anyone's guess. Via inhabitat. Image: Michal Hurych.
Catch Left, winner of the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival’s People’s Choice Award, while it’s right here in Sydney. An hour-long spectacle of physical theatre performed by seven acrobats, it explores the joy of building human relationships and community, and the experiences of loss, grief and recovery. This is a heart-warming show by Australian circus company Long Answers to Simple Questions.
If you've ever watched the films of Studio Ghibli and wished you could walk right into their gorgeous frames, you're not alone. In fact, you're only human. The beloved animation house already boasts one site that basically lets you do just that, thanks to its museum in Mitaka, a city on the western outskirts Tokyo — but, come 2022, it'll also unveil its very own theme park. The studio initially announced the news in 2017, with a plan to open in 2020. Then, in 2018, it pushed back its launch timeline to 2022. It's still aiming to open at least parts of the park next year, which should have you crossing your fingers that international travel starts returning to normal by then. Need more motivation? A few more details about the park have been revealed, and they're worth getting excited about. In big news for fans of Howl's Moving Castle, Ghibli's park will feature a life-sized replica of the titular structure. It'll reach about 16 metres in height, and you'll be able to step inside to check out Howl's bedroom. Hideaki Ōmura, the governor of Nagoya's Aichi Prefecture where the park will be located, tweeted a CGI concept image of the castle — and, while the structure is only depicted in white, it still looks as impressive as it sounds. It won't move, though, but the cannon on the front will. [caption id="attachment_799539" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Studio Ghibli[/caption] Also slated to feature in the park: nods to the cat from Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns, buildings with design elements that take their cues from Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and a super-sized garden that'll make you feel like you're one of the tiny characters in Arrietty. There'll also be a permanent exhibition room, a special exhibition room, a video exhibition room, a playground, and a shop and cafe, so you'll have plenty of places to explore, eat and browse. Yes, the Ghibli site will spirit visitors away to a whole realm dedicated to its considerable catalogue of movies — although it was initially described as a My Neighbour Totoro-focused park. Totoro-themed attractions are still part of the design, including a replica of Satsuki and Mei's house, which already exists at the 200-hectare Expo Park site. However, you'll also be able to check out the antique shop from Whisper of the Heart, Kiki's home from Kiki's Delivery Service and a village area that pays tribute to Princess Mononoke. The latter certainly looks the part, as Governor Ōmura also tweeted. [caption id="attachment_799541" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Studio Ghibli[/caption] Expect more nods to Ghibli's various features to follow, recreating other aspects from its three-decade-old body of work — and possibly its latest movie, Earwig and the Witch, too. If the end result is even half as wondrous as the studio's aforementioned museum, then fans are in for a treat. There, you can climb up to the building's rooftop garden to see one of the robots from Laputa: Castle in the Sky; watch exclusive shorts, including a sequel to My Neighbour Totoro; and touch a life-sized cat bus, which kids under 12 can climb and play on. Indeed, the museum is such a tourist attraction, you have to buy tickets over a month in advance — and experiencing the rush of folks in the merchandise-packed gift shop will make you feel like a susuwatari (Totoro's gorgeous little balls of floating soot). Incorporated into the existing parklands, the theme park will be heavy on greenery and the natural surroundings, which matches the environmental messaging that plays a prominent part in Ghibli's movies. The site will also encourage "enjoying walking", according to the draft concept outline, while aiming to offer "a one-of-a-kind park loved by more people". We don't think either will be difficult. The Studio Ghibli theme park is slated to start opening in 2022. For more information, keep an eye on the animation company's website.
If you're searching for something a wee bit different to do on a Thursday night that's not your regular old takeaway and TV binge, consider harking back to decades gone and trumpets blown and getting a bit of jazz into you at The Swinging Cat. Every Thursday for the next three months the jazz club is hosting A Night With The Nail, presented by Drambuie. The event will feature a signature cocktail, The Rusty Nail. It's whisky and Drambuie liqueur with a lemon twist, steeped in 1960s history and drunk by the Rat Pack era in New York. Whack on that winged eyeliner and tight man pants and go listen to something that isn't the Stranger Things opening theme. To set the scene further and help out with flashbacks to Rat Pack era times, Herb Armstrong — that's Louis Armstrong's grandson — will be the opening night act. The venue will also resemble a 1960s New York, prohibition style bar. A Night With The Nail starts at 6.30pm on September 8 and runs every Thursday for three months.
Designed by Sydney-based architects Nettleton Tribe, this warmly lit, timber-filled restaurant feels like a treehouse for grown-ups. It's the on-site restaurant for guests staying at Paperbark Camp — a luxury glamping experience — but you don't need to be staying the night to enjoy a feast in this elevated eatery. The Gunyah, which means 'meeting place' in the local Indigenous language, is built on stilts and positioned just under the canopy — perfect for spotting possums and stars. The menu is a set, three-course affair and Sundays are paella night. It's open every day of the week during the summer months (September to May) with reduced hours in the cooler months. We suggest making a reservation before you travel to Jervis Bay as the restaurant tends to book out with accommodation guests well in advance. You'll find Paperbark Camp just east of Huskisson in the pint-sized village of Woollamia, on the banks of Currambene Creek. Image: Hutchings Camps Pty Ltd.
When Josh and Julie Niland open a new eatery, it's an occasion. Thankfully, Sydney has enjoyed plenty of such moments in recent years. The world-acclaimed chef — with Josh named in the world's top 100 best chefs in 2022, and picking up the Game Changer Award from France's prestigious La Liste as well — and his partner have already launched Saint Peter, the OG Fish Butchery and Charcoal Fish. And, they set up a another Fish Butchery takeaway eatery in Waterloo, and revealed they would be taking over The Grand National Hotel and moving Saint Peter into the space. Adding to that hefty list is the upcoming arrival of Petermen, a new restaurant that was announced in late 2022 and will open in February 2023 — and it's now accepting bookings. From Tuesday, January 31, Sydney's seafood fans can reserve a date with Petermen on Chandos Street in St Leonards for sittings from Thursday, February 23. The restaurant will open for dinner from 5.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; for lunch from 12pm and dinner from 5.30pm on Saturdays; and for brunch from 10am on Sundays — so, you have options. [caption id="attachment_878784" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rob Palmer[/caption] The busy hospitality couple, who've become world-renowned for their focus on sustainable seafood, will give Sydney's North Shore a 60-seat restaurant and bar. Wondering why it's called Petermen? The name is a nod to the Saint Peter ecosystem. The original Niland restaurant — one of Concrete Playground's 15 best Sydney restaurants — gets its moniker from patron saint and former fisherman Saint Peter. This holy seafood enthusiast was then the inspiration behind fellow fishers being called Petermen in the 1400s. As with all Niland establishments, the menu champions boundary-pushing and sustainability-focused growers and producers, continuing the trend from Saint Peter, Fish Butchery and Charcoal Fish — and skewing heavily towards seafood partnered with fresh Australian vegetables. Diners can look forward to shared dishes heroing raw fish, such as South West Rocks line-caught bonito, Corner Inlet snapper with stag seaweed, and Mooloolaba yellowfin tuna with capers. And, from the preserved lineup, highlights include Port Lincoln berrima octopus and Espelette pepper, Flinders Island scallops with Tasmanian horseradish, and Jervis Bay mussels. For bigger bites, options span Manjimup marron with curry butter, Coorong pipis in its juices with garlic and chilli, Flinders Island southern calamari, and sweet and sour Ulladulla blue mackerel — all from the charcoal grill. Among the shared mains, the yellowfin tuna chateaubriand with garlic warrigal greens and diane sauce serves four, or there's both coral trout and john dory for two. If brunch is your favourite meal of the day, Josh has added St Helens long-spine sea urchin crumpets, Ballina spanner crab croissants and Manjimup marron scrambled eggs to the menu, alongside the likes of smoked Murray cod bacon and maple pancakes, plus whiting caesar salad. Back to the regular lineup, there's also six types of oysters, and cocktails including the Petermen negroni (made with Four Pillars gin, yuzu, Campari, coconut, amaro and mountain pepper) and the Saint Peter martini (with oyster shell gin, vermouth, sake and kombu). While you're eating, expect to watch the culinary magic happen thanks to Petermen's open kitchen — and to eat off of crockery by Bendigo Pottery. The Nilands are teaming up with Aussie icon artist Ken Done again, too, to brighten up the venue's walls with art, while the overall look and feel is bright and popping with colour, as designed by Julie. This will mark Josh and Julie Niland's first venture west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, bringing the duo's collection of Sydney outposts to five. As for that revamp of the Grand National Hotel — set to be called Saint Peter Hotel — it's scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2023. Petermen will open at 66 Chandos Street, St Leonards on Thursday, February 23, with reservations open from Tuesday, January 31 — for dinner from 5.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; for lunch from 12pm and dinner from 5.30pm on Saturdays; and for brunch from 10am on Sundays.
This huge 1100-square-metre warehouse nursery on the Princes Highway is your go-to for plants and pots — especially if you're on your way to IKEA. Garden Life specialises in high-end plants and is frequented by professional designers and landscape architects as well as those looking to make their home more green. The space is filled with a wide range of specimen trees, indoor succulents and outdoor plants — sourced both from Australia and around the world. Apart from plants, you can also shop for a range of outdoor homewares, gardening tools and a whole heap of pots.
Future Music have popped the line-up piñata, revealing what they promised would be their "biggest festival lineup yet". 2013's Day of the Dead-Set Awesome will be headlined by English electronic dance commanders The Prodigy, grime MC Dizzee Rascal, indie rockers Bloc Party and reformed rockers The Stone Roses, making it more of a Brit-fest than a Mexican one. Other exciting acts joining the bill include Harlem femcee Azealia Banks, Rita Ora, electro house mainstay Steve Aoki and our own The Temper Trap. Having set the standard with 2012's hefty bill, the Future Music organisers have really confirmed the festival's pulling power this time around. And PSY will also be there, just in case you feel like contracting a South Korean virus without actually paying for a ticket to his own upcoming show. Future Music Festival 2013 dates: Brisbane – Saturday March 2Perth – Sunday March 3Sydney – Saturday March 9Melbourne – Sunday March 10Adelaide – Monday March 11 https://youtube.com/watch?v=i3Jv9fNPjgk
No longer just the realms of Monica Trapaga yazz residencies and kiddie-aimed pantomimes, the Twilight at Taronga series is taking it up a huge, cred-worthy notch. One of the most contemporary lineups the series has seen in its 19 years running, the feathered, furred and finned will have plenty to choose from after hours this summer — with huge concerts spanning each Friday and Saturday night from Friday, January 30 through Saturday, March 21 at the zoo. Being one of Australia's most high-fiveworthy zoos, Taronga's drummed up one genuinely killer lineup. Bright Eyes' soul-searching dreamboat Conor Oberst will spin his heartfelt tales among the giraffes. That's right, the Conor Oberst, hangin' out at the zoo. Twee monarchs Belle and Sebastian, the one and only Rufus Wainwright and Powderfinger's legendary nice guy Bernard Fanning will share the season with Paul Kelly presenting Merri Soul Sessions, You Am I, Sarah Blasko, Dan Sultan, Something For Kate, Little May, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders, Hiatus Kaiyote and more; all fronting that top notch Sydney Harbour backdrop. Likewise, the Melbourne Zoo Twilights series is worth going interstate for — they get the motherflippin' Village People. Every Friday and Saturday evening from January 30 - March 7, Victorians will also bliss out to the sounds of local classics like Sarah Blasko, Dan Sultan, Bernard Fanning as well as Conor Oberst, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and yes, the Village People. Genre-wise, there's genuinely something for everyone; the lineup has you thoroughly covered in the realms of indie, folk, rock, bollywood and cult '70s disco (because why not). Of course, you're welcome to bring along your own picnic basket with loads of food, but you'll have to leave that bottle of wine at home. The event is fully licensed, but there's no BYO — an important measure to keep rubbish and glass away from the poor little animals. Conor Oberst plays Twilight at Taronga on Friday, March 6 — supported by The Felice Brothers. Thanks to Twilight at Taronga, we have one double pass to give away to one lucky CP reader. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au
By this point, everyone knows buying cage eggs is a first-world form of pure evil. Hens are crammed into tiny metal boxes and left to descend into madness. The eggs they produce are understandably sub-par, and their quality of life is next to nil. You don't need to have seen a Jamie Oliver doco or Four Corners special to get the gist of it. But these days, even avid free-range buyers can get duped. Happy chickens are printed on every egg carton in your local supermarket, and dodgy phrasing like 'cage-free' and 'barn-laid' can trick you into buying something that falls way out of whack with your morals. Now something's finally being done about it. This week, state and territory governments have been tasked with creating a set of national guidelines to determine what exactly counts as 'free-range' and what these producers can legally lay a claim to on their cartons. Surprisingly, this will be the first national legal definition of the term 'free-range'. At present, the ACT and Queensland are the only states where restrictions apply to the term, and they differ wildly. In the ACT, farmers can have a maximum of 1,500 birds per hectare to qualify for the term, but in Queensland this number instead sits at 10,000. The latter is also the standard employed by Coles free-range brand. Though there is a voluntary industry code that allows up to 20,000 hens per hectare under the term, an investigation carried out by New South Wales Fair Trading concluded that consumers really have no idea what they're getting. It's estimated that around 40 percent of people now buy free-range, but they have an extremely limited understanding of what the term really means. The investigation was in fact instigated by a super complaint from consumer rights organisation Choice last year. "At the moment, consumers have no confidence they’re not being ripped off and that’s a ridiculous situation," campaign manager Matt Levey told SMH. "People want to make ethical decisions but can’t." Though any decided national standard will not take effect 'til 2015, it's understandably a step in the right direction. We should start openly talking about what's on our plate and put up a solid framework for the ethical treatment of animals. Next up: getting those happy rainbow hens off the cartons of cage eggs. If that's not false advertising, we don't know what is. PS. We'd like to sincerely thank you for clicking on this article despite the title's awful pun. Via ABC and The Sydney Morning Herald. Photo credits: madelinetosh and p1ndar0 via photopin cc.
On the corner of Oxford and Crown Street sits an unassuming cafe. At first glance, it looks like the kind of place serving up second-rate coffees to undiscerning commuters. But, look closer and you'll find not all is what it seems. Single O batch filter. Katsu sandos on fluffy white bread. Scrambled eggs topped with edamame and yuzu mayo. Sydney, meet Sandoitchi. Located in a section of Darlinghurst noticeably lacking good coffee, especially since the closure of Edition, Sandoitchi is pairing quality cups of joe with Japanese-inflected fare worth trekking up Oxford Street on your lunch break for. If you do make said trek, let us make a suggestion: order one of the many katsu sandos on offer. Sydney isn't short on good versions of this humble Japanese sandwich, but this one's a particularly good, and slightly untraditional, take. Served with all the standards — crustless white bread, a hunk of panko-crusted patty of your choice — spanning from classic chicken to premium wagyu and bone marrow with cabbage and sweet and sour miso mayo — the classic pork katsu sando also arrives piled high with pickled carrot, American cheese and nori. Those looking to bypass the bread can order their katsu as a poké bowl, with brown rice, miso corn and shiitake topped with either pork or chicken katsu. Or, if you're searching for something meat-free, order the eggplant katsu salad bowl. For dessert options — or if you're feeling fruity — the strawberry sando is an absolute classic. Chefs Sam Lawrie and Pureephat "Bhass" Kraikangwan, and Saowanit "Ying" Boonrod originally opened the cafe while spreading their time out between the Oxford Stree favourite and CBD Thai restaurant Long Chim, keeping themselves awake during their double shifts with a steady supply of Single O Paradox (Sandoitchi's house-blend for milk coffee) and cold brews spaced out between shots of fresh ginger, carrot and orange juice. Or, possibly fuelled by Sandoitchi's hot chocolates made with 70-percent dark chocolate from Melbourne's Mörk. Either way, the trio has drummed up enough energy, skill and charm to create a cafe that's a far cry from the humdrum corner store it first appears. Images: Trent van der Jagt. Appears in: The Best Cafes in Sydney The Best Japanese Restaurants in Sydney
In an attempt to boost audiences, an independent theatre in Barcelona has introduced Pay As You Go to the comedy circuit. Rather than risking an advance ticket purchase and (for better or worse) taking the show as it comes, you're charged per laugh. That's right, the sorer your face muscles are when the curtain falls, the bigger your bill. The scheme is a response to plummeting theatre attendance. Mid-last year, Spain's arts scene took one of its hardest hits ever when the government increased the tax on drama performances from 8% to 21%. Consequently, ticket sales dropped by a whopping 30% in just twelve months. Rather than surrendering to despair or closing down altogether, Teatreneu, which boasts eight stages, looked for solutions. That's when they teamed up with ad agency the Cyranos McCann to invent 'Pay Per Laugh'. Facial recognition technology, attached to each seat, records every smile or laugh — and you pay €0.30 per expression recorded. If you're in a bad mood, hard to impress or incredibly self-controlled, you walk away with your bank account intact. If, however, you’re more easily amused, you're charged up to a maximum of €24. The new scheme is truly great news for the performers. According to the promo video, the initiative saw most spectators pay €6 more than they normally would, and led to a 35% increase in crowds. They're contemplating expanding their emotional palette to include dramatic theatre 'Pay Per Cry' fees and our favourite idea, 'Pay Per WTF' — naturally, for performance art. Via Springwise.
There’s no doubt that music can have an intense effect on your disposition. If it’s one of those days when you’ve woken up in a fog of negativity, sometimes the only answer is to put on your favourite misery album (mine used to be Nina Simone’s Greatest Hits) and wallow. But whilst cathartic, it doesn’t often leave you bouncing out the door. If anything you’ll end up clutching a box of tissues and feeling sorry for yourself. Which is why the website Emotional Bag Check is such a brilliant idea. This new site lets you unload your worries to a perfect stranger, who will in turn read it and send you a song they think will make you feel better (or at least let you sing along to someone else’s heartbreak). And if you’re feeling the urge to spread a little cheer, then you have the chance to give back by reading someone else’s baggage and suggesting a song of your own choosing. You can even include a message if you think you have some worthwhile advice, making a real, helpful and meaningful connection over the internet. I dumped my own emotional baggage and got 'Are We There Yet' by Ingrid Michaelson, sent as a link to Grooveshark, a free music website that lets you immediately listen to your medicine. I didn’t mind the song at all, so thought I’d give back and picked up some baggage about a kid who kept getting Cs in one of his subjects and was pretty bummed. I sent back ‘Vintage Books’ by Cloud Control, not because it really had any relevancy but because it makes me pretty happy and thought it could do the same for my patient. There’s a lot of Katy Perry and Bob Marley in the list of most sent songs, so if you think you have a slightly more diverse compendium of tunes, you may be just the right person to pick up some baggage and share the blues.
Childhood cartoons painted a pretty impressive picture of what the future would hold – flying cars, robots, space travel, a three day work week… sure, we've got smart phones now, but we're still a long way from The Jetsons. So it's good to see that boffins are hard at work bringing those old sci-fi ideas to the real world, and have built a prototype car that you can control with your mind. Seriously. German researchers have used available-now technology to create BrainDriver, a car (VW of course) that can be controlled by thought alone. The electrical impulses of brain waves are picked up by an EEG headset, originally designed for gaming, which allows the 'driver' to order the vehicle to accelerate, brake, turn left or turn right by simply thinking it. Unfortunately, given the complexities of the human brain not everyone is capable of giving clear instructions, and the car is a proof of concept rather than something that will be available to all, so your X-Men fantasies will have to stay off the road for now. To date, they've taken the mind controlled car for a spin at an airport, but also plan a test in Berlin traffic later in the year. Now if only they could make it fold down to the size of a briefcase, we'd really be living in the future. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iDV_62QoHjY [Via Wired]
In the 70s and 80s, it was Countdown. In the 90s and early 00s, it was Recovery. Last year, the ABC added The Set to its roster of music-focused TV shows. Fronted by triple j's Linda Marigliano and newly minted Wimbledon quad doubles champion Dylan Alcott, the newcomer was a hit — and now it's returning for a second season in August. Screening on ABC weekly from 9.30pm on Wednesday, August 28, The Set features live music performances in front of a live studio audience — and will once again spotlight a different main band each week, who'll then invite two guest acts to perform as well. To end each show, the week's artists all team up in a one-off musical collaboration, because the series has a definite party atmosphere. That extends to the audience; with the whole thing taking place on a purpose-built share house set, which also includes a backyard, 250 folks get to head along, in person, enjoying the gig. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_pcuYplrTg While this year's bands haven't yet been announced, 2018's lineup included Baker Boy, Vera Blue, Ball Park Music and The Presets, as well as Illy, Odette, Wafia, Mallrat, Angie McMahon, Tia Gostelow, LANKS and Kult Kyss. The Set's second season will screen from Wednesday, August 28 till Wednesday, October 9, which each week's episode available on iView after it airs.
Chinese Noodle House has long been dishing out some of Sydney's best dumplings. Expect to queue, but be well-rewarded for your patience. This steamed and pan-fried goodness comes in mountainous portions and every parcel is handmade. Don't expect fawning service and beautiful surroundings — the beauty of this Sydney classic lies in its easy, unfussy vibe (and those grapes on the roof). Think straightforward waiters, plastic chairs, very little personal space and no EFTPOS. Chinese tea is free though. Eat until you can eat no more — you'll still be surprised at how low the bill is. Image: @lemonpiy via Instagram.
Thirty-six oysters are lined up in front of you. You've got to make those babies disappear quicker than any of the ravenous-looking individuals in the room can. At best, you want to take home the Grand Prix: a night's accommodation at Watson's Bay Boutique Hotel and a dinner for two at The Morrison. At worst, you don't want to end up like Lard Ass in Stand By Me — even if your worst enemy is at hand. How you gonna come out of the Morrison's Oyster Eating Competition with your dignity intact? With these five tips, that's how. Oh, and skip the castor oil/raw egg combo. GO FOR THE FOUR-IN-ONE This might sound kind of scary, but it works. We know because The Morrison chef Sean Connolly — who, really, should be given an honorary PhD in oysters — told us so. Don't even think about swallowing till you've got four molluscs in your mouth. Then, without chewing, send them all down your oesophagus in one gigantic gulp, as though you were a Great Blue Whale going nuts on krill. Whatever you do, don't think about the Walrus and the Carpenter scene in Alice in Wonderland — and keep three oysters in your hand so you don't waste time between acts. TEETOTAL ON THE DAY If you've learnt anything from Mad Men's Roger Sterling and Don Draper's three martini, multiple dozen oyster and 21-storey stair climb lunch, keep off the booze. We know it sounds a bit prim and proper of us, but the fact is that alcohol and oysters, like singing karaoke and approaching your crush for the first time, don't mix. So, take our advice, and save your carousing for your victory party. FORGET ALL THE MANNERS YOUR MAMA TAUGHT YOU Let's face it, things are going to get a little bit ugly. This is not the time to demurely reach for your half-shell with your miniature fork, dilly-dally over sauces and keep up your Bondi beautiful. Throw your oyster etiquette right out the window. Forget the fact that everybody in the room is watching you and focus on the task at hand. That means getting your hands — and face — dirty. TAKE A TIP FROM THE BLACK WIDOW AND JUMP ON THE TREADMILL Sonya Thomas, aka The Black Widow, weighs less than 45 kilograms and is just 5' 2" tall, and yet she's broken more than 12 World Eating Records. On June 1, she won the Acme World Oyster Eating Championship when she consumed 40 dozen oysters in just eight minutes. What's her secret? In a 2013 interview, she said that she spends about two hours a day on the treadmill, keeping her stomach lean so that there's room for it to stretch. She also hangs out at all-you-can-eat buffets whenever she gets the chance. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Winning an eating contest isn't unlike winning any other event. To maximise your chances of taking home the title, you need to put in some serious practise. In other words, you officially have the best excuse ever to treat yourself to loads of oysters between today and The Morrison comp. Every now and again, set your watch and measure how quickly you can down a dozen or so. Don't overdo it, though, especially the night before — otherwise, you'll be all seafood-ed out. The Morrison's Oyster Eating Competition is on Tuesday, August 19, and the fee is just $30 if you want to compete. It's part of the Morrison's Oyster Festival, which runs throughout August. It also includes $1 oyster happy hour daily in the champagne bar and an additional oyster menu in the restaurant with dishes such as carpetbag steak (that's steak, stuffed with oysters).
Lucas's Abela's Pinball Pianola is part of a group show at Firstdraft. It's an artwork that is what it says it’s about - no theoretical nods to Deleuze or artspeak catchwords like ‘trans-territorial’ in the description. Lucas Abela (with Keg de Souza and Kris Hades) has grafted what he calls a “Frankenstein” monster: an upright piano, gutted and repurposed as a pinball machine (check it out in this video). You pull the plunger and let a pinball loose into the guts of the instrument. The pianola’s keys are hooked up to flippers: play the keys and the pinball bounces up from the flippers to strike the instrument’s strings, creating haphazard, live sound art. A dashboard allows you to tinker with the machine’s output - more noise, less fuzz, higher pitch. It’s a certifiably bonkers piece of interactive art with a strong sense of creative freedom and childlike zeal. Abela is uber-creative, there are millions of visual and audio ideas going on and the complexity of the engineering is pretty impressive. The work goes beyond being a mere experiment in manufactured weirdness. With Pinball Pianola, Abela has crafted a machine that lets the audience play and create collectively, on the fly and in the moment. It’s all about music and art as accidental results of play, and forcing strangers to interact with each other in what’s often a sterile gallery environment. Play is an underrated quality in contemporary art, and Abela has created something really engaging and quite awe-inspiring - an intelligent crowdpleaser. There’s also a second creation - a pentagram-shaped pinball game for five players called “Balls for Cthulhu”. The walls are fashioned from guitar necks with the fret boards exposed to be struck by the pinballs, and audience members can sign up for when the game will be available to play during the course of the show. Multiple visits recommended. At launch, Balls for Cthulhu still had some technical issues and was expected to be operational for December 4.
A permanent fixture among the lively food scene of Concord Road, North Strathfield Abhi's Indian Restaurant has been delighting guests with sophisticated and artfully prepared dishes since before the Berlin Wall fell. Founder and head chef Kumar Mahadevan was trained at the prestigious Taj Hotel Group in Mumbai. He's dedicated his life to bringing the most authentic Indian recipes – including tandoori flavours of the north, seafood delicacies from Goa and classics from his native Chennai – to Sydney's culinary-rich western suburbs. Signature dishes at Abhi's include palak patta chaat, a mix of spinach leaves with crispy lentil batter topped with yoghurt, date and tamarind, and a chilli and mint sauce. Rounding out the entrees is an impressive list of seafood dishes including chilli prawns and scallops, crab urundai and chatpata squid. Vegetarians can enjoy beetroot and lentil patties or rice flour pancakes served with onion chutney and spiced potato. The mains are inspired by the harbourside traditions of Goa, featuring a fish curry of Humpty Doo barramundi cooked in a fragrant mix of coriander, cumin, turmeric and ground coconut. The tandoori platter is also a standout, as is the mixed vegetable kurma. Abhi's also pays special attention to its wine list and while it is also BYO, it'd be a shame to miss their collection of local reds like Leeuwin Estate 'Art Series' Cab Sav or, depending on the occasion, a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne from Reims, France. A favourite with both Australian and Indian cricketers, Abhi's attention to detail and impressively diverse menu makes it the perfect venue for date night or a special occasion. It's the wise and experienced elder of Sydney's Indian dining scene, and can be trusted to deliver a wonderful night and exceptional food.
Start packing that suitcase and plotting your annual leave, because there's a new Aussie beachside resort to add to your bucket list. And this one's a little different to most. Making its home amongst natural bushland at NSW's Cabarita Beach, The Hideaway is a boutique escape offering guests a rare chance to go glamping by the sea. Here, you can fall asleep and wake up to the sound of waves crashing on the shore, just metres from your pillow. Doesn't that sound like a total treat? The resort features three different styles of luxury bell tent, all kitted out with comfy Koala beds, soft furnishings and bath towels, charging sockets, floor rugs, proper lighting and tripod fans for those balmier evenings. In addition to the luxe suites, the unique resort boasts modern bathrooms and communal entertaining spaces, nestled cleverly within repurposed shipping containers. You'll also find plenty of open green space throughout, with native plant life lining the pathways and open fire pits primed for cosy communal gatherings in the cooler months. [caption id="attachment_747560" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kristy Mason Photography[/caption] And when it comes to entertainment, there's no shortage. The Hideaway's carefully located near a world-class surf break, with opportunities for swimming, whale watching, hiking, bush walking and more right at your fingertips. Meanwhile, the nearby coastal town of Cabarita boasts its own award-winning restaurant, Paper Daisy, along with a solid offering of shops, cafes and eateries, all within strolling distance. Of course, the striking views of the Border Ranges, Mt Warning and that glistening ocean should keep you pretty occupied as well. Plus, if you need something to sweeten the deal, Cabarita Beach was named the best beach in Australia by Tourism Australia's Beach Ambassador Brad Farmer AM. The beach is located a two-hour drive south of Brissie and a nine hours north from Sydney (or a short flight to Gold Coast Airport and 30-minute drive). Find The Hideaway at 2-6 Tweed Coast Rd, Corner of Tweed Coast Road and Cypress Avenue, Cabarita Beach. Prices start from $189 a night. Images: Kristy Mason Photography Updated: December 20, 2019.
Into every few years, reports of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comeback are born. Five years ago, a Buffy spinoff was in the works, for instance; however, like an undead bloodsucker and making daytime plans, nothing happened. But the just-announced Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is different. In fact, it's due to arrive within weeks, in mid-October. And, it's getting a heap of the show's original cast back together. Audible is behind the new entry in the Buffy realm — which, yes, means that it's arriving as audio only, not a new season of the beloved television show or a movie. But more Buffy is more Buffy. Also, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story has a fangtastic point of focus: bleached-blonde vampire Spike, with James Marsters (Runaways) returning to the role. Dropping on Thursday, October 12, the Audible original is the first ever to be set in the Buffy universe. Yes, everything in pop culture is a universe these days. This will jump into the leather-loving vamp's tale ten years after the events seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's final episode. Of course, fans will know that Spike's story also already took him over to TV spinoff Angel, too. Joining Marsters for Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is a who's who of Buffy stars, even if Sarah Michelle Gellar (Wolf Pack) isn't one of them. Nor are Alyson Hannigan (Office Race), David Boreanaz (SEAL Team), Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl) or Alexis Denisof (How I Met Your Father). That said, Charisma Carpenter (Going Home) is back as Cordelia, Anthony Head (Ted Lasso) as Giles, Juliet Landau (Claws) as Drusilla, Emma Caulfield Ford (WandaVision) as Anya and Amber Benson (The Nightmare Gallery) as Tara. Benson also co-wrote and co-directed the Audible original, scripting with Christopher Golden (who has penned a number of Buffy books), and helming with both Golden and Kc Wayland (the We're Alive podcast franchise). Danny Strong (Billions) is back as Jonathan as well, plus James Charles Leary (A Room Full of Nothing) as Clem. Slayers: A Buffyverse Story will also bring Laya DeLeon Hayes (The Equalizer) into the Buffy fold as 16-year-old slayer Indira Nunnally. With their ten-years-later tale, Benson and Golden have penned a story about Spike in Los Angeles, where he's pretending to be evil but it's just a cover. Then Indira blows the ruse, leaving Spike to both mind her and try to find her a watcher. The reason there's no Buffy Summers? Slayers: A Buffyverse Story also brings in parallel realm where Cordelia is the only slayer. And her big bad? That's where Drusilla comes in. "I'm ecstatic to be back with my dear friends for this next chapter in the Buffyverse, as we take listeners on a familiar but unexpected journey chock full of horror, passion and mischief," said Marsters, announcing Slayers: A Buffyverse Story. "I'm excited for old and new fans to experience this beloved world of vampire slaying like never before, brought to life through immersive audio storytelling." The latest Buffy chapter comes after not just the seven-season series that aired from 1997–2003, or spinoff Angel, but also the 1992 movie of the same name before them. There's no trailer for Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, but you can get a blast from the past with the TV series trailers above and below: Slayers: A Buffyverse Story will be available to listen to via Audible on Thursday, October 12.
Gonna get 90s-style comedic pop tunes stuck in your head forever, again — or five-ever, to be precise. After proving one of the best new shows of 2021, Tina Fey-executive produced sitcom Girls5eva returns in May with a new season of sitcom antics about a former one-hit-wonder girl group who get back together to chase stardom again decades later. You know, that ol' situation. Fingers crossed that a whole heap of catchy songs are in the returning show's future, too. Its first season was filled with them, and wonderfully so. If you quickly binged its initial eight episodes, you instantly got its tracks lodged in your brain. In fact, even just reading the show's name now will have brought them all back. And, odds are there'll be more gems on the way given that Girls5eva's second season sees the group recording a new album. The setup, if you're a newcomer: more than 20 years after they split up, the four remaining members of a late 90s girl group decide that it's time to get the band back together. Now in their forties, they're all at different points in their lives, but rekindling their dreams is too enticing to ignore. Sara Bareilles (Broadway's Waitress), Busy Philipps (I Feel Pretty), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) and the great Paula Pell (AP Bio) play Girls5eva's reunited members, while Fey pops up as a fantasy version of Dolly Parton — and yes, the latter is as glorious as it sounds. Also, the comic takes on 90s pop tunes are all 100-percent spot on. Just as pitch-perfect: everything about this immensely funny take on stardom, fame and the way that women beyond their twenties are treated. In season two, which hits Stan in Australia on Friday, May 6, the Girls5eva crew are still chasing their comeback — but they're determined to make their new album on their own terms. As the just-dropped trailer shows, that's an eventful quest, even spanning knee replacements. Even just from the brief sneak peek so far, expect more wannabe popstar chaos, more gags about the entertainment industry and more thoughtful jokes about the way both the music scene and the world in general regard women. Of course, Tina Fey hasn't starred in, created or executive produced a bad sitcom yet — and when the first season of Girls5eva arrived last year, it continued that trend. In its own way, it's another workplace comedy like 30 Rock, Great News and Mr Mayor, after all. And, albeit in a completely different manner to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, it also follows a group of women trying to navigate new lives years after they were thrust together under extreme circumstances. Check out the trailer for Girls5eva season two below: Girls5eva's second season will be available to stream via Stan on Friday, May 6. Read our full review of season one.
Helping kick off 2019's host-free Emmy awards, Bryan Cranston might've uttered the most obvious line of the night: "television has never been this damn good". You'd expect an event dedicated to celebrating and rewarding the year's best TV shows to make that claim, of course — that's really the whole message behind the glittering annual gala. Still, it doesn't render the Breaking Bad star's statement any less accurate. This year's newly minted crop of Emmy winners definitely make that point, and what a crop they are. Sure, the ceremony itself always serves up plenty of its own highlights — Phoebe Waller-Bridge's complete and utter shock at winning not once, not twice, but three times; Jharrel Jerome's earnest excitement at winning over his big-name fellow nominees; and Michelle Williams' impassioned and inspiring speech about women being respected in their profession, for example — but it's their TV programs that we'll all be talking about for years to come. Indeed, from hitman comedies, to multiple depictions of historical tragedies, to everyone's favourite dragon-filled epic fantasy series, this year's winners are reason enough to spend a week or several on your couch. Or, to be more realistic, to add all of the below shows to your various streaming queues and eventually work your way through them. (We haven't told you to watch 2019 Drama Series recipient Game of Thrones, though, because we're sure you've already done that.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX2ViKQFL_k FLEABAG What it's about: When Fleabag's eponymous London resident turns to the camera, talks about her messy life and just generally looks exasperated, she's one of the most relatable characters ever committed to the screen. Unhappy, uncertain and surrounded by chaos in all of her relationships — romantic, platonic and with her family members — she's the complicated, charismatic protagonist for today's frenzied times. Not only creating and writing the series based on her one-woman Edinburgh Festival show, but starring as Fleabag as well, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is simply revelatory. And while the British comedy only spans two six-episode seasons, it packs more into its short run than most shows manage with twice, thrice or even ten times as many instalments. Won: Comedy Series, Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Writing for a Comedy Series (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Directing for a Comedy Series (Harry Bradbeer). Where to watch it: Amazon Prime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9APLXM9Ei8 CHERNOBYL What it's about: Venturing back 33 years to the worst nuclear disaster the world has ever seen, Chernobyl is a horror story of the most gripping and galvanising kind. The central explosion, caused when the titular power plant's reactor became unstable, is terrifying. The fallout — both in terms of radioactive debris falling from the sky, and the intangible ramifications — is just as fear-inducing. What truly cuts to the bone in this exceptional miniseries, however, is the bureaucratic arrogance and wilful ignorance that follows. There's nothing more chilling than seeing people hold others' lives in their hands and choose to do absolutely nothing. To convey that message, the five-part series also benefits from superb writing, direction and performances, including from Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson. Won: Limited Series; Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Johan Renck); Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Craig Mazin). Where to watch it: Foxtel Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3F9n_smGWY WHEN THEY SEE US What it's about: Another huge true tale. Another huge cast, including Emmy-winner Jharrel Jerome, Michael K. Williams, Joshua Jackson, Blair Underwood, Vera Farmiga and John Leguizamo. Another powerful mini-series. When They See Us steps through the story of Central Park Five — a case that's endlessly infuriating and shocking. In April 1989, Trisha Meili was raped while jogging, while eight other people were attacked across New York. In the aftermath, five African American and Hispanic American teenagers were prosecuted, convicted and jailed, only for their charges to be vacated when the real culprit confessed more than a decade later. From Selma to 13th, director Ava DuVernay has become one of the most crucial voices in interrogating America's oppressive and unjust past, and this stellar drama proves a worthy addition to her resume. Won: Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Jharrel Jerome). Where to watch it: Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir1_hjemxNA BARRY What it's about: Airing its second season this year — and thankfully already renewed for a third — Barry boasts one of the best comedy premises on television. An ex-soldier and sharpshooter still haunted by his overseas military experience, Bill Hader's titular character has been putting his skills to use as a hitman since he returned from active duty. It's a natural fit, but then he heads to Los Angeles and discovers acting. Watching Barry try to leave his death-dealing past behind, and watching the chaos that springs for both his new thespian pals (including Henry Winkler) and his old gangster contacts (such as scene-stealer Anthony Carrigan) continually makes for both hilarious and dramatic viewing. Won: Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Bill Hader). Where to watch it: Foxtel Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVTZhOLpXjI KILLING EVE What it's about: At the Golden Globes back in January, Sandra Oh picked up a shiny prize for British spy thriller Killing Eve. At the Emmys, it was her co-lead Jodie Comer's turn to nab a gong. One plays an MI5 investigator charged with tracking down a psychopathic killer, while the other portrays the seductive assassin that she's chasing — and where their interactions go from there is best discovered by watching. Twisty, innovative and unafraid to do what it damn well likes with a well-worn genre, the highly acclaimed adaptation of Luke Jennings' Codename Villanelle novellas is also the second of this year's winning shows to bear Phoebe Waller-Bridge's fingerprints (she's an executive producer, and wrote four of the first season's episodes). Won: Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Jodie Comer). Where to watch it: Stan (season one) and ABC iView (season two). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5fqDZCjQo THE ACT What it's about: Perhaps you've heard about Dee Dee Blanchard and her daughter Gypsy Rose. Perhaps you even read Buzzfeed's piece about them, 'Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter To Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom To Be Murdered'. You'd remember if you have — while true-crime tales are far from uncommon at the moment, especially on-screen, this one definitely stands out. Drawing upon on the aforementioned article for its first season, The Act steps into a story of abuse, death and Munchausen syndrome by proxy that really has to be seen to be believed. Patricia Arquette picked up an Emmy for playing the abusive Dee Dee; however, she's in exceptional company, with the series also starring Joey King, AnnaSophia Robb, Chloë Sevigny and Calum Worthy. Won: Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Patricia Arquette). Where to watch it: Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hAXVqrljbs OZARK What it's about: Just a couple of months ago, when the final batch of episodes from Arrested Development's fifth season dropped, no one really cared. That might sound harsh; however, it's a case of sad but true. Don't worry — star Jason Bateman certainly has enough to keep him busy elsewhere. Since 2017, he's been leading, executive producing and sometimes even directing Netflix crime drama Ozark. In fact, he just won an Emmy for the latter. Following a financial advisor who moves his family from Chicago to a quiet Missouri town after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, this is one of Netflix's quiet achievers. That it also features the always-exceptional Laura Linney, as well as this year's Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner Julia Garner, also helps. Won: Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Julia Garner), Directing for a Drama Series (Jason Bateman). Where to watch it: Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXd_1FXw6TI POSE What it's about: New York's drag ballroom scene comes to the small screen in Pose, and the result is one of the liveliest shows on television. As energetic and inclusive as you'd expect given its setting, it's the latest series created by Nip/Tuck, Glee and American Horror Story's Ryan Murphy — although it clearly owes its biggest debt to seminal 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning. Story-wise, Pose follows a motley crew of queer and nonconforming African American and Latin American characters as they they vogue, dance and pose their way through performances, with each competitor vying for glory for their house. After diving into the community during the 80s in its debut run, the show's second season jumped forward to the 90s. No matter what decade he's in, as the resident emcee, Tony winner and now Emmy recipient Billy Porter continually steals the show. Won: Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Billy Porter). Where to watch it: Foxtel Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9TKHvvaMfE SUCCESSION What it's about: Meet the Roy family. Patriarch Logan (Brian Cox) started a media and entertainment conglomerate, turned it into a huge success and now wields considerable wealth and power; however, his health is failing. Because this is a family business, his children Siobhan (Aussie actor Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Connor (Alan Ruck) are all waiting in the wings — although Logan still needs to work out who'll do what when he's no longer working. If this sounds more than a little like the real-life Murdochs, well, you won't be the first to make that connection. Satirical as well as dramatic (and a compelling example of both genres, too), it's the latest series from Peep Show, The Thick of It and Black Mirror writer Jesse Armstrong. Won: Writing for a Drama Series (Jesse Armstrong). Where to watch it: Foxtel Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_w3UNHPIXQ FOSSE/VERDON What it's about: It might be based on the biography Fosse by Sam Wasson, but this eight-part series focuses on two pivotal real-life figures, as the show's different moniker makes plain. It's impossible to explore the career of director and choreographer Bob Fosse without telling the tale of actor and dancer Gwen Verdon, after all, with their lives linked both professionally and personally. The ups, the downs, the enormous commitment to their work, and the huge productions such as Cabaret, Chicago and All That Jazz — they all form part of Fosse/Verdon. So do exceptional performances by Sam Rockwell as Fosse and Michelle Williams as Verdon, as well as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood standout Margaret Qualley as another dancer pivotal to their stories. Won: Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Michelle Williams). Where to watch it: Foxtel Now.
Five years in the making, the Art Gallery of NSW's new Sydney Modern Project is finally here, opening its doors to the public on Saturday, December 3. The ambitious four-level, $344-million project is filled with breathtaking works of art. Wonder through the gallery and you'll discover fully immersive exhibition spaces, vibrant works from world-renowned artists, and huge sculptures welcoming you into the building or looking out onto the harbour. The gallery will welcome art lovers in with a hefty free program of events in and around the venue. It's a significant lineup, running until Sunday, December 11 and spanning everything from art and music to talks and performances. For starters, Sydney Modern will be giving Sydneysiders every chance to explore its multi-storey haven of expression with extended opening hours during the nine-day opening program. Whether you're an early riser or a late-night art enthusiast, you'll have more opportunities to check out the gallery as it'll be open from 10am–10pm each day. UK pop star Ellie Goulding will headline a free concert at The Domain on Saturday, December 10, as supported by Meg Mac and Electric Fields. Called Art for All, the show will see the Grammy-winner play opposite AGNSW and is a one-night-only affair, with free tickets available. Spanning the whole length of the celebrations is Art Up, which will see Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie unleash a stunning sight. He's creating a massive drone show that'll hover over Woolloomooloo Bay every evening, with 400 drones used to animate artworks in the sky over AGNSW and Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. There'll also be a soundtrack to go with it. Conversation series Art Exchange will similarly span the nine days, bringing together artists, creatives and thought leaders from across the globe. Their overall topic: art and culture today, and its current ideas, innovations and struggles. Attendees will be able to hear from Reko Rennie and fellow artists Lisa Reihana, Howie Tsui and Adrián Villar Rojas. Also on the bill: Suhanya Raffel, director of M+ in Hong Kong; chefs Adam Liaw, Christine Manfield, Matt Moran and Clayton Wells; human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson; and comedian Steven Oliver. The workshop lineup will see artists from Milingimbi Art and Culture centre in northeast Arnhem Land lead the charge, conducting a weaving session that responds to some of Sydney Modern Project's artworks. In the new building's first gallery, the Yiribana Gallery, a series of naturally dyed woven artworks will be on display as part of a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art — which the workshop will tie into. And, the performance roster includes, GABAN by Wiradjuri Nation interdisciplinary artist Brook Andrew; RITUAL from actor, filmmaker and martial artist Maria Tran; and disability-led choreographic work Animate Loading by Riana Head-Toussaint. [caption id="attachment_880678" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Dreamhome: Stories of Art and Shelter exhibition in the new building at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, featuring works by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran © Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Zan Wimberley[/caption]
Under normal circumstances, a cup of coffee (or several) is an essential part of a busy, bustling day for most folks. It's the caffeinated elixir that kickstarts your engine, puts a spring in your step and gets your brain functioning — and working and waking hours just wouldn't be the same without it. In these COVID-19 times, everyone's routine has clearly changed; however that hankering for a cuppa is probably still going strong. And if you like your coffee in cold-brew form from one of Melbourne's favourite roasters, you can now get your fix by stashing a huge cask of the good stuff in your pantry. South Melbourne's St Ali is already selling — and delivering — beans, house blends, Nespresso-compatible capsules, six-packs and slabs of iced lattes and filter coffee, and even its own 75-percent alcohol hand sanitiser. New to its list are goon sacks of cold-brew concentrate, as made from the roastery's Orthodox blend. Called St Ali Cold Brew 2.0 Concentrate, they come in four-litre packages and will set you back $55 — and deliver Australia-wide. Each cask is designed to last, too, with St Ali recommending that you pour it in 30–50 millilitre serves. That'll give you around 100 caffeinated beverages — as mixed with milk, water and/or ice. If it's cocktail hour, you can always add in booze as well. [caption id="attachment_755831" align="alignnone" width="1920"] St Ali[/caption] For further information about St Ali's cold brew 2.0 concentrate, or to place an order, visit the roastery's online store.
Not a company to stick strictly to the confines of the theatre, Urban Theatre Projects has launched a new immersive arts event that takes you on an adventure through Blacktown. Dubbed Right Here. Right Now., the unique experience is set to run from 6pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from November 1 to 17, delivering a smorgasbord of art, performance, film, music and food in the spirit of sharing contemporary Australian stories. The 'show' goes for 3.5 hours and will take you on a roving showcase of this dynamic pocket of Sydney, enjoying various local works and performances displayed across restaurants, arcades and public spaces throughout Blacktown's colourful Main Street. As part of the experience, you'll sit down to a communal feast, enjoyed side by side with a table full of strangers — or new friends, depending how you look at it — at some of the strip's best-loved eateries. Persian restaurant Dark Blue plates up a parade of Irani favourites, Abyssina Ethiopian Restaurant promises to impress with its authentic coffee ceremony, and Pameer Afghan Restaurant and Bakery delivers signature Afghani dishes against a backdrop of classic Afghani art. Tickets are $59 and include both show and dinner.
They say change is as good as a holiday, and a holiday with some leftover change? Sign us up. The little-known island of Bali is the perfect destination that feels worlds away without having to travel around the world. Flights are cheap, the people are a delight, the food is exceptional, and the beaches are breathtaking. It's no wonder it's an Aussie traveller's favourite. From lush tropical rainforests to terraced rice paddies to multiple surfers' paradises — sometimes even just a couple of nights away is all you need. To help you lock away a quick (or longer) getaway, our editorial team has curated some top travel packages for four distinct Bali locations. Find your preferred option and book it through Concrete Playground Trips now. EXTREME RELAXATION IN NUSA DUA For laidback luxury in between extreme watersports adventures, Sadara Resort on the gorgeous beachfront of Tanjung Benoa has your name on it. Tanjung Benoa is Bali's number one water sports playground, with activities from jet skiing to parasailing, banana boat rides and sea-walking adventures. But fear not, if your holiday is for relaxing and relaxing only, then our Nusa Dua travel deal has everything you need. Sink into your included one-hour Balinese massage before or after you sink into the ocean-facing pool, where you can sink cocktails at the swim-up bar. You'll also enjoy the inclusion of daily breakfast and afternoon tea plus a set menu lunch or dinner. LEGENDARY VIBES AT LEGIAN BEACHFRONT In among the action of iconic Kuta, enjoy a beachside break at AlamKulKul Boutique Resort. This is a prime location for exploring Kuta's beaches along the boardwalk and checking out character-filled laneways before heading back to watch a sunset and sip a Bintang on the beach. Check out our resort package, where you can enjoy true Balinese interiors and architecture, a thriving tropical garden and the on-site spa in between ocean adventures. Your daily breakfast at the restaurant will be an ideal start to the day before you make the most of everything the resort and surroundings have to offer. A GREAT RATE VILLA ESCAPE IN SEMINYAK Let's face it: we all want to be the people who have a Balinese villa and floating breakfast for ourselves — and with this deal, it can be you. The Bali Dream Villa is the ideal location for a getaway, with speedy access from the airport that gets you right into the buzz of Seminyak and its plethora of award-winning restaurants. Inclusions abound with return airport transfers, welcome drinks and daily breakfast and afternoon tea for two. It has everything you need for a private vacay away, with your own pool and kitchenette facilities to make yourself feel truly at home. LUXURY VILLA STAY IN ULUWATU Escape everyday life at beautiful Prasana by Arjani Resort – an all-villa resort perfectly positioned in Bali's beautiful southernmost tip, Uluwatu. This stop is a tad pricier, but it is worth it for what you get included in our exclusive travel package. Whether surfing or spa trips are more your speed, you'll have ample opportunities for both. Explore the famous beach club-lined Melasti Beach or surfer favourite, Padang-Padang, or stay in and enjoy the ocean view from your private villa, take a dip in your private pool or get a relaxing treatment at the Menaka Spa. It's a getaway for all to enjoy the best of Bali, and sometimes, that's just the thing you need to refresh, reset and recharge. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips to destinations all over the world.
If you're travelling around the world on a budget but are looking for some exciting places to stay that are a little out of the ordinary, then these boutique hostels will be up your alley. Offering more than your everyday bunk rooms, these spots are creative, fun and don't follow preconceptions of what the average hostel entails. Be sure to book yourself a bed in one of these amazing locations on your next trip. Jumbo Stay - Stockholm, Sweden Jumbo Stay, situated at the entrance to the Arlanda Airport, houses guests in a real Boeing jumbo jet plane, which was stripped of its seating and revamped to accommodate up to 76 guests. Radeka Downunder - Cooper Pedy, Australia An opal mine was transformed in the mid 1980s into 10 motel rooms, 12 budget rooms & 12 dormitories, with some rooms as far as 6.5 metres underground. Kadir's Tree Houses - Olympos, Turkey This award winning holiday stay on the majestic Mediterranean coastline caters for those yearning to sleep in an adult treehouse. Railway Square - Sydney, Australia Near Sydney's Central Station lies a YHA Hostel which allows guests to stay in the funky railway carriages of former Platform Zero. Carbisdale Castle - Kyle of Sutherland, Scotland The Carbisdale Castle was built between 1906-1917 for the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland after her step-son effectively kicked her out of their castle. The castle was gifted in 1945 to the Scottish Youth Hostel Association and has since been housing backpackers who can marvel at the 365 windows, magnificent marble statues or priceless paintings. Mellow Eco-Hostel - Barcelona, Spain The charm of this vibrant eco-hostel is almost unparalleled due to its location away from crowded tourist spots, surrounded by Guinardo Park. Zhangzhou Wie Qun Lou Inn - Fujian Tulou, China A stunning marvel of architecture, the modern buildings in the mountainous areas of Fujian Tulou in China were originally built in 1802 as a symbol of the wisdom and diligence of the Hakka people. Hostel Celica - Ljubljana, Slovenia Each room at the Hostel Celica, a former military prison, has its own unique mosaics, artistry and architectural design. Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel - California, USA Originally established as a fog signal station in 1875, this hostel provides a little taste of history by allowing guests to stay in the former Coast Guard's quarters or the fog signal building. Hostel Brumund - Hedmark, Norway Known as 'The Pine Hut', this one-of-a-kind rustic Norwegian hostel has two cabins, which house 5 or 6 persons, that are perched 25 feet high on the branches of a 250 year old pine tree.
UK department store Debenhams set up five virtual pop-up stores last month, whereby shoppers could try on dresses without even removing their clothes. The company set up five of these 'stores' around English tourist attractions. Users download an app, then use their smartphone camera to impose garments on photos of their friends. The images can then be shared via social media sites, and users can enter a code for a handy 20% discount from the online store. What resulted was a chance for users to shop in an innovative manner, and see some hypothetical images of themselves in new clothes at historical sites. This is a great example of social media and technology changing the way in which companies are communicating with consumers.
When Flume was named on the Coachella bill, Australians hoped it'd be the prelude to a local tour. When he was announced as one of Spilt Milk's headliners for its upcoming November and December fests, we hoped that solo shows would also be on the itinerary. Now arrives the news that music fans have been waiting for: the Aussie star's Palaces world tour will play a heap of cities before the end of the year. Flume will hit up Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart, all in support of his new album — which, handily, drops this Friday, May 20 and is also called Palaces. So, you now know what you'll be listening to for the next few months, and also when you'll be able to dance to its tracks played live. Your destinations: Red Hill Auditorium in Perth, Brisbane's Riverstage, The Dome in Sydney, John Cain Arena in Melbourne, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and Hobart's Regatta Grounds. The tour will kick off in Western Australia in mid-November, making its way around the nation before finishing in Tasmania in early summer. The string of shows marks Flume's first live dates on home soil since 2019 — for obvious reasons — and he'll have impressive company. Also joining him: Caroline Polachek, Channel Tres, Toro y Moi and Vera Blue, plus appearances by MAY-A. Tickets go on sale at 10am local time on Thursday, May 26, with pre-sales from 10am on Wednesday, May 25. [caption id="attachment_854347" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Green[/caption] FLUME'S 'PALACE' 2022 TOUR AUSTRALIAN DATES: Friday, November 11 — Red Hill Auditorium, Perth, with Channel Tres, Toro y Moi (DJ set) and MAY-A Wednesday, November 16 — Riverstage, Brisbane, with Channel Tres and Toro y Moi and MAY-A Friday, November 18 — The Dome, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, with Channel Tres, Caroline Polachek, Toro y Moi and MAY-A Thursday, November 14 — John Cain Arena, Melbourne, with Channel Tres, Caroline Polachek, Toro y Moi and MAY- Wednesday, November 30 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, with Vera Blue Friday, December 2 — Regatta Grounds, Hobart, with Vera Blue Flume's 'Palace' tour will travel Australia in November and December. Tickets go on sale online at 10am local time on Thursday, May 26, with pre-sales from 10am on Wednesday, May 25. For more information, head to Flume's website.
Here's something for Lady Whistledown to write about: for a week right now, running until Tuesday, April 23, 2024, one Australian town has been given a makeover that'll get visitors to the New South Wales Southern Highlands thinking that they've stepped into Bridgerton. Bowral is your current destination for regency-themed fun, with the country locale's homes and boutiques embracing the transformation (and its manicured gardens helping make the spot an ideal destination for the celebration). The reason for turning Bowral into Bridgerton is the upcoming arrival of the Netflix hit's third season, which is on its way in two parts. The first four episodes arrive on Thursday, May 16, then the next four on Thursday, June 13. The streaming platform's Bridgerton in Bowral festivities also include eight free screenings of the first episode of the new batch across Monday, April 22–Tuesday, April 23 at Empire Cinemas. Expect tickets, which are available online, to go quickly. A limited number of walk-in spots will also be available on each day. First announced at the beginning of April, then kicking off on Tuesday, April 16, the temporary Bowral takeover doesn't just span watching the show early if you're lucky enough to score a seat, and also seeing what this patch of regional Australia looks like when it's harking back to the regency era. A range of places around town have received the Bridgerton treatment, with local businesses joining in on the fun. The idea is to make you feel like you're getting the full ton experience. If you want to dress up to fit the part, that's obviously up to you. Some highlights for your promenade include taking in the florals at The Press Shop, then popping behind the cafe's blue door for some tea; spying the carriage outside boutique spirits supplier SoHi; and hitting up Coach House Collective, which already boasts ivy-covered doors, to peruse furniture and other treasures. Vintage lovers will want to walk through the wrought iron gates at Dirty Janes, where fashion that that takes its cues from regency times awaits. And at outdoor arcade Green Lane, you'll see topiary and other greenery — plus art if you have lunch in the library at Harry's. Romance novels are in the spotlight at Books Ever After, as accompanied by classical string music performed live on the Saturday. Bespoke Letterpress is hosting a letter-writing society, Bowral's Sweets and Treats has regency confectionery — think: violet and rose creams, as well as lemonade fizz balls — on offer, and Gumnut Patisserie is also nodding to the period in a sweet treat. Plus, you can also enjoy a picnic under the floral rotunda at Corbett Gardens, or take a drive to the pink-hued estate that is Retford Park. The latter is opening from 10am–4pm daily for the occasion (with a $15 entry fee) to let visitors explore its hedge mazes, water features and sculptures; mosey around its gardens; and play croquet and skittles on its front lawn. A garden party at Milton Park will close out the week, but tickets to that have already been snapped up. If you're going to treat yourself to a getaway this month and you love Bridgerton, you clearly need to make it this Bridgerton-loving getaway. And if you're a Bridgerton obsessive who lives in Bowral, prepare for plenty of company. Of course Netflix is bringing the series into real life to celebrate season three. This is the streaming service that set up public toilets based on Squid Game, Heartbreak High and Emily in Paris back in February, after all. In the past, all in Sydney, it has also opened a Stranger Things rift on Bondi Beach, unleashed the Squid Game Red Light, Green Light doll by Sydney Harbour and a had pop-up Heartbreak High uniform shop slinging threads in Newtown, too. [caption id="attachment_950838" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bridgerton S3 - Bowral Town Takeover, AustraliaApril 16th 2024[/caption] The town of Bowral's Bridgerton-themed makeover runs until Tuesday, April 23. For seats to screenings of the first episode of the show's' third season across Monday, April 22–Tuesday, April 23 at Empire Cinemas, head to the ticketing website. Bridgerton season three will stream via Netflix in two parts, with four episodes on Thursday, May 16, 2024 and four on Thursday, June 13, 2024. Images: Liam Daniel/Netflix.
You may have caught Lenny Briskets serving up loaded sambos around town since the food truck first hit our streets in 2021. Bringing a taste of New York to Sydney, the roaming kitchen has built a cult following with its tender meats and generous serving sizes. Now, the Briskets team has swapped wheels for bricks with its first permanent diner, joining the likes of Mrs Palmer, South Dowling Sandwiches, Sandoitchi and The Sandwich Stop in Sydney's sandwich hub, Darlinghurst. All of the charm of the food truck's meaty menu is here, but with a solid list of craft beers and wine by the glass for those dining in. At the heart of the restaurant are the deli meats, which can be ordered on a sandwich or on their own for you to take home and get creative with yourself. There are a few signature sangas to choose from. Your instinct may be to opt for a well-worn classic like a pastrami on rye, French dipped or reuben — and you'd be right — but don't discount some of the more playful combos like the New Amsterdam, which loads up two slices of bread with barbecue brisket, American cheese, fire-roasted capsicum and Russian dressing. Each sandwich can be ordered with 150 or 300 grams of meat, depending on how ravenous you're feeling. There's also the Double El Grande — a take on the pastrami sandwich for those that like a challenge. This $38 monster is piled high with half a kilogram of Lenny Briskets' fan-favourite smoked pastrami. Venture past the sandwiches and you'll find plenty of fun options including winter soups, house-made pickles, mac 'n' cheese, onion rings, and fries loaded with queso, pastrami and jalapenos. As for the drinks, Batch and Wayward are the two breweries in charge of the beers, with their respective rosters of craft brews on offer alongside W seltzers and an eight-glass wine list featuring a little something for everyone. Each Thursday–Sunday, Lenny Briskets keeps things rolling until 9pm, turning the venue's energy from a charming lunch spot to a neighbourhood bar with top-notch eats. Head in for Batch West Coast IPA or a glass of Spanish tempranillo with a side of pickles or loaded fries.
For almost 18 months, there's been no time for No Time to Die. Originally slated to hit cinemas worldwide back in April 2020, the 25th official film featuring Bond, James Bond has suffered from more than a few delays due to the pandemic — and was one of the first movies to initially move its release date, in fact. Yes, you could say the feature's plans have been both shaken and stirred, and multiple times. In Australia, they've just been given another push. In most of the world, lovers of both martinis and spy films will finally get their latest fix of suave secret agents, sinister plots to destroy the world and big-screen espionage thrills from the end of September; however, that's no longer the case in Australia. With cinemas in New South Wales and Victoria closed for the foreseeable future due to lockdowns in both states, and reopening dates not yet announced, No Time to Die's Aussie debut has been shifted from Thursday, September 30 to Thursday, November 11. Movie buffs can expect this to keep happening — although, unlike in 2020 and earlier in 2021 when film release dates kept being swapped around due to COVID-19, now it's just occurring in Australia. And yes, No Time to Die is delaying its release countrywide, even though cinemas in Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory currently remain open. Need a reminder of what to look forward to, Bond-wise? A new trailer for No Time to Die has also just dropped, following a first sneak peek all the way back in 2019 and a more recent trailer in 2020. Obviously, all the franchise staples are covered in the clips so far, including world-in-peril action, savvy ladies, plenty of gadgets, eye-popping stunts and spectacles, and an Aston Martin. And, because no Bond movie would be complete without a formidable villain, this flick serves up two: an unhinged, mask-wearing new adversary called Safin (Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar-winner Rami Malek), plus imprisoned ex-opponent Blofeld (Christoph Waltz, Alita: Battle Angel). Daniel Craig returns as 007, marking not only his fifth stint as the spy since 2006's Casino Royale, but his last — and he has company in the 00 stakes. Following the events of 2015's Spectre, Bond has left active service and started a new life in Jamaica, causing MI6 to recruit someone else to cover his turf. That'd be new agent Nomi (Captain Marvel's Lashana Lynch), and you can obviously expect the pair to cross paths. Bond being Bond, he was never going to be able to escape his line of work easily, after all. Here, he's brought back in by CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright, Westworld) to help with a mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective, Maniac) and penned by a team that includes Fukunaga, The Report director Scott Z Burns and Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this Bond instalment also brings back all the usual offsiders. Ralph Fiennes (The Dig) returns as M, alongside Naomie Harris (The Third Day) as Eve Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw (Little Joe) as Q and Rory Kinnear (Peterloo) as MI6 head Bill Tanner. Lea Seydoux (Kursk) is back as psychiatrist Dr Madeleine Swan, too — and, reuniting with Craig after co-starring in the fabulously entertaining Knives Out, Ana de Armas also joins the cast. Watch the final No Time to Die trailer below: No Time to Die will release in Australian cinemas on November 11, 2021.
After moving into the space that once was the Newtown Social Club last year, the Holey Moley crew has taken up residence in the building right underneath the Kings Cross Coca-Cola sign. Here, two neighbouring spaces have been joined to create Holey Moley's biggest venue yet, featuring a huge 27 holes, across three separate mini golf courses. And while this one boasts the same DNA as its siblings, it's also got enough new gimmicks to keep even Holey Moley pros on their toes. The space itself pays homage to the area, and the mini golf offering's been ramped up to include a range of different experiences you won't find anywhere else across the group's stable. As you can expect, it has view across the city. Been to Newtown a few times? Holey Moley Darlinghurst also heralds the arrival of some new additions to the menu. Now you can tame your post-putting hunger with the likes of burgers and hot dogs. Behind the bar, new liquid hits include the Cherry Ripe for the Picking, made on cherry liqueur, coconut rum and whipped cream, and a grapefruit, Aperol and vodka concoction cheekily dubbed the Austin Sours. Since opening in Newtown in July last year, Holey Moley has gone on to open outposts in Castle Hill, Newcastle and Wollongong. So while it might not be welcome news to everyone that the bar has opened in what was once, pre-lockout laws, Sydney's nightlife district, it's hardly surprising. Images: Mitch Lowe.
UPDATE Wednesday, September 22: The Dawn Fraser Baths are now open to the public and free entry has been extended until the end of September. You can book in for a swim via the Inner West Council's website. Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has announced that Balmain's historic Dawn Fraser Baths will reopen to the public later this week, following major renovations to the historic site. If you live within the inner west LGA or within five kilometres of the baths, you can book a one-hour swim from Wednesday, September 8. A number of COVID-safe measures will be in place including a maximum capacity of 26 patrons at any one time, mandatory appointments, no access to the changerooms or showers and a ban on lingering — visitors will be required to leave immediately after their swim, and sunbaking will not be permitted. Entry for the first two weeks will be free, which was announced when the reopening of the baths was first confirmed. At the time, a program of daily health and wellbeing classes including yoga, pilates and tai chi was also planned, however these programs will not run yet due to current public health orders in Sydney. Byrne confirmed in a Facebook post that NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard had issued an order allowing the pool to reopen during Sydney's lockdown, following discussions with the mayor and Member for Summer Hill Jo Haylen. Renovations on the Dawn Fraser Baths were completed back in August. Constructed in the 1880s and renamed after local Olympian Dawn Fraser in the 60s, the baths have been closed to the public for upgrades since 2019. The $8 million heritage restoration saw the swimming hole receive a host of cosmetic improvements, as well as addressing the structural issues that were flagged by engineers and the inner west council back in 2018. The restored pools were originally set to be completed by the summer of last year, however a series of issues delayed the restoration process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jAuN1xpXnY You can read more about the restoration of the Dawn Fraser Baths and stay up-to-date with how to book a swim at the baths at the Inner West Council's website.
Each year in cinema, the big screen delivers plenty of must-sees. Thanks to streaming, the small screen does, too. But there's a truth that lingers whenever you sit down to watch a movie: they can't all be great. That's a fact that the just-announced Razzie nominations for 2021's worst films well and truly recognise, as the Golden Raspberry Awards have for 42 years now. Yes, cinema's award season is upon us again, but that doesn't just mean celebrating the best flicks of the past year, which is what the likes of the Oscars and the Golden Globes aim to do. Also getting some love, albeit of the unwanted kind, are 2021's terrible movies. Leading the pack among the 42nd Razzie nominations is the Netflix version of Diana the Musical — aka the Princess Diana-themed movie of the past year that wasn't the much, much, much better Spencer — which picked up nine nods. It's joined by Karen, a film that matches its name, with five nominations; the needless Space Jam sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy with four nods; and straight-to-streaming Mark Wahlberg vehicle Infinite and abysmal heist flick The Misfits with three apiece. Other movies getting some attention: the Amy Adams-starring The Woman in the Window and Dear Evan Hansen, with the actor also earning a Worst Actress nomination for the former; House of Gucci, with Jared Leto's awful efforts recognised in two different categories; and no fewer than eight Bruce Willis flicks. That's how many titles he starred in last year, and the Razzies have even made their own field for them to compete against each other. Like any awards, the Razzie nominations are subjective, of course. Donning a ridiculous blonde mop while hamming up every scene he's in, Ben Affleck turns in an entertaining performance in The Last Duel, but this year's Razzies' Best Supporting Actor category clearly doesn't agree. The 2021 Razzie Award winners will be announced on Sunday, March 27, Australian and New Zealand time. Check out the full list of nominees below: GOLDEN RASPBERRY NOMINEES 2022: WORST PICTURE Diana the Musical Infinite Karen Space Jam: A New Legacy The Woman in the Window WORST ACTOR Scott Eastwood, Dangerous Roe Hartrampf (as Prince Charles), Diana the Musical LeBron James, Space Jam: A New Legacy Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen Mark Wahlberg, Infinite WORST ACTRESS Amy Adams, The Woman in the Window Jeanna de Waal, Diana the Musical Megan Fox, Midnight in the Switchgrass Taryn Manning, Karen Ruby Rose, Vanquish WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR Ben Affleck, The Last Duel Nick Cannon, The Misfits Mel Gibson, Dangerous Gareth Keegan (as James Hewitt, the muscle-bound horse trainer), Diana the Musical Jared Leto, House of Gucci WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amy Adams, Dear Evan Hansen Sophie Cookson, Infinite Erin Davie (as Camilla), Diana the Musical Judy Kaye (as both Queen Elizabeth and Barbara Cartland), Diana the Musical Taryn Manning, Every Last One of Them WORST PERFORMANCE BY BRUCE WILLIS IN A 2021 MOVIE Bruce Willis, American Siege Bruce Willis, Apex Bruce Willis, Cosmic Sin Bruce Willis, Deadlock Bruce Willis, Fortress Bruce Willis, Midnight in the Switchgrass Bruce Willis, Out of Death Bruce Willis, Survive the Game WORST SCREEN COMBO Any klutzy cast member and any lamely lyricised (or choreographed) musical number, Diana the Musical LeBron James and any Warner cartoon character (or Time-Warner product) he dribbles on, Space Jam: A New Legacy Jared Leto and either his 17-pound latex face, his geeky clothes or his ridiculous accent, House of Gucci Ben Platt and any other character who acts like Platt singing 24-7 is normal, Dear Evan Hansen Tom and Jerry (aka Itchy and Scratchy), Tom & Jerry WORST DIRECTOR Christopher Ashley, Diana the Musical Stephen Chbosky, Dear Evan Hansen Coke Daniels, Karen Renny Harlin, The Misfits Joe Wright, The Woman in the Window WORST REMAKE, RIPOFF or SEQUEL Karen (inadvertent remake of Cruella deVil) Space Jam: A New Legacy Tom and Jerry Twist (rap remake of Oliver Twist) The Woman in the Window (ripoff of Rear Window) WORST SCREENPLAY Diana the Musical, script by Joe DiPietro, music and lyrics by DiPietro and David Bryan Karen, written by Coke Daniels The Misfits, screenplay by Kurt Wimmer and Robert Henny, screen story by Robert Henny Twist, written by John Wrathall and Sally Collett, additional material by Matthew Parkhill, Michael Lindley, Tom Grass and Kevin Lehane, from an "original idea" by David and Keith Lynch and Simon Thomas The Woman in the Window, screenplay by Tracy Letts, from the novel by AJ Finn
When a new restaurant and bar opens, or relaunches after a revamp, the menu always takes pride of place — but we all know that that's not the only attraction when you're heading to a venue. Design-wise, what's on the inside counts as well. And, at the Australian Interior Design Awards, top-notch decor in hospitality, residential, workplace, retail and public settings all gets thrust into the spotlight. On AIDA's 2022 shortlist, plenty of places have been given the nod — all now vying to emerge victorious when the gongs are handed out this winter. This marks the accolades' 19th year of showcasing the finest design minds working in Australia's residential, commercial and public sectors, and the work on display by the contenders is unsurprisingly stunning. Obviously, if you like your interiors swish, plush, luxurious and stylish all round, you're going to want to visit, live in or work at all of the places up for this year's awards. Among the hospitality, retail and public spots that've earned some love, dropping by to scope of their interior design is definitely possible. [caption id="attachment_849500" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Genovese Coffee House by Alexander CO. Photography by Anson Smart.[/caption] It helps if you live in Sydney or Melbourne, with spots in New South Wales and Victoria featuring heavily on the shortlists. Starting in the Harbour City, standouts include Genovese Coffee House in Alexandria, Ursula's Paddington, The Woollahra Hotel and The Imperial in the hospo field, and the revamped Theatre Royal Sydney in the public design category. Melbourne's Smith Street Bistrot, Entrecôte Prahran, Yugen Tea Bar, Tokyo Tina, Untitled, Hector's Deli South Melbourne, Ovolo South Yarra, Society, Flower Drum and Yakimono also rank among the places in the running, plus The Lume Melbourne and Victorian Pride Centre. [caption id="attachment_849499" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fugazzi by studio gram. Photography by Jonathon VDK.[/caption] In Queensland, only six spots have made the cut: homes in Toowong and New Farm, Alba Noosa Providore and Wineism in the retail field, and two workplaces — with the local hospo industry missing out. Elsewhere, Inka Japanese Restaurant in Canberra, and Fugazzi and Arkhé in South Australia join the places in contention. The rundown goes on in all fields, which means that there's no shortage of strikingly designed new, revamped and refurbished places demanding your attention around around the country. This year's winners will be announced in-person at a dinner the Hyatt Regency Sydney on Friday, June 17. For the full Australian Interior Design Awards 2022 shortlist, head to the AIDA website. Top images: Society by Russell George. Photography by Sean-Fennessy and Shannon McGrath. / Flower Drum by Studio 103. Photography by Pete-Dillon. / The Imperial by Welsh Major. Photography by Clinton Weaver.
A day in the life of a business owner revolves around decision making. Does this web design look right? Have we ordered enough stock? When is the right time to move to a bigger space? With so many priorities to juggle, it's tough to consider the bigger picture. But, thinking about the long-term impact of our day-to-day decisions is essential — small actions add up and have the power to create powerful change. Sustainability can be too often overlooked when building a business. So, we've gathered some sage advice from sustainably focused local businesses. Discover their simple strategies for making eco-friendly choices and practical sustainability tips — and see how you can apply them to your own business (or everyday life). [caption id="attachment_731492" align="alignnone" width="1918"] Kimberley Low[/caption] CREATING WITH LONGEVITY IN MIND In a small Surry Hills laneway, Nina Cueva and Cesar Cueva co-founded their contemporary jewellery and objects gallery space. Over the past 15 years, the duo has navigated the everchanging bricks-and-mortar landscape. Now, boasting three spaces across The Strand Arcade, their ethos of community, craftsmanship and innovation remains unchanged. Courtesy of the Artist represents over 80 artists from Australia and around the globe. Here, sustainability comes to life as a celebration of bespoke treasures. In store, you'll find exclusive one-off pieces that are designed to last and crafted using sustainably mined gemstones and gold from Western Australia. Plus, regular talks, workshops and demonstrations allow shoppers to meet and engage directly with artists. Over the years, Courtesy of the Artist has introduced other sustainable practices into its business. All tax invoices are sent digitally and a paperless tracking system for orders is used. These simple, practical changes serve to reduce waste, cut unnecessary costs and simplify the retail experience. [caption id="attachment_731472" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] CHAMPIONING SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD In 2001, finding vegan products on supermarket shelves was a tough ask. So, Jessica Bailey founded The Cruelty-Free Shop. This one-stop shop for vegan-friendly food, beauty and home goods. It's an online store turned bricks-and-mortar supermarket with locations around Australia, including a Sydney store in Glebe. Leaping offline wasn't without its challenges though. Bailey quickly learned the value of asking for a helping hand. With the mentorship and guidance of the City of Sydney's Retail Innovation Program, Bailey uncovered the need to delegate and expand her team. "The program helped me see the big picture and step away from the minute detail which freed up my time to come up with new ideas," explains Bailey. With her creative juices flowing, The Cruelty-Free Shop has grown from strength to strength. For Bailey, sustainability means empowering shoppers to make the switch to a plant-based diet. In store, you'll find vegan recipe cards and information to inspire more sustainable food choices. Plus, Bailey is committed to supporting animal rights charities that align with her core business values through events and fundraisers. "Last year alone, we raised $80,000 for these charities," she reveals. SEEKING OUT ETHICAL SUPPLIERS For most of us, slavery and human rights are abstract concepts. But these abuses happen every day, and The Freedom Hub is one business set up to address them. On top of being an ethical cafe, events and retail space, it's also home to the Survivor School, which rehabilitates victims of modern slavery. Across its two cafe locations (Sydney's Waterloo and Palm Beach on the Gold Coast), the business focuses on having an ethical supply chain and ensures its suppliers are free from slavery or environmentally damaging manufacturing methods. In store, you'll find smashed avo with sourdough from The Bread and Butter Project on the menu and stacks of 100 percent recycled Who Gives A Crap toilet paper in the restroom. Plus, it's actively giving back to organisations that work towards social good. With 100 percent of all cafe proceeds going directly towards its Survivor School, the business model ensures everyone has the opportunity to do good. [caption id="attachment_731483" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] USING AUTOMATION TO SAVE RESOURCES One in three pieces of clothing ends up in landfill. That quite sobering stat is what sparked co-founders Zoltan Csaki and Eric Phu to create Citizen Wolf. The 'smarter casual' Sydney fashion label delivers tailored t-shirts made to order. The best bit? It uses a 'magic fit' algorithm and machinery to remove the manual labour of traditional apparel production. Plus, this customisation means a perfect fit every time — working towards its goal of being a zero-waste business. The range is a focused offering of men's and women's tees. Each piece is made in a Darlinghurst factory using fabrics sourced from a series of Melbourne-based mills. "It is important to us that we can keep the supply chain as short as we possibly can," explains Csaki. As far as fashion brands go, Citizen Wolf is undeniably going against the grain. It's invested in sourcing biodegradable and natural fibres for all of its garments and ensures zero labour exploitation across the business. Plus, making pieces on demand ensures there's no unsold inventory going to landfill. [caption id="attachment_731479" align="alignnone" width="1918"] Kimberley Low[/caption] HARNESSING 100 PERCENT AUSTRALIAN INGREDIENTS Flocking to the markets is how Sydneysiders prefer to do their groceries. And for those who frequent Bondi Farmers Market, you'll be familiar with hemp foods provider Senzu Roots. This Sydney-based startup delivers a range of sustainable hemp-driven products. Offering everything from protein powders to oils, plus a new range of gourmet nut bars and smoothies, founder Romain Hannequin hopes to make a positive impact on the environment one bliss ball at a time. "Our hemp is 100 percent Australian-grown. And, our 'raw products' (seeds and protein powder) are offered in biodegradable and compostable packaging," Hannequin explains. The commitment to working alongside local farmers and suppliers means lower food mileage, less energy usage and fresher produce for consumers. In its commitment to shopping local, Senzu is keeping its offline presence to just a handful of markets alongside limited online sales. "I believe that consumers are going to support smaller, local businesses offering ethical and sustainable products, and that's why we will focus on working with small businesses instead of big chains," says Hannequin. Top Image: Trent van der Jagt.
Earlier this year, the NSW Government announced a set of new laws (read: new fines) for cyclists, which included a fine increase for not wearing a helmet and running a red light, and a new requirement that cyclists must carry ID when riding. A compulsory minimum distance of one metre between cyclists and cars was also introduced — presumably to ensure the safety of cyclists. But since the harsh new road rules came into effect on March 1, it's not those in cars that have started copping more fines. It's cyclists. In less than two months, more than 1500 cyclists have been whacked with a fine. And how many drivers have been given the same, you ask? Just four. According to The Guardian, in less than two months from when the laws were put in place, more than $350,000 in fines were documented from people riding without helmets alone. A total of 1100 cyclists were fined (a significant increase from the 710 fined in the same months last year), which makes up more than two thirds of the total number of infringement notices issued to cyclists this year. While 'safety' is still the party line NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay is going with, the laws seem to be making a tidy sum for the government. Under the March 1 changes, the previous fine of $71 for not wearing a helmet was increased a whopping 350 percent to $319, a very large increase for an infringement that already existed. So, the fines have increased — but has safety for cyclists on the road? Well, there's no way to know just yet. According to Transport for NSW's Go Together campaign, on average, 11 bicycle riders are killed and 1500 seriously injured in NSW each year, so we'll have to wait to see if those stats improve. When these new fines were introduced, Transport for NSW said they intended to ensure that bike riders receive the same fines as motorists for high-risk behaviour. But as only four motorists have been fined under these new laws, that doesn't seem to be working out in practice. Interestingly, another nine cyclists have been fined for riding "furiously" or "recklessly". No joke. It would seem the new system shows a disproportionate targeting of cyclists. Garry Brennan of the Bicycle Network told The Guardian the fine increases were a clear "dash for cash", especially with the vigour with which they've been enforced. So if you're a strapped for cash, environmentally-conscious cyclist, just don't ride too furiously on your way to work today. Via The Guardian.
Picking just one event to get excited about at Dark Mofo 2023 is like selecting your favourite child, niece or nephew: no matter the circumstances, no one wants to make that choice. But at Tasmania's annual winter festival, a particular shindig keeps putting its hand up, especially if you love wild affairs that run late into the evening — because anything and everything can and does happen at Night Mass. Usually, the after-dark affair takes over the In The Hanging Garden precinct; however, this year, it's sprawling wider. In their latest big reveal after announcing Florentina Holzinger's dance theatre performance A Divine Comedy back in January, the full boundary-pushing lineup in March and a few fresh additions in mid-April, the Dark Mofo team has unveiled Night Mass' roster of talent for this year, as well as its massive footprint in the middle of downtown Hobart. [caption id="attachment_898330" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Night Mass. Photo Credit: Dark Mofo/Jesse Hunniford. Image Courtesy Dark Mofo, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] In 2023, Night Mass will take over three city blocks, naming the space District X. Within its confines, there'll be 13 stages hosting a hefty list of acts, all in an area that'll have a capacity of 4500 — and take place over five nights across two weekends. Those dates: Friday, June 9–Sunday, June 11, and then Friday, June 16–Saturday, June 17. On offer: everything from music and cocktail lounges through to punk theatre and junkyard raves. [caption id="attachment_898332" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Plaid | Dark Mofo 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] Dark Mofo has dubbed the event Night Mass: Exstasia for 2023 and, as curator Mason Browne explains, "Extasia embraces the notion of radical entropy and exultation; that primordial desire to assume a Dionysic state. We want the Night Mass audience to journey through it being surprised, delighted, disgusted, aroused and alarmed." Attendees can also expect art, performances, cinema cabarets, games arcades, tarot readings, plenty of places to eat and drink, and fire beacons lighting the way. [caption id="attachment_898329" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Night Mass. Photo Credit: Dark Mofo/Jesse Hunniford. Image Courtesy Dark Mofo, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] District X will be split into themed precincts, spanning Walpurgisnacht in Bidencopes Lane, Underground Cinema and The Grand Poobah; The Boneyard in Watchorn Street and Harrington Lane, and their car parks; Urban Dystopia in Liverpool Street; Origins in the Cathedral and In The Hanging Garden; and Event Horizon in Odeon Theatre and its labyrinth. There's also Nachtlicker, which is concept from Alex Podger (Altar, High Altar). On the bill: folks such as Desire Marea, dameeeela, Amnesia Scanner, Violent Magic Orchestra and Mahne Frame, as well as Ms Boogie, Prison Religion, Pelada, Marie Davidson and Moktar. [caption id="attachment_898327" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Debby Friday | Dark Mofo 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo.[/caption] Run by Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art, and taking place in Hobart between Thursday, June 8–Thursday, June 22, Dark Mofo also includes The Blue Rose Ball, which does indeed take its cues from the one and only David Lynch; Giant Teddy, EJ Son's towering Korean pop culture-inspired teddy bear that has lasers for eyes; Max Richter's SLEEP, which returns to Australia for an eight-and-a-half-hour overnight stint; and Soda Jerk's latest film Hello Dankness. The list goes on from there, whether you're keen on live tunes, the kind of shows you won't see elsewhere or nude solstice swims. Keen to make the most of it? Concrete Playground Trips' Dark Mofo accommodation package might come in handy — and yes, it includes Night Mass tickets. [caption id="attachment_898328" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kinder | Dark Mofo 2023. Photo courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] DARK MOFO'S NIGHT MASS: EXSTASIA LINEUP: Amnesia Scanner Aqueerius Arcana Arunya Lee Olive Axon Breeze Aya Gloomy Ayebatonye Bambii Big Wett Brixx Buzz Kull CaucasianOpportunities Claire O'Brien CORIN dameeeela Dane Blacklock & The Preacher's Daughter Debby Friday Desire Marea Elisabeth Dixon Eris & The Disciples Estée Louder Fabian B IN2STELLAR Jacqui Cunningham JLaw Joey Labeija Kangding Ray Kasimyn Kinder Laurel Halo Lips Service Liquid Nails L$F Mahne Frame Makeda Marie Davidson Mobiletti Giradischi Moktar Ms Boogie Nabihah Iqbal (DJ Set) Nooriyah OKENYO ONYX Our Carlson Pelada Prison Religion Real Lies SI Process Simona Castricum SMB8 Sote & Tarik Barri SOVBLKPSSY Stev Zar Stormworm Sveta The Riot Tjaka Trophie V VACUUM Varg2™ Violent Magic Orchestra Vv Pete Winternationale WÖØLWORTHS\\FLUSHOT ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U ZCluster Dark Mofo 2023 runs from Thursday, June 8–Thursday, June 22 in Hobart, Tasmania, with tickets on sale now. Top images: Night Mass, Dark Mofo 2019. Photo Credit: Dark Mofo/Jesse Hunniford, 2019. Image Courtesy Dark Mofo, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. // Stev Zar | Dark Mofo 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo. // dameeeela | Dark Mofo 2023. Image courtesy of the artist and Dark Mofo. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world — including our Dark Mofo tickets and accommodation package.
When you're fresh from donning armour and sparking an international frenzy in one of TV's biggest franchises, what comes next? For Ryan Corr, following up his stint as Ser Harwin Strong in House of the Dragon means sliding into a six-part Brisbane-shot ABC dramedy about loss and mental health. In its themes, tone, scale and budget, In Limbo is in another world to Game of Thrones and its prequel series — it's about a thirtysomething man struggling with the sudden death of his best friend and his mental health in general, and it's also a supernatural buddy comedy — but the Australian star wouldn't have that contrast of parts any other way. "I guess subconsciously, I try to get them as different as possible, like going from a bikie to a man in a suit," Corr says of picking his roles two decades into his career. "I think that I do that because I've done this since I was a kid, and I'm in pursuit of that challenge, and knocking down boundaries that I didn't think I could necessarily do." Corr has done plenty since earning his first screen credit as a teenager in Aussie series The Sleepover Club. Most homegrown TV shows since have featured the charismatic actor, from Blue Heelers, Neighbours, Underbelly and Tangle to Love Child, Cleverman, Hungry Ghosts and Wakefield — and, of course, his 60-plus-episode run on Packed to the Rafters. On the big screen, he made his movie debut in the film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, then added everything from rom-com Not Suitable for Children and horror sequel Wolf Creek 2 to biopic Holding the Man and bikie drama 1% to his resume, plus Ali's Wedding, Mary Magdalene, Ladies in Black and High Ground as well. Across a body of work with no shortage of highlights, his two most recent projects still stand out. House of the Dragon had Corr playing the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms and, amid the global attention that followed, sparked an onslaught of 'Six Things You Might Not Know About Ser Harwin Strong' and 'Ryan Corr Has Gone From Blue Water High to Westeros'-style articles. "I don't see myself as a six-foot-five strong knight, and sure as hell not the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms," he says. "But the challenge was how do I replicate that in my idea of what strength is and what the essence is? And can I portray that?" In Limbo, which is streaming now on ABC iView and airing weekly on ABC TV, swaps physical brawn for emotional vulnerability. After crane operator Charlie loses his lifelong best mate Nate (Bob Morley, Love Me), everything unsurprisingly changes, but Nate remains a presence in his life from the afterlife. "When I got the script, it really moved me. I found it laugh-out-loud funny, and really upsetting at times — and I thought it was really fresh. I don't think we've tried to deal with themes like this in quite this way before," Corr advises. There's a sense of responsibility that comes with a series like In Limbo, as well as that challenge that Corr is always seeking. Thanks to its subject matter, the show always felt personal while he was making it, too. Corr chatted with Concrete Playground about all about the above, having a profound reaction to the project, balancing In Limbo's tones and themes, his past year and his career highlights so far. ON MAKING A COMEDY THAT'S THOUGHTFUL AND WEIGHTY — AND IN LIMBO'S PERSONAL FEEL "There was a much longer rehearsal process than usual, where we just got to sit down together, weigh in and talk about what we were about to tackle subject-wise — and there were safety networks all around us while we did so — and also start to share and open up about our own lives and experiences, both direct and indirectly, to do with loss, so that we could develop trust together as people while we navigate these ideas. Because I think the series has to have heart. I found that everyone in the making of it — the crew all up in Brisbane, everyone that read this script — had a profound reaction to it and said 'I want to be a part of this'. I think you can feel everyone leaning into it in the final product. I hope so. I've, of course, experienced loss, as have most people that I know. I think it's a very personal tale. I very much based Charlie's relationship with Nate on some of my early childhood friends, who are a bridge past that now — we're not friends anymore, they're more like brothers and sisters, they are my family. So I very much know where that relationship lives, and the idea of losing one of them is the earth-shattering. We all actively worked through it, communicating with each other, personalising what we've been through and were going through, so that we could trust each other — and so you can invest the series with that heart and that meaning. I don't think it's possible if you don't." ON DRAWING UPON REALITY TO INFORM IN LIMBO'S MIX OF TONES AND GENRES "When I lost my grandfather, I was sitting around with a group of my friends and family, and we're all holding hands as he was literally leaving. And he did something funny in some of his final breaths, he made a funny noise or something. And so I found that my family were all holding each other and crying, and then laughing all of a sudden. We were saying goodbye to someone we love, and all of a sudden he made one of the funny noises and we laughed, and there was a wonderful lesson in that — it had both. And I think in life, it has both. And what In Limbo tries to explore is that — I think In Limbo is more about life than it is about death. Strangely, in the losing of Nate, Charlie discovers more about himself in the pursuit of trying to find answers about Nate. He becomes closer to his family, and it exposes things, it brings things to the forefront that he may have not been dealing with previously. And in a strange way, Nate guides Charlie through — in death, Nate helps Charlie through his life. And it's about the way that the people that are left continue to live, the way they come together, and the way they support each other and water those relationships and friendships, and help each other grieve and process. And that's what life is, you know? And within that, within this thing that we call life, there are often — at least I've found — moments of hysterical laughter, of mundane things that make you lose your shit laughing." ON PREPARING FOR IN LIMBO "Like with all characters, there are some parts that you research and some parts of yourself. I have some experiences with mental health myself personally, and with my family and with my friends. So it's not hard for me to go to places where I was in darker spaces with my anxiety and depression, and knowing what that felt like, and not being able to see the light. One the things that In Limbo brings up is that it's not always visible. In fact, it's very, very rarely visible. And I remember, just simply for me personally, that it wasn't until I was going through some shit for a couple of years until I was like 'oh, I don't think I'm happy right now' or 'I think what I'm feeling is muted. I don't feel the highs. I don't feel the lows'. I remember that being rather confronting, like 'oh [how long] have I felt like this for?". One of things that In Limbo tries to do is shed a bit of light on that. You ask more often if people are okay. When they say that they are, it's not always necessarily the full story. And it's about just trying a little further, it's about asking a little more and it's about checking on yourself. Everyone in In Limbo, we all have to pull from our personal worlds. This is an intimate story, and it's about family and it's about loss. So researching things like this, you have to draw from things in your own life, and then have an environment where you can leave that at the door and feel safe to expose it with other people and be safe going home afterwards. I think they very much made that environment for us." ON THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH TACKLING MENTAL HEALTH "It's not our responsibility to give answers or to hammer over the head any of our ideas around this — it's about starting a conversation, and I think that everyone in the creative process very much took that responsibility on board, and tried to keep that close through the shooting of it as our as our main drive. Our number-one prerogative was to take that responsibility seriously. You have responsibility to all characters you play. If you're doing it properly, it has to cost you something — and particularly with something like this, there's no phoning it in. So we made sure that being comfortable around dealing with these things, both as performers and as people, was right the forefront. And that we weren't trying to hand people any simple answers." ON WHAT CORR LOOKS FOR IN A PART "It can be a number of things, but usually something that challenges me or that I don't think I can do initially — something where I go 'all right, now we're gonna go over here'. It's about challenge and primarily it's about chase. It's about the pursuit of great writing and great directors. When you have language on your side, when you have great ideas on your side, that's the pursuit of this industry. It's raising to those writers and it's raising to those ideas — not making it about yourself and saying 'this is how it is when I feel', it's about trying to play your part in the whole of the narrative. It's really the pursuit of writing that excites me — and directors that, when you sit down and have meetings with them, the way they talk about their ideas gets you excited and inspires you, and you can see it as they talk. It's working with creatives who have a similar pursuit as I do." ON JUMPING FROM HOUSE OF THE DRAGON TO IN LIMBO "Obviously there's a difference in the scale and the reach, but honestly there's not a big difference between In Limbo and Thrones. There's more people, but it's ultimately always the same job. In fact, if anything, I find that the the bigger they get and the more expansive, the less personal they become, and the less involved with the people you're working with. You can shoot a scene over half a week [on House of the Dragon] — one scene of a sequence over half a week. On In Limbo, we're shooting 16 scenes the day and then waking up at 4am to do it again the next day. And we had bugger all time to do it in, like five weeks, so it becomes a completely different exercise in trusting each other. [With House of the Dragon] you just expand upon that. Instead of going into a house that we've decked out in Brisbane, it's a giant setpiece that is an operational castle — you can walk up the stairs, and there's 30 people teaching someone dance for next week, teams and teams of people. It's the same thing extended upon, obviously, because there's huge amounts of money involved, and because the shows are so big. I just tried to go in and fill Harwin's shoes the best way I knew how. There wasn't a huge amount of him in the book, so I had to fill in the lines. That part of it was exactly the same as sitting in the lounge room with In Limbo… working through these scenes, mining them for the best ideas, workshopping the best ways to do it, rehearsing it and then getting out there and trying to give it our all." ON THE PROJECT ON CORR'S RESUME THAT STANDS OUT "Honestly, every one — but two things. Kevin Jackson is my acting mentor who's just recently passed away — he was the acting teacher at NIDA for many, many years, and is responsible for framing the lives and artistry of many people that I know, including myself. I went at 17. I'd done teen shows, and I made the decision at that age — I was like 'I want take this seriously and I want to study it'. So I took myself out of the industry, went to drama school and that's where I met a man in Kevin that taught me what great writing was and how what we did was above ourselves. Like I say, he is 'the writer is God'. He's the reason that I pursue writing the way that I do. It's not about how you feel, it's not about bringing it down to you. It's about pain reaching these ideas. Can you make something of these ideas? And therefore it's universal. When I was growing up, I took a lot of my lessons, my understanding of emotion, my understanding of love, my understanding of grief, from a lot of the films that I inhaled. That was my go-to, that's what spoke to me and that felt important to me. And so, if I'm going to do it as my career, Kevin was very much a pivotal part of helping me understand what it is that we do. Also Holding the Man, I would say as an experience, as a film, working with [director] Neil Armfield, working with Tommy [playwright and screenwriter Tommy Murphy]. And having for the first time the yardstick of what I was doing, as my job slightly changed. It wasn't just 'here's my version of a character and I hope it's good' — it was someone's family. And I met that family, and I had them hand over their journals and their personal belongings, and I had his friends reach out from all throughout Melbourne. And we had the Victorian AIDS Council say, 'hey, can we can we do rehearsals here?'. I was just overwhelmed with the amount of compassion and the amount of love that reached towards us in doing it. And it made me realise that my job here wasn't to do a good job — it was to represent a real person's memory and their legacy and their love to the absolute nth degree that I possibly can. That felt important and, like with In Limbo, I felt a responsibility to the people that I was playing and to what it meant, and that really resonated with me throughout the years. It's not like you can have jobs like that all the time, but it really did entrench what this industry, what this thing that I call a job, what the arts can be and what it can do and how important it is." In Limbo streams via ABC iView. Read our full review. House of the Dragon streams via Binge. Read our full review.
Lamenting singledom, or the limitations of your partner, is a favourite past-time for the many — and a full-time job for the few. However, when the planets align and you finally do get a chance to flex your dating muscle with someone you like/know/just met/kidnapped suddenly, a whole new set of problems arise. We may not be there to help pick a new outfit or brainstorm what album to play in the car, but we can relieve some of that venue-related anxiety you have had since they said yes. These are our picks of the best spots for first dates of every variation. The Hot Date: Low302 Okay, lets start on a high; you have gone all La Bouche over some lucky someone and now its time to set the scene. This category was tight, but there's something uniquely seductive about a place that takes a brick-walled, downtown-NYC-feeling space then decks it out with enough velvet to cover A Touch of Class, tucks a baby grand in the corner, borders the whole thing with ample couch space and sets the mood with the complete Black Keys discography. The kind of place you imagine Matthew McConaughey living in (circa bongo days). With table service to boot, you can rule out any of those mood-killing, half-hour fights to the bar for a drink at Low302. The just-friends date: Shady Pines Saloon The just-friends date can be trying terrain for even the most seasoned of daters, but if you are the one who puts the 'date' in that sentence not the 'friend' head over to Shady Pines Saloon. It's relaxed enough to not seem like a bold move away from the friend zone, but the combo of loud music, booze and peanuts seems to be working well for the bartenders, so maybe some of the charm that is Shady Pines will work in your favour. The no-expense-spared date: Gastro Park Here is a life rule: when you have money to burn always, always, always go to Quay. But I mean to burn. Otherwise, try out Gastro Park. Head chef/owner Grant King did just under a decade down at Pier before opening up this culinary gem with a view of the Kings Cross zoo, so it's some of the best cooking you will see in Sydney. Arrive early for a cocktail at the bar, and then, before your date can look at the menu, suggest the degustation with matching wines (no expense spared, remember?). Sommelier Brendan February will step you through some of the finer things in life, and this food is seriously guaranteed to impress. Just remember when leaving: do not feed the wildlife. The second-first date: Ms G's So you are doing that thing you said you would never do — you are dating the ex. But where should you go? Sentimentalists, just go to wherever you went on your first (successful) date, but for the rest of you it is time to think of somewhere anonymous and loud enough to cover any unforeseen abusive tirades. Plus, close proximity to a taxi rank is preferable. This is all pointing to Ms G's on Victoria St, right? The food is good but more importantly comes out fast enough for you to wrap things up on the fly, if need be. Its proximity to the Cross means a plethora of a. transport or b. drinking away your sorrows options. The Sunday Date: The Commons The Sunday date is a tricky customer. You could spend the whole time fixating on who they saw last night and why you are on the Sunday rung, or you could do everything in your power to bring an air of romance to Sunday. Think open fires, sandstone, hearty eats and a full liquor licence. Think, The Commons Local Eating House. Its been tucked away on Liverpool Street for a few years so it will not be buying you any 'ahead of the curve' points, but a lend of its homely charm could be just the ticket for injecting a bit of snuggle into your Sunday. The late-night date: Frankie's All things late night seem to be happening at Frankie's these days, so why should a late-night date be the exception? Step down into the world of Scott and Forte, grab a booth under some plastic grape vines and (if you can hear each other) muse about the faces in all those photographs. Grab a drink, sit down, and scope out the crowd. It is a wonderful spot for people watching and this will be your fail-safe if adult conversation hits a snag. The movie date: El Loco Your plan ended when the credits rolled, and now you have been doing that aimless walking around thing for almost 20 minutes (which is never as cute as it seems). Do yourself a favour and head to Devonshire Street; not only is El Loco a low-key 'let's talk about the plot' kind of venue, it is also one of the places most likely to still be serving food when your 8.30 session comes out. Plus, jalapeno margaritas are a well-known cure for that-was-the-worst-movie-I-ever-saw/I-want-my-two-and-a-half-hours-back-itis. We read that somewhere. The date on a budget: Missy K There are plenty of nightly deals around Sydney that can turn a lot of venues into a budget option (take Hinky Dinks' $1 wing night on a Wednesday for example), but if you want something reliably cheap and cheerful forget Bar Reggio and Bill & Tonis; actually, forget the whole of Stanley Street and look a little further afield. Missy K's is a dumpling and tea house sitting opposite 4Fourteen and next to the long-closed Hopetoun in Surry Hills, so you are in the thick of it. The food is fresh, Asian, speedy, delicious. Grab some dumplings, duck pancakes and rice paper rolls and sneak out of there for under $30. Plus, budget-dater-favourite the Cricketers Arms is just up the road if things go well. The blind date: Hinky Dinks Okay, let's assume someone with half a brain picked you two desperados for each other and you have something in common — go somewhere with a bit of personality, maybe even your personality. Hinky Dinks may be it — there is good food, but it's not a restaurant so no one is getting stuck there for four hours, the drinks are excellent and, where your home will always disappoint you, the decor at Hinky Dinks is simply delightful. In short, Hinky Dinks gives you an air of taste. The dance date: GoodGod Small Club Come Friday make a beeline for the Danceteria at GoodGod Small Club—you might even check out what's on and buy tickets beforehand, if you are into that kind of thing. This Chinatown cellar has that brand of undeniably infectious dance energy from the young indie crowd — ie, 'the pogo' and all other brands of just-for-fun dance moves are more than welcome. As is your date.
Whichever Disney theme park sits on your must-visit list — the original Disneyland in California, Florida's Walt Disney World, or sites in Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai — you won't be heading there while Australia's borders are closed to international travel. So, the Mouse House has brought some of its magic our way. Now open at Melbourne's newly revamped Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Disney: The Magic of Animation showcases the company's considerable animated prowess across the past century. Whether you've always been a fan of Mickey Mouse, can remember how it felt when you first watched Bambi, are able to sing all of Genie's lyrics in Aladdin or fell head over heels for Moana more recently, you'll find plenty worth looking at among ACMI's halls and walls. And in its doors, too, actually — because walking beneath mouse ear-shaped openings to move from one area to the next is all part of the experience. Of course it is. Displaying from Thursday, May 13–Sunday, October 17, marking ACMI's first big exhibition since it reopened after its $40 million transformation and making its only Aussie stop at the venue, Disney: The Magic of Animation explores everything from 1928's Steamboat Willie — the first talkie to feature Mickey Mouse — through to this year's Raya and the Last Dragon. Obviously, a wealth of other titles get the nod between those two bookending flicks. Fantasia, Alice in Wonderland, Lady and the Tramp, The Jungle Book and The Lion King also feature, as do Mulan, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia. And yes, many of these movies have been remade in live-action or photo-realistic CGI; however, ACMI's showcase is only about the animated films. The big drawcard: art from the Mouse House's hefty back catalogue of titles, and heaps of it. More than 500 original artworks feature, spanning paintings, sketches, drawings and concept art. The entire lineup has been specially selected by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, and will let you get a glimpse at just how the movie magic comes to life, how some of Disney's famous stories were developed, and which animation techniques brought them to the big screen. "The exhibition features behind-the-scenes production artworks which were created during the development of our Disney animated films," explains Walt Disney Animation Research Library Art Exhibitions and Conservation Manager Kristen McCormick. She notes that visitors will "see how the filmmakers and artists develop our stories, and work through different ideas and concepts along the way to creating the films we know so well". And if you think the 500-plus piece collection on display is sizeable — which is is — it was chosen from more than 65 million works in the Walt Disney Animation Research Library. Get ready to peer at hand-drawn dalmatians (which is timely, given that Cruella hits cinemas and Disney+ at the end of May), stare closely at Mickey Mouse's evolution, examine Wreck-It Ralph models and pose next to Snow White. Wall-sized artworks pay tribute to a number of movies, too — The Little Mermaid piece is particularly eye-catching — and feeling like you're stepping into a Disney movie is an unsurprising side effect. Arriving on our shores after past seasons in cities such as Paris, Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore, Disney: The Magic of Animation is clearly designed to appeal to Mouse House fans of all ages. You, your parents, today's primary school kids — you've all grown up watching Disney flicks. So, while you're pondering tales as old as time, being ACMI's guest, contemplating the animated circle of life and definitely not letting your nostalgia go, prepare to be accompanied by aficionados both young and young at heart. Disney: The Magic of Animation is on display at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne from Thursday, May 13–Sunday, October 17 — open 12–5pm Monday–Friday and 10am–6pm on weekend and during school holidays. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the ACMI website. Images: Phoebe Powell.
Investigating the most challenging issues of our complicated times, the expansive Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art will once again take over Carriageworks for 2020 — but it'll look noticeably different to previous years. Run by Performance Space, this year's shortened program (running from October 21–25) will combine socially-distanced live performances with a huge range digital events. The 2020 festival is divided into three parts, all of which will be presented both in-person and streamed online. These include Live Now performances, Live Futures panel discussions and Live Dreams, which will present artists' works-in-progress. As part of the Live Now program, Filipinx artist Justin Shoulder is unveiling a new work titled AEON†: Episode 1 that fuses myth, puppetry and queer pageantry; Cat Jones is opening an experimental pharmacy (and hosting hands-on workshops); and a collaboration between choreographer Angela Goh and Sydney artist Deborah Kelly will culminate in a public display of devotion. A performance ritual broadcast online at sunset each day will also feature a live exchange of love letters between the Koori artist and writer SJ Norman and Cherokee writer and scholar Joseph M Pierce. As part of Live Futures, thought-leaders will get together to discuss topics like 'Why Risk Gathering' led by Sydney Festival Director Wesley Enoch, 'Caring for Always' with First Nations curator Hannah Donnelly and 'The Future of Work'. Then, the Live Dreams segment will close out the festival offering, allowing artists to present sketches and ideas focused around utopia, impossible catastrophe and wonder. For the full program, head to the Liveworks website. Top image: 'Medicament for Your Predicament' by Cat Jones.
