Live taxidermy isn't something seen on many theatre bills. Then again, She Only Barks at Night by The Living Room Theatre (they made 2013's acclaimed I Love Todd Sampson) is not your typical stage performance. Across five intimate shows, the historic University of Sydney will be transformed into an interactive playground of installations, exhibitions and live performances exploring 19th-century female hysteria and controversial hypnosis treatments. Michelle St Anne, the show's creator, has roped in multidisciplinary talents for an unsettling insight into mental health and womanhood. There'll be music from acclaimed trumpeter Shota Matsumura and double bassist Clayton Thomas, headwear from designer Rosie Boylan (who's worked on The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge), costuming by Lian Loke, taxidermy by Gavin Burland plus performances by four of Burwood Girls High School's budding performers. And did we mention Andalusian mare Bliss (measuring 16 hands high) will be making an appearance alongside trainer Kate Fenner? Not for the faint-hearted, this dark theatrical experience including live dissection and nudity is guaranteed to twist your perspective on how we look at the mind. This performance takes place at the Vet School Roundhouse, Macleay Museum and other locations within the University of Sydney.
What flickers in a robot's circuitry in its idle moments has fascinated the world for decades, famously so in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 — and in After Yang, one machine appears to long for everything humans do. The titular Yang (Justin H Min, The Umbrella Academy) was bought to give Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith, Queen & Slim) and Jake's (Colin Farrell, The Batman) adopted Chinese daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, iCarly) a technosapien brother, babysitter, companion and purveyor of "fun facts" about her heritage. He dotes amid his duties, perennially calm and loving, and clearly an essential part of the family. What concerns his wiring beyond his assigned tasks doesn't interest anyone, though, until he stops operating. Mika is distressed, and Kyra and Jake merely inconvenienced initially, but the latter pledges to figure out how to fix Yang — which is where his desires factor in. Yang is unresponsive and unable to play his usual part as the household's robotic fourth member. If Jake can't get him up and running quickly, he'll also experience the "cultural techno" version of dying, his humanoid skin even decomposing. That puts a deadline on a solution, which isn't straightforward, particularly given that Yang was bought from a now-shuttered reseller secondhand, rather than from the manufacturer anew, is one roadblock. Tinkering with the android's black box is also illegal, although Jake is convinced to anyway by a repairman (Ritchie Coster, The Flight Attendant). He acquiesces not only because it's what Mika desperately wants, but because he's told that Yang might possess spyware — aka recordings of the family — that'd otherwise become corporate property. Before all that, there's a stunning dance — a synchronised contest where families around the globe bust out smooth moves in front of their televisions, competing to emerge victorious. The dazzling scene comes during After Yang's opening credits and is a marvel to watch, with writer/director/editor Kogonada (TV series Pachinko) conveying a wealth of meaning visually, thematically, philosophically and emotionally in minutes. To look at, the sequence brings to mind Ex Machina's, aka the Oscar Isaac-led scene that launched a thousand gifs. In what it says about After Yang's vision of an unspecified but not-too-distant future, it's reminiscent of Black Mirror, with engrained surveillance technology eerily tracking participants' every move. It's here, too, amid the joy of the family progressing further than they ever have before, that the fact that Yang is malfunctioning becomes apparent, turning a techno dream in more ways than one into a potential source of heartbreak. When a feature so easily recalls other films and television shows, and so emphatically, it isn't typically a positive sign. That isn't the case with After Yang. Adapting Alexander Weinstein's short story Saying Goodbye to Yang, Kogonada crafts a movie that resembles a dream for the overwhelming bulk of its running time — it's softly shot like one, and tightly to focus on interiors rather than backgrounds — and that makes it feel like a happily slumbering brain filtering through and reinterpreting its wide array of influences. Another picture that leaves an imprint: Kogonada's own Columbus, his 2017 wonder that also featured Haley Lu Richardson (The Edge of Seventeen), who pops up here as a friend of Yang's that Jake, Kyra and Mika know nothing about. It isn't the shared casting that lingers, but the look and mood and texture, plus the idea that what we see, what we choose to revel in aesthetically and what makes us tick mentally are intertwined; yes, even for androids. After Yang is transfixing, giving its audience plenty of opportunities to put those notions in motion themselves, all just by watching and being swept up in its gorgeously ruminative frames. It's a sci-fi film to revel in — it's cerebral, existential, meditative, hypnotic and soulful, as well as haunting and almost tangibly sensual — and, in the process, to slide onto its poignant wavelength about what truly defines life. After Yang is also tender and curious about intelligence wrought from flesh and from ones and zeros alike, digging into consciousness, memory, and both the impact of and loss of each. From all of that, it ponders the question that's as old as humanity and may even outlive us: what it genuinely means to be human, especially as AI develops, androids and other smart machinery get more immersed in our lives, and robots become inescapably intertwined with our emotional landscape (and perhaps boast their own). Her and A.I. Artificial Intelligence have also traversed somewhat similar terrain in their own ways, but After Yang remains its own film — its own take on all that it contemplates, everything it brings up but doesn't dare to try to simplify with clearcut answers, and the journey it makes through layers of recollections upon recollections. As Jake accesses Yang's memories, it reminds him of his own and reinforces a key fact: that memory is one of life's connective threads, linking our loved ones to us even when they're gone or we are. Kogonada conjures this up while evoking a captivating sense of space and framing via his interior-heavy locations, such as Jake, Kyra and Mika's home. Not since Parasite has a house been as pivotal not only as a setting, but to the atmosphere and substance of a movie. Glass and windows feature prominently, lensed lovingly but meticulously by cinematographer Benjamin Loeb (Pieces of a Woman, Mandy), and putting everyday moments in boxes to treasure. After Yang is a film to feel, to flow with, to sink into, to soak up. It codes that sensation in via Kogonada's sensitive editing, actually, which seems to intuitively mirror the leaping and lurching way the human brain thinks, and through a shifting use of aspect ratios. It's a picture that makes you want to touch it and step into it — and it's home to a masterclass of a quietly powerful portrayal by Farrell, the feature's standout among a well-deployed cast. Operating in the same subtle mode that made him astonishing in The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, he's a piece of connective tissue, too, bonding Jake's stresses and delights with viewers' (because everything his character experiences emotionally is unshakeably relatable, even sans androids like Yang). Only an exceptional movie can equally think and feel so vastly, and pose unresolvable queries while also offering such a soothing embrace. It's something that Yang might've pined for, and that we all may have without ever realising it; to see here, it's magic.
We bet you've at least got one Jamie Oliver cookbook in your cupboard — and, with all this home time lately, you've probably nailed most of the recipes. So, you'll need some new material. Thankfully, the affable UK chef is using his time at home to bring you a new cooking series: Keep Cooking and Carry On. How very British. The series covers everything from eggless chocolate cake to homemade bread, cauliflower mac 'n' cheese, dumplings and carbonara. Each is relatively quick and super-simple to make. It's heartwarming cooking, which is perfect as the weather's getting colder — plus aren't all need a little comfort right now? Keep Cooking and Carry On features the cooking whiz whipping up dishes in his home kitchen, offering up a bunch of handy tips and tricks along the way. While it airs on UK television, clips are also posted on the culinary legend's Facebook page. And, if you'd rather skip the preamble, you can access all the recipes in the series here. https://www.facebook.com/jamieoliver/videos/2623850727724925/
Hands up who likes contemporary art? Put ‘em down. Put ‘em up. Down. Up. Sorry, stay with me. The 17th Biennale of Sydney is almost upon us. Three months of glorious wanderings through room after room of contemporary art, hand selected by David Elliott, famed curator, broadcaster and museum director. Elliott’s biennale, The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age, is poised to unfold as a revelatory experience. It already boasts all the right ingredients; an extensive list of big-name, not-so-big-name and not-yet-big-name international and Australian artists (to name a few: Paul McCarthy, Yayoi Kusama, Isaac Julien, AES+F, Mikala Dwyer and Newell Harry), a collision of contemporary visual art, performance, film and music (watch out for the premiere of Cockatoo Prison (2010), the Tiger Lillies’ ‘post-punk’ neo-Brechtian opera) and great locations (Cockatoo Island’s awesome Turbine Hall will host Inopportune: Stage One (2004), a nine-car installation by Chinese-born, New York-based artist Cai Guo-Qiang). Definitely a biennale to get amongst. And while you’re at it, it might be worthwhile contemplating Elliott’s articulation of the theme of his biennale. An accomplished cultural historian, Elliott has long argued the equal value of all cultures in relation to each other (a radical view among an establishment that has predominately seen Western culture as superior). In The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age (and the five sub-themes: First Peoples and Fourth Worlds, Panopticon to the Wunderkammer, Of Gods and Ghosts, A Hard Rain and The Trickster), Elliott offers a non-hierarchical cross-section of contemporary arts from many cultures that simultaneously, through his elucidation of 'the beauty of distance', seeks critical engagement with the cultural act of making/producing contemporary art. Thought provoking, no? Image of Inopportune: Stage One by Cai Guo-Qiang. Photograph by Kazuo Ono.
When Sauron lurks, no good can come. If you've ever read or seen anything Lord of the Rings-related, you'll know how true this statement keeps proving again and again. It sits at the heart of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, too, aka the prequel series that started jumping into Middle-earth's history back in 2022 — and it's accurate again in the full trailer for the show's upcoming second season. Prime Video already dropped a teaser trailer for season two, and announced that it'll take the elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards and harfoots to your streaming queue again from Thursday, August 29, 2024. Now arrives a full sneak peek at what's to come. Contentious jewellery, talking and walking trees, giant spiders, Sauron's chaos: they're all covered. Set in the fantasy realm conjured by up JRR Tolkien — as The Hobbit movie adaptations and OG live-action Lord of the Rings films were — and telling a tale in Middle-earth's Second Age, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power boasts familiar names among its key figures. In season one, a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, Saint Maud) had a mission to hunt the enemy, after her brother gave his life doing the same. She saw fighting for fate and destiny as the work as something greater. A young Elrond (Robert Aramayo, The King's Man) was part of that journey, and the big bad who needed staving off was indeed Sauron (Charlie Vickers, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart). With the show charting how the rings were forged, Sauron's rise and the impact across Middle-earth, season two brings the latter back after he was cast out by Galadriel. So, it's a battle between good and ascending evil, then, as the Dark Lord keeps pushing his shadowy influence — and sporting a different appearance. Also, more rings will be created. Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur , Coffee Wars), Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities) and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards, Under the Vines) are among the returning characters on the Prime Video hit, which was unsurprisingly huge when season one debut, attracting more than 100-million viewers. The platform first announced the show back in 2017, then gave it the official go-ahead in mid-2018 — so if it feels like this series has been hovering around for several ages even though it only has one season so far, that's why. If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial emergence and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. The Rings of Power remains separate to the big-screen Lord of the Rings revival that was first announced in 2023 and now has new movie Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in the works. If you're a LoTR fan, there's no such thing as too much for this franchise, though — like breakfast for hobbits. Check out the full trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two below: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two will be available to stream via Prime Video from Thursday, August 29, 2024. Read our review of season one.
The new year is here, ushering in a delectable 12 months of delicious innovations from chefs and bartenders across the Harbour City. Sydney has one of the most dynamic hospitality scenes in the country, with a steady supply of new venues, dishes, cocktails and all manner of culinary delights vying to be the city's latest epicurean obsession. But which of these fads are merely a flash in the pan and which will actually influence the way we eat and drink over the coming year? We've scoured the city for the fresh thinking currently popping on menus to name the emergent trends hungry Sydneysiders will be tucking into throughout 2025. Mighty (and Mini) Martinis Move over frozé, Aperol icy poles and boxtails — Sydney's most exciting drinks trend is ditching the gimmicks and getting back to basics. In recent months, some of Sydney's most exciting bar openings have been anchored to that most classic of classics, the martini, including Concrete Playground's current pick for Sydney's best bar, Bobbie's in Double Bay. While conventional wisdom, especially when it comes to cocktails, might suggest more is more, martinis are now not only shaken and stirred — they've also shrunk. The mini martini, with a pour as small as 30ml, is being pitched as the aperitif of the moment, offering a swift strong sip before moving onto wine that also downsizes the often eye-watering price tag of larger cocktails. Bread and Butter Gets a Glow-Up [caption id="attachment_986378" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Loucas[/caption] The flavour and finesse some fine diners have already brought to the humble bread basket has lofted this once forgettable nibble to a scene-stealing event in its own right, but the elevation of the bread course is reaching ever more impressive heights in Sydney right now. Newcomers like ATTENZIONE! Food and Wine in Redfern, where you can enjoy a house-made fougasse flatbread spread with wildflower butter, are leaning into the culinary bells and whistles that are increasingly expected by Sydney diners but tilda, the 110-seat ground-floor restaurant at the recently refitted Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, has set the gold standard with its $39 bread service. This theatrical affair features a roving trolly laden with accoutrements — chives, spring onions, smoked salt, honey and more — to be folded through a generous dollop of whipped cultured Pepe Saya. This pimped-up, made-to-order butter is then ready to be slathered on a saltbush focaccia from AP bakery — truly, the upper crust. One-Stop Hospitality Precincts for a Nose-to-Tail Evening Multi-venue hospitality hubs have been gaining momentum in recent months, with some of 2024's biggest openings — The Bristol, Walker Street, The International and Wunderlich Lane, to name only a few — falling into this ascendent category of dining destination. Delivering convenience and quality all under one roof, these one-stop shops allow patrons to enjoy all the variety of a venue hopping evening without having to pound the pavement or brave the weather. A New Wave of Authentic Japanese Dining Japanese cuisine is hardly difficult to come by in Sydney — throw a stone in any direction and you're likely to hit a steaming bowl of ramen, a freshly charred skewer from a robtata grill, a stack of sushi train plates or a tasty bento box. However, there's far more to Japanese dining than just this handful of familiar feeds. An influx of omakase restaurants — the quintessential Japanese chef's table experience — made a notable impression on Sydney diners in 2021–22 and more casual Isakaya-style venues are also increasingly commonplace in the Harbour City. However, a handful of new openings in 2024 made the case for an even more immersive way to experience the Land of the Rising Sun's culinary culture. Ramen Auru in Crows Nest has recreated a classic Tokyo noodle house in stunning detail, complete with shokken ordering machine, and a tatami dining space with low tables and fluorescent tube lighting. In the CBD, JOJI uses a more contemporary lens to conjure a sophisticated, modern Japanese bar, while Prefecture 48, a six-venue dining precinct on Sussex Street, is showcasing lesser-known dining styles including kaiseki — Japan's answer to the degustation. Checking In for a Great Meal Sydney hotels have a well-established pedigree of excellent dining, with recent openings such as Brasserie 1930, helmed by Nick Hildebrandt and Brent Savage of Bentley Group at Capella Sydney, and Mitch Orr's Kiln at Ace Hotel pushing the standard ever higher. The recently renovated Sofitel Sydney Wentworth features four new hospitality venues, including Vietnamese-French fusion fine diner Delta Rue and sprawling rooftop watering hole Wentworth Bar, while The Eve at the Surry Hills Village development, a surprisingly lush and tropical inner-city boutique stay by TFE Hotels, will feature multiple hospitality options by Liquid & Larder, the team behind celebrated Sydney venues including Bistecca and The Gidley, including Lottie, a leafy rooftop poolside Mexican mezcaleria. Some restaurateurs are also trying their hands as hoteliers. Seafood savants Josh and Julie Niland are opening their first boutique hotel above the new digs of the pair's flagship fine diner Saint Peter in Paddington, while the Continental Deli's expansion on Australia Street in Newtown will feature a trio of two-bedroom suites in addition to the development's three new hospitality venues. Comeback Kings It has been a bruising few years for Sydney's hospitality sector. The lockdowns and restrictions of the pandemic years followed by a cost-of-living crisis that has shown little sign of slowing have left a litany of restaurant and bar closures in their wake. However, while these turbulent times have spelled disaster for some businesses, others have found a silver lining. While established businesses have struggled to hold on to customers, new openings have remained enticing for Sydney diners. Seizing on this, some restaurateurs have relaunched or rebranded their businesses to ride this wave of enthusiasm for all things new. Raja, the much-lauded mod-Indian fine diner in Kings Cross by Nick and Kirk Mathews-Bowden, closed less than a year after it's launch, only to rise from the ashes as Teddy, an affordable retro neighbourhood eatery and bar far better tooled to meet the needs of fiscally fraught diners. Donut Papi, the popular Filipino bakery which closed in July 2024, relaunched in September as House of Papi, a meryenda concept showcasing a broader spectrum of Filipino eats. And legendary late night Chinese restaurant Golden Century, which closed in 2021, announced in November 2024 that it would be resurrected at Crown Towers, once again serving up dim sum and fresh seafood, including its famed pipis in XO sauce. Happy Hours for Happy Wallets While happy hours are nothing new, their scale and scope in Sydney has exploded as restaurants and bars have battled to coax back cash-strapped punters with cost-of-living-defying deals. More than just shaving a dollar or two off the cost of a house wine or schooner of beer, many of these discounts are impressively generous, such as Franca's $5 martinis, Teddy's all-day discounts on Sundays or Bobbie's Golden Hour, where customers can not only enjoy $10 cocktails but also free snacks. Other venues, such as Arms Length in Kings Cross and Island Radio in Surry Hills, are helping their customers to save with bolt-on bottomless deals, with free-flowing alcoholic beverages for less than the cost of the average bottle of wine. Breathing New Life Into Disused Spaces [caption id="attachment_937670" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Hansen[/caption] Like any major city, Sydney is in a constant state of flux, with disused and dilapidated buildings demolished to make way for shiny new architectural wonders. However, the time between a property being sold and the beginning of its redevelopment can sometimes be months or even years. Seeing a ripe opportunity, hospitality maven Maurice Terzini of Bondi Icebergs Dining Room and Bar fame has pioneered a new model for hospitality businesses, transforming buildings awaiting demolition into pop-up eateries. This brainwave has resulted in two successful ventures to date: Snack Kitchen, a relaxed cucina-deli hybrid opened in partnership with Terzini's son Sylvester, and Mirage KX, an edgy queer-coded cabaret club collaboration with House of Mince's Peter Shopovsky, both located in Potts Point. The Maybe Sammy Crew have partnered with low-to-no waste mixologist Matt Whiley to launch a similar venture in Haymarket. Little Cooler is a punky dive bar concept which used 100 percent repurposed materials to create its grungy, uber-cool fitout in a basement location set to be redeveloped in late 2026. Top image: Jason Loucas
Curated by Anna Louise Richardson, this show at Galerie Pompom brings together a group of emerging artists from Western Sydney: Caspar Fairhall, David George Ledger and Ian Williams. Each artist will be examining the malleable space between fiction and reality. Moving between landscapes, the built environment and digital imagery, this exhibition will re-evaluate contemporary painting practice and what the 'plastic arts' might mean in our contemporary and increasingly screen-based age. While at the gallery, you can also catch 24 Hour Franco from collective Kubrick or Korine (Justin Harvey and Alex Munt), a TV channel inspired by the one and only James Franco, which also pays homage to both the actor and icon, and the televisual dreams of Nam June Paik.
If a swag of stars made up to look like cats hasn't already scared you today, then a good ol' dose of creepy clown horror just might. Bringing the second part of Stephen King's bestselling book to the screen, IT: Chapter Two returns to the exploits of maniacal clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), as well as the gang of kids he's rather fond of terrorising. This time, however, all those teens have grown up. We've already seen the adult Losers Club in the first trailer for the unnerving sequel, which dropped back in May. Now, with San Diego Comic-Con currently in full swing, it's time for a second glimpse. While the initial IT's Sophia Lillis, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard and company all make an appearance as the younger versions of the characters, circa 1988-89, the likes of Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader step into their shoes 27 years later. Yes, they're still being forced to put up with Pennywise's chaotic antics, including his love of sewers, his obsession with balloons and his usual white-faced, flame-haired get-up. Of course, the frightening villain has a few fresh tricks up his sleeve, as this sneak peek at a few of IT: Chapter Two's set pieces shows. It seems like every film features a hall-of-mirrors scene these days, including John Wick: Chapter Two and Us, but the concept is decidedly more terrifying when Pennywise is involved. And, while Stranger Things' third season just spent a fair amount of time at a carnival, again, IT: Chapter Two ups the ante by trotting out its unhinged clown. All of the jumps, bumps and bloody carnage takes place in King's usual setting of Derry, Maine once again, with the Losers Club all heading home to face the nightmare they thought they'd escaped. And, behind-the-scenes, original director Andy Muschietti (Mama) is back — so if you liked what he did the first time around, get ready for a second nerve-rattling serving. Watch the new trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhJ5P7Up3jA IT: Chapter Two releases in Australian cinemas on September 5, 2019.
Australia's most prestigious portrait award is around the corner, and its finalists have just been announced. Every year, speculation about who will be awarded the coveted prize and, more often than not, the Archibald winner itself, causes much-heated debate. From 2018's five-time Archibald finalist Yvette Coppersmith's first win to Tony Costa's win with his painting of fellow artist Lindy Lee — the first portrait of an Asian Australian to pick up the prize — it's hard a win to pick. All that's really assured is that it'll be a portrait of a person by an Australian. Held at the Art Gallery of NSW every year, the Archibald runs in conjunction with the Wynne and Sulman Prizes — recognising the best landscape painting of Australian scenery, or figure sculpture and the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project, respectively. This year, because of a certain pandemic, the Archibald was postponed and is running from September 2020 to January 2021. As usual, it's sure to be popular, but instead of pushing through crowds to see the prized portraits, you'll have a bit of space thanks to reduced capacities and timed tickets. And you'll have some exceptional artworks to feast your eyes upon, too. Famed Sydney street artist Scott Marsh's portrait of musician Adam Briggs has made the cut, as have a haunting painting of comedian Magda Szubanski and a Star Trek-esque oil work of NSW Minister for Environment and Energy Matt Kean. Wongutha-Yamatji artist Meyne Wyatt has also taken out the coveted 2020 Archibald Packing Room Prize, chosen by the packing room team, becoming the first Indigenous Australian to win any Archibald award in the competition's 99-year history. As there are so many outstanding portraits this year (as there are every year), it's impossible to know which of the 55 is going to take home the $100,000 prize. Regardless, here are some of our favourites — and some we think may have a good chance of winning. [caption id="attachment_783644" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Meyne Wyatt, 'Meyne', copyright the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling[/caption] MEYNE WYATT — MEYNE Actor and artist Meyne Wyatt became the first Indigenous Australian in Archibald history to win any of the competition's awards when he won the 2020 Archibald Packing Room Prize. The history-making self-portrait is a realistic acrylic painting and, in fact, Wyatt's first painting in over ten years. The Wongutha-Yamatji man and first-time Archibald entrant has no formal art training, but gets some handy tips from his mum Sue Wyatt who was herself an Archibald finalist in 2003. If the portrait above, and Wyatt's signature raised eyebrow, look familiar, it's likely you've seen him in the likes of The Sapphires, Redfern Now and Neighbours. [caption id="attachment_783639" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scott Marsh, 'Salute of gentle frustration'. Copyright the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] SCOTT MARSH — SALUTE OF GENTLE FRUSTRATION Artist Scott Marsh's portraits aren't a rare site on the streets of Sydney (see: Egg Boy, Mike Baird and Kanye Loves Kanye) but they are a rare site on the walls of the AGNSW. The first-time finalist has joined the ranks of the country's art elite with his seventh submission to the Archibald Prize: a portrait of Indigenous Australian rapper Adam Briggs. The portrait is entitled Salute of gentle frustration, which Marsh says references "the deep fatigue of generations of Aboriginal people demanding equality against a backdrop of political rhetoric and inaction". [caption id="attachment_783691" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaylene Whiskey, 'Dolly visits Indulkana'. Copyright the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.[/caption] KAYLENE WHISKEY — DOLLY VISITS INDULKANA Self-taught artist Kaylene Whiskey listens to the music of famed American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton while she paints. It's an effective technique, it seems, with Whiskey already cleaned up the Sulman Prize in 2018 and the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award for general painting in 2019. Now, Whiskey is one of 55 finalists selected for the Archibald Prize with a self-portrait in which Dolly visits her home in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. In the painting, Dolly holds a bejewelled guitar and the pair is surrounded by clocks, cameras, superwomen, galahs and a flying nun. [caption id="attachment_783632" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Angus McDonald, 'Behrouz Boochani'. Copyright the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.[/caption] ANGUS MCDONALD — BEHROUZ BOOCHANI This year, after more than six years in an Australian offshore detention centre, celebrated Kurdish Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani was granted asylum in New Zealand. Sydney artist Angus McDonald first made contact with Boochani when he was making a documentary, called Manus, about the Manus Island detention centre, but was not allowed onto the island to meet him. So, when Boochani landed in NZ, McDonald decided to fly there and paint him instead. The oil portrait sees Boochani looking directly at the viewer, which McDonald says portrays Boochani as a "a strong, confident and peaceful man who survived a brutal ordeal and is now free". [caption id="attachment_783692" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yuri Shimmyo, 'Carnation, lily, Yuri, rose'. Copyright the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.[/caption] YURI SHIMMYO — CARNATION, LILY, YURI, ROSE Japan-born, Sydney-based artist Yuri Shimmyo's inspiration for her self-portrait came from a 19th-century painting by John Singer Sargent called Carnation, lily, lily, rose. While Sargent's painting features two girls playing in a garden, Shimmyo's features herself — Yuri means 'lily' in Japanese — covered in lilies, surrounded by a wallpaper of roses. As for the carnations, if you look to the left of the oil portrait, you'll red-and-blue tins of Carnation milk. The winning portraits and finalists will be on display at Sydney's Art Gallery of NSW from Saturday, September 26 to Sunday, January 10. If you do't agree with the judges, you can cast your own vote for People's Choice before Sunday, December 13. ARCHIBALD PRIZE 2020 DATES Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney — September 26–January 10 Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, NSW — January 22–March 7 Cairns Art Gallery, Qld — March 19–May 2 Griffith Regional Art Galley, NSW — May 14–June 27 Broken Hill Regional Art Galley, NSW — July 9–August 22 Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, NSW — September 3–October 17 Penrith Regional Gallery, NSW — October 29–December 5 If you can't make it to any of the above dates, you can check out the award winners and finalists of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes on the Art Gallery of NSW website.
The inner western suburb of Glebe has a new(ish) player in the pub game thanks to the relaunch of the Australian Youth Hotel. After seven months of renovations, the 157-year-old pub has reopened with a new look and a new name: The Glebe Hotel. The Bay Street venue now has a new British pub menu, a lush courtyard and a luxe private space. And, thanks to it's new moniker, it'll no longer be confused for hostel housing weary globe-trotting teens. The Victorian terrace digs date back to 1862 and the massive refurb spans interior and exterior works. Sydney design firm Alexander & Co (The Imperial, Bon Pavilion, The Morrison) is behind the fit-out, which features several distinct spaces — starting with the public bar, which nods to the pub's history with chesterfield sofas, a fireplace and archival photos of the space. Upstairs, inside the venue's former brothel, is an ornate private function space with chandeliers, baroque sofas, vintage art and a snooker table. Move along and you'll find The Stables Bar & Grill, a bright and airy restaurant with exposed brick walls, cream timber tables and vintage tiling, plus a featured jacaranda mural by Sydney artist Indigo Jo. Just outside The Stables is a dog-friendly courtyard with bright yellow furnishings, red-and-white umbrellas and lush surrounds — including a 100-year-old fig tree. British chef Ben Allcock is in the kitchen preparing UK-style pub eats, such as steak and Guinness pie, chargrilled spatchcock and Sunday roasts. House specialties include the handmade gnocchi with roast butternut pumpkin and goat's curd, Berkshire pork chop served atop caramelised fennel and slow-cooked lamb shoulder ragu pappardelle. From the bar, expect a mix of local craft and mainstream brews on tap, along with a four-strong spritz menu — including the Bombay, with elderflower and cucumber, and the Strawberry, a mix of Poor Toms strawberry gin, wild strawberry liqueur and prosecco. Though the revamp has a big hospitality group written all over it, we're happy to report that The Glebe Hotel remains family owned by the Nissen brothers. The Glebe Hotel is now open at 63 Bay Street, Glebe. Opening hours are Monday through Friday from 11am–midnight, Saturday from noon–midnight and Sunday from noon–10pm. Images: Guy Davies.
From icy winds to sudden rain and spells of balmy sunshine, it can be tricky to know how to dress for the unpredictability of Aussie winters. Layering is the key to getting through the colder months — you can still wear your favourite t-shirt or mini dress and add a light trench, puffer jacket or drapey scarf to stay cosy and elevate your look with minimal effort. We've selected some of our top seasonal clothing essentials that should be a part of your capsule wardrobe for many winters to come — provided you look after them properly. Enter the Philips Garment Steamer, which not only eliminates wrinkles on all iron-safe fabrics but also removes odours and kills bacteria so you can extend your wear between washes. The compact handheld steamer is ready in just 30 seconds and can be folded to fit in your bag so you can even bring it with you when you're going straight from work to happy hour. Trench Coat You can't go wrong with a simple trench coat. The versatile jacket has remained a beloved classic for more than a century for good reason. The layering staple is substantial enough to add warmth while still light enough to minimise bulk. Wear it on top of a t-shirt and jeans to add a layer of sophistication to a simple outfit, or style it with a dress and heels for a more elegant look. You can pick up a lightweight option from Kmart for only $35 or invest in a weightier version that'll see you through many winters to come by brands such as & Other Stories ($299), UNIQLO ($199.90), DISSH ($249.99) and Assembly Label ($300). Sweater Dress For those days when it's too cold to even think about what to wear, throw on an effortless sweater dress with a pair of boots to stay snug from day to night. We'd advocate for spending a bit more on a wool or wool blend that'll last for more than one season, like AERE's Merino wool blend dress ($170), which features a chic mock neck and slit, or Seed Heritage's knit dress ($199.95), which has a roomier fit and sits above the knee. Style it with a belt and statement earrings for an elevated look, or dress it down with sneakers for a more casual vibe. Waterproof Boots Stay prepared for bouts of unpredictable weather with a pair of waterproof boots that are comfortable and stylish. Merry People's colourful Bobbi range ($159.95) is crafted with natural rubber and boasts a comfortable neoprene lining and arch support, making it suitable for all-day wear, no matter the weather. The Victorian brand also has gumboots for kids, knee- and calf-length boots, and convenient waterproof clogs that you can slip on when you're hustling out the door. Another option is Human Premium's Jam Boots ($89.95) which are similarly made with lightweight EVA and a neoprene interior. Puffer Jacket Our Aussie winters might not be as cold as other parts of the world but that morning chill can be a brutal challenge, especially when you're trying to find enough motivation to venture out of the house. Combat the nippiness with a puffer jacket that you can easily shrug off as temperatures ease during the day. Throw it on top of your activewear to keep hot girl walks alive during winter or layer it with a sweater for some extra cosiness. There are a range of choices and prices depending on what you're after like this water-resistant jacket for outdoor adventures by The North Face ($550), a lightweight option by UNIQLO for your office commute ($99.90), or statement pieces by Toast Society and AJE ATHLETICA. Blanket Scarf Tie your whole outfit together with an oversized scarf that's basically a blanket you can wear. Not only will it keep you warm but it can be styled in a variety of ways while adding a pop of vibrance and pattern to a muted winter colour palette. The Acne Studios scarf became a coveted winter accessory two years ago but you don't have to drop $500-plus to achieve the same aesthetic. Country Road, Bul and Witchery have colourful alternatives made with alpaca, mohair and wool blends for under $200 while Princess Polly has a polyester version that's only $30. Shop the Philips Handheld Steamer 3000 Series and other products on the website.
A New Orleans-style high tea is coming to Sydney, thanks to Barangaroo's NOLA Smokehouse and Bar. On the last Sunday of the month, from August through October, you can sip on Sazerac and iced tea cocktails — plus snack on mini lobster rolls and tartlets — all while taking in views of the city skyline. The four-hour high tea will cost you $70 each and includes all the eats, along with one glass of Champagne, or a cocktail, and bottomless house iced tea or lemonade (the virgin kind). For the boozy option, choose from a glass of Taittinger Cuvée Prestige or one of three cocktails created specifically for the event — these include the Decatur Iced Tea (Sazerac Rye and Southern Comfort Black mixed with rosy mint and earl grey teas); the NOLA lemonade (Bacardi Oro and Fuego with limoncello, lemon juice and soda) and a classic bellini. If you'd like to go above and beyond the brunch ticket, the wider drinks menu will also be on offer, or you can opt for the more traditional bottomless coffee or tea. In terms of food, they've put a Louisiana twist on your usual array of decadent bites. On the savoury side, indulge in lobster rolls or a smoked chicken and leek variety. For sweet lovers, the freshly-baked scones will be accompanied by bourbon peach and blood plum marmalade. Lemon meringue tartlets, pecan and SoCo tarts and even s'mores with passionfruit and chocolate ganache will also be yours to nibble on. You'll have to book ahead for this one.
The rides at Jamberoo Action Park take you from a gentle wave pool to the stomach-churning thrills of The Perfect Storm. On this ride, you and three mates must cling to a floaty as you plunge into gravity-stripping vortexes and whip through rotating tunnels as a storm seemingly rages around you. Classic Jamberoo fixtures like the bobsled are still going strong if you want to relive thrills from decades past. On this mainstay ride, you jump aboard a sled to snake down the park's mountainside, taking in the stunning valley views while you control the throttle to dictate how fast you race to the finish line. This beloved childhood destination isn't just for kids, so don't feel intimidated by the hordes of children. Just hold your nerve and get back on the slide.
If you're not familiar with the work of Australian artist Shaun Gladwell, that's about to change. The MCA is currently showcasing an expansive survey of his 20-year career, which you can see any day of the week. Or, if you're more of a night owl, you can head down on a Wednesday night for the ultimate night at the gallery. The artist is known for his video work, and connectedness to the body and movement through images of surfers, skaters and dancers. This survey offers a great viewing platform to look back at the last two decades of Australia and its expanding reach to the rest of the world. It also reflects a time of technological change as we become more and more reliant on the digital. As such, the exhibition includes newly commissioned augmented and virtual reality works, as well as earlier tech-based works, including renowned video Storm Sequence (2000) set at Bondi Beach. The title of the exhibition, Pacific Undertow, comes from a critical video to the show that embodies Gladwell's movement through location, his obsessions with colonial and art histories, as well as forms of everyday urban performance and mortality. UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 — The MCA has partnered up with LG and is giving away an after-dark night at the gallery followed by your own private movie night on Sydney Harbour. If you're the lucky winner, you and three mates will be put up in a hotel, with breakfast included, plus $1000 spending money. You'll gain access to MCA after hours, including a private tour of Pacific Undertow. After, you'll be led to your own private movie night inside a pop-up dome-like structure, with stunning views across the harbour. You'll also have plenty of movie snacks and drinks on hand while you watch your favourite movies on a massive LG TV. Best of all? They're giving away a brand new LG TV (LG 88" 8K OLED TV worth $59,999), too, so you can continue binge-watching all those movies in the comfort of your own home. To be in the running for this jam-packed prize, head here.
Parramatta's Town Square has recently been given a $3.2 billion makeover. Over the last three years, it has been transformed into a dining precinct home to restaurants such as Ciccia Bella and Lilymu, which have opened alongside chains Betty's Burgers and Fishbowl. Now, a new hot sandwich diner is set to join the party. Harvey's Hot Sandwiches takes its cues from a traditional American diner, but with a fresh take on the hot sandwich. The interior of Harvey's will transport you back in time with nostalgic neon signs, black and white photos and retro diner seating. To eat, it's offering up saucy subs jam-packed with your choice of meats and fillings. To start, you choose your bread: white, wholemeal or GF. Then you choose your fillings: brisket ($15) or pastrami ($15), which come simple (mustard and cheese) or sloppy (russian dressing, coleslaw and cheese). Neither of those tickle your fancy? Pick from the lineup of 11 signature and classic subs. There's a philly cheesesteak, a muffuletta, a beef dip and a Nashville-style hot chicken number (all $16). Oh, and a meatball number ($14) with port and veal meatballs, garlic butter, marinara sauce and mozzarella. If you have a sweet-tooth, or you're still peckish after your sandwich, the diner will also feature an Nutella fountain designed to drown cookies and cookie sandwiches in choc-hazelnut goodness. To drink, it's serving up house-made lemonades and old-fashioned floats, made with the likes of raspberry lemonade and creaming soda. Harvey's Hot Sandwiches will open on Wednesday, November 4. Images: Nikki To
Just when you thought you'd kicked back on all the best Sydney beaches and plunged into every unusual swimming hole, another beach appears, just like that. Its name is MacKenzies and it's one of the teeniest-tiniest strips of sand in Australia, if not the world. In fact, it's so small that sometimes it's not there at all. Confused? Well, here's the lowdown. MacKenzies is a tucked away bay in the eastern suburbs, found about 100 metres north of Tamarama. Most of the time, its shoreline is made up of rocks and nothing but rocks. But, every few years, enough sand washes up that it qualifies as a beach. And that's just what's happened over the past day or two. The bay goes from this... [caption id="attachment_755580" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Russell Street via Flickr[/caption] ...to this. https://www.instagram.com/p/B6MA2QYndAf/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B6MAFZBFGvp/?igshid=q3u9o1fj2kgw If you get yourself down there for a bit of an explore, do take care. Underwater is laced with jagged rocks and the surf is rough and rippy. Swimming isn't particularly recommended. You'll currently find MacKenzies Bay beach in between Tamarama and Bondi (but not for long). Top image: Dave Keeshan via Flickr.
Australian audiences are destined to begin and end 2009 in a French classroom. Pourquoi? Early 2009 was spent watching Laurent Cantet's Palme D'Or winning The Class, fascinating in François Bégaudeau's unvarnished and compassionate look at his own life teaching in a multicultural Parisian school. Comparatively, The French Kissers feels like the students are taking their right of rebuttal. Cartoonist/graphic novelist turned director Riad Sattouf has brought his own inked high school to life with a raucous, ribald and alarmingly reminiscent take on teenagers. Fronting a superb ensemble cast is Vincent Lacoste as Hervé, your typical, hormonally charged and scholastically disinterested 14 year old, who would be blind if the old wives' tale about masturbation were true. Utterly committed to the task of finding a girlfriend, Hervé and his longhaired sidekick Carmel (Anthony Sonigo) do all they can to win over the fairer sex. Awkwardness, miss-fires and some revelatory 'sock time' follow until Hervé finally locks lips with the lovely Aurore (Alice Trémolière). Laying bare the nature of teenage sexuality against the backdrop of single parent households (that subplot being yet another source of embarrassed chuckles), The French Kissers is a brilliantly paced, fabulously directed debut by Sattouf. Opening on Boxing Day, it’s a fun and frisky romp that promises enough laughs to tempt you away from your summer holidays, and back into the classroom.
For years Barefoot Coffee Traders were renowned for two things: their specialty coffee and amazing waffles. And while they're not ones to budge in the coffee department — they serve Mecca and have a firm no decaf and no large coffees rule — we're happy to report they've since branched out in other ways. In addition to their signature waffles, which they drizzle with melted Belgian chocolate and an optional scoop of ice cream, Barefoot now serves a Thai lunch special as well (I guess it probably isn't healthy to have waffles for lunch every day). Inspired by the heritage of the cafe's owner, these new additions are homemade and based on traditional recipes. With space for little more than a coffee machine in one corner and timber stools dotted around the perimeter, it's quite astounding what this small cafe is able to produce.
Do you enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner but find the mark-up a little hard to swallow? Perhaps you've been saving a special bottle in your cellar (okay, laundry)? Or maybe you just have an appetite for good value. Either way, who doesn't love a bit of bring-your-own? Here are Sydney's best restaurants to come armed with a bottle. [caption id="attachment_659126" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] LA FAVOLA, NEWTOWN Whether you like to play it safe with spaghetti or go crazy with casarecce, you'll find all your favourite pastas — and BYO — at new Italian diner La Favola. Located on upper King Street in Newtown, La Favola has taken over the space previously occupied by stoner-food cafe D'Munchies. Unlike your traditional flag-bearing trattorias, there are no red-checked tablecloths or baskets of breadsticks. Instead, La Favola has opted for a clean and contemporary fit-out with a simple menu: six pastas and six sauces that patrons can mix and match as they please. It's so simple that it doesn't even have a booze menu, so you're free to BYO wine. We suggest grabbing a pet-nat from P&V down the road. BYO wine. CHAT THAI, HAYMARKET Chat Thai is one of Sydney's worst kept secrets. Join the inevitable queue for sizzling satays, coconut curries and zesty salads, which hail from the steamy streets of Bangkok. With 26 syrupy and sticky sweets on the menu, there's no excuse for skipping desserts. We recommend the flash-fried dough sticks smothered in pandan custard ($6.90) and the young coconut ice-cream with sticky rice, candied palm seeds and roasted peanuts ($6.90). All five Chat Thai branches are BYO, as well as their offshoots Boon Cafe, Assamm and Samosorn. BYO wine only — corkage $3 per person. TWO CHAPS, MARRICKVILLE Strolling through Marrickville, passers-by may take time to ponder the potential of what could be behind the heavy roller doors lining the quiet streets. But in the garage at 122 Chapel Street lies Two Chaps, a small cafe run primarily by two guys. While it operates as a cafe during the day, on Thursday and Friday nights the eatery stays open for their much loved vegetarian dinner. You can do the set menu for $55 a head or order a la carte — corkage is $4 per person, but if you go the set menu it's free. BYO wine — corkage $4 or free with set menu. [caption id="attachment_661400" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Letícia Almeida.[/caption] IL BARETTO, SURRY HILLS There was a time when Italian eateries punctuated much of the dining options around Sydney inner-east suburbs. Only a few notable mentions remain, with many replaced over time by the diverse offering we enjoy today. Serving up nonna's favourites since 1999, Il Baretto is in no hurry to go anywhere. A few things come at a premium at this Italian restaurant. Space, for starters. With a densely packed dining area and handwritten menus, the restaurant has a very rustic, authentic feel. The next premium is the food. The menu has no big surprises for an Italian spot, but everything is produced perfectly. If you're with a group, at least one of you should go for the signature main dish — pappardelle with duck ragu — but there are plenty of other traditional options including porcini mushroom risotto and homemade gnocchi with pesto. One thing that doesn't come at a premium? The price. Pasta mains average out at $20. And it's of course BYO. BYO wine — corkage $3 per person. GOLDEN LOTUS, NEWTOWN Fresh, nutritious food is the game at Golden Lotus, cementing it as one of the best vegan venues in the inner-west. David Nguyen's Vietnamese eatery promises the authentic flavours of Saigon without any animal products. Beyond tofu, there is a few soy meat options available across the menu of family recipes. The stir fries, dumplings and noodle soups are all fragrant and filling. And it's BYO — which is something everyone can get on board with, vegan or not vegan. DIN TAI FUNG, CBD Welcome to dumpling heaven. Taipei-based global chain Din Tai Fung is famous for their silky-skinned and hot-bellied xiao long bao ($10.80) as well as their shao mai parcels ($10.80) and colourful dumpling gems ($15.80). Din Tai Fung pride themselves on their strict quality control, with each disc of pastry measuring exactly 6cm, with an acceptable total weight of 4.8 – 5.2 grams. Beer and dumplings have been friends since time immemorial, so lucky it's only $2.50 per BYO bottle. BYO wine and beer — corkage $10 per wine bottle, $2.50 per beer bottle. MAMAK, HAYMARKET Serving exceptional Malaysian hawker food, Mamak is famous for its feather-light, flaky roti canai, which is theatrically folded and flipped out front to the delight of onlookers. Use your roti to mop up tangy fish curry with okra ($17) and spicy samba tiger prawns ($19), or wrap it around charcoal satay ($9) and Malaysian-style fried chicken ($14). You can even order sweet roti ($8) filled with sliced banana or pandan and coconut, topped with ice-cream. Try a clean-finishing craft brew like James Squire Fifty Lashes, which will complement the fiery, feisty flavours. BYO wine and beer — corkage $2 per person. KEPOS STREET KITCHEN, REDFERN We're not advocating a bottle of burgundy with breakfast (well, maybe on a weekend) but there's nothing stopping you from making a toast with your toast at this all-day cafe. Kepos Street Kitchen is a charming corner cafe in Redfern that boasts a Middle Eastern-inspired menu. Here you can feast upon Tel Aviv falafel with green tahini ($14) and duck bastilla cigars, nuts, cinnamon, kharoub molasses ($16), and who can honestly say no to salted caramel churros ($15)? BYO wine only — corkage $8 per person. THE SULTAN'S TABLE, ENMORE This Turkish delight in Enmore serves mezze fit for a king. Come for the delicious suckling lamb ($20), sizzling adana kebab grilled over charcoal ($14) and authentic wood-fired pide. Start the meal with an assortment of dips in a rainbow of flavours ($22), which includes parsley, jajik (garlic), chilli, beetroot, carrot, spinach, humous and baba ganoush, accompanied by a slab of oven-baked Turkish bread. Finish with a strong, aromatic Turkish coffee and a syrupy baklava ($3) or head next door for arguably the world's best gelato at Cow and Moon. BYO wine and beer — free corkage! NEW SHANGHAI, CHATSWOOD New Shanghai's pan-fried pork buns have attained a certain level of notoriety in Sydney. These puffy dumplings with lovely burnished bottoms are served alongside Shanghai classics including braised garlic eggplant ($15.80), drunken chicken ($8.80) and shallot pancake ($6.80), which make a good match for a bottle of crisp, dry white. The dark woods, deep reds and warm lighting will have you back in 1930s Shanghai, while at the front window, dumplings are handmade with mesmerising precision and speed. BYO wine only — corkage $3 per person. [caption id="attachment_578146" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Bodhi Liggett[/caption] HELLO AUNTIE, MARRICKVILLE If you're a Marrickville local, you might know Auntie. She has a small shopfront on Illawarra Road and, should you come across it, it's well worth heading inside to say hello. Prime time to do this is on Wednesday nights when the restaurant adopts a BYO wine policy. Head here for a cheap mid-week eat to try their pho dac biet ($15.50): a large bowl filled to the brim with house-made wagyu meatballs, thinly-sliced black Angus beef, braised brisket, a torched beef short rib and rice noodles swimming in broth. Do it. BYO wine Wednesday nights only — $3 corkage per person. CHIOSCO BY ORMEGGIO, MOSMAN Located side-by-side on a Mosman jetty, Chiosco is mere metres from the water's edge, with spectacular 300-degree views of luxury yachts and sparkling sea. While parent restaurant Ormeggio is a fine-dining affair, Chiosco (which is Italian for 'kiosk') has adopted a casual approach, serving Italian street food and takeaway with a 'barefoot and BYO' ethos. With cheaper prices and executive chef Alessandro Pavoni at the helm, it's a good excuse to go a little overboard. Bring a bottle of champagne or a six-pack of golden ales with you. BYO wine only — $12 corkage per bottle. TETSUYA'S, CBD This stalwart of Sydney's luxury dining scene marries the Japanese philosophy of natural, seasonal flavours with French culinary expertise. The ten-course degustation has been updated with new offerings, including the grilled shio koji toothfish with pea and green garlic; however, the one dish that never changes is the impeccable confit of petuna ocean trout, which is renowned the world over. Not exactly the most budget-conscious evening out, but with matching wines rounding out at $110 per person, you may save yourself a few extra dollars. BYO wine only — corkage $30 for the first bottle, $45 each bottle after. [caption id="attachment_659262" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Letícia Almeida.[/caption] CHACO BAR, DARLINGHURST Yakitori and BYO — is there really anything else we need to say? How about ramen? Yep, all three of these very great concepts come together at Darlinghurst's Chaco Bar. If you could eat things on sticks all day (and couldn't we all), you might want to bring your own bottle of wine. The corkage is steep at $15 per bottle, but it's worth it for this ramen (which is only served on Monday nights and for lunch Wednesday to Saturday). BYO wine only — $15 corkage per bottle. By Erina Starkey and the Concrete Playground team.
Room is by no means an easy film to watch. Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Emma Donoghue, which was in turn inspired by the crimes of Josef Fritzl, it's a tale whose existence is rooted in horror and misery, and the perverse fascination such stories tend to inspire. And yet despite its grim subject matter, Room never wallows in darkness, but instead stares defiantly into the light. It is a tale not of depravity but of resilience, and the incredible, unbreakable love between a parent and their child. Room is told from the perspective of Jack (Jacob Tremblay), a five year old boy who lives with his mother Joy (Brie Larson) in a small, dishevelled shed called Room. Jack was born in Room, and its meagre contents, including a bed, a bath, a sink, a wardrobe and a skylight, are all he has ever known. Joy tells him nothing of the outside world in order to protect him from the truth: that they are captives of a man named Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), and that Jack is the product of rape. Very few films ask as much of their lead actors as Room does of Larson and Tremblay. There's barely a frame of the film in which one, if not both, are not present, particularly during the initial harrowing hour. Larson is tipped to take home an Oscar, and it would be hard to fault the Academy for that decision. Her performance communicates with unflinching clarity both the years of abuse that Joy has suffered, and the lengths she is willing to go to to keep her son from experiencing the same fate. Tremblay is, if anything, even more impressive, capturing the optimism of a child unburdened by adult comprehension, without ever dipping into the kind of forced cutesiness that scuppers so many young performers. Tremblay's flawless performance also validates the risky decision to tell the story from Jack's point of view. In the film's bleakest moments, Jack's innocence is like a life preserver, and the only thing that keeps us from drowning in despair. Likewise, when he is finally exposed to the world outside his prison, we share in his sense of wonderment. So palpable is his emotion that it feels like we, too, are discovering the world for the very first time. Director Lenny Abrahamson is largely invisible behind the camera, and perhaps that's for the best. There's a lot he could have done, through camerawork and editing, to ratchet up the unease or foster a sense of claustrophobia, but to do so would run the risk of distracting from the performances – and ultimately, it's by the performances that the movie lives or dies. Even as the film ventures into more conventional narrative territory in its latter half, Larson and Tremblay make it impossible to look away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C6fZ-fwDws
The year was 1992. Aladdin, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon 3 and A Few Good Men ruled the international box office. Slipping into a habit and sliding in next on the list, becoming the sixth-biggest hit of the year: Sister Act. The film about singing nuns spawned a sequel, with word of a third movie floating around for years since — and, as everything from Mean Girls and Muriel's Wedding to Groundhog Day and Beetlejuice has also done, it inspired a stage musical as well. The theatre take on the Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)-led film franchise debuted in California in 2006, then hit West End in 2009 and Broadway in 2011. Now, from August 2024, it's finally Australia's turn. Sister Act will make its Aussie premiere at Sydney's Capitol Theatre to see out winter, then make a date with the Regent Theatre in Melbourne from November. (If you live in other cities, start praying that it comes your way as well; however, for now, only Sydney and Melbourne seasons have been announced.) The first movie was filled with songs like 'Rescue Me', 'My Guy' and 'I Will Follow Him', making its soundtrack a smash as well, so the film was always primed to tread the boards. The Sister Act musical features original tunes, with Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid) doing the honours. Among the show's rewards so far: five Tony Award nominations and six Olivier Award nominations. "It is a joyous thing to produce a musical that has never been seen in Australia before and I feel very blessed to be bringing Sister Act to our shores," said producer John Frost, announcing the Aussie seasons. "It's a brilliant, must-see show that will lift audiences up and I know Australians will get into the habit of seeing again and again." Story-wise, the production follows Deloris, who witnesses a murder and has to go into protective custody. Her hideout: a convent. It's there that the nightclub singer finds a struggling choir, which she begins to help. So far, no cast details have been announced for the Aussie run — so who'll literally be donning a habit is yet to be revealed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sister Act The Musical (@sisteractmusicalau) Sister Act Australian Tour 2024: From Tuesday, August 3, 2024 — Capitol Theatre, Sydney From Sunday, November 3, 2024 — Regent Theatre, Melbourne Sister Act will hit the stage in Australia from August 2024. For further information and tickets, head to the show's website. Top image: Sister Act UK & Ireland Touring Production 2023-24, Mark Senior.
Sydney's small businesses have done it tough over the last six months. So, in order to encourage people to support their local cafes, pubs, restaurants and retail outlets, plenty of deals and initiatives have been popping up around town — such as suburb-wide Halloween celebrations back in October, and almost half-price menus across November. Also happening this month: 30 different $1 food and drink for the 30 days of November in Burwood Chinatown, all to support local businesses following Sydney's lockdown. Head to Burwood Chinatown's Instagram every day to see which local business is offering a $1 deal that day. To kick things off on Monday, November 1, Chatime Burwood is offering $1 bubble milk teas or fresh teas when you order a large drink. The following day, on Tuesday, November 2, Cocoa Curry House will have Japanese beef curries on offer for $1. There are 28 deals still to be announced, but you can also expect to see discounted passionfruit teas, crispy red bean pancakes and golden deep-fried wings.
Popular Sydney hospitality figure Reynold Poernomo has unveiled his flagship venue in Chippendale, with the opening of a new KOI Dessert Bar featuring three distinct areas. KOI has moved to Central Park Avenue after half a decade in Kensington Street, expanding to a larger more extravagant space two streets over which Poernomo has described as his "dream venue". Reynold initially opened the dessert bar with the help of his brothers Arnold and Ronald after winning fans over on MasterChef. "This is big for me, the team and the family, because as you all know, this is the first restaurant that my family and I had started over five years ago," Poernomo said. Tucked behind Central Park Mall next to the Chippendale Green, KOI Dessert Bar now invites sweet tooths to their choice of three dining experiences. The first section is your standard dessert bar reminiscent of the original Chippendale location. Here you'll find a stone and japanese tile benchtop presenting KOI's signature range of desserts for takeaway or eat-in. The daily cake selection changes, but you can expect a variety of signature basque cheesecake flavors, including Tiramisu, Matcha Rose, and Tropical. In the evening you'll enter through the second space — the revamped Monkey's Corner cocktail bar which has also moved across from Kensington Street. At the bar, the cakes are traded for noodles and coffee swapped for sake. Highlights from the food menu include chilli crab egg noodles ($26), trout tartare ($9), barbecue squid ($18) and fried potato with leek cream sauce ($15). There's also an affinity for truffle, with a black truffle and mushroom noodle dish ($32) a mainstay of the bar, and a seasonal truffle menu on offer during winter. The final — and possibly most exciting — element of the revamped venue is an intimate 12-seat restaurant. A chef's table of sorts, diners at KOI Experiential will have a front-row show as Poernomo creates a ten-course degustation spanning the sweet and the savory. The experience resembles that of Sydney's new wave of omakase restaurants, with the head chef taking patrons through that night's intricate and expertly crafted dishes. Seatings at the degustation are available at either 5.30pm or 8pm and will set you back $130pp. Appears in: The Best Japanese Restaurants in Sydney
Sat in the middle of Sydney Harbour, Me-Mel isn't just one of the city's many scenic sites surrounded by glistening water. Also known as Goat Island, it's a pivotal part of New South Wales' Indigenous history, and was inhabited by Eora leaders Bennelong and Barangaroo in the late 18th and early 19th century. It's on the New South Wales State Heritage Register, but the NSW Government is now going a step further to recognise its past — reverting ownership of Me-Mel back to the Aboriginal community. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced on Sunday, May 29, that the iconic island will be transferred back to its Traditional Owners. It'll also receive $43 million in funding for its restoration. "Returning Me-Mel to the Aboriginal community is the right thing to do, and it helps deliver on my commitment of improving outcomes and opportunities for Aboriginal people across all parts of government," said Perrottet. "A big part of my commitment is ensuring the island is remediated before it's transferred to the Aboriginal community," the Premier continued. "Through the NSW Budget 2022–23, we're delivering $42.9 million to regenerate and restore Me-Mel, and ultimately pave the way for the transfer back to the Aboriginal community." [caption id="attachment_855820" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Views over Sydney Harbour from Goat Island, Sydney.[/caption] That cash will cover restoration work over four years, including "repairing seawalls and buildings, improving the wharf and access, upgrading services such as water and sewers, and removing contaminants like asbestos," advised NSW Treasurer Matt Kean. After those upgrades and maintenance work — so, likely in 2026 — the transfer will take place. Expressions of interest are now open for members of the Indigenous community to join the Me-Mel Transfer Committee, which will fall under the National Parks and Wildlife Service, to oversee the process, make recommendations about the transfer to Aboriginal ownership, and also assist with determining how Me-Mel will be managed and used afterwards. The island's history also features 30 buildings and other structures that are still onsite, dating from the 1830s through to the 1960s. Until the transfer occurs, Me-Mel will still be managed by NPWS — and will remain open to the public both before and after the change of ownership. For more information about the transfer of Me-Mel (Goat Island) back to the Indigenous community, read the NSW Government press release or visit the NSW Department of Planning and Environment website. Images: Destination NSW.
There’s little doubt hard-core electronica fans have been clamoring to get their hands on this mighty hot ticket. Michael Rother, a German instrumentalist who drew an international cult following through performing briefly with the ever-experimental act, Kraftwerk and then launching the bands Neu! and Harmonia throughout the 70s, is set to perform selected works with two of his old jam buddies. Joined by his former Harmonia bandmate, Dieter Moebius as well as his Neu! bandmate, Hans Lampe, the synth king (seriously — Google some of his work if you’re unfamiliar with it) will be playing a stack of band works, as well as many of his solo tracks. Rother, who is rarely known to tour his music let alone tour it as a reunion of sorts, released nine of his own solo albums between the late 70s and 2004. As an entire body of work, Rother’s contributions to the world of electronica and rock have established him as one of the music game’s most influential players. Much of the trance and electro-pop we love today are probably sounds that first came out of Rother’s instruments. If you’ve secured a ticket, expect ample hypnotic, space-like beats. To delight further, instrumental rockers Baptism Of Uzi are booked to play support. That’s one helluva jam-packed night of marvellous sounds, if we’ve ever heard of one.
If you want to stand out in Sydney's bottomless brunch scene, you have to up the ante. Well, Untied in Barangaroo has done just that (again). You've heard us sing the praises of its vegan bottomless brunch already — and now the rooftop bar is kicking off another weekly brunch series with more stellar food, more bottomless booze, plus its very own gospel choir. Hallelujah, Brunch with Soul is here. The menu is heavenly — think spiced granola with roasted peach and honey yoghurt, croissants and 'nduja eggs benedict. There's also a vegan option available featuring southern fried tofu benedict and beignets (deep-fried choux pastry) with coconut whip and vegan caramel. For drinks, you can expect refreshing mint and watermelon kombucha and a selection of free-flowing spritzes including the classic Aperol spritz, the Rogue Rose (rouge vermouth, fresh strawberries and lemon), the Elderflower Bisou with lavender and the Sloe Death with vanilla and blueberry puree. The best part? The roaming gospel choir will sing out your favourite tunes while you tuck into the sumptuous spread. Looks like Saturday sessions are sorted, team. Bottoms up. Brunch with Soul takes place every Saturday across two sessions — 11am and 2pm — until May 18. The brunch costs $65 per person. To make a booking, head to Untied's website.
UPDATE, May 29, 2021: With Victoria in lockdown, the St Kilda Film Festival isn't hosting any physical screenings on its final day — but you can watch Australia's Top 100 short films for free online until 11.59pm today, Saturday, May 29. You'll find big things in small packages at the St Kilda Film Festival this year. That's true every year — even last year, during lockdown — but you'll also find some changes on this year's program as well. Australia's oldest short film festival, the massive event will once again physically descend upon St Kilda in 2021; however, as it did in 2020, the lineup is also jumping online and screening to movie buffs nationally. The hybrid version of the festival will still showcase works by some of the best up-and-coming filmmakers in the country, which you can watch at 11 physical events or via 15 digital sessions. Running from Thursday, May 20–Saturday, May 29, it all kicks off with opening night at The Astor Theatre, then gives student animation, family-friendly animation, Victorian-made shorts, women filmmakers and directors under the age of 21 their time to shine at ticketed screenings. As always, the backbone of the festival is Australia's Top 100, featuring filmmakers from every corner of the country competing for prizes. You can view these short flicks online this year — and for free — as broken down into themed packages. The Australian Animation Showcase highlights Aussie animation, 'Dark Matter' showcases horror, thriller and dystopian tales, 'Suburban Keyholes' is all about life in the suburbs and 'Age of Innocence' focuses on coming-of-age stories, for instance. Image: Jim Lee
David Attenborough may have turned 94 in 2020; however the acclaimed broadcaster and natural historian isn't slowing down anytime soon. Fresh from narrating and presenting two new TV series in 2019 (Our Planet and Seven Worlds, One Planet), appearing at Glastonbury and recently joining Instagram, he's now bringing his latest movie-length documentary to your screen. Called David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, the film sees Attenborough look back on his more than nine decades on earth, the sights he has seen and the changes he has witnessed. Specifically, he reflects upon humanity's enormous and damaging impact on the natural world — and, when it hits Netflix on Sunday, October 4, it servers up quite the powerful viewing experience. Since the early 50s, Attenborough's stunningly shot documentaries have been awash with revelatory sights and detailed insights from across the planet, sharing the kind of wonders that eager audiences would be unlikely to see or discover themselves otherwise. Now, after becoming a constant, respected and beloved presence in the field, his passionate and vibrant work has earned its place in history several times over. But it might also become a record of a world, and of natural history, that's lost due to climate change. It's this possibility that's behind A Life On Our Planet — that, and the great broadcaster's efforts to motivate a response to combat both global warming and the catastrophic loss of biodiversity blighting the environment. On offer here is an urgent and far-ranging exploration of how our pale blue dot evolved to its current state, what might be in store if we continue down this path, and how and why things could and should change. Determined in his tone, Attenborough calls the documentary his witness statement several times within its frames, and it's as potent and devastating as intended. Bookended by scenes in Chernobyl that are initially designed to illustrate what can happen ecologically when bad planning and human error combine — a situation that, Attenborough posits, applies to climate change as well — A Life On Our Planet is both broad and intricate, and personal and political too. Cycling through the earth's life to-date to provide a snapshot of the planet's predicament, it delivers a comprehensive overview, a raft of telling facts and figures, and a plethora of reflections from its central figure. It also features the now-requisite array of eye-catching footage that Attenborough's hefty body of work has long become known for, served up here to not only revel in its glory and showcase his exceptional career, but to demonstrate what's fading away due to humanity's impact upon the globe. Accordingly, it's impossible not to be moved by the film. If viewers won't listen to Attenborough on this topic, and as he explains what he's seen and where he sees things heading, then they probably won't listen to anyone. In the documentary's latter third, A Life On Our Planet follows in the footsteps of Australian doco 2040, too, by pondering how the world might adapt for the better. Produced by wildlife filmmakers Silverback Films and global environmental organisation WWF, A Life On Our Planet was originally slated to play in cinemas in April — but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its release was postponed. It's currently showing on the big screen Down Under now (except Victoria), with the film paired with an exclusive cinema-only conversation between Attenborough and Michael Palin, if you'd rather see its vivid and impassioned sights in a larger format. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64R2MYUt394 David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet hits Netflix on Sunday, October 4, at 5pm AEST / 6pm ADST. It's also currently screening in Australian and New Zealand cinemas.
The gym is a fitness ecosystem inhabited by various species of exercisers. The long legs of the gazelles grace the treadmills, the lions flex their muscle on the bench press and the herds trot in tandem in their step classes. Whatever fitness pack you associate with, we all have different motivations for purchasing our membership — some want to get fit, others just want to look good, and some want both. But is there more behind our desire to run on a conveyer belt and repetitively lift heavy objects? This is what Circuit explores, flexing its muscle to expose what we are truly working out whilst we are working out. Through six intersecting and relatable monologues, we learn that we often enter the gym because we are lost. Adam (Sean Corcoran) wants to become a standout fish in the sea after breaking up with his boyfriend, Justin (Tom Mesker) runs to remind himself that his heart isn't actually broken, Janine (Aimee Timmins) wants to belong and so joins the 'Zumba movement', Darcy (Grace De Morgan) is disillusioned with the world and Kelly (Anika Herbert) has some serious Jane Fonda circa-1985-inspired mother issues that she is trying to resolve. We also have Joel (Michael Drysdale), who works at the gym yet seems neither lost nor found, largely because we never get to completely connect with him. Our investment is not rewarded and this is the single grievance with what is otherwise a very enjoyable play. When we are finally exposed to what appears to be his sensitive side, our yoga mat is pulled from underneath us as his facade is revealed. And when Adam finally takes the bold step we want him to, it is abruptly blocked by the only weak joke of the entire play. Justin's story also feels unresolved, which is a shame as Mesker is arguably the standout monologuist. The play then abruptly ends, leaving us unable to complete the emotional circuit. Having said that, Circuit is an incredibly enjoyable night of theatre. The delivery of the piece makes us feel that we have been personally chosen to become each character's workout partner. The humour is also expertly scripted and delivered, with countless one-liners hitting home — especially Justin's scientific explanation of how running gets an ex-lover out of your system. Circuit is certainly the most enjoyable way to work out in the gym for two hours without raising a sweat and will leave your theatrical chakras feeling aligned.
Sydney's $75-million state-of-the-art surf park — which finally opened in May following seven years of La Niña-hampered construction — is an obvious drawcard for any avid boarders in search of guaranteed two-metre waves. And with the imminent opening of the second of two on-site hospitality venues on Thursday, July 25, it's soon to become an equally tempting go-to for any hungry Sydneysiders who enjoy water views — albeit of the manmade variety. Urbnsurf at Sydney Olympic Park is now home to the city's second RAFI — the first being the airy rooftop diner and bar that opened in North Sydney in 2022. Operated by Applejack Hospitality — the group behind top Sydney venues such as Bopp & Tone, Forrester's and The Butler — RAFI Urbnsurf will be located on the upper level of the park's main building, with stunning views of the vast lagoon and a large al fresco terrace. With capacity for 165 guests, the restaurant's seafood-heavy menu will feature many of the most-popular dishes from its sister venue, including a raw platter starring premium Sydney rock oysters from East33, Bermagui yellowfin tuna and kingfish from South Australia's Spencer Gulf. Steamed Cone Bay barramundi served with a rich yet delicate chickpea miso and yuzu kosho sauce, and RAFI's famed crispy eggplant chips drizzled in honey and dusted with a lip-smacking mix of herbs and spices, are two more tried-and-trusted crowd pleasers on offer. RAFI Bar Manager Cameron Freno has created a cocktail menu that showcases closed-loop sustainability, making use of kitchen leftovers to craft drinks such as the Sub-Zero Oyster Martini, the Sub-Zero burnt butter and pecan old fashioned, and a riff on the mai tai using unsold Sonoma croissants from the downstairs cafe, Sandy's. RAFI Urbnsurf's stylish interiors have been designed by Luchetti Krelle, and make use of natural finishes and a palette of earth tones to create an intimate, quietly luxe space. Undulating timbre surfaces and circular motifs throughout take their cues from the rippling waters just beyond the dining room's wide windows, while brushed-brass light fixtures, woven rush dining chairs and a large-scale bespoke wool carpet by First Nations artist Colleen Ngwarraye that's inspired by bush medicine herbs add an inviting sense of warmth. The expansive terrace summons a beachier vibe, with strings of bistro lights and lush planting creating a laidback feel perfect for relaxing after catching a few waves. Find RAFI Urbnsurf at 15 Hill Road, Pod 5B, Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush, open Wednesday–Sunday, 11.30am–11pm. Head to the venue's website for more details. Images: Steven Woodburn
If you're a lover of dance but also a believer in brevity, this year's Art Month has you covered. They're hosting a night of free, five-minute dance classes to help you polish one killer move to bust out on the d-floor at the next crazy disco rave you attend, led by groover Amy Zhang. On Wednesday, March 8 in Darlinghurst, Groove Therapy — who run weekly dance classes at 107 Projects — will let you cram yourself and your closest friends (max three per session) into a safe space and learn dance unapologetically for five minutes. These classes will actually be held in neon, disco bedrooms (hence the space restrictions) so you can pretend it's just you, your floor-length mirror and YouTube. And remember: it's not about perfecting that one move, it's about grooving your butt off in a safe and non-judgement space — even if it is for only five minutes. The classes are free, but you will need to book in advance.
"We're in a war. You wanna fight?" If you've watched 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, then season one of Andor — the Disney+ prequel series to the big-screen spy thriller — then hearing those words uttered by Diego Luna (La Máquina) won't come as a surprise. Viewers know where this tale is headed, but watching the best small-screen addition to a galaxy far, far away lead us there has already proven gripping TV once. The show's namesake makes the above statements in the just-dropped first teaser trailer for Andor's long-awaited second season — and more rebellion and fighting for revolution awaits. Almost three years have passed since the Mouse House's streaming platform stepped into this story — three years that've been filled with Ahsoka, the sadly short-lived The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew. When it returns in April 2025, Andor will be just the second of Disney+'s live-action Star Wars shows to extend beyond a single season (the other: The Mandalorian), although Ahsoka is also locked in for more episodes. If you missed it the first time around, Andor takes a favourite big-screen character and steps back into their story before the events that viewers have already seen — so, like Obi-Wan Kenobi. As its title makes plain, the show focuses on its namesake, Cassian Andor, with Luna reprising his Rogue One role. Star Wars fans have already seen him as a Rebel captain and intelligence agent, and also watched how his story wraps up, hence the show's need to jump backwards. The focus: following Andor as he discovers how he can play a part in battling the Empire. Indeed, charting the rebellion, and how people and planets joined in, is the series' whole remit. In season two, as the end we all know is coming gets closer, expect higher stakes — and also Ben Mendelsohn (The New Look) as his Rogue One character Orson Krennic, plus Alan Tudyk (Grimsburg) as K-2SO. The first season of Andor saw filmmaker Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Legacy) — who co-wrote the screenplay for Rogue One — rejoin the Star Wars franchise as the series' creator and showrunner. He's back for season two. On-screen, so are Stellan Skarsgård (Dune: Part Two), Genevieve O'Reilly (Tin Star), Denise Gough (Who Is Erin Carter?), Kyle Soller (Bodies), Adria Arjona (Blink Twice), Faye Marsay (Ten Pound Poms) and Forest Whitaker (Emperor of Ocean Park) . Release-wise, the 12-episode season — which is not just Andor's second, but its final season — is being unveiled in four chapters comprising of three episodes a piece. A new chapter will hit your streaming queue each week from Wednesday, April 23 Down Under. Check out the first trailer for Andor season two below: Andor season two streams via Disney+ from Wednesday, April 23, 2025 Down Under. Read our review of season one. Images:©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Easter, no matter your religious inclinations, is a time for leisure. When that long-awaited long weekend rolls around, it's all in on chocolate, but beforehand? A particular treat becomes the focus of bakeries around the world. And, thankfully, a stack of local Sydney bakeries are here to fix your hot-crossed cravings, both the classic and unconventional, launching their goodies from kitchens and storefronts all over town. Have a read of our selections, and we guarantee that soon you'll be tucking into some handcrafted Easter buns, plump with fruit, loaded with spices and slathered with lashings of butter. From the traditional glazed version to some crafty new-world remixes, here's where to get your sweet treat fix this Easter. Humble Bakery First things first, the classics. The classic hot cross bun is a simple thing, glazed bread, the definitive cross, spiced fruit…memorable, yet humble. Where else to get a refined example of the classic than at Humble Bakery? Returning for 2026, Humble's classic hot cross bun sees freshly ground cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger mixed into dough with raisins, sultanas, apricots, cranberries and an orange peel, then baked and finished with a spiced glaze. You can get them individually in-store or pre-order online, from now until Monday, April 6. Find Humble Bakery at Shop 2, 50 Holt Street, Surry Hills, Shop 1, 333 Kent Street and Shop 19, 16-20 Loftus Lane. [caption id="attachment_1082512" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Trent Van Der Jagt[/caption] Brooklyn Boy Bagels Brooklyn Boy Bagels is adding a bit of Manhattan-style spin to the Easter menu, with not one but three hot cross bun-style choices to keep us fed throughout the Easter period. There's a classic, made with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, sultanas, cranberries, and candied orange, then finished with an orange and maple glaze. But for the unconventional, the Hot Cross Bagel reimagines the treat in bagel form with a vanilla glaze cross, and a Red Velvet Hot Cross Bun puts some colour and cocoa powder into the mix, best enjoyed with Brooklyn Boy's cultured butter, hazelnut or cream cheese spreads. Get them individually in-store or by the six packs online. Find Brooklyn Boy Bagels at 74 Reservoir St, Surry Hills and 19 Carrington Rd, Marrickville. Tokyo Lamington The masters of cubed baked goods, Tokyo Lamington, is joining the Easter season with a few different treats. This year's spin on the hot cross bun is the product of a collaboration with Benriach Distillery called the Scotch Cross Bun — which sees the fruit infused with Benriach's The Original Ten and the bun finished with a scotch glaze. There's also the Scotch Caramel Easter Lamington, pairing a chocolate sponge with a decadent whisky caramel centre. Order yours online now. Find Tokyo Lamington at 277 Australia St, Newtown and 140 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. Kafe Kooks If you've ever tucked into a side dish of crispy roti bread and thought, "why can't I eat more meals with this?", you've clearly never been to Kafe Kooks. This Ultimo eatery heroes the humble roti with every menu item, including an unconventional but delicious-sounding Easter treat. The Hot Cross Bom reimagines things with buttery, hand-stretched roti stuffed with cinnamon and raisins — a departure from the norm, but delicious nonetheless. You can get yours in-store now until the end of Easter. Find Kafe Kooks at 63 Mountain St, Ultimo. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sonoma Artisan Bakers (@sonomabakery) Sonoma Sonoma's hand-crafted breads and pastries have long had a cult following among Sydney's sweet-tooths and carb-lovers. Of course, that includes much-loved seasonal creation, the 'Not Cross Bun' — a riff on the classic hot cross bun featuring mixed fruits, sweetly spiced dough and an orange glaze, each emblazoned with a signature Sonoma 'S'. You can order them for pickup online, then enjoy them as Sonoma recommends, with cultured butter or a scoop of ice cream if you want to really indulge. Find Sonoma at 32-44 Birmingham St, Alexandria, R10/178 Campbell Parade, Bondi, 215a Glebe Point Road, Glebe, 80 Norton St, Leichhardt, Shop 1/12-16 MacMahon Place, Menai and Shop 1, 779 New South Head Road, Rose Bay. Loulou Since its beginnings, Loulou has opened up six locations across Sydney to serve its classy French fare — and that ethos extends to its take on hot cross buns. What's more French in a baked context than brioche? Loulou's Hot Heart Buns are brioche galore, a buttery delight of a base that uses 500 grams of butter for every kilogram of dough. The three choices? Traditional, chocolate chip, or chocolate-hazelnut custard-stuffed. You can get yours at Loulou Milson's Point, Petit Loulou and Cafe Loulou. Find Loulou at 61 Lavender St, Milsons Point, 1 Elizabeth St (Cnr Elizabeth & Hunter St), Martin Place and 168 McLaren St, North Sydney. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Concrete Playground Sydney (@concreteplayground) Shadow Baking Born from the same mad culinary geniuses behind Messina, Shadow Baking treats never disappoint. That much extends to their Easter range, which is seeing Hot X Scrolls land in their stores across Sydney. These are a marriage of a croissant and a hot cross bun, with two flavour options. Classic Fruit is a laminated spiced pastry filled with spiced fruit and vanilla custard, and Dark Chocolate, which adds that very ingredient to the mix — making a treat that tastes as good as it looks. Get yours by the six-pack in-store now. Find Shadow Baking at 243 Victoria St, Darlinghurst and 1 Rich St, Marrickville. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Flour and Stone (@flourandstone) Flour and Stone Woolloomooloo's cult-favourite neighbourhood bakery is being typically quirky for their spin on the Easter season. This year, it's Easter Buns are inspired by a Florencian Easter treat named Panderamirino. These are brioche buns infused with orange zest, rosemary, cardamom and currants, glazed with egg wash and dusted with sugar. Get them in-store or pre-order for delivery online now. Find Flour and Stone at 43 Riley St, Woolloomooloo. Baker Bleu Though predominantly a Melbourne bakery, Baker Bleu does indeed have a Sydney outpost where you can find its renowned Easter treats. While you can't go wrong with the cinnamon-and-ginger-spiced traditional variety, those in the know line up for one particular product during the Easter period: the sour cherry and dark chocolate buns. The mix of acidic sour cherries, creamy 64% couverture chocolate and warming spices makes this one of the best buns in the game. And this year, to complement said buns, Baker Bleu is adding an iced hot cross bun latte, an iced cherry chocolate drink, and hot cross bun soft serves to their Easter menu. Find Baker Bleu at 2 Guilfoyle Ave, Double Bay. Martha's We've explored plenty of gourmet tune-ups on the classic recipe, and plenty of fun alternatives too, but no other bakery except Martha's has a rotating mix of hot cross buns on offer. Starting this week, three flavours will roll out once a week. First up is a classic-style bun with whipped butter and pink salt, followed by a chocolate and dulce de leche bun in week two, and a finale of a peanut butter and jelly bun: a ruby chocolate bun with strawberry compote and whipped peanut cream. Find Martha's at 312 Great N Rd, Wareemba. Norma's Deli Ordering hot cross buns individually is the sensible choice, by the six pack, that's more fun — but how about in a wheel of 30 buns? Now you're talking. For that, you need to head to Norma's Deli in Manly, where you can order a massive made-for-sharing wheel of either classic or chocolate hot cross buns. Pick it up fresh for $68 and take it straight to the table, where you and any backup you might need can tear it apart with your bare hands and no small amount of festive Easter glee. Find Norma's Deli at 74-78 The Corso, Manly. Images: supplied Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
The Sydney Theatre Company has revealed a 2014 program that cements its reputation as the home of new and canonical playwriting. At the same time, it's also arguably the most experimental of seasons around, incorporating global theatre trends that look at interactivity and staging shows in unusual spaces. The centrepiece of the program is a Macbeth as you've never seen it. Starring Hugo Weaving and directed by Kip Williams, the production takes place in the auditorium of the cavernous Sydney Theatre, with the (small) audience sitting on the stage. More than a half-baked scheme, this reconfiguration paves the way for all kinds of unique imagery that flips the familiar on its head. Earlier in the year is Fight Night, from regular Belgian visitors Ontroerend Goed (A History of Everything) and Adelaide's The Border Project. The show plays out as something of a competition for votes, the progress of which is controlled by the audience via handheld devices. As well as exploring the audience-performer relationship, it aims to reflect on the flaws and manipulations of the democratic system. Other works in the season are in the more traditional, you-sit-there, we-act-here vein of theatre, but many are thrilling all the same. There are two compelling devised works on the menu: Calpurnia Descending comes from the incomparable Sisters Grimm (Little Mercy), who have roped in Paul Capsis for their own spin on the All About Eve film trope of manipulative female proteges. The Long Way Home, meanwhile, looks to be a powerful collaboration between members of the Australian Defence Force and the playwright Daniel Keene. In a project instigated by ADF Chief David Hurley, actors and servicemen will perform a piece of verbatim theatre reflecting on their experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor. Richard Roxburgh pops up at the end of the year in Cyrano de Bergerac, a role which STC artistic director Andrew Upton describes him as being "born to play", not because he's as famously ugly as the poetically gifted romantic (that may require prostheses), but because he has the rare quality of being both "a leading man and a clown". Other classics of various eras include Mojo, a rowdy, '50s London-set, testosterone-drenched play by Jez Butterworth that's sometimes said to be the 'inspiration' for Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. There's also farce Noises Off; Maxim Gorky's drama Children of the Sun, in an adaptation by Upton first performed at London's National Theatre; and a steadfast David Williamson, Travelling North, starring Baby Boomer favourites Bryan Brown and Greta Scacchi. New Australian writing comes in the form of Lachlan Philpott's fun M.Rock, based on the true story of elderly nightclub DJ Mamy Rock; Sue Smith's Kryptonite, a rich political drama that comes down to personal missed connections; and Joanna Murray-Smith's Switzerland, an unexpectedly Hitchockian thriller. Recent international writing is represented by The Effect, another socially conscious play from Lucy Prebble, writer of Enron, this time with a medical spin, and the highfalutin Perplex from German Marius von Mayenburg, a self-reflexive piece of theatre about a couple who return from holiday to find their housesitters have taken over their lives. For more information and subscription packages, see the Sydney Theatre Company website.
How good is Easter? Not only is it the longest of all long weekends, but it's also a time of celebration, of enjoying the fine things. Fine things being hot cross buns, which some may say deserve to be on the shelves year-round. But we're not here to talk about seasonal baked goods. If you're reading this, you might be lacking in the plans department for this year's Easter long weekend. If that's true, settle in, dear reader. Here's some carefully curated inspiration on how to best utilise your four treasured days of freedom. IF YOU WANT A CLASSY DOSE OF CULTURE Theatregoers need not look any further than Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour. It's a stage show quite unlike anything else on offer in Sydney and is playing two shows over the Easter weekend on Saturday, April 8 and Sunday, April 9 at 7.30pm. But what makes this show worth your time compared to others? The play, a historically inspired ode to unrequited love and devotion, takes place on the floating stage at Fleet Steps. Part of what makes it so impressive is that it has endured over 100 years of performing on stages worldwide. But it doesn't show its age. The award-winning production design is built around the evolving nature of the characters, with a total re-design of the stage during the intermission as a highlight. Plus, it's backlit by the Sydney Opera House itself, and a fireworks display with every show. To pair with the show's spectacle and venue, you can enjoy luxury onsite dining at one of the several popup eateries and bars, because opera is always better with a full stomach and a drink in hand. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A SHORTCUT TO A CHOCOLATE COMA What's the maximum age for participating in an easter egg hunt? Trick question, the limit does not exist. In fact, there's no greater sport. What if we told you there's a better way to enjoy Easter goodies than buying or hunting them? Instead, make your own. Such a thing is possible at the Sydney Chocolate School, where owner and master chocolatier Rebecca Knights and her team run classes on all things chocolate. While many courses are available at the Mosman venue, Easter opens up a unique masterclass in chocolate tempering, where you can craft your own sweet treats. You'll be learning the traditional method of marble tempering, a classy approach to creating oh-so-sweet treats. The treats in question will be a variety of shapes and sizes and, assuming you resist the urge to devour them upon completion, you'll get to take them home with you. TO DODGE THE CROWDS OF KIDDOS Yes, Easter is a time for celebration. Celebrations like the Sydney Royal Easter show will appear all over Sydney. However, and there's no shame in this, you might prefer to avoid those events that lean a bit more toward the family-friendly end of things. Don't worry, long weekends also mean long nights and lengthy events that are totally child-free. Take Greenwood Hotel as an example – something of a North Sydney icon for 18+ ragers. On Saturday, April 8 it's hosting DJ legends Basement Jaxx for their Australian stop of a world tour. There's also a myriad of supporting acts playing in the pub's chapel, courtyard and lounge areas from 1pm to 10pm. Alternatively, you could take to the not-so-high seas of Sydney Harbour aboard Yeah Buoy's Easter Long Weekend Boat Party. Be immersed in good tunes and good vibes from 3.30pm-7.30 pm in the biggest party you could throw on water. And if those don't take your fancy, drag queen Trixie Mattel is coming to Roundhouse in Kensington on Sunday, April 9, for the world premiere of her new Solid Pink Disco Party. Expect pink deco, drinks, DJ sets, and probably pink drag queens too. Shockingly, the dress code is also pink. It'll be a big night, kicking off at 9pm. Lucky it's a long weekend! IF YOU WANT TO EAT LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW It's Easter. If you're not planning on partaking in at least one lunch that'll set you up for a late afternoon nap, are you doing it right? All holidays have an element of food built into their traditional bones, but that doesn't mean you need to limit yourself to spiced baked goods and chocolate at Easter. To kickstart your appetite, consider the Maestria Restaurant and Bar. This decadent venue is planning an Easter buffet worthy of any holiday. It has undergone an Easter transformation by event planning pros Anna Wang and is hosting three-hour buffet sessions plus egg hunts for all ages on Saturday, April 8. Similarly, the Amora Hotel Jamison is hosting an Easter lunch event on Sunday, April 9 in the Croft restaurant. Expect fine farm-to-plate produce from land and sea alike. And for something a bit looser, book a seat aboard a three-hour scenic lunch cruise on Sydney Harbour, running on Saturday, April 8 and Sunday, April 9 at 12.30pm. IF YOU NEED TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL We've talked all about plans big and small, but we don't all like to stay busy. If your long-weekend plans are to dodge the hustle and bustle entirely, frankly, it'd be a waste to stay at home. Why not get up and explore some of that natural beauty we're surrounded by in Sydney? Depending on your definition of Sydney's border, there are anywhere between 50 and 250 National Parks in the greater Sydney area. This includes one of the oldest in the world, the densely packed wilderness of Royal National Park. National Parks like that boast some of the most impressive natural vistas in town, including great coastal walks, bushwalking adventures and secluded swimming spots. Adventurous folks might also want to check out some awe-inspiring caves or put some distance between you and the land altogether on a kayaking excursion. For more information about Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour, visit the website. And for more inspiration on what's worth doing in Sydney, find it here on Concrete Playground.
This news isn't like rain on your wedding day. It doesn't resemble finding a black fly in your chardonnay. And it definitely isn't anything like hitting a traffic jam when you're already late, either. But, it will have you singing those lines — and it is news that you oughta know, too — because 15-time Tony Award-nominated musical Jagged Little Pill is heading to Australia. The acclaimed production is making its first trip beyond Broadway, in fact, when it hits the Theatre Royal Sydney in September. And, when the curtains are raised, it'll help mark another milestone, reopening the Theatre Royal five years after it closed its doors in 2016. Inspired by Alanis Morissette's 1995 album of the same name, Jagged Little Pill the Musical weaves a story around songs from that iconic record. So yes, it's a jukebox musical like Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You and Rock of Ages. Famed tracks 'Ironic', 'You Oughta Know', 'Hand in My Pocket', 'Head Over Feet' and 'You Learn' all feature, in a production that boasts music by Morissette and her album co-writer and producer Glen Ballard, lyrics by Morissette, and a book by Juno Oscar-winner Diablo Cody. And, songs such as 'Thank U', 'So Pure', 'That I Would Be Good', 'So Unsexy' and 'Hands Clean' all pop up as well, even though they hail from the musician's subsequent albums. [caption id="attachment_807910" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jagged Little Pill the Musical original Broadway cast, Matthew Murphy.[/caption] Just who'll be starring in the show is yet to be revealed, along with the exact season dates. But, narrative-wise, Jagged Little Pill the Musical tells the tale of the Healy family. They struggle their seemingly idyllic suburban lives after a troubling event in their community. Expect to hear Morissette's tunes — including two new songs written just for the show — used in a tale about social issues relevant to today, but with an overall message of hope, healing and togetherness. Whether Jagged Little Pill the Musical will be a Tony-winner by the time it hits our shores, rather than just a nominee, isn't yet known. Its 15 nominations were all announced in 2020 for the pandemic-delayed 74th Tony Awards, which won't be held until Broadway reopens. Australians keen to see the musical can sign up for the ticket waitlist, and can look forward to watching it in a venue with quite the history. The 1100-seat Theatre Royal is one of Australia's oldest theatres, dating back to the 1870s. But most folks will know it in its current form, after it reopened in the 1970s with a design by famed Australian architect Harry Seidler as a replacement for the old theatre that was demolished when the MLC Centre was built. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh49oFfh1Bw Jagged Little Pill the Musical will play the Theatre Royal Sydney at 108 King Street, Sydney, from September — with exact season dates yet to be announced. For further details and to join the ticket waitlist, head to the musical's website. Top image: Jagged Little Pill the Musical Broadway opening night curtain call, Bruce Glikas.
Maybe you were a big fan of Moon Park. Maybe you've been in for brunch. Maybe its shrimp-brined fried chicken gave you life on more than a few occasions. Whatever the reason you frequent Paper Bird, your days for popping in for tasty Korean-Japanese-Chinese snacks and wine are (very sadly) numbered. After opening in the Potts Point spot a bit over two years ago, its owners today announced that it will close its door forever on the first weekend of August. In an Instagram post this morning, the team confirmed that Paper Bird's last day of service will be Saturday, August 3. It has not given a specific reason for the closure. View this post on Instagram Sad but true, our last service will be Saturday August the 3rd. It's been a pleasure serving you all for the last 2 years and we're hoping you can make it in for a last visit in our remaining weeks. We'll be bringing back some old favourites from both Paper Bird and Moon Park, come in and say bye... A post shared by Paper Bird (@paperbirdpottspoint) on Jun 23, 2019 at 6:58pm PDT Fans of the Paper Bird team will be feeling a sense of déjà vu — its previous restaurant Moon Park closed its doors in 2016. Luckily, it looks set to bring back some favourites from both the Paper Bird and Moon Park menus during its final weeks of service. Best make a booking now and cross your fingers for some of that fried chicken. The restaurant was initially opened in July 2017 by Ned Brooks, Ben Sears and Eun Hee An as an all-day diner. Since then, it had dropped down to dinner service only with lunch on weekends. The closure of Paper Bird is, sadly, not an isolated incident. Newtown fine diner Oscillate Wildly recently announced it will close its doors soon, as will Billy Kwong. On top of that, Sydney favourites Longrain and Acme are both in their last week of service. Paper Bird will continue trading at 46A MacLeay Street, Potts Point until Saturday, August 3. Make a booking here. Image: Katje Ford.
Getting immersed in Mardi Gras? You've probably heard the news that the official after-party has been cancelled. The reason? Jesse Matheson, CEO of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, said the decision was made because Mardi Gras is already facing "significant financial loss." Fortunately, Darlinghurst's much-loved Kinselas Hotel has stepped in to host a free Mardi Gras Closing Party on Sunday, March 1. Serving up an easy, inclusive way to wrap up the weekend, this community-led event is sure to send off Pride with rainbow-filled fun. Held in Kinselas' Chapel Bar, the venue has scored itself a top-notch headline act to lead the party vibes. That'd be Keli Holiday — the alter ego of Peking Duk's Adam Hyde — fresh off his number two placing in Triple J's Hottest 100. With the party starting from midday and running late, expect a full-day extravaganza filled with supporting DJ sets from the likes of Tseba alongside non-stop dancing. Entry is free and everyone's welcome to head along and share the neon love.
The Laneway Festival 2026 sideshows have landed, giving fans a chance to catch some of the lineup's biggest international names up close before and after the main event next February. Announced today, the official run includes headline shows from Alex G, Lucy Dacus, BENEE, Wet Leg, Cavetown, Geese, Gigi Perez, Jensen McRae, Malcolm Todd, Mt. Joy, Oklou and Wisp — spanning major venues in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Wellington. [caption id="attachment_974758" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laneway Festival 2024 | Charlie Hardy[/caption] The sideshows arrive ahead of Laneway's 21st anniversary edition, which will bring a refreshed route across Australia and New Zealand and a lineup featuring Chappell Roan, PinkPantheress, Wolf Alice, Role Model and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers. Sydney and Melbourne dates sold out within an hour of going on sale, marking the second consecutive year the festival has hit capacity on day one. From long-awaited returns to debut Australian performances, the sideshows promise intimate sets from some of the most talked-about names in the 2026 lineup. [caption id="attachment_897686" align="alignnone" width="1920"] BENEE[/caption] You can find the full list of Laneway 2026 sideshows, dates and tickets via Ticketek. Images: Supplied
The release of a shiny new album, Strange But Nice, was a good time as any for Sydney trio Step-Panther to take their show back on the road. Collaborating with long-time buds, Bearhug, the lads will be embarking on an East Coast album launch for the so-called New Arrivals tour. For those of you playing at home, Step-Panther are a homegrown garage-pop-rock outfit, with a sound described as 'slacker-pop'. Indeed, Step-Panther's lo-fi sound makes the perfect soundtrack for a lazy afternoon at a mate's house, preferably paired with an inflatable pool filled with ice and tinnies. Bearhug have a dreamier sound, sporting the unavoidably-dubbed 'indie' vibe without being douchey. Also hailing from Sydney, the band are also celebrating an album released — their recently-dropped second album, So Gone. Guitar-heavy with infectious melodies — these guys are onto something good. Also supported by Point Being. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2y4goxKYj7M
It's amazing what you can do with a butter cake mix, vienna cream icing and some lollies. Indeed, if you grew up in Australia or New Zealand in the past four decades, it's highly likely that you've eaten that above combination many a time. You probably also begged for it to be served in various creative shapes and configurations at all of your childhood birthday parties. And, even when you were months and months away from next blowing out your candles, we're guessing that you pored over pictures of cakes made using those ingredients for hours and hours, studiously planning which one you wanted next. Yes, we're talking about the cake recipes that line the pages of the best kids' book there is: The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book. If you didn't live in a house with one of these beloved tomes on its shelves when you were young, then you turned mighty green-eyed with envy at your friends who did — and now this source of so many happy cake memories is turning 40. That's reason enough to bake a cake, naturally. If you need some help, The AWW is releasing a new hard-cover anniversary version of the classic text, too. From Monday, August 17, the limited-edition book will return to newsagents and supermarkets (and, from Tuesday, August 18, to bookstores as well), complete with over 50 of those recipes you loved and obsessed over way back when. [caption id="attachment_778934" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The original 1980 cover[/caption] That includes the famed train cake, which graces the book's cover as it always has for all these years. In case you didn't commit the entire recipe collection to memory when you were a kid, other highlights span the swimming pool cake filled with green jelly, as well as the duck cake with a beak of potato chips. Or, there's also the liquorice-heavy witch cake, plus the meringue-covered towering castle cake (and if you've ever been lucky enough to have someone spend hours making the latter for you, you'd remember it). Whether you're isolating or quarantining, or just spending more time at home cooking like everyone has been in 2020, consider that your next baking project — or several — taken care of. The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book 40th Anniversary edition hits newsagents and supermarkets from Monday, August 17 — and will be available in bookstores, too, from Tuesday, August 18.
The noble crab, with its rock hard shell, crusty legs and creepy, boggling eyes has a secret: it's delicious AF. Somehow people figured this out (what a surprise that would have been for the first person to crack open that shell and discover that perfect, perfect crabbery), including the seafood-lovin' folk at The Morrison. And so, the annual Crab Carnival was born. From March 25 to April 22, The Morrison will be putting crab in everything — we mean everything. Expect conventional crab dishes like salt and pepper crab legs, soft shell crab burger, chilli mud crab and chilli crab linguini alongside less conventional, and downright weird, offerings: crab hush puppies washed down with a 'Crabby Mary' cocktail (crab doesn't sounds like a word anymore, right?). Grab one (or five) of the Morrison's famous crab and lettuce tacos for only $5 a pop during taco happy hour (between 6pm and 7pm every day — yes it's a real thing), get your bib on for Steam Pot Thursdays, and try to win big on the hermit crab racing on every second Thursday night.
If Luca Guadagnino wants to keep making movies with Timothée Chalamet after the swooning, moving delight that was Call Me By Your Name, film lovers and Chalamet stans everywhere will be more than happy. And with Bones and All, that's exactly what he's doing again next. The Italian filmmaker is also giving fans of his 2017 queer romance — a flick that nabbed Chalamet a Best Actor Oscar nomination — another repeat gift, too. Who doesn't want to see that picture's Michael Stuhlbarg give Timothée life advice again? This time, though, it's in far bloodier circumstances. Arriving five years after Call Me By Your Name, and set to hit cinemas Down Under in November, Bones and All also sees Chalamet and Guadagnino collaborate on a love story — but with an extra bite. Forget peaches, as both the first sneak peek and the newly dropped full trailer make plain. Here, Chalamet plays one half of a cannibal couple. As Lee, the Dune, The French Dispatch and Don't Look Up actor gets gory — including with Taylor Russell's (Waves) Maren. The hybrid horror, romance and coming-of-age tale follows the pair of cannibal lovers as they road trip across America, chasing and satisfying their desires, and also grappling with what's brought them to this juncture. In both trailers so far, the vibe is yearning, swooning again, but also unsettling. It skews darker and more violent this time around, sinking its teeth into its biting premise. And when Mark Rylance (The Phantom of the Open) pops up in the two sneak peeks, he has his finger to his lips in a telling gesture of warning. Bones and All marks Guadagnino's first feature since 2018's Suspiria remake — after a detour to television with HBO series We Are Who We Are — and sees the director bring Camille DeAngelis' novel of the same name to the screen. Also featured in the film: We Are Who We Are alums Chloë Sevigny and Francesca Scorsese (yes, the daughter of filmmaker Martin Scorsese), plus André Holland (Passing), Jake Horowitz (The Vast of Night), filmmaker David Gordon Green (Halloween Kills), and Jessica Harper from both the original Suspiria and Guadagnino's version. Check out the full trailer for Bones and All below: Bones and All releases in cinemas Down Under on November 24.
When someone tells you to try to put yourself in another person's shoes to understand how they feel, it isn't meant literally. In the Freaky Friday franchise, however, the Coleman family keep taking that idea to the extreme, albeit not by choice. In 2003's mother-daughter body-swapping comedy, Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Showgirl) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan, Our Little Secret) found themselves switching places courtesy of a fortune cookie. In 2025's sequel Freakier Friday, their lives and the circumstances have changed, but waking up as someone else is back on the agenda. It was back in 2023 that word arrived about a follow-up to the 00s version of Freaky Friday. Audiences will see the results on the big screen this winter Down Under, with Freakier Friday locking in a Thursday, August 7, 2025 release date. As for what's in store this time around for the Colemans, the sequel's just-dropped first teaser trailer promises more chaos, plenty of nods to its predecessor — a nostalgic favourite — and taking the identity-crisis scenario up a few notches. Story-wise, Anna has a daughter herself and is about to gain a stepdaughter, with the process of merging families happening just as a familiar scenario pops up. At the beginning of the debut sneak peek, Anna and Tess are told by a fortune teller (Vanessa Bayer, No Good Deed) that they've "walked in each other's paths" and "learned a lesson — a lesson that may serve you again". Cue the ground rumbling once more, plus quite the shock the next morning. When it was revealed in 2024 that the new film would feature "a multigenerational twist", we wondered if there'd be multiple swaps and if the kids would be trading places with their grandmother — and yes, the trailer has the answers. Also returning alongside Curtis and Lohan from Freaky Friday: Mark Harmon (NCIS: Origins), Chad Michael Murray (Sullivan's Crossing), Christina Vidal Mitchell (The Terminal List), Haley Hudson (Queen Gorya), Lucille Soong (Raya and the Last Dragon), Stephen Tobolowsky (The Madness) and Rosalind Chao (3 Body Problem). For more company, Julia Butters (The Fabelmans), Sophia Hammons (The Absence of Eden), Manny Jacinto (The Acolyte) and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) join the cast. Behind the lens, Nisha Ganatra (The High Note, Late Night) is directing, with Curtis and Lohan among the executive producers, all on a movie that keeps building on the Freaky Friday name. The first Curtis and Lohan team-up didn't start the franchise, of course. Instead, it began with the 1972 book by Mary Rodgers, then the 1976 Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)-starring first movie adaptation, and also a 1995 remake with Gaby Hoffmann (Zero Day). After 2003's beloved Curtis- and Lohan-led take, horror flick Freaky also gave the idea a spin in 2020. Check out the first teaser trailer for Freakier Friday below: Freakier Friday releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, August 7, 2025. Images: Glen Wilson © 2024/2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
You can't beat Sydney summers on the water and Pyrmont has a front row seat. Over the past few years, the central inner-city suburb has built a solid reputation for cosmopolitan flavours, action-packed entertainment and a darn good opportunity to people watch. Craving award-winning Japanese? Look no further. How about tasty eats on a budget? You're covered. There are so many esteemed, popular restaurants packed into one hot spot, it's well worth a few repeat visits. There are plenty of reasons to venture harbourside to dine out this summer from moreish nibbles to splashy feasts. We round up some top things to eat in Pyrmont while the sun's up late. APEROL & APPETISERS AT PIZZAPERTA Ever went to treat yourself to an appetiser only to find the starting price could comfortably feed a small family. Rest easy this summer at Pizzaperta with their offering of hot and cold Italian snacks for just $5 each. That's right people, only a crisp fiver. Think cool caprese skewers, montanara mini pizzas and Siciliano snacks featuring focaccia bread with ricotta cheese, cetara anchovies, Sicilian capers and olives. You can even be a high roller (you are at The Star), order the lot and live la dolce vita. BAR SNACKS Book in a bar hop with friends at some of Pyrmont's swankier venues. This summer, the bars at Sokyo, Black and Balla are serving up summer martinis and matching bar snacks. Stroll from one to the next sampling unexpected treats. Start with Japanese-style kingfish wings in shichimi butter at Sokyo Lounge. Savour the squid ink cracker, smoked creme fraiche and mojama salt-cured tuna at Black Bar. Finish off at Balla Apertivi Bar with their wood-grilled calamari skewers, tomatoes and fenol. LOBSTER AT BALLA Forget avo on toast. Balla's slipper lobster is worth the investment. This summer only, our favourite crustacean will be served on bruschetta with crushed pea and lemon ricotta at $28 for lunch or dinner. Since joining in 2011, head chef Gabriele Taddeucci has helped Balla rack up an impressive roster of awards. So clearly, the latest offering won't disappoint. The team have dreamt up a light seafood menu that pays homage to an Italian summer. Also available to sample are splashy wood-grilled marron with extra virgin olive oil bearnaise and warrigal greens for $60 and green lobster tagliatelle with spicy Americana sauce for $32. KING SALMON AT BLACK Seafood is delicious all year round, however, the folk at Black Bar & Grill know that there's no time like summer to truly feast on the ocean's freshest delights. Scampi, caviar, lobster and marron all feature on this summer seafood menu. We recommend taking your time to enjoy the king salmon confit served with horseradish cream, cucumber and squid ink crumbs for $48. This dish takes a little longer to serve up as it's carefully prepared fresh by the team, but it is definitely worth the wait. BENTO LUNCH AT SOKYO Feast on a bento box like no other with Sokyo's summer lunch special available on Fridays and Saturdays. This highly awarded Japanese restaurant headed by chef Chase Kojima is no ordinary sushi bar. Corn-fed chicken and pork belly robata, dengakuman, asparagus tempura, mixed leaves and chef's assorted sashimi and sushi roll — it'll all go down nicely with a glass of bubbly. See everything that's going on at The Star this summer here. Thirsty? Hit these Pyrmont spots for some summer drinks.
This year, grab the fam' or a group of mates and enjoy rockin' around Darling Harbour with a plethora of free activities including Saturday fireworks, the much-loved Christmas festival and guaranteed good vibes, as well as paid pedal boat rides. From Monday, November 18, 2024, through to Wednesday, December 25, 2025, Darling Harbour will come alive. And in true Christmas spirit – the best bit is that it's mostly free. Christmas Festival A Darling Harbour fan favourite, the Christmas Festival will take place from Saturday, December 14 – Sunday, December 15 in Tumbalong Park. You can expect live performances from Samantha Jade, Anthony Callea and, of course, Santa. There will also be kids performers, including The Beanies, The Quokkas and Jayden Rodrigues' Dance Party, as well as a choir singalong to all your favourite Christmas tunes. Christmas on the Water Head down to Darling Harbour's picturesque foreshore, where the festivities will kick off with a quintessentially Aussie arrival from Santa Claus himself on Friday, December 6, on a jet ski. Stick around and check out the towering, sparkling floating Christmas tree at Cockle Bay, or watch the Christmas firework displays over Cockle Bay on December 7, 14 and 21 at 9pm. However, the thing we're most looking forward to has to be the pedal boats, which will be running from Saturday, Novemeber 30 2024 until Monday, 27 January 2025. Perfect for a cloudless Sydney summer day, enjoy the harbour's scenic views from the water with friends and family. Christmas-themed Entertainment The festive season is the ultimate time to get out and about with friends and family, and the International Convention Centre Sydney has got the perfect thing for you to do, hosting a range of live orchestra performances that will bring everyone's most cherished holiday films to life. Yes, you will be able to witness The Holiday in Concert on Saturday, December 14, or, if you're more of the Love Actually type, head down on Saturday, December 21 to get your fix. Plus, at Darling Quarter, you will find large-scale vertical garden boxes dressed in red bows from Saturday, November 16 – Thursday, December 26. Not only are they pretty cool to look at, but they make the perfect backdrop for an insta. The Harbour Village The Darling Quarter Village Green will be the place to be from Saturday, December 21 – Sunday, December 22. You will find Christmas Storytime with children's entertainers Emily Who and Nyssa and the Outback Band. The Harbour Village also offers Santa's Workshop, a free crafting station where kids can create their own paper wreaths with a unique native floral twist. Families can also enjoy a playful break with life-size lawn games like Connect Four and Wreath Ring Toss, because there's nothing like a bit of friendly competition. Santa Fun Run It's that time of year again when all of the Santas in Sydney come together for one epic run on Saturday, November 30. In support of Vision Australia, the run kicks off at 8 am at Metcalfe Park in Darling Harbour. Plus, you don't have to dress up to be part of the fun—anyone is welcome. It's all about helping raise funds for Carols by Candlelight and its Life Ready children's fundraising program. Food and Drinks Just to top it all off, in the true spirit of indulgence, you can count on Darling Harbour's many restaurants, cafes and bars to give you the energy you need to check everything out that Darling Harbour has to offer. You will find something for every craving, whether you're longing for Asian-inspired flavours at Darling Square, al fresco dining at Darling Quarter or an Italian feast at Fratelli Fresh. Visit the Darling Harbour website to find out more. Images: Anna Kucera, supplied.
This time last year, the world had gone more than 12 months without seeing a new Marvel movie. Just a few months back, no one had used the words 'squid' and 'game' right next to each other unless they were talking about cooking up a particularly impressive seafood dish. But 2021 has proven the year of both caped crusaders and a certain South Korean Netflix phenomenon — and we all have the Google search history to prove it. With the year coming to a close, the technology behemoth has revealed exactly what we've all been scouring the web for in 2021, and its film and TV lists provide quite the snapshot of everyone's viewing. When we were all eager to watch a flick, we went big, with franchises, familiar names and super-famous faces defining the top ten most-searched movies. When we were staying in — it was another year filled with lockdowns, after all — we threw plenty of love towards streaming platforms. Topping the film list: Eternals, Chloé Zhao's addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and her first film after winning this year's Best Director Oscar for the immensely dissimilar Nomadland. It was closely followed by the long-delayed Black Widow, Timothée Chalamet-starring sci-fi remake Dune, more Marvel again via Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Netflix's heist-fuelled action flick Red Notice. Next came the new Australian-shot version of Mortal Kombat, the Emma Stone-led Cruella and the return of Michael Myers in horror sequel Halloween Kills, as well as monster melee Godzilla vs Kong and straight-to-streaming zombie film Army of the Dead. When it came to the globe's binge-viewing for the year, Squid Game came in at number one — likely not only because it's all anyone seemed to be watching in September and October, but because we all became so obsessed with it that, yes, we were all searching for every piece of information about it that we could find. It was followed by Bridgerton's period soapiness, WandaVision's trippy superhero dramas, Karate Kid spinoff series Cobra Kai and more Marvel (yes, again) thanks to Loki. Also placing in the top ten: Netflix's Sweet Tooth and Lupin, the latter of which probably benefited from dropping its episodes in two batches; the streamer's Ginny and Georgia; South Korean series True Beauty; and Big Brother Brazil 2021. If you haven't watched any of the above yet, consider this a catch-up list, too. For further details about Google's 2021 trend lists, head to the Google Trends website. Top image: Noh Juan, Netflix.
Get your skates on, Sydneysiders — and you'd best don your brightest, most retro threads, too. It isn't every day that Darling Harbour becomes home to a pop-up roller rink that's hosting a month-long rollerskating festival, so you'll definitely want to dress to fit the part (and to live out your Whip It and Xanadu dreams, obviously). Meet Darling Harbour Rollerama, aka the place to be from Friday, March 25–Sunday, April 24 for anyone with rollerskates or blades strapped to their feet. Open daily across its five-weekend, four-week run, it's bringing all of the essentials. Disco ball? Tick. DJs spinning tunes? Tick again. Roller derby demonstration sessions and Rollerfit classes? Just keep on ticking. Different events will happen on different days, although you'll be gliding around to DJs on most nights. On Saturdays, Rollerfit takes over, serving up rollerskating-based exercise classes that are both fun and great for your fitness. On Thursday evenings, you'll be dressing to a theme other than just retro — with 70s, 80s and 90s-focused nights happening across the program. And, on Tuesdays, skating will cost you less across all sessions. Also, because Darling Square is currently home to Hello Kitty Town, that's being worked into Rollerama as well. So, Monday nights will be Hello Kitty nights — with dressing accordingly encouraged. If you're wondering why Rollerama is gracing Darling Harbour, the usual answer applies: why not? Also, it's to give folks who popped on some wheels during lockdowns somewhere else to skate now that stay-at-home conditions have eased — and it's obviously timed to run over the Easter holidays as well. As well as setting up the rink, which'll be located at the Pier Street Underpass near Darling Square, Rollerama is teaming up with Pumphouse Sydney Forecourt to house three separate bars. One will be a roll-up spot serving barbecue wings, smoked gouda cheeseburger, waffle stacks, and peanut butter and jelly thickshakes — and, on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as Sunday afternoons, you won't even need to undo your skates to order as staff will be zipping around to do just that. As for the others, there'll be a shipping container bar with a Rollerama-themed menu, and a Mr Black bar as well. The latter will be located in a vintage airstream trainer, and will pour espresso martinis, but only from Friday, March 25–Tuesday, March 29 and Thursday, April 21–Sunday, April 24. Eateries around Darling Harbour will also be doing specials, so you'll have other food and drink options. Rollerama tickets start from $20 most days, and $15 on Tuesdays — or $25 / $18.75 including skate hire. You can also pay extra for a coaching session if you're a roller newbie. Darling Harbour Rollerama is popping up at the Pier Street Underpass near Darling Square from Friday, March 25–Sunday, April 24. Head to the event's website for further information and to buy tickets.
It's been one year in the making, but now Marrickville's Batch Brewing Company finally has a second place to call home. On Saturday, August 3, the craft brewery is set to open a brewery and tasting room within the old shed at the back of Public House Petersham. While the Marrickville brewery will continue to turn out high quantities of the core range brews you know and love, the second Batch outpost will instead be something of a test kitchen. The tasting room will fit 100 all up and offer ten taps of experimental and limited release brews. Expect revivals of old favourites — think Plum DMC kettle sour, Wardell Nut Brown ale and 2 Peach Shakur sour — and plenty of new small batch brews, all labeled under a new sub-brand, dubbed Small Batch. "For 2 Peach Shakur, we get peaches from a farmer and it was really hard to do big batches of it," says Batch co-founder Andrew Fineran. "Now, when the harvest is ready, we'll buy enough to do just six or seven kegs worth." Heaps of collaboration brews are also on the docket, including an upcoming birthday beer for the PHP cat, Gizmo, that'll taste like black forest cake. Collab talks are also on with the likes of Bucket Boys and the Forest Lodge Hotel, too. For now, it'll be a tap and tinnie-only affair, with canned takeaways poured right off the tap as you order. The fit-out will have the same upcycled, hand-built feel that Marrickville has, though with its own vibe. Think a pallet bar with a herringbone pattern, small recycled timber furnishing and a shuffleboard table to boot. The Batch owners started looking for a second home when demand for their beers kept increasing."We were getting so much demand for our regular releases it was becoming harder for us to produce any limited releases," says Fineran. "And we want to produce more while still having our creative freedom." While the two venues will operate independently, punters are welcome to move throughout, and can bring wine and food from the pub into the brewery, or beer into the pub. The Batch tasting room will have its own dedicated menu of bar bites, created by PHP Head Chef James Elliott. The succinct menu consists of miso and beer lamb ribs, beef and stout pies, katsu eggplant sambo, a smoked fish dip and jalapeño poppers with hop mayo. If you want to be among the first to check the joint out, head along to the official launch party on August 3. The new tasting room will be open from noon and the Batch gents will be pouring fresh brews from the carpark, alongside slow-cooked pork from the kitchen and live tunes from The Van Demons. Find Batch at Public House Petersham, 292 Stanmore Road, Petersham from midday on Saturday, August 3.
With pioneers of avant-garde electronica and general oddity, Kraftwerk already announced as the headline act of Vivid LIVE 2013, the bar has been set stratospherically high for the Vivid LIVE Studio Parties. But it will come as no surprise to those of you who raised the Opera House's iconic sails at last year's celebration of underground nightlife that 2013's lineup is again jam-packed full of club-shakin', dance-till-your-feet-hurt talent. Over four nights four of Sydney's most innovative dance collectives will be lighting up the Opera House's Studio and Western Foyers. On Saturday, May 25, the house music disciples Future Classic will showcase the stylings of UK beatmaker Lapalux, Norway's bombastic fusion of hip hop and house Cashmere Cat and Van She founder Michael Di Francesco's genre-hopping Touch Sensitive. Next up are the purveyors of basement partying Goodgod Danceteria! whose biggest drawcard is the skeezy, greasy social media sensation RiFF RAFF. With his highly addictive brand of chest-beating hip hop and dirty-as-hell beats, RiFF RAFF has earned himself a whopping 33 million YouTube views and guest spots from the likes of Snoop Dogg and Skrillex. If musical innovation and trippy acid-house-techno-minfuckery are more your style (and whose isn't?) then your best bet is Detroit's Omar S and his extended Astral People set. The night will also feature a healthy dose of drum 'n' bass in the form of Britain's John Corvex and off-kilter robotronics of Africa Hitech. While the final event, featuring Sydney's premiere queer institution Club Kooky, has already sold out, the rest of the events are on sale now, so head to the Vivid LIVE website to get your hands on the hottest after-hours party Sydney has to offer this winter.
