A decade has sashayed away since Bianca Del Rio won the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. After emerging victorious over Australia's own runner-up Courtney Act, the drag queen and comedian has been conquering Down Under stages ever since. Among multiple tours over the past ten years, the fabulously quick-witted talent last brought her Hurricane Bianca whirlwind this way in 2022 — and she'll next break out her devilish snark and timing in 2025. The global favourite keeps building upon her massive past decade or so, with the dimple-cheeked performer doing everything from tours upon tours to hitting the West End stage in the musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie and also popping up in the film version as well. Then there's 2016 comedy Hurricane Bianca and its 2018 sequel Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate, plenty more appearances on various Drag Race seasons and specials, web specials, music videos and even an episode of Celebrity Family Feud. Accordingly, you know what to start watching in preparation for Del Rio's Dead Inside gigs in Sydney — although, as you'll know if you've seen her live before, there's nothing like seeing her in the flesh. Del Rio's 2025 visit will break out the cutting insults — plus her larger-than-life persona in general — across two nights from Friday, February 7–Saturday, February 8 at the State Theatre.
This Christmas, all you need is love — plus a festive little cabaret that showcases all of the hit tunes from Love Actually. It's the way to celebrate the season when you're not just leaving the seasonal favourite flick on repeat at home. Yep, that's Christmas Actually. Created by the folks behind Rumour Has It and Lady Beatle, and starring Naomi Price (Ladies in Black, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Christmas Actually features all of the tracks that've become synonymous with this merry time of year — including Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You', naturally. Songs by Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, Eva Cassidy, The Beach Boys and The Beatles are all on the bill as well — and, to help belt them out, Price will be joined by Luke Kennedy, Stefanie Jones, Doron Chester, Scott French, Mik Easterman, Lauren White and Ben Kiehne. There'll even be more than one nativity lobster, plus a jolly mood and a whole room full of festive cheer. That room is The Studio at Sydney Opera House, where Christmas Actually plays its 2023 season from Wednesday, December 6–Saturday, December 9. Get excited by revisiting Love Actually's trailer below. 'Tis the season, after all. Top image: Katy Bedford.
Back in the 2000s, if you weren't listing to Interpol and Bloc Party, were you really in the 2000s? No, no you weren't. The former arrived out of Manhattan in the late 90s, then helped define the city's turn-of-the-century indie music scene with The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio and The National. Hailing from Britain and also coming together just before Y2K, the latter initially scored some hefty approval in 2003 via Franz Ferdinand's lead singer Alex Kaprano. From those beginnings, both bands became indie rock greats. Next, they're heading to Australia to remind music lovers why. Busting out everything from 'Slow Hands' to 'She's Hearing Voices', the two groups will share the same bill on a co-headlining tour of the country's east coast in November, including two shows at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion across Saturday, November 18–Sunday, November 19. For Interpol, it'll be their first visit Down Under since 2019, plus their debut chance to play 2022 album The Other Side of Make-Believe in Australia. Tracks from past records such as Turn on the Bright Lights, Antics and El Pintor will also feature. Bloc Party are making the trip after last rocking Aussie stages in 2018, and will perform songs from Silent Alarm, A Weekend in the City, Intimacy and 2022 LP Alpha Games. Bloc Party images: James Kellegher. Interpol image: Ebru Yildiz.
It's the most celebratory of all the drinks and there's no better way to enjoy it than waterside — it's sparking wine. If spending a day drinking the fizziest drops of vino in a harbour-front park sounds up your alley, then Sparkling Sydney is the festival for you. After a few rocky years of weather- and pandemic-related postponements, Sparkling Sydney will return in all of its glory from 11am–5pm on Sunday, November 26 with more than 60 sparkling wines on offer. And, to sweeten the deal, this year entry is free. If you're all about the bubbly things in life, prepare to be swept away by the city's most effervescent booze fest, descending upon Pirrama Park in Pyrmont. The 2023 edition of Sparkling Sydney not only gives guests access to myriad sparking wines, but you can also expect free frozen El Jimador margaritas plus stands from Finders Distillery, Small Mouth Vodka and Pickled Bear Seltzer. Of course, there'll be plenty of top-notch eats to match including Sydney rock oysters, gnocchi, cheese, cured meats and vegan snacks. If you want to make the most of the festival, you can purchase a tasting package, which includes a wine-tasting glass and five tastings for $37.50.
Post-viewing soundtrack, sorted: to watch Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story is to take a trip down memory lane with the Australian music industry and hear homegrown standouts from the past five decades along the way. Unsurprisingly, this documentary already has an album to go with it, a stacked release which'd instantly do its eponymous figure proud. His tick of approval wouldn't just stem from the artists surveyed, but because Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story's accompanying tunes comprise a three-disc number like Mushroom Records' first-ever drop, a 1973 Sunbury Festival live LP. To tell the tale of Gudinski, the record executive and promoter who became a household name, is to tell of Skyhooks, Split Enz, Hunters & Collectors, Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly, Kylie Minogue, Archie Roach, Yothu Yindi, Bliss n Esso, The Temper Trap, Gordi and Vance Joy, too — and to listen to them. Need this on-screen tribute to give you some kind of sign that the Gudinski and Mushroom story spans a heap of genres? Both the film and the album alike include Peter Andre. Any journey through Michael Gudinski's life and career, from his childhood entrepreneurship selling car parks on his family's vacant lot to his years and years getting Aussie music to the masses — and, on the touring side, bringing massively popular overseas artists to Aussies — needs to also be an ode to the industry that he adored. The man and scene are inseparable. But perhaps Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story plays as such an overt love letter to Australian music because it's an unashamed hagiography of Gudinski. Although the movie doesn't deliver wall-to-wall praise, it comes close. When it begins to hint at any traces of arrogance, moodiness or ruthlessness, it quickly does the doco equivalent of skipping to the next track. Australian Rules and Suburban Mayhem director Paul Goldman, a seasoned hand at music videos as well, has called his feature Ego and there's no doubting his subject had one; however, the takeaway in this highly authorised biography is that anything that doesn't gleam was simply part of his natural mischievousness and eager push for success. Much shines in Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story anyway, and always would: that list of artists that've graced Mushroom's catalogue is as impressive as it is sizeable. Many get chatting, including a raw Barnes, a glowing Minogue and a reflective Tim Finn. Internationally, Garbage's Shirley Manson beams about Gudinski's fair treatment of women in a realm not known for it. Sting, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl, representing the veteran global megastar contingent, talk up his energy, work ethic and hospitality. When Ed Sheeran chimes in, he shares about a deeply personal bond as much about Gudinski's help making him such a smash Down Under. Weaved between the above airwave and plenty more favourites, Gudinski's wife Sue is understandably tender but also candid, while children Kate (once a singer–songwriter herself) and Matt (now Mushroom Records' CEO) are affecting yet clear-eyed. The portrait painted: of someone who was so obsessed with music, and with working with musicians, that revolving his whole life around both was always going to happen. Gudinski himself notes that picking up instruments was never his forte, so making deals for and with the folks who play them became his calling. A wealth of behind-the-scenes anecdotes stating the same case come from Michael Chugg, a fellow Aussie music-industry mainstay who has operated both beside and in competition with Gudinski — but Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story's most prominent, enthusiastic and frequently deployed interviewee is Gudinski. While 2023 marks two years since he passed away suddenly, he's a lively presence again and again in this birth-to-death chronicle. The benefits of spending your time with rock and pop stars: even in the 70s, cameras capturing a treasure trove of footage were regularly present. Like Moonage Daydream and Cobain: Montage of Heck filmmaker Brett Morgen, writer/helmer Goldman knows one of the biggest truths in the documentary field, be it in music or otherwise: there's nothing like someone relaying their own history. With Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story, hence the celebratory vibe, because Gudinski also knew how to promote himself. And, of course, charting how the Australian-born son of Jewish Lithuanian immigrants started spruiking teen discos when he was a teen, formed a record label championing Australian music at just 20, took a chance on now-iconic acts that were boundary-pushing in their day and built Mushroom into a local behemoth is inherently rousing. Jam-packed doesn't only describe Mushroom's roster, this movie's soundtrack or Gudinski's existence — it sums up this ride of a film. Goldman, co-writer/producer Bethany Jones (Molly: The Real Thing), fellow scribe/editor Sara Edwards (Suzi Q) and Mushroom Studios, Gudinski's label's film arm, could've opted for a docuseries and had no trouble filling episode after episode. In keeping to 111 minutes, the end result resembles a greatest-hits package from the Gudinski experience. Accordingly, when Red Symons offers the most blunt and sceptical opinions, it stands out. When Kelly laments the early-90s sale of 49 percent of the company to News Corp, it leaves an imprint as well. Each chapter screams for more attention — as does the decision not to sign Men at Work or Cold Chisel (Barnes was snapped up when he went solo); the reluctance to broaden Mushroom's remit away from rock with then-Neighbours star Minogue; supporting Roach, Yothu Yindi and First Nations music in general; and, on the live gig side, Sound Relief's fundraising concerts for the Black Saturday bushfires and early-pandemic effort Music From the Home Front. Revelations and insights still drop like beats, with the fact that the Nazis killed Gudinski's older sister during the Second World War an unforgettable early disclosure. Affection remains Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story's catchy refrain, though — and, as set to that aforementioned soundtrack, it is indeed infectious. The comic book-esque graphics are overkill, which Goldman seems to realise partway through, giving them less and less prominence. Appreciating the talent that mightn't be so beloved today without Gudinski's love of music? There's nothing excessive about that. Walking out of the cinema and slipping on headphones ASAP is just inevitable.
The art world's love affair with Andy Warhol has lasted far longer than 15 minutes. Australia's fondness for the iconic artist definitely hasn't been fleeting, either. In 2023 alone, not one, not two, but three different exhibitions Down Under have celebrated his work; however, only Instant Warhol is solely dedicated to his skills with a polaroid camera. On the Gold Coast in autumn, Pop Masters highlighted Warhol's pieces alongside works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. In Adelaide around the same period, Andy Warhol & Photography: A Social Media honed in on the artist as a shutterbug. Obviously, Instant Warhol has the same idea as the latter, but it will only be filled with polaroid portraits — 59 of them. This time, Warhol's work is headed to Ballarat, displaying from Saturday, August 26–Sunday, October 22 at the Art Gallery of Ballarat during the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. The regional Victorian photography festival is never short on things to see, but Instant Warhol is quite the drawcard for the biannual event. [caption id="attachment_906816" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andy Warhol self-portrait in drag, 1980. © Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Artists Rights Society [ARS]/Copyright Agency, 2023.[/caption]The original snaps that Warhol himself took — when he wasn't painting Campbell's soup cans and images of Marilyn Monroe, of course — will be on display. Even if you haven't seen them before, some should be familiar. One of the reasons that the artist captured polaroids, other than loving them, was to turn some of the famous faces he snapped into his screen prints. Drawn from the thousands of photographs he took with the instant cameras between 1958–87, this selection of pictures will also feature images of Warhol himself. They're all coming to Australia thanks to The Brant Foundation, with founder Peter M Brant one of Warhol's early patrons, then a friend, and also the the producer of Warhol's films L'Amour and Bad. [caption id="attachment_906817" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Top image: Andy Warhol, Sylvester Stallone, 1980. © Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Artists Rights Society [ARS]/Copyright Agency, 2023.[/caption]Top image: Photograph of Andy Warhol taking a polaroid picture while sitting with Jack Ford and Bianca Jagger on the Truman Balcony, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library via Wikimedia Commons.
Before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Seth Rogen and his regular behind-the-camera collaborator Evan Goldberg had more than a few hands in Sausage Party. Lewd and crude isn't their approach with pop culture's pizza-eating, sewer-dwelling, bandana-wearing heroes in a half shell, however. Instead, the pair is in adoring throwback mode. They co-write and co-produce. Platonic's Rogen also lends his vocals — but to warthog Bebop, not to any of TMNT: MM's fab four. That casting move is telling; this isn't a raunched-up, star voice-driven take on family-friendly fare like Strays and Ted, even when it's gleefully irreverent. Rather, it's a loving reboot spearheaded by a couple of patent fans who were the exact right age when turtle power was the schoolyard's biggest late-80s and early-90s force, and want to do Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo justice. Affection seeps through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem as pivotally as ooze, the reason that there's even any adolescent marine reptiles that aren't at all like most of their species, and are also skilled in Japanese martial arts, within the franchise's narrative. Slime might visibly glow in this new animated TMNT movie, but the love with which the film has been made is equally as luminous. Indeed, the Spider-Verse-esque artwork makes that plain, openly following in the big-screen cartoon Spidey saga's footsteps. As it visually resembles lively high school notebook sketches under director Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs the Machines) and Kyler Spears' (Amphibia) guidance, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem feels exactly like the result of Rogen and Goldberg seeing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, wondering how Leo and company would fare in a picture that aimed for the same visual flair, then making it happen. Computers did the animating, of course, but Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem's appearance may as well have smudgy fingerprints where someone has coloured in heavily with a texta, then accidentally slid a digit over the page before the ink was dry. While the TMNT realm has delivered good entries and bad, plus memorable and bland renderings of its core quartet — fittingly, these turtles have kept mutating — their current iteration is warm, retro and nostalgic while veering in its own aesthetic direction. So, the turtles aren't 80s-era slick like the OG cartoon series splashed across the small screen. They're not costume-wearing men (costumes by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, no less) as seen in the 90s live-action flicks, either. It's for the best that this Leonardo (voiced by Nicolas Cantu, The Fabelmans), Donatello (Micah Abbey, Cousins for Life), Raphael (Brady Noon, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers) and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr, The Chi) haven't been spawned in the likeness of 2007 picture TMNT, either, or the motion-capture efforts of 2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its 2016 sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Fun: that's how TMNT: MM looks with its scribbled-on, graffiti-leaning style, and it's also what Rogen, Goldberg, Rowe (also a co-scribe), Spears, Koala Man's Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit (the last of the flick's five screenwriters), and the Bad Neighbours movies' Brendan O'Brien (who gets a story credit) are overtly after. So were comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird when they created the anthropomorphic crew four decades back to parody superhero tales — as are the adopted turtle children of mutant rat Splinter (Jackie Chan, Hidden Strike), too. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem's key group just wants to be teens, and the movie wants to hang out with them as they try. In addition to an updated take on their origin story, TMNT: MM sketches Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo into a coming-of-age story. They practice ninjutsu. They bust out their fearsome fighting skills. They sneak out to watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the ultimate teens-just-wanna-have-fun film. They also just want to be accepted for who they are, because this is a Frankenstein story as well. Here, living below New York City's neon streets has become a drag for Leonardo who leads, Donatello who does machines, Raphael with the attitude and Michelangelo the party dude. Emotionally scarred from humanity's worst impulses, the protective Splinter forbids the turtles from venturing above ground for anything but supplies — which is where the stealth outdoor cinema trips come in. The ageing rat is certain that the world isn't safe for four slime-transformed humanoid critters. Unlike Ferris, though, his 15-year-olds would like to spend their days in classrooms and hallways, and with teachers and fellow pupils, a wish that they can only dream about. Then they meet April O'Neil (Ayo Edebiri, The Bear) as a high schooler who aspires to be a journalist and is investigating Big Apple crime for the school paper. She becomes a friend when the katana-, sai-, bo- and nunchuck-wielding brothers help her with the thugs who steal her scooter. Like slipping into toxic sludge when they were babies, crossing paths with April is just the beginning of the turtles' latest journey. All of those robberies link back to Superfly (Ice Cube, The High Note) — and soon there's a menagerie of mutants, including Bebop and his rhino pal Rocksteady (John Cena, Barbie), bat Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou, What We Do in the Shadows), alligator Leatherhead (Rose Byrne, Physical), manta ray Ray Fillet (Post Malone, Wrath of Man), and also Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd, Only Murders in the Building) and Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress, Spider-Man: No Way Home). Being a teenager is about yearning to fit in, and so is standing out because you're seen as a monster by everyone around you. Those Frankenstein nods are well-deployed, but then so is most of this turtle tale: cowabungas, Beyoncé love, jokes about both Ratatouille and Shrek, and a soundtrack that's catnip to 80s and 90s kids (think: Blackstreet's 'No Diggity', 4 Non Blondes' 'What's Up?' and A Tribe Called Quest's 'Can I Kick It?'). Getting Trent Reznor, the rock-god patron saint of angsty alternative teens of three decades ago, on score duties with his usual composing partner Atticus Ross (Bones and All) is a genius move, and always sounds that way. Who else can craft tunes to fight frenetically in sewers and slink through the street by? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem caters expertly to millennial adults, clearly, but it doesn't forget that it's for today's young viewers as well. Although that mix of audiences requires a balancing act, Rogen and co know how to amuse themselves and still serve up TMNT for the next generations. All those famous names among the voice cast? Crucially, they always come second to Cantu, Abbey, Noon and Brown Jr in a lively, energetic treat of a flick — the franchise's equivalent of fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza and, yes a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles renaissance.
Following a series of pandemic-impacted online editions, Liveworks is returning IRL to its longtime home. Carriageworks has played host to the festival of experimental arts since 2015 and this year it's back at the expansive venue with yet another lineup of fascinating pieces to discover at this year's event — both in-person and online. "I couldn't be more excited that we're throwing open the doors—both in-venue and virtually—and returning to a full-scale Liveworks Festival program this year," the festival's outgoing Artistic Director Jeff Khan said. "I hope this year's Liveworks will be a refreshing and revitalising experience for audiences and communities, inviting us to consider new perspectives and offering us the rush of creativity at its boldest and most adventurous." Across ten days, the festival will feature 18 live shows and nine distinct digital events featuring more than 60 artists. Australian-Papua New Guinean artist Yuriyal Eric Bridgeman will unveil a new set of 19 large-scale shield paintings as part of their new work 'A barrow, a singsong'. There will be musical performances from Rainbow Chan, Sui Zhen and experimental musician Jon Rose who will be unveiling Night Songs, a new composition created with the sounds of the Australian Pied Butcherbird. And, the acclaimed queer dance party Day for Night will be making a glorious return to the festival. There will also be a range of artist talks including a keynote conversation between Bridgeman and Bradley Vincent, the Head of Curatorial and Programs at the Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast, Queensland. For the full program, head to the Liveworks website. [caption id="attachment_868370" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cynthia Sciberras[/caption] Top image: Eric Bridgeman by Carl Warner
Handheld camerawork can be a gimmick. It can be distracting, too. When imagery seems restless for no particular reason other than making the audience restless, it drags down entire films. But at its best, roving, jittery and jumpy frames provide one of the clearest windows there is into the souls that inhabit the silver screen in 90-minute blocks or so, and also prove a wonderful way of conveying how they feel in the world. That's how Compartment No. 6's cinematography plays, and it couldn't be a more crucial move; this is a deeply thoughtful movie about two people who are genuinely restless themselves, after all. Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki) wants what all of the most perceptive filmmakers do — to ensure his viewers feel like they know his characters as well as they know themselves — and in his latest cinematic delight, he knows how to get it. How Kuosmanen evokes that sense of intimacy and understanding visually is just one of Compartment No. 6's highlights, but it's worthy of a train full of praise. With the helmer's returning director of photography Jani-Petteri Passi behind the lens, the film gets close to Finnish student Laura (Seidi Haarla, Force of Habit) and Russian miner Ljoha (Yuriy Borisov, The Red Ghost). It peers intently but unobtrusively their way, like an attentive lifelong friend. It jostles gently with the locomotive that the movie's central pair meets on, and where they spend the bulk of their time together. It ebbs and flows like it's breathing with them. It rarely ventures far from their faces in such cramped, stark, 90s-era Russian surroundings, lingering with them, carefully observing them, and genuinely spying how they react and cope in big and small moments alike. Pivotally — and at every moment as well — it truly sees its key duo. With their almost-matching names, Laura and Ljoha meet on a train ride charting the lengthy expanse from Moscow to Murmansk. She's taking the journey to see the Kanozero petroglyphs, ancient rock drawings that date back the 2nd and 3rd millennium BC, and were only discovered in 1997; he's heading up for work. Laura is also meant to be travelling with Irina (Dinara Drukarova, The Bureau), her Russian girlfriend, but the latter opted out suddenly after an intellectual-filled house party where mocking the former for her accent — and claiming she's just a lodger — threw a pall of awkwardness over their relationship. Making the jaunt solo is still sitting uneasily with Laura, though. Calls along the way, answered with busy indifference, don't help. And neither does finding herself sharing compartment number six, obviously, with the tough- and rough-around-the edges Ljoha. It's been 71 years now since Alfred Hitchcock gave cinema the noir thriller Strangers on a Train. It's been 27 years since Richard Linklater also had two unacquainted folks meeting while riding the rails in Before Sunrise, which started a terrific romance trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Accordingly, the idea behind Compartment No. 6 is instantly familiar. Here, two strangers meet on a train, a connection sparks and drama ensues. Kuosmanen, who nabbed an award at Cannes for The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki and then earned the 2021 competition Grand Prix, which comes second only to the prestigious Palme d'Or, for this, is clearly working with a well-used setup. But even though this isn't a movie that's big on surprises, it's still a stellar film. It's also a reminder that a feature that's personal and raw, also attuned to all the tiny details of life in its performances, mood and style, and firmly character-driven, can make even the most recognisable narrative feel new. Laura and Ljoha are a chalk-and-cheese pair. He gets drunk almost instantly; is crude and rude to his unimpressed fellow compartment dweller from the get-go; and his hunched, agitated, me-against-the-world posture seethes with boorish anger. But the duo are also virtually trapped in close confines — wandering the train's corridors and using its bathrooms are hardly escapes, even for a few minutes, on a trip that takes several days. They're both lost, lonely and yearning, too, in their own fashions but also in a more similar manner than they each initially expect. So, they rub each other the wrong way at first, then settle into chilly animosity, then begin to thaw. Schnapps plays a part, as does the dining car. Pitstops along the way, stolen possessions and language trickery do as well. Needing love and companionship, even just fleetingly, has the biggest influence. Kuosmanen cowrote Compartment No. 6's screenplay with Andris Feldmanis and Livia Ulman, co-scribes themselves on Estonian TV show Kättemaksukontor — and adapts Rosa Liksom's novel of the same name. In the process, the director and his collaborators move the story by around a decade from the end of the USSR to the end of Boris Yeltsin's time in power. That means that Laura and Ljoha follow in Before Sunrise's Celine and Jesse's footsteps by mere years on-screen (Titanic gets a mention, helping anchor the movie in time), but they're always roaming and locomoting through their own film. Compartment No. 6 is that lived in, that astutely drawn and that naturalistically played, as aided immensely by its meticulous production design. Just as the handheld camera places viewers in the characters' headspace with precision, the immaculate like-you're-there touches that fill every frame are equally as immersive. It's easy to see Hollywood wanting to hop on Compartment No. 6's tracks, riding its way to an English-language remake. If that happens — probably more like when — good luck to whoever's behind it in repeating such casting perfection. All of the expertly and expressively deployed cinematography in the world, or even just across a 35-hour-plus trip to the top of Russia, can't bond an audience to fictional characters if they don't already feel so real that you could be them; the latter springs from extraordinary performances, of course, which Kuosmanen guides out of Haarla and Borisov. In their time together, Laura and Ljoha shift, ruminate and open up, including to themselves. That's a delicate journey, as relatable as it is, and also immensely complex to portray with emotional resonance, honesty and nuance. Compartment No. 6's untethered imagery sees that. It revels in it. That's what two strangers on a train enjoying an unexpected bond en route do with each other's company, eventually — and, again, this unconventional love story has everyone watching share the same sensation.
The Lord Gladstone is no stranger to a rebrand. In 2021, it renamed itself The Lord Jabstone and gave out free beers to encourage Sydneysiders to get vaccinated. And earlier this year, the beloved pub pushed against the NSW Government's policing of live music compared to religious congregations, rebranding as a church and naming itself The Gladsong Hotel. The latest iteration of the Chippendale stalwart takes inspiration from Tasmania's Dark Mofo festival, slapping the name Dark Gladfo onto the venue for a free three-day music and art festival across the venue's many spaces. Between Friday, July 15 and Sunday, July 17, an array of events and activations will be popping up at different spaces of The Glady in collaboration with the likes of Goodspace Gallery, Atomic Brewing and Doom Juice Wines. The Goodspace Gallery will be running a full-venue takeover throughout the festival. Each day the pub will take on a new theme and will be given a fresh artistic transformation complete with light installations from Teresa Mackay. On Friday night, live music will be the centrepiece of the activation, with bands and DJs performing across the ground and upper floor. A secret headliner has been locked in to perform in the front bar which The Lord Gladstone bills as "a globally renowned act [performing] for an intimate crowd for the first and last time in a long time". As the weekend unfolds there will be a pub rave from Doom Juice with music, burlesque performances, projections and, possibly best of all, $6.66 glasses of natural wine. And, those that are looking for a more refined experience can attend the Dark Arts live drawing class, sketch comedy performances or the Glady Jazz Fest which will be closing out the festival on the Sunday. Redfern's Atomic Brewing is also chipping in by creating a limited edition Dark Gladfo Ale that's being brewed just down the road. Beer-lovers can head to the venues at any point throughout the weekend to try the one-off beer.
Where would we be without movies during the pandemic? Even when cinemas were closed during lockdowns, we all still sought out the joy and escapism of watching a flick — and truly appreciated how cathartic it is. Still keen to queue up a big heap of movies, and a hefty dose of couch time? Enter Movie Frenzy, the returning week-long online film rental sale. From Friday, June 24–Thursday, June 30, it's serving up a sizeable lineup of popular flicks from the past year, all from less than $3 per movie. On the lineup: the OTT stunts of Jackass Forever, the Oscar-winning poignancy of Belfast, Joaquin Phoenix turning in another fantastic performance in C'mon C'mon and The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark. Or, bustin' can make you feel good (again) via Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and you can get some more sequel action via Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Sing 2. Female-led spy thriller The 355, Jennifer Lopez-starring rom-com Marry Me, ridiculous disaster epic Moonfall, Aussie zombie flick Wyrmwood Apocalypse and Liam Neeson's latest action effort Blacklight are also available, too. So are the oversized canine antics of Clifford the Big Red Dog, Cliff Eastwood glaring his way through Cry Macho and the literary world-set The Hating Game. (While some of these flicks are more worth your attention than others, we'll let you do the choosing.) You can nab the cheap movies via your digital rental platform of choice, including Apple TV, iTunes, Fetch, Google Play, Dendy Home Cinema, the Microsoft Store, the Playstation Store, Prime Video, Telstra TV Box Office and YouTube Movies — although just what's available, and the price, will vary depending on the service. And you won't need a subscription, unless you decide to join in the fun via the Foxtel Store.
The spirit of cabaret is alive and well with one of the world's most celebrated chanteuses lighting up The Rocks with her particular mix of debauchery, dark humour and biting social commentary throughout August and September. German kabarett superstar Bernie Dieter — described as 'an electrifying cross between Lady Gaga, Marlene Dietrich and Frank-N-Futer in sequins' — will bring her Weimar punk jazz band and her troupe of bombastic bohemians back to Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent for another run of Sydney shows following a blockbuster season earlier in 2022. [caption id="attachment_841679" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Johannes Reinhart[/caption] The show encapsulates the spirit of the notorious kabarett clubs of Weimar Germany, and features a vibrant lineup of international talent. The billing includes sword swallowing-sensation Lucky Hell, gender-bending aerialists Reed Kelly and Jack Dawson and comedy burlesque star Sugar Du Joure. The colourful show celebrates freedom and diversity in all its forms — Dieter herself describes it as "the ultimate party at the end of the world, where my family of misfits and I stick a defiant middle finger up at the past two years". Just as spectacular as the performance is its iconic — and all too appropriate — setting. Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett will take place in Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent at Runaway Gardens in First Fleet Park. The venue is one of the country's largest and most spectacular spiegeltents and an ideal setting for such a spellbinding cabaret show.
After a sell-out season in 2014, Lachlan Philpott's shimmering odyssey M.Rock returns for a strictly limited 2022 season at the Australian Theatre for Young People. The harbourside venue welcomes Valerie Bader as the titular Mabel Mudge — AKA M.Rock (a character inspired by the true story of Mamy Rock, DJ Ruth Flowers). After her impulsive granddaughter Tracey (Milena Barraclough Nesic) embarks on a soul-searching Euro-trip and fails to return home as planned, the settled suburban granny adventures out to find her. Through Philpott's uplifting script and Fraser Corfield's fast-paced direction, the warm and heartfelt production examines intergenerational bias, the beauty and importance of new experiences (no matter your age) and the danger of a grass-is-always-greener mentality. Don't consider yourself thespian? Don't write M.Rock off (read: deny yourself a joy-inducing, thought-provoking, inspiring night out). The hard-hitting production delivers charismatic Berlin-based DJs, a set that'll transport you across the seas and live music courtesy of Sydney-based DJ Venus Guy Trap. Which, along with brilliant performances from the ensemble of three (who play over 20 characters), makes for an exceptional culture trip — and the start of a lifelong love of the theatre if you're new to the scene. 'M.Rock' is showing at The Rebel Theatre until Wednesday, July 20. Head to the website to secure your tickets. Images: Tracey Schramm
If you want to expand your knowledge of local wines in the most efficient way, Surry Hills bistro Porteño is here to help with a huge winter wine fair taking over the venue on Sunday, July 10. For just $52, guests will have the opportunity to taste their way through 50 different wines from around Australia. The Porteño team has pulled together a range of Australian winemakers who will be supplying top-quality drops for you to taste on Sunday — with makers, suppliers and industry professionals in attendance to walk you through what you're tasting each step of the way. The fair will kick off at midday and run until 4.30pm. Each attendee will be gifted a Riedel glass to use as you explore the vinos on offer and to take home at the end of the day. Also included in your ticket is the opportunity to taste all 50 wines. You can try as many or as little as you want, depending on how big a finish to your weekend you're plotting. [caption id="attachment_700879" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Porteño's Christmas Market[/caption]
For Sydneysiders, the longest nights of the year mean one thing — more hours to party. The Solotel team are turning this month's winter solstice into a week-long affair called The Longest Night, set to light up pubs and bars across the city when the sun goes down. Over the six days from the solstice on Tuesday, June 21 until Sunday, June 26, music acts and art installations will be bringing 17 locations stretching from Kings Cross to Surry Hills and Newtown to Parramatta to life. Venues taking part in the winter celebration include Darlo Bar, Courthouse Hotel, The Marly, Paddo Inn, Public House Petersham, The Sackville, The Regent, Albion Parramatta, The Bridgeview Hotel and more. Solotel CEO, Elliot Solomon, is proud of the collaboration the hospitality group has had with local artists and their communities to bring the mammoth program to life. "Each neighbourhood venue has its own unique vibe and audience and so programming is individually tailored to reflect this," he explains. Some hotly anticipated acts will be bringing the tunes, such as Set Mo, Yolanda Be Cool and Northern Beaches band Crocodylus. Other music highlights include a dreamy set from Sydney sweetheart Dominic Breen at The Bank Hotel and an unmissable night of dancefloor fillers at Goros courtesy of beloved triple j DJ Shantan Wantan Ichiban. Incredible light and art installations will be illuminating things, as well as pop-up art installations from the National Art School — best viewed when the sun goes down. In particular, Barangaroo House, The Golden Sheaf, The Bank Hotel, and Kings Cross Hotel will feature bespoke ambient mirror and LED installations by Reelize Studio, Yeti and Vincent Buret. There will also be queer film screenings at The Bank Hotel as well as comedy sets and slam poetry readings at The Erko — whatever your arts and culture pick of choice, it will be catered to. A mix of free and ticketed events make up the lineup, so check out the full schedule for the week of music, art and entertainment on the event website. Keen to check it out? For more information and to peep the full program and participating venues, visit the website.
School holidays signal reprieve from maths and spelling lists. A time when the heart-sinking feeling induced by ringing bells bringing playtime to a stop is put on hold for a few joyful weeks, replaced with days exclusively jam-packed with fun. At least for the kids. Although a break in the school-run routine is sure to be welcomed by any parent or caregiver, all those hours usually headlined by a teacher now have to be filled. Maybe you can't take work off, maybe you need a child-free day or maybe you just want to find an activity your mini will be sure to have a ball at — or in this case, throw a ball at. Sydney Olympic Park is playing host to a spectacular lineup of sporty activities for the winter school holidays. From Saturday, July 2 to Sunday, July 17, your school-aged children can run, kick, bounce and more at sporty sessions at the Quaycentre, Aquatic Centre and Archery Centre. Want to keep it watery? There's something for both the squad champions and the splash-and-players. The Swimming Intensive Program will see aquatic confidence and safety skyrocket, while the All-Day Holiday Recreational Program delivers just that: recreation, all day. And if your kids can swim 25m without assistance, they can skill up at a water polo or diving clinic. Over at the Archery Centre, there are bows and arrows for kids aged seven and up. For a rundown on all the basics — and a few thrilling shots — there's Young Archers; and for those slightly more experienced — and parents and grandparents, too — there's Sharp Shooters. Or, if lessons in any way, shape or form are being avoided, there's the opportunity to pick a team and go to battle on the outdoor field at a Laser Tag session. Can't decide? Sign up to two activities for a discounted combo session. Your child's NBA obsessed? Fill the basketball-shaped hole the NBA finals left in their heart with a MyHoops one- or two-day program run by NBL champion and former professional basketballer Bruce Bolden and his team. Paige Hadley, Australian Diamond and Sydney Swifts netballer, will have young sights set on becoming quick-footed WAs or deftly defensive GKs over the afternoon Captain's Class session. Meanwhile, Hot Shots keeps it up top with a full-day table tennis program. Indecisiveness rearing its head? Nab your kid a spot at the All-Day Multi Sports Camp. Any child between five and 12 can be dropped off at 8am for a rotating roster of activities, like gymnastics, soccer and basketball. Dedicated soccer and tennis programs — plus much more — join this offering, so whether your child is ultra competitive, a full-blown sports fanatic or simply likes to have a go, there's a fun-filled holiday program with their name on it at Sydney Olympic Park. Bookings are now open for the winter school holidays program at Sydney Olympic Park. Head to the website to check out the full lineup of activities and book your child a spot.
Some days, the only way to break free from the 9-to-5 grind is with some wings and a drink. Winghaus hopes that you feel like that most days, actually — but from Monday, July 25–Friday, July 29, it's giving you an extra incentive to head into its Barangaroo and Circular Quay joints as soon as quittin' time hits. The occasion: National Wing Day, one of those dates that's all about a particular food, and is always jumped on by the places that serve them. Clearly, Winghaus fits the bill on this culinary celebration. While the day itself falls on the Friday, the bar chain is extending its wing-fuelled festivities across the entire working week. The more wings the merrier, naturally. Drop by between 5–7pm, which is when Winghaus does Wing Hour, and you'll be able to nab wings for just ten cents each. You do need to purchase a beverage, though, and there's a limit of ten per drink. Want more? Get sipping again. Winghaus is also doing six limited-edition special flavours, so you can expand your wing repertoire. On the menu, and included in the ten-cent offer: lemongrass and ginger, XO, Szechuan pepper and honey, honey mustard, satay and chilli beer varieties.
The Black Phone didn't need to star Ethan Hawke. In a way, it doesn't really. Fresh from Moon Knight and The Northman, Hawke is definitely in this unsettling 1978-set horror film. He's also exceptional in it. But his top billing springs from his name recognition and acting-veteran status rather than his screen time. Instead, superb up-and-comer Mason Thames gets the bulk of the camera's attention in his first feature role. After him, equally outstanding young talent Madeleine McGraw (Ant-Man and The Wasp) comes next. They spend most of their time worrying about, hearing rumours of, hiding from, battling and/or trying to track down a mask-wearing, van-driving, child-snatching villain — the role that Hawke plays in a firmly supporting part, almost always beneath an eerie disguise. Visibly at least, anyone could've donned the same apparel and proven an on-screen source of menace. There's a difference between popping something creepy over your face and actually being creepy, though. Scary masks can do a lot of heavy lifting, but they're also just a made-to-frighten facade. Accordingly, when it comes to being truly petrifying, Hawke undoubtedly makes The Black Phone. He doesn't literally; his Sinister director Scott Derrickson helms, and also co-wrote the script with that fellow horror flick's C Robert Cargill, adapting a short story by Stephen King's son Joe Hill — and the five-decades-back look and feel, complete with amber and grey hues, plus a nerve-rattling score, are all suitably disquieting stylistic touches. But as the movie's nefarious attacker, Hawke is unnervingly excellent, and also almost preternaturally unnerving in every moment. Whenever he opens his mouth, his voice couldn't echo from anyone else; however, it's the nervy, ominous and bone-weary physicality that he brings to the character that couldn't be more pitch-perfect. Everyone is tired in The Black Phone, albeit in varying ways. At first, that comes as a surprise — it's a looser, more laidback time, and the film happily rides the vibe in its opening Little League game. Still, that relaxed air comes with its own sense of anxiety. What's better, an era when kids escape their homes during daylight, roaming the streets as they like but also instilled with a festering sense of stranger danger, or a period where such unsupervised freedom seems utterly unthinkable? This movie lurks in the former, obviously, and there is indeed a dangerous stranger prowling around north Denver's suburban streets. To 13-year-old Finney Blake (Thames), his younger sister Gwen (McGraw) and their schoolmates, that monstrous figure is known as The Grabber, and he's abducted several of their peers so far. Finney and Gwen are also exhausted at home, where their alcoholic father Terrence (Jeremy Davies, The House That Jack Built) is hardly hands-on — unless his hands are flying in anger their way. At school, Finney has a trio of bullies to deal with, too; luckily, if his pal Robin (first-timer Miguel Cazarez Mora) isn't around to save him, the plucky and sweary Gwen usually is. She's zapped as well, courtesy of dreams of events that haven't quite happened yet. The pair's mother had the same ability, which is why their dad is so sozzled, and also so hard on the two of them. Fatigue is well and truly in the air, thick yet invisible, although The Grabber's (Hawke) is the flimsiest. After taking Finney, he's drained by his need to kidnap and kill. That doesn't stop him from terrorising the neighbourhood, of course — but if his latest target has his way, aided by advice whispered down the disconnected basement telephone by past victims, the masked assailant might soon be far worse than simply weary. If you didn't know that The Black Phone came from Hill's pen, or that his father is the most famous horror author alive, you'd likely guess it the moment that The Grabber uses balloons to lure his prey. Those decorations are black, not red. The Grabber is a part-time magician instead of a demonic clown. No one dwells in a sewer here, but the trapped Finney does peer out of a basement window — and looking at him from the outside has a Pennywise-in-a-storm-drain appearance to it. The Black Phone isn't an IT do-over; however, it always feels like it has been moulded not just from memories of growing up in the 70s (Derrickson and Hill are the right ages, as is Hawke), but by minds that have also internalised King's brand of horror. Stranger Things does the same, but with the 80s. And as with the Netflix hit, that loving, knowing, nodding sensation doesn't stop The Black Phone from drawing viewers in — or keeping them immersed, engaged, entertained and unsettled. If you also didn't know that The Black Phone was a short story on the page, you'd swiftly pick that by watching, too. The film can't be called economical or slight, but it jumps speedily from forebodingly setting the scene with gripping unease (that weariness is palpable) to getting close to wrapping everything up, all without lingering much in the middle. The sense that connecting the dots is happening a tad too fast can't be shaken, although it doesn't confine The Black Phone to the cellar where terrible, half-baked, by-the-numbers horror flicks should go to rot. (Also, The Black Phone isn't any of those things.) Rather, for such an escape room of a movie — a picture that's all about a teenage boy who isn't the typical hero using his brains and even his fears to hopefully puzzle together the necessary pieces to escape a room, with some supernatural help — it just seems too eager to flee. Wishing there was more teasing and loitering to Derrickson's return to horror after helming the first Doctor Strange, and Hawke's as well, is the right kind of problem to have, though. There's plenty about The Black Phone that keeps audience hooked — and, unlike Finney, we'd be happy to remain that way a little longer. Derrickson's film is big on mood, and on crucial details. Almost every character feels lived-in, from its two key kids through to The Grabber, Terrence, and other victims fleshed out in small scenes and flashbacks. (Performances obviously play a pivotal part in the latter, not just from the superbly vicious Hawke and the impressive Thames and McGraw, but right down to IT: Chapter Two's James Ransone showing up and getting unhinged quickly.) There's always a dripping sense of tension, much of the picture's imagery is perturbing all on its own, and the well-executed jump scares do exactly what they're supposed to. The Black Phone doesn't always know when to stay on the line, but the chilling flick is still a horror-movie call worth taking.
Sometimes, your tastebuds crave something special. They hanker for the kind of dish you're not going to eat every day, aka a treat yo'self type of culinary experience. Here are three things that they probably demand in that situation: lobster, truffles and champagne. If that's your idea of an indulgent meal, Lobster & Co has you sorted between Tuesday, February 8–Friday, February 18, which is when it's popping up in Sydney at the ICC Forecourt in Darling Harbour. From 11am–3pm and 5–9pm daily, you'll only really find those three aforementioned items on the menu, too, because it's solely serving up lobster rolls with truffle fries and glasses of champagne. You'll pay $50 a pop for the food combo, which features a whole confit lobster tail sourced from The Geraldton Fishermans Coop in Western Australia, as served on a caramelised brioche bun with buttermilk fennel slaw, plus a side of parmesan truffle fries. As for the champers, that'll cost you $20 extra. Images: Karon Photography.
Four decades ago, the nephew of a famous film director took his first big-screen acting gig playing a character so minor, he didn't even get a name. Six years later, the star in question nabbed a Golden Globe nomination. Before the century was out, he won an Oscar. These days, he also has eight Razzie nominations, too. But if ever an actor has straddled the vast chasm between the ridiculous and sublime, it's the one and only, always-inimitable, ceaselessly fascinating Nicolas Cage. Cage has crooned Elvis songs for David Lynch, married Elvis's daughter in real life and acted opposite himself in Adaptation. He took to the skies with criminals in Con Air, named one of his sons after Superman, and starred into two of the worst Marvel-affiliated movies ever thanks to Ghost Rider and its sequel. The list goes on — and in his 40 years in the business, Nicolas Cage has amassed 100-plus screen credits. Sometimes, he's hunting down the person who stole his pet pig, and also turning in one of his best-ever performances. At other times, he's wordlessly fighting demonic animatronics. In his latest flick, he simply plays himself. We could continue, but everyone knows that talking about Nicolas Cage isn't anywhere near as great as watching Nicolas Cage, although both are mighty fun. Also, for some reason, it just feels better to use his entire name. Don't just take our word for it about any of the above, however — take Palace Cinemas', which is celebrating all things Cage across a 13-week retro season. Starting on Thursday, April 14, then running at 6.30pm every Friday from April 22–July 8, the chain's Palace Central venue is going all in on Nicolas Cage mania. As part of the Palace Encore program, this Cagefest has been dubbed the Calendar of Cage, and has amassed quite the showcase of Nicolas Cage's work. But, let's be honest — they really could've picked any of his flicks and it'd be amazing. Still, this is one peach of a lineup, all ready for fans to eat up for days. Attendees will get into the mood with the long-locked glory of newbie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, then watch Cage think he's a bloodsucker in Vampire's Kiss, swoon over Cher in Moonstruck, get his Coen brothers on in madcap comedy Raising Arizona and go on the run with Laura Dern in Wild at Heart. Also included: jailbreak drama The Rock, unhinged thriller Mandy, and the sublime Martin Scorsese-helmed Bringing Out the Dead, plus the aforementioned Adaptation, Pig and Willy's Wonderland as well. Tickets cost $15 per film (and $10 for members) for all sessions except on Thursday, April 14 — which is when The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent screens as a sneak peek with a beer on arrival, and costs $24/$18 for members. Obviously, the memories you'll have seared into your brain forever will be priceless. And a word of warning: spending this long staring at Nicolas Cage's various crazy grins won't be easy to shake.
Call this 'The One with Familiar But Still Exciting News': Friends! The Musical Parody is bringing its comedic, song-filled take on a certain 90s sitcom to Sydney in 2022. Yes, this announcement has been made before, and more than once. The show has even opened its umbrellas in some parts of the country already. But we all know how the past two years have turned out — so the fact that the production is doing the rounds again should still make your day, week, month and even this year. This time around, Friends! The Musical Parody will be there for audiences at Riverside Theatres in Parramatta from Friday, June 10–Saturday, June 18. So, get ready to spend time with the show's versions of Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe — hanging out at their beloved Central Perk, of course, and sitting on an orange couch, no doubt. The musical starts with caffeinated catch-ups, but then a runaway bride shakes up the gang's day. From there, you'll get to giggle through a loving, laugh-filled lampoon that both makes good-natured fun of and celebrates the iconic sitcom. Yes, no one told you that being obsessed with the Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer-starring show about six New Yorkers would turn out this way — with on-stage skits and gags, recreations of some of the series' best-known moments, and songs with titles such as 'How you Doin?' and 'We'll Always Be There For You'. And no, no one told us that being a Friends aficionado would continue to serve up so many chances to indulge our fandom 17 years after it finished airing, either.
Easter in Sydney doesn't just mean chocolate, hot cross buns and whatever other sweet treats the city's eateries happen to come up with at this time of year — it also means the Sydney Royal Easter Show. And, while you won't find the latter at El Camino Cantina's Tex-Mex joints around town, the chain is getting into the spirit of the event with its limited-edition margarita menu, which it has dubbed 'the Royal Rita Show'. For its latest batch of creative flavours, El Camino Cantina is serving up Jelly Belly, Warhead, Chupa Chup and Kinder Surprise margs. There are Trolli Lolli and Rainbow Nerd versions, too. Basically, it's the candy and booze combination you obviously didn't know you'd someday want when you were a kid. These lolly-flavoured ritas are on offer from Tuesday, April 5–Saturday, April 30, costing $20 for a 15-oz glass, $24 for the 20-oz size and $35 for a tasting paddle of four 220-millilitre glasses. And if you'd like to pair them with tacos, you'll find a Royal Rita Show food menu on offer as well; think tacos with popcorn chicken, chorizo and potato hash, slow-cooked barbecue brisket, and prawns with bacon. In Sydney, you'll find both the margs and tacos tempting your tastebuds at El Camino in The Rocks, Entertainment Quarter, Manly and Miranda.
Even just watching on from Sydney, the past week's catastrophic wet weather across northern New South Wales and Queensland has been impossible to ignore. It's been a lot to take in, actually, thanks to record rainfalls in Brisbane, relentless deluges hitting from the the two states, and floodwaters destroying homes and businesses. Accordingly, it might've left you wanting to do your part to help out. In Sydney, getting involved can include having a few drinks, all by throwing your support behind a fundraising effort by Surry Hills' Bar Suze. The late-night Sydney haunt is helping the flood-relief cause in two ways: in-person at a big wine-fuelled five-hour event on Sunday, March 6, and online via a raffle. You'll want to swing by Foveaux Street between 1–6pm to sip rare natural wines, mix them up with Poor Toms gin and tonics, and tuck into Bar Suze snacks. Whatever you choose to eat and drink, all of the proceeds will go to flood-relief funds for folks impacted by the weather in NSW and Queensland. At the event, the venue will also be drawing a raffle, with more than 25 prizes on offer — and all of the proceeds from the $50-each tickets will also go to the flood relief fundraising effort, too. Prizes include a dinner for two at Bar Suze, as well as a one-night stay at the soon-to-open Ace Hotel Sydney in Surry Hills, a two-evening trip to a Byron hinterlands retreat that sleeps 12 — and boasts its own saltwater pool and outdoor cinema — plus an In Bed linen set, hair salon vouchers, a Coffee Supreme subscription, and a bar tab at Redfern's The Woolpack. There are also prize packs on offer from DRNKS, Cocktail Porter, Pepe Saya Butter, Worktones and Lo-Fi Wines — and the list goes on. The raffle is open to everyone, and tickets can be bought online, too — so that's how you can get involved if you can't make it along on Sunday. You just need to get buying before 5pm AEST on Sunday, March 6, with the raffle drawn live at Bar Suze that evening. As for all of those proceeds, they're going to on-the-ground initiatives in the Northern Rivers and Queensland. At the time of writing, Bar Suze is supporting Flood Relief Cook Up — Northern Rivers region, Bundjalung flood relief and Northey Street City Farm flood relief — with more worth initiatives likely to be added. Images: Nikki To.
When Flee won the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, it collected its first accolade. The wrenchingly affecting animated documentary hasn't stopped notching up deserving acclaim since. A spate of other gongs have come its way, in fact, including a history-making trifecta of nominations for Best International Feature, Best Documentary and Best Animated Feature at this year's Oscars, becoming the first picture to ever earn nods in all three categories at once. Mere minutes into watching, it's easy to glean why this moving and compassionate movie keeps garnering awards and attention. Pairing animation with factual storytelling is still rare enough that it stands out, but that blend alone isn't what makes Flee special. Writer/director Jonas Poher Rasmussen (What He Did) has created one of the best instances of the combination yet — a feature that could only have the impact it does by spilling its contents in such a way, like Ari Folman's Waltz with Bashir before it — however, it's the tale he shares and the care with which he tells it that makes this something unshakeably exceptional. Rasmussen's subject is Amin Nawabi, an Afghan refugee using a pseudonym. As his story fills Flee's frames, it's also plain to see why it can only be told through animation. Indeed, the film doesn't cover an easy plight — or a unique one, sadly — but Rasmussen renders every detail not just with eye-catching imagery, but with visuals that flow with empathy at every moment. The filmmaker's protagonist is a friend of his and has been for decades, and yet no one, not even the director himself, had ever previously heard him step through the events that the movie chronicles. Amin is now in his 40s, but he was once a kid in war-torn Kabul, then a teenager seeking asylum in Copenhagen. His life to-date has cast him in other roles in other countries, too, on his journey to house-hunting with his boyfriend as he chats through the ups and downs for his pal. That path — via Russia and Sweden — is one of struggle and acceptance. It's a chronicle of displacement, losing one's foundations and searching for a space to be free. It's also an account of identities fractured and formed anew, and of grasping hold of one's culture and sexuality as well. Flee explores how global events and battling ideologies have a very real and tangible impact on those caught in their midst, a truth that the feature's hand-drawn look underscores at every turn. And, it's about trying to work out who you are when the building blocks of your life are so tenuous, and when being cast adrift from your family and traditions is your status quo. It's also an intimate portrait of how a past that's so intertwined with international politics, and with the Afghan civil war between US-backed rebels and the nation's Soviet-armed government, keeps leaving ripples. Plus, Flee examines how someone in its complicated situation endures without having a firm sense of home, including when acknowledging he's gay after growing up in a place where that wasn't even an option. Clearly, Flee is many vivid, touching, devastating things, and it finds an immense wealth of power in its expressive and humanistic approach. There's a hyperreality to the film's animation, honing in on precisely the specifics it needs to within each image and discarding anything superfluous. When a poster for Jean-Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport can be spied on Amin's 80s-era Kabul bedroom, for instance, Rasmussen draws viewers' eyes there with exacting purpose. There's impressionistic flair to Flee's adaptive style as well, with the movie firmly concerned with selecting the best way to visually represent how each remembered instance felt to Amin. A scene set to A-ha's 'Take on Me' presents a fantastic example, especially given that the Norwegian group's pop hit is famed for its animated music video — something that Rasmussen happily toys with. Flee uses its music cues bewitchingly well across its entire duration. The sounds of Swedish duo Roxette are never unwelcome echoing from screens large and small, as everything from Pretty Woman and Long Shot to Euphoria have capitalised upon, and the use of 'Joyride' during a plane trip is a sublime masterclass in emotional juxtaposition. And, when the movie lays bare its most stunning sequence in a club where Amin wholeheartedly embraces his sexuality, it's immaculately soundtracked to Daft Punk's 'Veridis Quo'. Flee isn't the first feature to lean on that particularly enchanting song to such strong effect, after Eden did as well, but the tune's use here is nothing short of divine. Of course, any movie can whip up a killer soundtrack, but it's how these songs are deployed to so perfectly encapsulate exact slices of Amin's life that's repeatedly phenomenal. We all listen to music to help us process the world, and our traumas. We're all drawn to images to aid in doing the same, and we each have recollections of life-changing events that are tied to pop culture — the songs we heard, the movies we loved and the like. Flee is as skilful as films come at conveying this sensation, which is a coming-of-age staple. Yes, that's another genre that this animated documentary biography, which boasts actors Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) among its executive producers, also slots into commandingly. How astoundingly it achieves everything it sets its mind to is breathtaking, especially the feat that it its number-one aim: giving Amin's plight the attention, justice, respect and room to resound that it deserves, all while making it clear that this is just one of countless refugee stories with similar complexity. Evocative from its first glimpses to its last (including when it weaves in IRL footage from news clips and protests), Flee overflows with individual successes, be it scenes that glow with potency, animation choices that express a world of feeling, pitch-perfect needle drops or the pure details of Amin's life. Every description they earn applies to each second of this poignant and shattering feature, too, which manages something truly extraordinary overall. To peer into Amin's eyes, as painted here with nothing but lines, shapes, colours and pixels, is to feel like you're staring deeply at the flesh-and-blood Amin. Flee takes us home to him, while mirroring the reality that home has been a constantly shifting concept for its subject, and for everyone else who has shared even part of his journey. No wonder this film proves so innovative, sincere, heartbreaking, harrowing and poetic in tandem, and also simply astonishing.
Yirrkala artist Naminapu Maymuru-White has brought her captivating style of painting and love of the arts to her first solo exhibition since 2007. Coming from a strong family of Yolŋu artists, Maymuru-White has made waves for decades by presenting the artistic methods of the Yirrkala community while carving out her own way of expressing herself. Now open at free Zetland gallery Sullivan+Strumpf, Milngiyawuy—The River of Heaven and Earth unveils a significant body of work from Maymuru-White featuring 26 individual pieces taking up both floors of the exhibition space. Included in the exhibition are larrakitj (memorial poles), bark paintings and the acclaimed artist's largest work to date, spanning 2.5 square metres. The pieces displayed tell stories of the Milky Way and its spirits. The stars in the works represent souls of two Guwak men and Maymuru-White's ancestors past, present and future. Milngiyawuy, The River of Heaven and Earth is running until Saturday, March 12 and entry is free. The Sullivan+ Stumpf gallery is open 10am–5pm Tuesday–Saturday. If you can't make it to the gallery, you can also view the exhibition on the gallery's website. Top image courtesy the artist, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, Yirrkala and Sullivan + Strumpf
Five Sydneysiders are in for a treat each Wednesday this month, with Hendrick's Gin's new Cucumber Concierge hotline helping juniper enthusiasts craft a cucumber-garnished gin and tonic at home. On each Wednesday in March between 4–5pm, gin lovers in one Sydney area can call the hotline — 1800 HG CUKE — for their shot at Hendrick's latest giveaway. The first five callers will speak with Hendrick's Chief Cucumber Officer (yes, that's a thing) and receive a free crate of cucumbers and Henrick's Gin delivered to their location. Hendrick's Gin hopes that their first ever end-of-summer Gin O'Clock promotion will help Sydney residents craft their own gin and tonics at home complete with a garnish of fresh cucumber, which they say is imperative to sipping Hendrick's Gin. The program began on Wednesday, March 9, and will continue on March 16 for Sydneysiders from Milsons Point to Oxford Falls, Dee Why and Manly. Gin O'Clock will then move to the northwest suburbs (from Ryde to Davidson and Hunters Hill) on March 23, and finally end with areas within Pyrmont, over to Earlwood, North Strathfield and Balmain, on March 30.
Greenery is the new objet d'art, so get ready to redecorate. For two days only, designer garden pot company The Balcony Garden is giving you the perfect excuse to spruce up your plant-scape with a massive online sale. For just the second time, the purveyor of handmade plant pots (which is also 100-percent carbon neutral) will be holding a virtual warehouse sale. From the comfort of your own home, you can score between 50- to 90-percent off a huge range of designer pots and planters that will only be available via the sale website. Once you've nabbed your bargain, you'll need to book a time to pick up your goods from the Frenchs Forest warehouse between 7–18 March. No lines, no masks, no worries. The sale kicks off at 8am on Thursday, March 3 and ends at 10pm on Friday, March 4, so make sure you don't miss out. To get your next plant pot bargain, head to the The Balcony Garden's Virtual Warehouse Sale website. Keep up to date with all things The Balcony Garden via Instagram.
Summer is here and despite the wetter than usual weather, there are still plenty of sunny afternoons primed for soaking up some rays with a refreshing beverage in hand. All of the above combines at the latest iteration of Opera Bar's Rose All Day Festival, returning after a few years off and running until March 6. Throughout the now-extended festival, the harbourside bar with an incredible view of the Bridge will be thinking and drinking pink. Expect frosé, spritzes, pét-nat, cocktails and rosé still and sparkling, with varieties from Provence's AIX, Mojo, Days & Daze, Bandini and Nick Spencer all on offer. Opera Bar's seafood and pizza-focused menu will be on offer to pair with your pink fizzy beverages, and live music will be popping up across the ten days. Tickets cost $30, and include three pink drinks for you to claim at any point. After that, you'll have to purchase your drinks as you go.
What's more believable — and plot twists follow: a pre-teen playing a 33-year-old woman pretending to be a nine-year-old orphan, with a hormone disorder explaining the character's eerily youthful appearance; or an adult playing a 31-year-old woman pretending to be a lost child returned at age nine, again with that medical condition making everyone else oblivious? For viewers of 2009's Orphan and its 13-years-later follow-up Orphan: First Kill, which is a prequel, neither are particularly credible to witness. But the first film delivered its age trickery as an off-kilter final-act reveal, as paired with a phenomenal performance by then 12-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman in the pivotal role. Audiences bought the big shift — or remembered it, at least — because Fuhrman was so creepy and so committed to the bit, and because it suited the OTT horror-thriller. This time, that wild revelation is old news, but that doesn't stop Orphan: First Kill from leaning on the same two key pillars: an out-there turn of events and fervent portrayals. Fuhrman (The Novice) returns as Esther, the Estonian adult who posed as a parentless Russian girl in the initial feature. In Orphan: First Kill, she's introduced as Leena Klammer, the most dangerous resident at the Saarne Institute mental hospital. The prequel's first sighted kill comes early, as a means of escape. The second follows swiftly, because the film needs to get its central figure to the US. Fans of the previous picture will recall that Esther already had a troubled history when she was adopted and started wreaking the movie's main havoc, involving the family that brought her to America — and her time with that brood, aka wealthy Connecticut-based artist Allen Albright (Rossif Sutherland, Possessor), his gala-hosting wife Tricia (Julia Stiles, Hustlers) and their teen son Gunnar (Matthew Finlan, My Fake Boyfriend), is this flick's focus. Like their counterparts in Orphan, the Albrights have suffered a loss and are struggling to move on. When Leena poses as their missing daughter Esther, Allen especially seems like his old self again. As also happened in Orphan, however, the pigtail- and ribbon-wearing new addition to their home doesn't settle in smoothly. Orphan: First Kill repeats the original movie's greatest hits, including the arty doting dad, the wary brother, taunts labelling Esther a freak and a thorny relationship with her mum. Also covered: suspicious external parties, bathroom tantrums, swearing to get attention and spying on her parents having sex. And yes, anyone who has seen Orphan knows how this all turns out, and that it leads to the above again in Orphan, too. Thankfully, that's only part of Orphan: First Kill's narrative. Twists can be curious narrative tools; sometimes they're inspired, sometimes they're a crutch propping up a flimsy screenplay, and sometimes they seesaw between both. Orphan: First Kill tumbles gleefully into the latter category, thanks to a revelation midway that's patently ridiculous — although no more ridiculous than Orphan earning a follow-up in the first place — and also among the best things about the movie. It's a big risk, making a film that's initially so laughably formulaic that it just seems lazy, then letting a sudden switch completely change the game, the tone and the audience's perception of what's transpired so far. That proved a charm for the thoroughly unrelated Malignant in 2021, and it's a gamble that filmmaker William Brent Bell (The Boy and Brahms: The Boy II) and screenwriter David Coggeshall (Scream: The TV Series) take. Working with a story by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) and Alex Mace (who earned the same credit on the original), it's one of their savviest choices. Another crucial decision that would've shattered the film had it gone the other way: getting Fuhrman back. Given she's now definitely an adult, it's downright preposterous to buy her as passing for nine, Lizzie Borden dresses and all — but with the jig already up for viewers before this flick even begins, that visible discrepancy adds another sinister layer to everything Esther gets up to. Yes, Bell and cinematographer Karim Hussain (Firestarter) are toying with everyone watching just like their evil protagonist does, not only with the Albrights but with unconvinced Detective Donnan (Hiro Kanagawa, Pachinko) and doubtful Dr Segar (Samantha Walkes, Murdoch Mysteries) as well. Fuhrman makes you want to go along with the gambit; she's again a force to be reckoned with as the malevolent, manipulative miniature psychopath, playing her part with equal parts steely determination and calm-faced derangement, and with the help of camera angles and practical effects to keep up the act. Bell knows that Orphan's twist is now as familiar as those in The Sixth Sense, The Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green. He also knows that Orphan is more famous for how it ends than being a genre standout otherwise, which it isn't. And, he knows that viewers are aware that Fuhrman is now an adult portraying an adult impersonating a child, rather than a child portraying a woman professing to be a kid. That also works emotionally for Orphan: First Kill, laying the groundwork for its own change of direction. In Orphan, Esther always resembles a brattish girl, even when she drops her disguise, and sympathising with her adoptive mother's anguish comes easily. Here, she's clearly an adult, and wondering why her ruse seems to work so smoothly also comes with the territory. Orphan didn't just boast one big performance, of course, and neither does Orphan: First Kill. More Julia Stiles in all things is always welcome, including when she's dealing with demonic tykes as she also did in The Omen remake. The twist she's saddled with here is inescapably silly, but Stiles has a glorious amount of fun with it — and helps answer the question that hangs over the film's first half (that'd be "why is Julia Stiles in this?"). She isn't quite enough to justify Orphan: First Kill's existence, and nor is Fuhrman repeating her first big success, the new surprise development that the whole picture hinges on, all the callbacks or the whole origin-story vibe. The world didn't really need to know why Esther likes blacklight paintings or where she first got her ribbons, which adds zero depth to the franchise. Attempting to evoke empathy for the murder-happy figure doesn't strike the chord it's meant to, either. But that revelation is still worth discovering, and Fuhrman and Stiles' performances are still worth watching, in a movie that knows it's a lurid and needless second effort — and happily leans in.
It's hard to pick which is more horrifying in Happening: the graphic scenes where 23-year-old literature student Anne Duchesne (Anamaria Vartolomei, How to Be a Good Wife) takes the only steps she can to try to regain control of her life, or the times she's repeatedly told by others, typically men, to accept a fate that only ever awaits her gender. Both hit like a punch, by design. Both are wrenching, heart and gut alike, and neither are surprising for a second. Also leaving a mark: that few care that Anne's future is now threatened in this 2021 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion-winner, because that's simply a consequence of having sex for women in France in 1963, the movie's setting. There's another truth that lingers over this adaptation of author Annie Ernaux's 2001 memoir of the same name, which uses her own experiences at the same age, time and in the same situation: that in parts of the world where pro-life perspectives are entrenched in law or regaining prominence, Happening's scenario isn't a relic of the past. Late in the movie, Anne describes her circumstances as "that illness that turns French women into housewives". It's a blunt turn of phrase, but it's accurate. It also speaks to how writer/director Audrey Diwan (Losing It) and co-scribe Marcia Romano (Bye Bye Morons) approach the film with the clearest of eyes, declining to indulge the idea that forcing unwanted motherhood upon young women is a gift or simply a duty, and likewise refusing to flinch from showing the reality when the personal freedom to choose is stripped away. This is a feature made with the fullest of hearts, too, compassion evident in every boxed-in Academy ratio frame that rarely leaves Anne's face. It spies the appalling options before her, and sees the society that's okay with stealing her choices. And, it stares deeply at both the pain and determination that've understandably taken up residence in Anne's gaze. The second of Ernaux's works to hit screens of late after the also candid and moving Simple Passion, Happening begins with hope, with Anne and her Angoulême college dormmates Hélène (Luàna Bajrami, The Hill Where Lionesses Roar) and Brigitte (Louise Orry-Diquéro, Occidental) getting ready for a dance. They're filled with the excitement that comes with believing anything could happen — there's fun to be had, men to meet and lives to be changed — but, once there, it's obvious that these kinds of nights always follow the same pattern. Their university's resident mean girls glare on in judgement when Anne even talks to a guy, but she doesn't let that stop her. She isn't one to weather their bullying, gossip and slut-shaming, including once she discovers she's expecting three weeks after a casual fling. The only thing that terrifies the ambitious and bright working-class student: losing the ability to live the life that she's been working towards. The alternative is highly illegal, so much so that securing help from medical professionals, friends and family is overwhelmingly difficult. Delivering the surprising pregnancy news, Anne's family doctor (Fabrizio Rongione, Azor) is sympathetic to the stark scenario facing his patient, knowing the stigma that'll come her way for being an unwed single mother, and that her dreams of teaching will be derailed. Still, given that prison is the punishment for illicit terminations, he shuts down any notion of lending a hand. Even chatting about abortion hypothetically with Hélène and Brigitte before they know she's with child earns the same dismissive response. The baby's father (Julien Frison, Lover for a Day), a visiting student, just wants the situation handled, and asking a flirtatious classmate (Kacey Mottet Klein, Farewell to the Night) for assistance just ends with him hitting on Anne; she's already pregnant so he figures she'll be up for it and there'll be no consequences. Diwan's film is patient and precise as it marks the passing time with text on-screen, each successive week making Anne's situation more precarious and her hopes of avoiding parenthood less likely. It's a straightforward touch, but such overt tracking helps achieve Happening's key aim: immersing viewers in Anne's distressing emotional, physical and psychological rollercoaster ride. She knows what she wants, and what she definitely doesn't. As weeks flit by, though, and every potential avenue for support either crumbles or deepens her struggle, the ordeal takes its toll. Anne persists, searching for acquaintances of friends of friends who can guide her in the right direction in whispers, and Happening is committed to depicting the loneliness, hurt and despair that follows. Whether involving injections, knitting needles, secret procedures and stifled anguished cries, or just the grim tenor of her words and posture, the result is harrowing and unsettling. Vartolomei's on-screen credits date back more than a decade, but this is a career-catapulting performance — and film-defining. She's saddled with a mammoth task, with cinematographer Laurent Tangy (OSS 117: From Africa with Love) rarely peering elsewhere, and she ensures that every feeling coursing through Anne's veins reverberates through the lens. Vartolomei is furious, agitated and panicked all at once. She's resolute and resourceful as well, and also frightened and exhausted. Her inner state gets its own echo in the mood-setting score by Evgueni and Sacha Galperine, who also made 2021 TV miniseries Scenes From a Marriage sting with tension, but she'd leave the same heartbreaking impression if Happening didn't feature a note of music. And while her portrayal is all her own, it's as instinctual as the last exceptional performance in the last phenomenal award-winning drama about abortion, aka Sidney Flanigan's in 2020's Never Rarely Sometimes Always. It doesn't escape attention that Diwan almost plays it coy with period details; if you didn't know going in that Happening is set in the 60s, it isn't quick to point it out. The fashion nods that way — in having Anne frequently seen in the same dusty red top, the film also uses costuming to convey her modest background and urgent focus on much more important things than clothing — and there's a clear lack of phones, of course. Expressing that this type of tale still rings true today is another of the movie's objectives, however, and it's as compelling a move as Diwan makes. Happening is haunting and shattering, immaculately crafted, unwavering in its honesty, and as confronting as it needs to be, and it wields all of the above with passion and purpose. And yes, picking what's more horrendous — Anne's many physical traumas, or the contempt that women are held in for having uteruses, liking sex and seeking agency over their futures — is impossible.
When Australia's last Blockbuster store closed its doors back in 2019, it marked the end of an era — especially if you spent your childhood and teenage years trawling through racks of VHS tapes, renting as big a stack as you could carry, then gluing your eyes to the TV every weekend. Every Aussie city also has its own stories about losing beloved independent video shops and, if you're still a fan of physical media in the streaming era, you might even have a few ex-rental bargains from closed-down stores sitting on your shelves at home. It's these fond feelings for a part of life that's now gone that live cinema performance Coil aims to tap into, all while paying tribute to all the long-lost spots that once celebrated and nurtured cinephilia. Video stores were more than just places to rent tapes — they were havens of filmic discovery, sources of inspiration and thriving local communities — and that's all baked into this production. Coil made its world premiere at this year's Mona Foma, then hit up PACT in Erskineville in February — and now it's playing the Sydney Opera House. Head along from Wednesday, June 8–Saturday, June 11 to see the latest work from re:group, a collective of artists based between Hobart, Wollongong and Sydney, with Coil staging its show in a set that recreates a 90s-era video shop. The focus: telling a tale of nostalgia, loneliness, friendship and viability that pays homage to those gone-but-not-forgotten spaces and celebrates the communities forged within them. It's a performance designed to ponder questions — including what we've lost now that we browse online sites for flicks instead of physically walking the aisles. And if you're wondering how a live cinema performance with a one-person cast works, Coil takes place live on stage before its audience, but deploys video design that lets its lone performer play every character in cinematic scenes. You'll be watching all of that happen, with the show combining verbatim interview material with real-time filmmaking — all to make the kind of performance that you definitely won't see on streaming. Images: Rosie Hastie.
From a feminism-inspired ceramic car to a parcel made of pottery, The Powerhouse Museum's Clay Dynasty will show you all you need to know about Australia's recent ceramic history. Featuring over 400 objects by 160 different artists, the Powerhouse Museum's Clay Dynasty exhibition is a comprehensive look at the museum's extensive ceramics collection. The first major exhibition to celebrate the evolution of Australian studio ceramics, the exhibit features contemporary pieces, as well as works from more than 50 years of pottery history. This exhibition includes 70 new works of Australian pottery, including for the first time ever a collection of pottery made by Indigenous makers in the late 1960s at the Bagot pottery in Darwin. There are no bookings required and the exhibit is free to explore. Clay Dynasty sits alongside other Powerhouse offerings like Eucalyptusdom, which creatively examines Australia's relationship and history with Eucalyptus, and the museum's Electric Keys exhibit showcasing their 22-instrument strong keyboard collection. Clay Dynasty is running at the Powerhouse for the entirety of 2022, with the pottery being packed away on January 29, 2023.
Can you think of a better Sunday than being surrounded by some adorable greyhounds, enjoying a couple of top-notch craft beers and raising money for a good cause? Yulli's Brews is bringing together oh-so-many of our favourite things on Sunday, May 29 for the Greyt Masters Art and Ales auction. A bunch of super adorable greyhounds from Greyhound Rescue have all put their creative hats on and painted some colourful artworks that are being auctioned off to raise money and some much-needed funds for the organisation which rescues, helps rehabilitate and re-home greyhounds from the racing industry. "Greyhounds are invited to participate in creating artworks as a form of enrichment. Enrichment activities are excellent to help rescued hounds develop confidence and decision-making skills," Greyhound Rescue states on its website. The live auction will be happening at Yulli's Alexandria brewery from 2pm. Yulli's wide range of craft brews will be on hand at the brewery, and the pups will also be in attendance for some much-deserved pats and cuddles. If you can't make it on the day, you can bid online for your favourite greyhound-made masterpiece.
Throughout June, Circular Quay gig haven Mary's Underground will be hosting a series of three boundary-pushing and immersive music experiences. The Going Under series will see lineups curated by GLO, Deepa and Ayebatonye deconstruct their experiences of Sydney through music and performance. Each event will take over the underground venue for one Thursday in June, all during the return of Sydney's lights and arts festival Vivid Sydney. The series kicks off on Thursday, June 2 with Planet Abundance, a night celebrating afro-futurism and Black joy from Ayebatonye and friends. The renowned DJ, producer and creative director of Irregular Fit will be joined by Astronafrica, CMJ, Gerald Wala, Jane and Sam Alfred. Expect sets void of genre that celebrate the Black history of dance music. On Thursday, June 9, GLO will lead the charge with Cultural Re-Set. Across the night's four performances, the lineup featuring Pookie, Temgazi and Sevy, exploring black diasporic experiences through storytelling and music spanning R'n'B, pop, hip hop and dance. Closing out the series, FBi Radio favourite and Honey Point member Deepa will be heading up a night that celebrates South Asian communities and musicians with a huge lineup of local party starters featuring Uncle Kal, Ramashon, Cinnamonkween, Gayatrigger and two back-to-back set from Nausheen and Randev, as well as DJ Mistry and Rakish, Scalymoth. Each event has a different ticket pricing system, starting as low as $18. Head to the Mary's Underground website for all the details on each of the Going Under events.
Keen to get your culture kicks after dark? Want to welcome the weekend with incredible art, live DJ sets, creative workshops and front row-seats to Vivid Sydney? At the Museum of Contemporary Art, you can do all that via its MCA Late program. The best bit? It's free to enter. MCA Late will take place on Fridays throughout June, with a fresh lineup of acts popping up at the beloved cultural institution. The Sounds on the Terrace music program will take over the rooftop with an impressive lineup of musicians including Handsome, Astronafrica and Narae who'll be bringing blissful beats to the breezy sky-high stage. It's not just music that you can enjoy — there are workshops, panel discussions and live performances aplenty, too. You can catch a spoken word and musical performance by Ayeesha Ash and a dance performance by Suara Indonesia Dance Group at the venue on June 17. Want to get your hands dirty? Try a clay-based workshop led by Ebony Russell on June 24. Here, you'll use plaster casts to create 3D constructions inspired by Mason Kimber's work in the MCA Collection: Perspectives on place exhibition. Then, you can take home for firing or deconstruct them for future clay exploration. Keen to head along? Make sure you book your tickets to secure your spot. Love a thought-provoking talk? Join Amy Claire Mills, Sue Jo Wright and Eugenie Lee for an artist panel discussion on June 17 or catch an artist talk with Bonita Ely on June 24. [caption id="attachment_857046" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chela, MCA Late: Sounds on the Terrace, 21 May 2022, photograph: Joseph Mayers[/caption] While you're there, check out MCA Collection: Perspectives on place or discover something new at the visiting exhibitions. MCA Late is the ideal way for culture lovers to welcome the weekend. For more information and to check out the full program, visit the website. Top images: Emuri, MCA Late: Sounds on the Terrace, 27 May 2022, photograph: Lexi Laphor; Muggera, MCA Late, 8 April 2022, photograph: Ash Penin; Violin performance by Skye Mc Nicol, MCA Late, 2022, photograph: David Collins; The role of the artist in public life: A panel discussion presented as part of the UK/Australia Season, MCA Late, 2022, photograph: David Collins; Tactile Workshop: Working with clay led by Ebony Russell, MCA Late, 2022, photograph: Joseph Mayers; and Queer PowerPoint, MCA Late, 15 May 2022, photograph: Ash Penin.
Talented pooches have been barking their way to big screen stardom since the birth of the medium, and Cannes Film Festival even gives out awards for ace pupper performances. In Australia for a few years now, we also celebrate the intersection of canines and cinema — via our very own dog-themed movie showcase. At the Top Dog Film Festival, doggos and puppers cement their status as humanity's favourite film stars in a touring program of pooch-centric shorts. For more than two hours, dogs will leap across screens in a curated selection of heartwarming flicks about humanity's best friend. Over the last few years, the lineup has included films about dog-powered sports, dogs in space, dogs hiking through the desert, senior dogs and more. The festival hits Sydney's Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace on Sunday, August 14 and Ritz Cinemas in Randwick on Sunday, August 21 as part of its 2022 run, and rushing after tickets the way your best four-legged friend rushes after a frisbee is recommended. Given how much we all love watching dog videos online, not to mention attending pupper-centric shindigs in general, this event is certain to be popular. You'd be barking mad to miss it, obviously.
The month-long foodie festival Taste of the Beaches has returned this year, encouraging Sydneysiders to eat, sip and be merry by the beach. For the whole month of May — kicking off on Saturday, April 30 — the entire northern beaches region is getting in on the action, spanning an exciting array of restaurants, cafes and food outlets in the area. The lineup includes pop-ups on the sand, food truck parties and craft brews, as well as a whole heap of different dining experiences, which means that Sydneysiders can choose their own path through the multi-suburb event. Be sure not to miss the Food Truck Party at Winnererremy Bay which will be happening only once on Saturday, May 21. Grab some mates and a picnic blanket and enjoy some delicious eats from an amazing range of local food trucks. Also on the agenda, Manly Oval will be looking a little different on May 28-29 with the Taste of Manly taking place. This event will bring together all your favourite local Northern Beaches restaurants, cafes, brewers, distilleries and wineries in one spot. Plus, you will get to check out local talent with live music setting the vibe. And, from the list of special dining options, you can head to The Cumberland for an organic l'artican raclette night, and taste your way through five regions of Italy at Pizza at Yours. Head to Market Lane for paella and mulled wine at Spanish Sunsets, learn how to make your own non-alcoholic cocktail at Seadrift Distillery and sample some hot wings and tins at the Tinnie Masterclass.
Diehard gin lovers had best gather round because the Sydney Gin Festival is back again. From Friday, October 28–Sunday, October 30, 62 of Australia's biggest names in the craft gin distillery world are transforming the WINX Stand at Royal Randwick into a gin-sipping fiesta. Each will be serving up their own suite of signature tipples, so expect plenty of local creations infused with native botanicals, and locally-sourced fruits and berries. Purists can also get their hands on classic dry gins, but hey, you've come to the festival to discover something new — why not challenge your juniper-loving pallet a little? Don't miss the likes of newcomers Hickson House in the Rocks, Prohibition Liquor Co, Kangaroo Island distillery, Cape Byron and Barossa Distilling, as well as much-loved award-winners including Archie Rose, Turner Stillhouse and Never Never Distilling. Of course, you won't have to drink all this gin straight. All G&Ts sampled at the event can be paired with tonic mixers or soda from Long Rays. Guests will also score a tote bag and their own tasting glass included in the ticket price. The Sydney Gin Festival runs October 28 (5.30–8.30pm), October 29 (5.30–8.30pm) and October 30 (12–3pm). Tickets are $70 a session with special four-ticket bundles available for $120.
Every March, 18 AFL teams dream of one thing: holding the men's premiership cup high on the last Saturday in September. Every Aussie Rules fan knows the reality, however. Only one club can win the season's final match, and only two can hit the turf to contest it. In 2022, those two teams are Sydney and Geelong. Maybe you love the Harbour City's hometown favourites. Perhaps you despise their opposition. You could be hurting because one of them just knocked your club out of the finals race or, somehow, the two teams might be among the clubs you neither adore nor hate. Whichever applies, if you're an AFL fan then you'll be watching the Swans and Cats battle it out for men's competition's ultimate piece of AFL silverware — and you can now do so on the silver screen. Big game, big screen: that's the plan at the Randwick Ritz, and it's kicking goals. If you can't be at the game itself, where else was going to do Buddy Franklin justice? Even better: entry is free, although you do need to book a spot. The session kicks off at 2pm on Saturday, September 24, and you'll require your wallet for whatever you want to eat and drink. Choc tops with the footy? Why not. Top image: Jenks24 via Wikimedia Commons.
Attention parents: while it might feel like the last school holidays just finished, we're here to inform you that they're fast approaching once again, meaning it's time to start thinking up ways to entertain the little ones. Although a break in the school-run routine is always welcomed, all those hours usually headlined by a teacher now have to be filled. Maybe you can't take work off, maybe you need a child-free day or maybe you just want to find an activity your mini will be sure to have a ball at — or in this case, throw a ball at. Don't worry, we're here to help. This spring, a stacked lineup of activities will be running at Sydney's Olympic Park ready to turn your little athletes into Olympic hopefuls — or perhaps just help them blow off some steam. From Saturday, September 24–Sunday, October 9, your school-aged children can attend sporty sessions at the Quaycentre, Aquatic Centre and Archery Centre. If they're always shooting, kicking and bouncing a ball around the house, save your ceramics by giving them an outlet. Do they think they're the next Ben Simmons or Patty Mills? Let them work toward their NBA dreams at My Hoops, where they'll run through skill development, drills and games run by none other NBL champion and former professional basketballer Bruce Bolden. Paige Hadley, Australian Diamond and Sydney Swifts netballer, will have young sights set on becoming quick-footed WAs or deftly defensive GKs over the afternoon Captain's Class session. Meanwhile, Hot Shots keeps it up top with a full-day table tennis program. Want to get the whole family swim-safe ahead of summer? Get their confidence in the water skyrocketing with the Swimming Intensive Program. If you're looking for options out of the pool, then the All-Day Holiday Recreational Program delivers exactly what it says on the tin: recreation all day in the Splasher's Playground, with activities including AFL, tee-ball, cricket and arts and crafts. And if you've always dreamed of being the next Katniss Everdeen, grab the whole family and book in for a Sharp Shooters session, which is available for all ages — parents and grandparents are more welcome for a fun family day out. If the kids are more set on running wild than engaging in lessons these school holidays, we don't blame them. Let them battle it out during a Laser Tag session, where they'll plot with their teammates, hide behind blockade bunkers and walls, and aim to defeat the opposing team in thrilling battles. While you're more than welcome to watch, we're guessing you might need a few hours to yourself — so make the most of the many cafes, bars and restaurants nearby. After all, you're safe in the knowledge your little ones will be fully supervised the whole time, so you can enjoy a latte and magazine in peace. Bookings are now open for the spring school holidays program at Sydney Olympic Park. Head to the website to check out the full lineup of activities and book your child a spot.
Cinephiles of Sydney, choose your soundtrack: at the 11th Antenna Documentary Film Festival, are you going to get Australian punk tunes stuck in your head or Italo disco? Docos about both are on the bill, as part of a wide-ranging lineup that spans 52 titles, all showcasing the possibilities of factual filmmaking. Antenna has already held a festival in 2022, its tenth back in February; however, usually it's an October affair. Because the past couple of years have thrown that schedule out of balance with lockdowns, restrictions and the like, the event is doubling up to get back on schedule. Yes, homegrown doco Age of Rage: The Australian Punk Revolution, plus the Aussie premiere of Italo Disco: the Sparkling Sound of the 80s, are among the highlights. There's no shortage of viewing options between Friday, October 14–Sunday, October 23 — or places to get the fest experience, with Antenna popping up at Dendy Newtown, Palace Chauvel, Palace Verona, MCA Australia, Powerhouse Museum, the Ritz in Randwick and Event Cinemas Parramatta. The fest is also bringing back its day-long industry chat about the medium, which'll cover topics such as streaming's impact upon feature-length documentaries and the use of deep-fake technology. The overall theme, as it is in every iteration of the fest: that there's really nothing quite like a true story, whether it's a wild, chaotic, so-strange-it-can-only-be-true kind of tale or an informative, eye-opening yarn. For this festival run, Antenna is making that plain with titles such as opening night's Retrograde, which hails from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, City of Ghosts) and captures the situation on the ground in Afghanistan as American troops pull out. Or, there's Fairytale by Russian Ark filmmaker Alexander Sokurov, which uses deepfake archival footage to imagines a reunion in purgatory between Hitler, Stalin, Churchill and Mussolini. Other standouts include Chilean effort My Imaginary Country, which looks at the Santiago uprising of 2019; Outside, about Roma, who became the poster boy of the Ukrainian revolution as a 13 year old; McEnroe, with the tennis player himself stepping through his career; and 107 Mothers, which tells the tales of 107 incarcerated women. Or, there's Senses of Cinema, about film movements challenging the mainstream in Australia's history; Riotsville USA, focusing on the fictional town built by the US military back in the 60s to use a training ground; Last Stop Before Chocolate Mountain, which surveys California's Bombay Beach; and How to Save a Dead Friend, about teens in Russia. Plus, The Hole heads into the Bifurto Abyss in Southern Italy, which was once considered the deepest cave on Earth, and Blue Island explores Hong Kong after its 2020 national security law. And, likely not for the squeamish, De Humani Corporis Fabrica sees filmmakers Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel (Caniba, Leviathan) use microscopic cameras, X-rays, ultrasounds and endoscopic images to take a deep look inside the human body.
Defiant, powerful and passionate at every turn, Muru depicts a relentless police raid on New Zealand's Rūātoki community. Equally alive with anger, the Aotearoan action-thriller and drama shows law enforcement storming into the district to apprehend what's incorrectly deemed a terrorist cell, but is actually activist and artist Tāme Iti — playing himself — and his fellow Tūhoe people. If October 2007 springs to mind while watching, it's meant to. Written and directed by Poi E: The Story of Our Song and Mt Zion filmmaker Tearepa Kahi, this isn't a mere dramatisation of well-known events, however. There's a reason that Muru begins by stamping its purpose on the screen, and its whole rationale for existing: "this film is not a recreation… it is a response". That the feature's name is also taken from a Māori process of redressing transgressions is both telling and fitting as well. Kahi's film is indeed a reaction, a reply, a counter — and a way of processing past wrongs. In a fashion, it's Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion turned into cinema, because a spate of instances across New Zealand over a century-plus has sparked this on-screen answer. Muru's script draws from 15 years back; also from the police shooting of Steven Wallace in Waitara in 2000 before that; and from the arrest of Rua Kēnana in Maungapōhatu even further ago, in 1916. While the movie finds inspiration in the screenplay Toa by Jason Nathan beyond those real-life events, it's always in dialogue with things that truly happened, and not just once, and not only recently. If every action causes an opposite reaction, Muru is Kahi's way of sifting through, rallying against and fighting back after too many occasions where the long arm of the NZ law, and of colonialism, has overreached. Played by Cliff Curtis (Reminiscence) with the brand of command that he's long been known for — and with the unshakeable presence that's served him through everything from The Piano, Once Were Warriors and Whale Rider through to The Dark Horse, Fear the Walking Dead and Doctor Sleep — Police Sergeant 'Taffy' Tawhara sits at the heart of Rūātoki's us-and-them divide. A local cop, he has the nation's laws to uphold, but he's also beholden to the community he hails from. His homecoming is recent, with his father (Tipene Ohlson) ailing and undergoing dialysis. So far, it has also been quiet. On the day that Muru begins, Taffy drives the school bus, takes the Aunties for medical checkups at the local mobile clinic and does what everyone in the valley does in their own manners: watches out for and tries to support 16-year-old Rusty (Poroaki Merritt-McDonald, Savage), the nephew of fellow officer Blake (Ria Te Uira Paki, The Dead Lands), who has the role of Rūātoki's resident wayward teen down pat. When Rusty smashes up shop windows that night, Taffy takes the call, then makes Iti's Camp Rama his second stop. A gathering of locals that champions survival skills and Tūhoe culture, it's designed to foster and reinforce the area's identity, which Taffy thinks Rusty can benefit from — even if that evening marks the sergeant's first attendance himself. But Camp Rama has also been under surveillance by the NZ police's special tactics group, with haughty leader Gallagher (Jay Ryan, The Furnace) and his quick-tempered second-in-command Kimiora (Manu Bennett, The Hobbit) deciding that Iti and his friends are a threat to national security. The highly armed tactical unit descends upon the community the next day, aided behind the scenes by colleagues Maria (Simone Kessell, Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Jarrod (Byron Coll, Nude Tuesday), overseen by an MP (Colin Moy, Guns Akimbo) determined to make a statement, and ignoring Taffy's pleas that their mission is mistaken. From the outset, Kahi flits between the two halves of Muru's narrative, letting their clash echo from the feature's frames. Daily life in the valley isn't idyllic, but everyone's wellbeing is a communal responsibility, as seen in the way that Blake pitches in to help with pāpā while Taffy is out driving, as well as the fondness shown for Rusty by school kids and elders alike. Among law enforcement, displaying force and strength rather than flexibility or care is the only focus — to explosive ends once the raid starts. His film isn't subtle, but Kahi proves both unflinching and perceptive in contrasting empathy with its utter absence. A case in point: the evocatively shot (by cinematographers Chris Mauger, Herb — Songs of Freedom, and Fred Renata, Dawn Raid) and tensely edited (by Hacksaw Ridge Oscar-winner John Gilbert) moments when the cops surround the school bus, tracking Rusty on his horse. The children see ninjas, the adults see life changing forever and the police simply see targets. If Muru didn't come layered with real-life context and a wealth of history, it'd still make for taut, intense and gripping viewing; as an action-thriller, it's sharp, tightly wound and skilfully executed, and teems with lively chases — by foot, car, horse and air alike — as well as loaded confrontations. Undercutting IRL trauma by boiling it down to a Hollywood formula isn't Kahi's intention, though, or the end result that pulsates across the screen. Muru is all the more riveting because it's so deeply felt, so steeped in generations of shattering violence, and so willing to ponder what compassion and justice truly mean. It also bubbles with the sensation that the movie wouldn't even need to exist in a better world, because the events that it's interrogating wouldn't have happened. This is a reckoning on several levels, including with that truth. As set against Rūātoki's scenic greenery, Muru is always a complicated picture, clearly — and that includes its choice to work in fiction instead of remaining glued to facts. Sometimes, though, spinning a story rather than sticking to actuality can be more potent, more emotionally authentic, and also brim with more feeling, as it instantly does here. Of course, there's no avoiding Iti, the feature's constant reminder that reality underscores even Muru's most imaginative narrative leaps. As himself, he's one part of a fine-tuned cast — weighty performances by Curtis, Merritt-McDonald, Ryan and Kessell stand out — but he's also Muru's beacon. Fury, understanding, hope, honouring the past, striving for a different future: in this dynamic film and in Iti's eyes, they all both ripple and linger.
Looking to hit the dance floor this long weekend? Sydney party crew Cosmic Boogie is celebrating its one-year anniversary of good times at its Chippendale home The Lord Gladstone with a massive 12-hour party. A crew of 11 different DJs have been compiled to take over the pub from 3pm on Saturday, October 1 all the way until 3am that night. Dance floors will pop up both inside the Gladdy's main bar and out in the courtyard, with the DJs serving up hours of party-ready tunes. Jameson has also come on board, offering up a range of drinks specials throughout the day including pickleback shots. Entry is free between 3–6pm, and just $10 after that. Or, if you pick up a Cosmic Boogie t-shirt you'll be granted free entry all night long.
If you're a fan of basketball, talented Aussies shooting hoops and one of the biggest local names in the game in the 21st century, then this one's a slam dunk: Patty Mills is coming home to chat about his career. The Brooklyn Nets point guard returns to Australia for the first time since helping score the Boomers their first-ever Olympic medal — and shooting 42 points himself in the crucial bronze-winning match — to tour the nation throughout September. Keen to hear the man himself discuss his success, life, learnings and everything in-between in the flesh? The four-time Olympian will be taking to the stage in Sydney, at ARA Darling Quarter Theatre on Sunday, September 11, for an in-conversation session. If you know some budding basketballers who are eager to follow in the Indigenous Aussie's footsteps, he's also hosting basketball camps while he's back Down Under — but for players aged between 12–17. At the onstage component of Mills' tour, the star player will speak from the heart about his journey — which has taken the Kokatha, Naghiralgal, Duaureb-Meriam man from growing up in Canberra to rising through the basketball ranks, and also becoming Australia's first Indigenous Olympics flag bearer. "It's been a huge couple of years and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to go back to my roots to deliver an immersive experience to be felt and enjoyed both on and off the court," said Mills. "It was also important that this tour allowed me to share parts of me that I've never been able to share before. Getting up close and personal with my own hopes, challenges and achievements has allowed me to embrace opportunity to the fullest and by sharing my own journey, I hope to inspire others out there, especially our youth, who are on their own path of self-discovery." Tickets go on sale on Thursday, September 8. Top image: Erik Drost via Flickr.
Back To The Future hinted that hoverboards would be the preferred mode of transport in 2015. And, while the fantasy didn't quite eventuate, this month's Micromobility Expo will play its part to transform fuel-guzzling vehicles, pricey petrol pumps and traffic jams into a thing of the past. With "tiny transportation" a growing trend, the first-ever Australian expo dedicated to all things electric will set the wheels in motion (pun intended) to make the movement more accessible than ever. You just need to head to the Kensington Room at Sydney's Royal Randwick Racecourse on Friday, November 25, between 10am to 5pm or Saturday, November 26, from 10am to 4pm to get on board. Whether you've already embraced the e-bike life or are an electronic scooter sceptic, Micromobility Expo will give you a power intro into lightweight modes of transport and their undeniable perks. As well as the chance to sit in on free seminars and chat with experts about the benefits of electric micro-vehicles (like the fact that they're adaptable, affordable enough to deal with rising costs of fuel and offer environmentally-friendly solutions to address climate concerns), you'll have the opportunity to test drive one for yourself. In fact, you'll find over 30 companies hosting rides on their e-bikes, electric skateboards, e-scooters and cargo bikes on three test tracks within the Royal Randwick grounds. Marty McFly's hoverboards may not have made the move from fiction to fact just yet, but with some pretty impressive innovations on offer at Micromobility Expo, you may not have to completely write off floating on wheels just yet… Pre-register now for free admission at the Micromobility Expo website. Otherwise score tickets for $20 at the door, on the day.
Fancy a trip to Japan without heading to Japan? Well, Sydneysiders, Maho Magic Bar has you covered. Part of the upcoming Sydney Festival — and courtesy of the creative folks at Broad Encounters — the Japanese-inspired bar and performance space is bringing its dazzling show to Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour from Friday, January 6, 2023 till Sunday, January 29, 2023. The best bit? The magic happens tableside, with mind-bending magicians — straight from Japan's magic bars — roving the room as you sip. What else can you expect? Well, it's a bar, performance space and show all in one. Bright lights set the mood, cherry blossoms hover above, and sake and shōchū lead the drinks menu (though there's beer, wine and booze-free options, too). Designed to replicate a night out in Shinjuku, your experience will be one of hedonistic wonder. [caption id="attachment_854729" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Nathanial Mason[/caption] The ace thing about the setup: whether you adore magic or don't think it's your thing, you'll still in for a ripper night. The atmosphere (and the drinks and those lights) are a massive part of the allure, though prepare to have your mind swayed by the roll call of stand-out magicians. Busting out illusions: the "princess of illusion" Kaori Kitazawa, daring close-up magician Sarito, the bearded Jonio, smooth operator Shirayuri and your host for the evening, Sho. If you're ready to immerse yourself in the magic of Japan (literally), you'd better be quick to grab your tickets. 'Maho Magic Bar' is on from Friday, January 6 till Sunday, January 29, 2023. For more information and to grab your tickets, head to the website. Top images: Kate Prendergast (first), Trentino Priori (second) and Nathanial Mason (last three).
Sydney's lavish CBD hotel QT is bring some fun to the silly season without the next-day headache by running a pop-up non-alcoholic cocktail bar in its laneway. The collaboration between QT Sydney and Lyre will run every Thursday, Friday and Saturday up until Saturday, December 18, serving up classic cocktail favourites without the booze. From 4–10pm each day that the bar will be pouring drinks, Sydneysiders can head to George Street and choose from a menu of alcohol-free cocktails. Anyone who still wants a caffeine kick in their cocktail, can opt for the Coffee Originale and Parlour Cucina coffee espresso martini. Other non-boozy drinks on offer include negronis, margaritas and summer spritzes — all available to enjoy onsite or take away to sip as you're doing your Christmas shopping at Pitt Street Mall. Fans of non-alcoholic drinks will be familiar with Heaps Normal already, who've also supplied some of its Quiet Deeds XPA for the bar.
Reg Livermore's one-man cabaret show, Betty Blokk-Buster Follies, certainly caused a stir when it debuted at the Balmain Bijou in 1975. In fact, The Sydney Morning Herald wouldn't even send a critic to review the performance, though The National Times went so far as to say it was "the greatest thing since Rice Bubbles." The reception for the last night of its original Sydney run was so overwhelming that Livermore said he "wished [he'd] been in the audience himself." Now, in a world premiere with former Home and Away actor Josh Quong Tart, the character of Betty is back to shock, provoke, amuse and, most of all, entertain. Betty Blokk-Buster Reimagined will run throughout Sydney Festival in the Spiegeltent. Image: Daniel Linnet.
A landmark in Aboriginal musical theatre, Bran Nue Dae won awards and fans across the country during its original tour in the 1990s. A winner of a Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award, the beloved musical is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its debut with a run at Riverside Theatre, allowing audiences old and new the opportunity to spend time with Willie as he makes his way home from mission school. A coming of age story set in 1960s WA that's choc-full of musical numbers, Bran Nue Dae is likely to delight audiences today just as much as it did three decades ago. Image: Ben Symons.
Lacking a little fizz in your life lately? Thankfully, a crew of local booze legends are teaming up to deliver a drinks festival with a serious amount of sparkle to see you safely through to summer. P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants and Mary's are joining forces with The Unicorn, taking over the pub on Saturday, November 30, for the second iteration of What A Fizzer — a tasting party dedicated to their favourite bubbly beverages. Head along to quaff your way through an expert curation of over 100 beers, wines and ciders — from champagnes and small-batch local sparklings to pét-nats and wild-ferment brews. Tickets start at an easy $50, which will score you tastings of everything on show, as well as a snack pack of Mary's goodness, starring a beef or vegan burger, and a P&V tote. If you're looking to invest in some take-home fizz, you'll also find a pop-up P&V bottle store, stocked full of fizzy drops at discounted prices. The main event runs from 1–5pm, though the fun will continue well into the night, thanks to a special Unicorn x Mary's collaboration menu, secret cellar list and a swag of entertainment.
