The insights of a Master of Wine are what truly sets Enoteca Centro apart from other wine bars in Perth. The venue is a summery oasis, hidden away on Wesley Lane behind the historic Uniting Church, a casual Italian-inspired take on the usual inner-city happy hour destinations. But it’s Master of Wine Brendan Jansen’s carefully…
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Adelaide, and South Australia in general, are quite underrated destinations—as are many places that don’t benefit from famous attractions like the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With a city centre free from skyscrapers and a population of only 1.3 million, Adelaide has been labelled a ‘country town’ city—but maybe there’s a bit more to discover than meets…
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The newly reimagined building that now houses Hotel Alba is a bright spot on South Terrace, a shining row of pointed white roofs across from the peaceful expanse of Kurangga / Blue Gum Park. Just a quick 15-minute drive from Adelaide airport, the hotel sits conveniently at the edge of the city centre, and combines…
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Le She is leaning back in his chair, framed by the city lights, looking thoroughly at home in the suave Ritz-Carlton meeting room. Adorned with a tasteful amount of gold and silver, and clad in a black leather jacket, he’s the sort of person who looks like they’re about to leave Perth, not someone who’s…
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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has returned for its fifth and final season, after an uneven yet still charming fourth iteration, which left us with a slightly hopeful ending—Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) staring up at a snowy billboard featuring ‘The Gordon Ford Show’. For my first impression of this season, I watched the first four…
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Class of ‘07 is an apocalyptic comedy set during a ten-year reunion at an all-girls high school, which soon becomes the only surviving part of a sunken Sydney. It could have easily been terrible. The eight-episode Prime Video series had big ambitions, with an ensemble cast, multiple complex storylines, flashbacks, and an end of the…
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When we spend so much time consuming global entertainment, it feels extra special to watch a beautifully told Australian story—a film that’s rich with nostalgia yet doesn’t shy away from truth. Of an Age is a stirring, gorgeously filmed queer romance, set in Melbourne during 1999. The movie follows 18-year-old amateur ballroom dancer Kol (Elias…
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Every now and then, there’s a show that reminds you how truly transformative theatre can be. A performance that has you holding your breath, unmoving, entranced, until the final moment. For me, one of these shows was Eddy Brimson’s one-man play, Naughty Boy, at Fringe World. In the dark theatre space of the Belgian Beer…
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It’s always a risk to adapt a Shakespeare classic, as there are so many other versions to compete with—how can you find something new to say? Well, it’s never been said in bogan… Bogan Shakespeare Presents: Hamlet takes the most formal, complex material and transforms it into over-the-top Aussie slang, complete with local references and…
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One of Britain’s most beloved bakers — and someone who lights up our screens regularly here in Australia — Nadiya Hussain, has another cookbook coming out, Nadiya’s Everyday Baking. The 2015 Great British Bake Off winner infuses her new cookbook with the usual trademark shortcuts while encouraging home bakers to use their oven every day…
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WA arts and cultural organisation, Artrage, is bringing a new version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show experience to the stage, and it begins from the moment you enter the venue. For the Perth shows, you’re greeted by a brightly decorated, retro-style bar that serves drinks with names like ‘Pretty in Pink’ and features rows…
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Period films, especially biopics featuring a famous historical figure, can start to blur together. They’re never revolutionary, always follow the same formula, and the only thing viewers discuss at the end is how great the costumes were. But Corsage is different. This internationally co-produced historical drama by writer/director Marie Kreutzer was practically designed to reverse…
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Oil has had a painfully obvious effect on our world, but we don’t often look back and wonder at how we got here. That’s what Oil, the production by British playwright Ella Hickson – brought to life once more by the Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA – does in a surreal and ambitious…
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It’s 4:30 am and cold in my tent. I slowly emerge from the early morning brain fog and reach blindly to silence my phone alarm. Numbly, I pull on jeans, boots, and my new Biosphere Expeditions t-shirt, then half fall out of my tent into the brightening dawn. We congregate up at the hotel, in…
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When so many of the exciting new projects at the moment are TV series, it feels like a rare gift to watch a movie as bold and refreshing as Three Thousand Years of Longing. The film is the story of a ‘narratologist’ named Alithea (Tilda Swinton), who travels to Istanbul for a conference and unwittingly…
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In the world of endless streaming services and instantaneous hand-held entertainment, theatre can seem a bit inaccessible and highbrow – at least, to a large proportion of the younger generation. And that’s what the team at Beyond the Yard Theatre are trying to remedy with their production Trust Me, It’s the End of Our World…
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When you first hear the idea, it seems unusual – a beachside music festival in winter? But imagine you’re at a packed New Orleans-style bar, warming wintery cocktail or red wine in hand, listening to Frank Sinatra classics – suddenly it makes sense. Pair that with stunning views across the ocean and you’ve got the…
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Once you’ve done the long-haul journey from Australia to Europe – where no one enjoys compromising on comfort or food quality – there’s often only one airline that is available for short, very affordable hops around the continent: Ryanair. I was travelling from London to Bremen, Germany, and there were no direct flights from London…
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Picture this: it’s a gloomy night, rain is thundering against the window, and it’s cold – by Australian standards, at least. What sort of drink would you be craving? Let me guess: a red wine or perhaps a whiskey? That certainly would be the usual. But according to the wine connoisseurs at Brown Brothers, we…
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It’s easy to assume a classic story will feel tired and dull when it’s reproduced for the thousandth time – but that was not the case with The Glass Menagerie. Perhaps it was the vivacious talent delivering the script or the timelessness of family drama, but this Tennessee Williams piece felt just as relevant and…
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The Australian production of Once, the eight-time Tony Award-winning musical (based on a critically acclaimed 2007 film) has come to The Regal Theatre in Subiaco. It’s a charming, joyous story, and even before the show started, there was a palpable feeling of excitement in the air – assisted by musicians wandering between the rows, playing…
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The British have always excelled at the cosy murder mystery – the sort you watch routinely on a weeknight with a cup of tea – but this time its Ireland that’s produced a stellar addition to the genre. Giving off strong Rosemary & Thyme vibes, the Acorn TV original Harry Wild stars Jane Seymour as…
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In the past, my cookbook shelf has been guilty of the ultimate home cooking sin: being purely inspirational and decorative. I find many cookbooks have insanely long ingredient lists packed with obscure and expensive items, so I often stick to my old favourites or Google specific ideas. But BOSH! on a Budget is different. The…
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WA playwright Kate Mulvany’s adaptation of the classic Friedrich Schiller play Mary Stuart has come to Perth Festival and it’s ready to live up to the reputation of its predecessor. The two hour production focuses on the last days of Mary, Queen of Scots and explores her complex relationship with cousin Queen Elizabeth I of…
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Amy Sherman-Palladino’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has returned for a fourth season of lighthearted 1960’s shenanigans and based on the first two episodes it looks set to be just as quick-witted as ever. The spirited comedian Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is back in New York City after she was abruptly removed from Shy Baldwin’s…
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For Perth’s annual Fringe World festival, the delightfully ridiculous Shakespearean drinking game Booze & the Bard has returned for 2022 with two shows: their tried and true Macbeth, the Scotch Play and the brand new Twelfth Pint (or What You Spill). We caught the Saturday night showing of Macbeth on the 15th of January and happily…
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The last episode of The Wheel of Time season one was released on the 24th of December, capping off the agonisingly slow weekly wait (who decided to re-introduce that?) for new episodes of the epic fantasy series. For the uninitiated, the show is based on the well-known novels by Robert Jordan – although fans of…
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Australia’s king of cravats and statement suits, Matt Preston, doesn’t just spend his time as a charismatic television personality and food journalist, he has also written a string of bestselling cookbooks – and we spoke to him about the release of his latest: Matt Preston’s World of Flavour. Have you ever felt bitter that New…
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