Arts

Review: Cirque du Soleil’s Hawaiian residency ‘Auana is one of the company’s finest ever productions

In my life, I’m constantly looking for experiences that surprise me. Montreal’s Cirque du Soleil is one such company that helps me regularly tick that box, with their breathtaking touring and residency productions all over the world. And their new production ‘Auana in Honolulu, Hawaii, is no exception. Years in the making, ‘Auana debuted at…

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Danny & Michael Philippou, Teresa Palmer, and Anaconda added to AACTA Festival line-up

This morning, Danny & Michael Philippou, ONEFOUR, Damon Herriman, Kate Mulvany, Teresa Palmer, Jack Thompson, Matt Carroll, Academy Award winner Adam Elliott, Lee Tiger Halley, Bruna Papandrea, Anaconda, and more have been added to the star-studded AACTA Festival lineup – Australia’s largest celebration of film, television and screen content, running between February 5th and 9th, 2025.. This expanded…

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Interview: Stephen Curry on acting as an ambassador for the 2025 AACTA Festival and how he’s seen the industry shift throughout his career

From February 5–9, the AACTA Festival promises five unforgettable days packed with experiences celebrating the best of film, television, and digital media. This weeklong celebration features a diverse lineup of events designed to inspire, entertain, and connect, with activities for everyone from industry professionals to pop culture enthusiasts. Set against the stunning backdrop of the…

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Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings: a Musical Tale, brings incredible triple-threat talent to the Aussie stage.

In a world of dramatic works turned into musicals (see: Beetlejuice, Death Becomes Her, and The Color Purple, The Lord of The Rings: A Musical Tale enters. Although the original production premiered in Toronto and London back in 2006 and 2008, this new production, which focused more on the telling of the iconic story from…

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Siegfried and Roy

Sydney Festival: The dazzling Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera has its glitzy world premiere

Sydney Festival has some world class theatre, dance, art, and music on show throughout the Sydney summer this year, but Siegfried & Roy: The Unauthorised Opera, is really something special. A fascinating real-life story in its own, the tale of these two German magicians is captured on stage in the form of an opera. And…

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Colour Maze

Colour Maze is an inspirational art adventure for young families at Sydney Festival 2025

A kid friendly interactive art installation is on as part of the 2025 Sydney Festival. Held in the beautiful Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Colour Maze is geared towards children in the 2-to-12-year age range. “Colour Maze is an imaginative play experience created and brought to life by Amigo & Amigo. It inspires children to get…

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Truly something special, Sport For Jove presents Much Ado About Nothing at Bella Vista Farm

Arguably one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing has always left me with complicated feelings. While, like many, I consider the repartee between Beatrice and Benedick to be some of the best in classic literature, the disgusting mistreatment of Hero is something I have become increasingly uncomfortable with. Falsely accused of infidelity…

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Buddy the Elf spreads Christmas cheer at the Sydney Opera House with Elf: The Musical

Based on the popular film of the same name, Elf: The Musical brings the magic of the 2003 festive favourite written by David Berenbaum to the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House. Elf is the tale of Buddy, an orphan who is mistakenly taken to the North Pole and consequently raised by elves. Upon…

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Theatre Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Twenty-Sided Tavern at the Sydney Opera House

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fans will be over the moon to hear that Dungeons & Dragons: Twenty-Sided Tavern is now playing at the Sydney Opera House, straight from New York. We had the pleasure of attending the premiere night on Wednesday 18 December. As a long-time D&D lover, it was a unique opportunity to see…

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2025 AACTA Festival announces Leigh Whannell, Paul Kelly and more to lineup

Today, the AACTA Festival announced over twenty new sessions have been added to the 2025 program, which returns to the Home of the Arts, Gold Coast, from February 5 – 9 2025.    Celebrated Australian music icon Paul Kelly will perform live at the festival alongside Meg Washington, Brendan Maclean, Beddy Rays and other special guests at the How to Make Gravy – Live…

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The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts reveal 2025 AACTA Award nominees

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced the nominees for the 2025 AACTA Awards, presented by Foxtel Group. Returning to the Gold Coast, the awards will celebrate the finest achievements in Australian film, television, documentary, and online content as part of the AACTA Festival, which will run for 5 days from…

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From Chicago to Wicked: Broadway’s longest running productions, and the Museum that celebrates them

When The Phantom of the Opera closed last year, after almost 14,000 performances, it ended its reign as the longest running production on Broadway. While it technically still holds the crown as Broadway’s longest running show (of all time), the move passed the mantle of longest running productions currently on Broadway to the 1996 revival…

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Speak Truth, Practice Kindness: Ubud Writers & Readers Festival opens hearts & minds in Bali

Studies show that those who become fully immersed in works of fiction are naturally more empathetic. How crazy to think that the art of getting lost in a fantasy world can help you show up in life with more compassion. But that’s the immense power of words, right? These tiny letters arranged into shapes and…

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From Absinthe to DiscoShow – Spiegelworld is an Australian success story in Las Vegas

If you’ve been to a variety show in a Spiegeltent in the last decade or so, chances are you’ve been lucky enough to see a production from the cirque ensemble Spiegelworld. The organisation emerged in 2006, with their show Absinthe making a splash in a travelling Spiegeltent at Pier 17 in New York City. While…

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Theatre Review: Casey Donovan’s divine performance makes Sister Act an unmissable convent

Forego the life of sin, get back in the habit and prepare to raise your voice! A divine musical sent from above, Sister Act has debuted on Australian shores in all its award-winning holiness. On the grungy streets of Philadelphia, Deloris (Casey Donovan), an aspiring singer, becomes witness to a murder and is forced into…

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Theatre Review: SIX the Musical continues to deliver big queen energy as it returns to Sydney

SIX has arrived for a Sydney season at the Theatre Royal. Inspired by the six wives of Henry VIII, this fresh new musical, which debuted in London in 2017, is a vibrant, energising show that captivates and charms. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, “SIX is more than just brilliant music, it’s also a…

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Theatre Review: The 39 Steps is a rollicking adaption of the classic thriller

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild are presenting the Patrick Barlow adaption of the novel The 39 Steps by John Buchan and the subsequent movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Patrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright, whose adaption was first presented on London’s West end in 2005. Despite the Hitchcock movie being presented in 1935,…

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The joy of seeing Hamilton a decade late (or, why you should listen to your friends who work on Broadway)

I’ll never forget when I was in New York about a decade ago (July 2015). I was having dinner at the house of a friend from high school, whose husband was a notable Broadway producer. As one would expect, recommendations of shows to see flowed. The Book of Mormon and Matilda were among the hot…

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Yoga Play

Yoga Play at Riverside Theatres Parramatta takes a satirical look at the wellness industry

Written by Dipika Guha, Yoga Play at Riverside Theatres Parramatta invites you into the workplace of yoga apparel store Jojomon and into the lives of it’s staff. There’s Fred (Jemwel Danao) a queer man from the Philippines who is desperate to obtain a green card and stay in America, CFO Raj (Nat Jobe) a man…

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Heath Franklin aka Chopper is coming to Melbourne with a brand new show

The iconic Melbourne identity “Chopper” is back reincarnated in the hilariously talented Heath Franklin. Heath will present his brand new show “Not Here To F*** Spiders” over two nights in Melbourne in November. This is Chopper’s triumphant return after a short break to focus on his ‘other’ life and come back fiestier than ever. We…

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Wrestling and live music collide as Red Castle Entertainment brings Carnival Sins to Mansfield Tavern in November

After tearing Brisbane’s Mansfield Tavern a new one with Slamageddon back in August, Red Castle Entertainment are returning for another night of stellar live music and brutal wrestling match-ups. Brace yourselves for Carnival Sins. Taking place on November 9th, the card is stacked with local and interstate wrestling talent, with trio Kulture leading the charge….

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Theatre Review: Yiddish language is revived in a disarming queer production of Yentl

This production of Yentl is an incredibly engaging theatrical imagining of the short story of which it is based. The original Yiddish short story Yentl, The Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer, published in 1962 has proven to still have a relevance today, over 60 years since the story was conceived. Simply put, Yentl is…

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Five museums and art exhibitions you have to visit in Las Vegas

Though you wouldn’t immediately think of Las Vegas for its museums and galleries, the city has its fair share of high quality attractions scattered around the city. And it’s a surprising mix – who would have thought, for instance, that The Punk Rock Museum would find a home in Nevada? While some are temporary or…

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Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple reflects a modern Las Vegas; and it’s a wild fun time

For decades now, Cirque du Soleil has been the king of the Las Vegas strip – producing almost a dozen residency shows for the city since 1993, with close to 10,000 people witnessing the Montreal company’s spectacle every night. Residency shows are typically designed for the destination, usually in a room custom built for the…

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Theatre Review: Grease the Musical is a wonderfully uplifting nod to the fifties

Almost fifty years ago, the movie Grease was adapted from the original stage play and became a critical and commercial success. With Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta playing the parts of romantics Sandy and Danny, the 1978 movie has been embedded in Western culture. Meanwhile, the stage production has provided entertainment in various theatres around…

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Seeing Las Vegas in a new light at the Neon Museum

This past July, I had the pleasure of returning to Las Vegas. But this time, the focus of the trip shifted in a surprising way: I got schooled in the history of the Las Vegas strip. This offered a new perspective of this vibrant city, learning about the glitz and glamour that gave Vegas the…

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Cirque du Soleil reveals details for ‘Auana, their first resident show in Hawai‘i

While Australia has only ever enjoyed Cirque du Soleil in its traditional touring format (usually in their “Grand Chapiteau” tent – as Luzia will be later this year in Brisbane and Sydney), over the years, select destinations around the world have come to enjoy permanent Cirque residencies. Las Vegas is famed to host the majority…

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Theatre Review: David Williamson’s The Puzzle is an hilarious observation on modern sexuality

David Williamson is Australia’s best known and most widely performed playwright and one of our leading screenwriters. One of his early plays, The Department was commissioned to open the Dunstan Playhouse in 1974. He has had over fifty five plays produced, including Don’s Party and The Club and written screenplays for several movies such as…

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Awakening at Wynn is the most ridiculous Vegas show in history (and I love it)

When director Baz Halpin and executive producer Bernie Yuman approached two-time Academy Award-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, I doubt they expected him to say yes to their proposal. Yuman, a Vegas veteran, was manager to Siegfried and Roy from a very young age and stuck by the legendary performers’ until their last day. He even…

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Theatre Review: Shore Break is a powerful portrait of masculinity

Writer /actor Chris Pitman has created a powerful story with his one-person show, Shore Break. It is a fictional story about a solitary figure, unable to connect, abandoned at the edge of the world. It’s a combined snapshot of the older men living in remote campgrounds and their isolated existences. Director Chelsea Griffith has helped…

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