Antarctica is a new Australian exclusive opera performed by the Sydney Chamber Orchestra, jointly with The Netherlands’ music ensemble, Asko|Schönberg. It draws its audience in to the endlessness of the southern continent that is Antarctica. As the composers, Mary Finsterer (Music) and Tom Wright (Libretto) intended, the performance “hopes to awaken a vastness of thought”,…
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Over three decades Phantom of the Opera has been solidified as a paradigm-shifting theatre production without equal. I know many people who don’t care for the theatre who would relish in every single second of any iteration of this story, no matter the time, setting or season. And those who do have a particular love…
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With Moulin Rouge wowing audiences in Sydney, Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre is hosting its own tragic tale of Parisian courtesans and ill-fated love affairs. Verdi‘s iconic La Traviata opened last week, led by Lorina Gore and Kang Wang as star-crossed lovers Violetta and Alfredo. A joint venture between Opera Queensland, State Opera South Australia, and West…
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The Phantom of the Opera is the longest-running show in musical history. It tells the story of a mysterious and terrifying masked man who lives beneath the Paris Opera House and of a young, talented singer who becomes his obsession. This Opera Australia interpretation, directed by Simon Phillips, is presented on a floating stage on Sydney…
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Macbeth is undoubtedly one of the world’s best-known tales of manipulation and betrayal. Cursed with future knowledge due to a witches prophecy, Macbeth strikes a deal with fate at the cost of his sanity and life. Set in the eleventh century, an ambitious Macbeth (Simon Meadows) struggles against the passions of power and deception through…
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Sydney will be treated to an enchanted fairy-tale in the form of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The Capitol Theatre will host the Australian premiere of a production presented by Opera Australia and the Gordon Frost Organisation, who previously partnered together for The King and I. Debuting in on Broadway in 2013, the award-winning Cinderella is…
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Performance artist and teacher Dorothy May has a one night only engagement in Brisbane this weekend, as part of May’s annual Anywhere Festival. Ahead of her show at events-space-cum-circus-school The Sideshow, located in Brisbane’s West End, we caught up with her for a quick chat! First of all, what’s I Can Fly about? This show…
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The Omega Ensemble are Sydney’s Chamber music all-stars. In July, the group will feature in a world premiere. Young composer, Nico Muhly has composed, American Masters, especially for this troupe. The work looks poised to draw heavily on his inspirations like Philip Glass and Steve Reich. The Ensemble held a fundraiser for this new work…
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A world of starving artists, love at first sight, decadence and jealousy – so sets the scene for Puccini’s formidable La Bohéme. The performance begins with four friends, each a poor artist, struggling to survive another winter. By the end of the first act Rodolfo, a poet, has fallen in love with Mimí, a seamstress,…
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Bill Murray and Jan Vogler walk into an airport. The comedian and cellist bond over music and decide to tour together. The result is New Worlds, where these two men are joined by some other friends. The AU Review’s Natalie Salvo caught up with Vogler to learn more about the show, swimming, West Side Story…
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Earlier today, I stood on the steps of the Sydney Opera House with one of the most iconic names in entertainment, Bill Murray, and acclaimed classical cellist Jan Vogler. The pair are performing tonight and tomorrow night with “Friends”, including cellist Mira Wang, and violinist Vanessa Perez. This marks the first time Vogler has made it to…
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Walking into Elizabeth Murdoch hall for the first leaves you struck by it’s beauty. It’s architectural design is distinct, elegant and intimate. Steps echo as we venture to our seats and as the band steps onto the stage, suddenly everything changes. Under the direction of Melbourne-born violinist Julia Fredersdorff, Van Diemen’s band are an array…
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For years people have been perplexed by Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. Is it an operetta? A comedy? Musical theatre? A little of all of the above? Perhaps the safest description is that of “comic operetta,” where the draw-card is some dynamic and electric music. Mitchell Butel directs this latest production, which coincides with what would have…
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Having been awarded the prestigious honour of being named Magician of the Year in 2013 by the International Magicians Society, New York (the International Merlin award) and with 4 prime-time specials under his belt having aired in over 40 countries; Australia’s favourite performer Cosentino returns with his new live show Twisted Reality – which promises…
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Satyagraha is the third opera of the Philip Glass Trilogy that the State Opera of South Australia has presented this week. Telling the story of Gandhi, it draws inspiration and fragments from the first two Operas. It has the repetitive melody of Einstein on the Beach but is more story based like Akhnaten. The play…
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Following rave reviews for his previous show Love Song’s for Future Girl Shane Adamczak a.k.a Zack Adams returned to the Perth stage to revive his show Zack Adams: The Complete History for the Fringe World festival. An autobiographical tale peppered with some fine musical moments as well as plenty of laughs. The life of Zack…
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While this might seem like a strange thing to be reviewing on theAUreview, While it may seem like a strange thing to be reviewing on theAUreview, featuring some of Australia’s best singers, including Kate Miller-Heidke as Baby Jane, “Jerry Springer: The Opera” was definitely a musical event. Albeit one unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Clocking…
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