There’s never been a more appropriate moment to explore the might of the human spirit in music. The MSO presents a world premiere by Australian composer Deborah Cheetham AO and Beethoven’s almighty Third Symphony in a performance that will uplift and inspire.
Robyn Nevin plays Brunhilde Pomsel in this 90-minute solo tour de force. A self-described “apolitical women”, Pomsel worked as a secretary to Joseph Goebbels. Christopher Hampton fashioned the play from testimony she gave to documentary makers two years before she died, aged 105. Neil Armfield directs. Read our review by Gordon Forester here.
As Hamilton proved, in a world where new musicals are often focus-grouped into blandness, fabulous butterflies can still emerge from the chrysalis of a single brilliant mind. Such is FANGIRLS, whose book, music and lyrics are by young Sydney-born writer Yve Blake. Fascinated by the way that society can see a mob of screaming fans as "embarrassing" (if female, and at a pop concert) - but "passionate" (if male at a footy match), Yve set out to write the show she wished her 14-year-old self could have seen: a comedy all about the ways that the world tries to convince young women that they're not as worthy as their brothers. It follows Edna, a plucky misfit scholarship girl who believes that she alone can win the heart of the world's biggest pop star; Harry. Sure, he has 38 million other fans, but for Edna, that's merely a hurdle. Because there's nothing she won't do to meet Harry. No really, nothing.
Hayes Theatre Co presents the Australian premiere of this brilliantly kooky musical comedy, adapted by comic genius Mel Brooks (The Producers, Blazing Saddles) from his 1974 American comedy horror film. Scientist Frederick Frankenstein (it’s pronounced Fronk-en-steen) – grandson of the infamous scientist – travels reluctantly to Transylvania where he has inherited his family estate. Before long, he finds himself back in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestor, and with the help of hunchbacked sidekick Igor and yodelling lab assistant Inga, he brings to life a new creature to rival his grandfather’s. But this time, when the monster escapes – absolute hilarity ensues. Young Frankenstein has all the panache and quick-fire humour of the screen sensation, with a little extra theatrical flair. Featuring songs like “The Transylvania Mania” and the immortal “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, Young Frankenstein is scientifically proven, monstrously good entertainment. Directed by Alexander Berlage (Cry-Baby, American Psycho), get ready for an electrifying camp gothic spectacular that will leave you in stitches.
Sydney Theatre Company's long-awaited return home to The Wharf will be marked by this historic event in Australian theatre. From playwright Kate Mulvany and Artistic Director Kip Williams, the team that created the epic, multi-award-winning world of The Harp in the South: Part One and Part Two, comes a new adaptation of one of Ruth Park's most beloved Australian stories which is sure to delight audiences of all generations. Abigail (Catherine Văn-Davies), a teenager dealing with her parents' messy separation, follows the mysterious young girl Beatie Bow (Sofia Nolan) back through time - from the hustle and bustle of Sydney's The Rocks in the present day to the year 1873, when the suburb was full of struggling immigrant families, gangsters and a whole host of larger-than-life characters. With the help of Beatie, her wise grandmother, and the whole Bow family, Abigail goes on a wild adventure through twisting alleyways of history in a race to find her way home. This moving human story is set in and around the real-life suburb that STC calls home and will overflow with history, song and sparkling humour. Grandparents, parents and teenagers will all find something to love in this family story - a...
The world’s most successful Fawlty Towers tribute, this unforgettable immersive show sees audiences become paying guests at the Faulty Towers hotel, ready for two hours of chaos, comedy and action.
The Macbeth's are back with their unparalleled thrust for the ultimate power of the throne. A stunning mix of minds games and manipulation, sparked by the prophesies of three witches that Macbeth encounters on the heath as he returns from war, triggers his burning ambition which in turn ignites an inferno in his wife to inspire him to kill for the crown.
Bartók’s one-act opera is perfectly suited to these ‘straight-through, no-interval’ times. Its sizable orchestration is packed with colourful effects from glittering gems to blood-bespattered weaponry. On one level a chilling tale of curiosity-killed-the-cat, on another an intense sexual psychodrama, it will be interesting to see what directors Andy Morton and Priscilla Jackman bring to it. Andrea Molino conducts, with stentorian-toned Daniel Sumegi as the obsessively uxorious Bluebeard and Carmen Topciu – a standout in Anna Bolena – as his fatally inquisitive wife.
The young Johannes Brahms suffered from the great pressure of high expectation placed upon him by the European musical public as the “heir” of Beethoven, and his Second Symphony sought to pay homage to the brilliant composer. But in doing so, Brahms stepped out of the giant’s shadow and became one himself.
In the opening concert of Musica Viva’s 2021 Melbourne Morning Masters Season, rising pianist Adam McMillan joins members of the acclaimed Penny and Partridge quartets to perform this great Schumann masterwork alongside a crystalline piece for piano quartet by Australia’s Andrew Ford.
It's street-theatre-but-not-as-we-know-it in which the performers are disguised threads in the very real tapestry of a busy city thoroughfare and we, be-headphoned on raked seating, are the ones on display to be ignored or gawked at by passers-by. Via our ears though, the familiar urban scene becomes a movie replete with evocative score, and its cast of thousands is quickly narrowed down to four protagonists. Locating them isn't easy, and it's part of the game, but their story is as surprising and compelling as any thriller.
Affinity Quartet represents the next generation of Australia’s chamber music stars. The Quartet developed its craft in Europe to critical acclaim. It brings home an inspired approach to music-making, matched by its adventurous spirit as a string quartet for and of today. About the concert Life is full of different journeys. Some leave us untouched. Others amount to a full rebirth. Affinity Quartet meditates on the strength and fragility of our human experience, through compelling works that reflect this battle. Shostakovich and his younger compatriot Weinberg both lived through war and composed through periods of crisis. Their quartets are a thrill-ride of intense emotion, undoubtedly shaped by the circumstances they survived. Weinberg’s Aria displays a compelling Romantic lyricism, which is brilliantly matched by the witty and off-kilter Capriccio. Shostakovich’s Quartet No.3 covers equally complex and emotive territory. Award-winning Melbourne-based composer Darrin Archer counterpoints these two composers’ legacies, drawing inspiration for his new work, Peace, Gratitude, Resolve, from the challenges of our own modern time.
