Boisterous production doesn't quite hit the mark
The steely voice of soprano Elena Xanthoudakis sliced through the orchestra like a freshly sharpened axe blade.
Stage
Thriller turned black comedy spools out a thread of playful, surreal social satire
The play ventures into a labyrinth of menace, violence and casual misogyny.
Laying it on too thick detracts from drama
There is plenty of sound and fury when Anti-Hamlet rubs up against Shakespeare's tragic hero.
Theatre
Gaden not ready to bid farewell yet
Theatre legend John Gaden still has "most of my faculties".
Thriller turned black comedy spools out a thread of playful, surreal social satire
The play ventures into a labyrinth of menace, violence and casual misogyny.
Laying it on too thick detracts from drama
There is plenty of sound and fury when Anti-Hamlet rubs up against Shakespeare's tragic hero.
Dance
Dads step into the spotlight
A warm-hearted show that links the performers with their fathers through dance, Dads is fun, thoughtful and occasionally revealing.
Top picks from the 2017 dance season
Traditional favourites share the spotlight with some breathtaking modern moves.
SoftMachine review: Masterclass in exploring the blurring of gender, differences and similarities
Two contrasting performances from Asia give a fascinating glimpse of contemporary dance to our north.
Musicals
Spring Awakening at ANU Arts Centre is a rock musical about teen angst
Phoenix Players presents the Canberra premiere of the award-winning musical about German adolescents grappling with romance and sexuality in a repressive environment.
The Merry Widow from Bluegum Creek is coming to the Q
This new version of Lehar's operetta adds a distinctively Australian touch.
Rich and melodic musical with just a few flaws
The Light in the Piazza represents an ambitious departure from the formula typical of contemporary Broadway musicals
Opera
Boisterous production doesn't quite hit the mark
The steely voice of soprano Elena Xanthoudakis sliced through the orchestra like a freshly sharpened axe blade.
Australian opera star takes Tristan to the world
For Stuart Skelton, 2016 has been the Year of the Tristan. By the time the avuncular Sydney-born heldentenor reaches Hobart to sing in a concert performance of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, it will be his 25th performance of this lengthy and arduous role.
New York opera cancelled over scattered 'human' ashes
Police say a powdered substance that was sprinkled into the orchestra pit at New York's Metropolitan Opera may have been an opera lover's ashes.
Comedy
Bill Bailey lets fly on 'monstrous blight' of censorship
The English stand-up comedian knows how it feels to be torn down by the tabloids, but it hasn't quite stopped him speaking his mind.
Jerry Seinfeld to tour Australia almost 20 years on
The master of observational comedy will perform Down Under for the first time in almost 20 years next August. But don't expect any cracks at Melbourne's expense.
The comedian who grew up at 50
Lawrence Mooney reflects on a year of living dangerously in his show Moonman.