Performing arts
This wildly popular music is a source of pride and sadness
Nearly 25 years on, Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man remains as relevant as ever.
- by Nick Galvin
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The biggest musical you’ve never heard of is finally coming to Sydney
The show has collected a swag of Tony Awards and a Grammy and will receive its Australian premiere next year.
- by Nick Galvin
This play about Julia Gillard will hold your attention, regardless of your politics
It’s worth seeing this show just to watch Justine Clarke transform into Gillard and, in a thrilling display, deliver the misogyny speech in full.
- by Cameron Woodhead, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Andrew Fuhrmann and Jessica Nicholas
Your must-hear gigs for June
Here’s our pick of the gigs to catch in a packed month of music
- by James Jennings
If the Yarra could make music, this is what it would sound like
An ethereal soundscape in Melbourne’s CBD begins the moment the sun grazes the horizon – and no two listeners will hear the same work.
- by John Bailey
This Sunset Boulevard looks the part, but just isn’t dark enough to deliver
This production marks Sarah Brightman’s long-awaited return to musical theatre – but despite its many highlights, the show falls short.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
A pub with no peer: Remembering the glory days of the ‘Hoey’
As Vivid celebrates Sydney’s long-ago shuttered Hopetoun Hotel, memories of the gigs, the punters and the toilets come flooding back.
- by Barry Divola
‘I felt I could understand this role’: Sarah Brightman on playing Norma Desmond
The world’s best-selling soprano makes her return to the stage for the first time in 34 years in Sunset Boulevard.
- by Lenny Ann Low
Forget the stereotypical ballet taskmaster – this director’s leaving a different legacy
From student to director, Lisa Pavane’s storied 46-year journey with the Australian Ballet School is drawing to a close.
- by John Bailey
A rising black musician lost his elite orchestra job. He won’t go quietly
Josh Jones wasn’t expecting to lose his dream job. He has shared the performance reviews and messages that shed light on a typically confidential process.
- by Geoff Edgers
Stellar performances (almost) make up for soulless venue: Tosca
Opera Australia staging of Puccini’s opera at Margaret Court Arena mostly paid off, plus New Zealand jazz pianist Jonathan Crayford hits Melbourne.
- by Bridget Davies and Jessica Nicholas