Yesterday
Tickets are booming to concerts where you might not expect them
Two blocks away from where violent protests marred Sydney’s streets, shows that mark a quiet move towards healing after the Bondi massacre will soon start.
This Month
The guy behind Tame Impala’s other gig: inventor
Kevin Parker just won his second Grammy as Tame Impala but the Perth-born artist has also invented a synthesiser that sold its first batch of 1000 in three minutes.
Meet the man hired to match the voice (and mullet) of John Farnham
Singer Michael Paynter and the Sydney Theatre Company are sweating on the success of new musical Whispering Jack.
Trump closing ‘broken’ Kennedy Centre after takeover backlash
The president says he is shuttering for renovations one of America’s best cultural centres, which has been hit by boycotts and cancellations after he took over.
January
The shows you must see in February
Whether you prefer a sexy stage take on “The Great Gatsby”, or the whole novel read out in an eight-hour epic, February’s got you. Oh, and Ed Sheeran’s coming too.
David Williamson reveals his own Writers’ Week ‘cancellation’ moment
In 1985, the playwright narrowly avoided cancellation of a play after government threats to pull funding. Censoring writers is “dangerous territory”, he says.
She couldn’t be a priest. Now she’s running Melbourne Theatre Company
Anne-Louise Sarks, who is also the company’s artistic director, is in the midst of her own brilliant career.
Why Chrissy Amphlett wanted to be a crow at her final gig
Before cancer claimed her in 2013, the Divinyls’ frontwoman was planning a career-crowning solo show. Now one of the performers she inspired is bringing it to life.
An epic work reveals dark truth about luxury fashion
Lacrima, making its Australian debut in Sydney before moving to Perth, is a love letter to textile workers that pulls on haute couture’s secret threads.
Richard Roxburgh waited years to make us laugh again
The actor behind Australia’s funniest fictional barrister is relishing a rare chance to perform a comedic play about friendship with his real-life mates.
December 2025
Sydney Festival sticks with pro-Palestine headliner after Bondi
Actor Khalid Abdalla accuses Israel of “genocide” in Gaza but organisers say his show will be presented with “due regard for the wellbeing of audiences”.
‘Speechless and enraged’: Trump renames Kennedy Centre in his honour
The board for the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts announced it would now be named the Trump-Kennedy Centre, sparking outrage.
Kirsty MacColl’s killer was billionaire’s ‘fall guy’, says ex-husband
The singer of Christmas favourite Fairytale of New York died when she was struck by a speedboat. Steve Lillywhite now claims a tycoon was at the wheel.
This Queensland farmer sold 400 cattle for a shot at US stardom
Wade Forster has a fan base in America bigger than any Australian country singer since Keith Urban, but getting to them takes a serious investment.
Meet the women turning an Australian icon into a New York musical
Peter Weir’s “Picnic at Hanging Rock” put Aussie cinema on the world stage and spawned many adaptations, but never a musical. This indie-pop collaboration fixes that.
MSO’s star witness Sophie Galaise returns from hide-and-seek
Most arts institutions are sprinting away from any Israel and Palestine-related scandal. QPAC is running towards it.
Looking for unusual ways to celebrate Christmas? Try these events
The Messiah. The Nutcracker. Bloody Mariah Carey. Seasonal entertainment can seem stuck in a tinsel-tangled rut, so why not check out a more offbeat show?
November 2025
How this band became a favourite of the philanthropic elite
Fifty years ago, the ACO’s musicians were rehearsing in each other’s lounge rooms. Now they are being gifted things such as a $3.1 million violin.
AC/DC, Metallica tours prove metal is the genre that just won’t die
Families three-generations deep are buying black T-shirts as a season of heavy metal tours helps keep a once-doomed part of the music industry alive.
Real-life opera tragedy leaves Aida stranded on docks
The extravaganza, with a cast and crew of more than 700, was meant to fill Adelaide Oval, but it has been caught out by shipping problems.
