Adelaide arts news: WOMADelaide 2025 headliners include PJ Harvey and 47SOUL plus Moss Piglet and Grease musical reviews
A popular UK artist will headline WOMADelaide’s opening night next year, while a Palestinian band – uninvited from this year’s event – will also return to the stage.
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Captivating UK singer-songwriter PJ Harvey will help launch WOMADelaide 2025 as she returns to Australia for her first tour in eight years.
Born Polly Jean Harvey, the award-winning artist will headline the music festival’s opening night, performing songs from the Grammy-nominated studio album I Inside the Old Year Dying, along with tracks from her extensive back catalogue.
Palestinian band 47SOUL will also be among the performers, a year after they were uninvited from the 2024 event due to the “climate of community protests, division and uncertainty” taking place around the country following the Middle East conflict.
At the time, the electronic dance group said the decision “hit them hard”, describing the organisers’ reasoning as “deeply problematic and disheartening”.
The band advocates for peace in the Middle East and has used social media to call for a ceasefire to hostilities and an end to what it calls the “genocide”.On October 8 – the day after the anniversary of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel – they shared an Instagram post with their almost 100,000 followers, calling for a “Free Palestine”.
“Stop the war on Gaza and Lebanon. Think about what it’s like for those who have no choice but to live it,” the post said. “Free Palestine. Hands off Lebanon.”
Harvey will be joined by her full-band for the March 7 opening night show, which is part of a six-date Australian tour.
The 55-year-old will also play at Perth Festival, Golden Plains festival, followed by headline shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
Harvey is among 47 acts announced by WOMAD organisers today ahead of the March 7-10 event.
Other performers revealed for next year’s festival include acclaimed pianist and composer Nils Frahm (Germany), singer Mariza (Portugal), Balkan folk rock group Goran Bregović & His Wedding & Funeral Band (Serbia), and Cie Yoann Bourgeois (France).
Festival hub Womarkets, featuring more than 40 retail stalls showcasing wares from different cultures, will also return in 2025, along with Planet Talks and KidZone.
WOMADelaide director Ian Scobie said Adelaide “throws its arms” around the event every year.
“Today’s announcement of 47 groups from 28 countries demonstrates why it truly is the world’s festival,” he said.
Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said the beloved annual event will once again attract music lovers from across the state, country, and the world to Adelaide.
“True to WOMADelaide’s roots, this impressive line-up showcases the best of music, dance, art, and thinking from every corner of the world,” she said.
Moss Piglet
Space Theatre
Until October 20
Tiny creatures can be incredibly resilient and resourceful survivors, a message Windmill Theatre imparts to audiences young and old in its visually captivating and scientifically fascinating new comedy Moss Piglet.
Its title is a nickname for the tardigrade, a microscopic animal which is subjected to all manner of extreme experiments by this show’s two mime-like scientist characters, played by Gareth Davies and Dylan Miller.
The vaudevillian duo interact with robotic precision through routines choreographed with Larissa McGowan, eventually erupting in a volcanic dance display.
Director Clare Watson and co-creators Elena Carapetis and Davies combine everything from rod, handheld and shadow puppets to live-filmed green screen action and animation, in an adventure that goes everywhere from sandy deserts and snow-covered ski slopes to underwater depths and even outer space.
It’s hilarious and informative for kids and adults alike, told with great beauty from the simple spectacle of a glowing jellyfish on a pole, to the technically accomplished video space sequence.
Eye-popping colours saturate a clever set by Meg Wilson, on which two triangular cabinets are continually reconfigured to reveal new tricks and gadgets by props designer Bianka Kennedy.
This is a delightful debut from Watson as Windmill Theatre’s new artistic director, and 45 minutes of joyous, laugh-out-loud escapism and stage magic that informs while it entertains.
Patrick McDonald
ADELAIDE STILL HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO GREASE
Review: Grease
Her Majesty’s Theatre
Until October 26
Audience members are taken to the drive-in as all the 1950s rock’n’roll nostalgia, teenage drama and dazzling dance routines unfold “on screen” in the latest, vibrant stage incarnation of Grease the musical.
As lovestruck couple Sandy and Danny, lead actors Annelise Hall and Fabian Andres are ideally cast, and strike all the right notes for fans of the 1978 film version.
Hall channels Olivia Newton-John’s antipodean accent, wide-eyed innocence and vocal intonation – particularly during her soaring show stopper Hopelessly Devoted to You – but also brings a more fiercely strong determination to the Sandy character.
Andres also has matinee idol looks, oozes cool with his winning grin, and gives a nod to John Travolta’s trademark mannerisms while making the role his own with a powerhouse solo on the song Sandy.
The duo are dynamite together on the dance floor too, in a production packed with energetic ensemble routines, including the most memorable moves from You’re The One That I Want.
After some very entertaining vintage-style drive-in “commercials”, the screen rises to reveal a glowing silhouette sunset of Sandy and Danny’s holiday encounter, before launching into the double whammy of the disco title track and “he said, she said” banter of Summer Nights.
Scenes seamlessly segue into one another as characters move from one setting to the next on a revolving stage, with sports field bleachers that reconfigure to become everything from a burger joint to a bedroom.
Supporting cast members also get more time to shine in the stage version, with Keanu Gonzalez as Kenickie reclaiming the show’s big hot rod number Greased Lightning, complete with a gleaming onstage mechanical makeover.
Mackenzie Dunn’s tough girl Rizzo evokes howls of laughter with Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee, then wrenches the audience’s hearts with her roof-raising rendition of There Are Worse Things I Could Do.
As the Teen Angel, pop star Paulini brings her own soul-drenched R&B style with a glittering gospel choir to Beauty School Dropout, while Jay Laga’aia channels the Big Bopper as DJ Vince Fontaine. Patti Newton makes the most of her comedy cameo as teacher Miss Lynch, milking her brief singing part strictly for laughs.
Adelaide ensemble member Oscar Bridges also stands out with his spectacular dancing, particularly during the high school hop contest.
These days, musicals rarely end with a single dramatic song and this revival is no exception, with the cast coming back to perform a Grease Megamix, like the one which topped charts in the 1990s.
LOCAL ACTS REVVED TO PERFORM WITH MUSIC LEGENDS AT ADELAIDE 500
Two of the state’s hottest emerging music acts are all revved up to perform alongside Australia’s biggest rock stars at next month’s Vailo Adelaide 500 after-race concert series.
Indigenous hip-hop artist J-Milla and electronic indie-pop band Tonix will join the line-up as part of a collaboration between the SA Motor Sport Board and MusicSA to showcase local talent.
Marranunggu man J-Milla, 26, who was born in Darwin as Jacob Nichaloff and moved to Adelaide to attend Scotch College, will support headline acts Crowded House, Ocean Alley and Meg Mac on the Saturday, November 16.
“It’s a blessing to be on the line-up with such amazing artists,” J-Milla said.
“We’re all going to bring different types of music with different flavours. This is probably one of the biggest opportunities that I’ve ever had in SA to share not only my music but who I am as a person.”
Tonix, which formed in 2021 while its members were still at high school, will open for SA music legend Cold Chisel at that band’s 50th anniversary show on the Sunday, November 17, which also features The Cruel Sea and The Superjesus.
“It’s pure excitement and a chance to get in front of a lot of eyes and ears that are new to hearing our stuff, so we’re just elated,” said Tonix member Archie McEwen.
Tonix is working on its next single, which it hopes to release in time for the after-race performance.
Book at adelaide500.com.au
RELATIONSHIPS ALL AT SEA IN THE PUZZLE BY DAVID WILLIAMSON
Review: The Puzzle
Dunstan Playhouse
Until October 12
Five decades might have passed since State Theatre commissioned playwright David Williamson’s drama The Department to open the Playhouse – but his latest comedy could still have been set in the raunchy mid-1970s.
Put aside the occasional references to AI programming or text messaging, and The Puzzle is a classic bedroom farce which exposes more human foibles than it does flesh.
Think of it as Don’s Party at Sea, with a salacious dash of Carry On Cruising thrown in for good measure.
Even the wah-wah guitar of the funk-soul soundtrack by Andrew Howard wouldn’t be out of place on one of the porn “videos” the characters refer to, as if dusty old cassettes haven’t been long superseded by the internet.
Uptight dad and boring accountant Drew (Erik Thomson) attempts to reconnect with his 20-something daughter by accidentally booking them on what turns out to be a swinger’s cruise, finding out more about her lifestyle than he’d intended in the process.
Making her professional Adelaide hometown debut as the relationship “fluid” daughter Cassie, Ahunim Abebe is a playful delight and definitely a talent to watch.
Nathan O’Keefe, Ansuya Nathan, Chris Asimos and Anna Lindner round out the cast as two cruise couples, each comprising one enthusiastic swinger and a reticent partner.
Director Shannon Rush moves the actors about in lengthy segues between scenes like chess pieces on Ailsa Paterson’s stunning, streamlined ocean liner set, which combines a bar, bedrooms, sun deck and a communal jigsaw puzzle table in one sleek design that would make an enviable harbour view apartment.
The innuendos, double entendres and outrageously forthright sexual references generally hit the mark for laughs with older audience members, as does Asimos’s peacock-like muscle display, but might not sit well with more “woke” viewers.
Inevitably, certain characters jeopardise everything they already have in pursuit of something more, and come undone thanks to their greed and lust.
However, all of them seem to walk away content with their consolation prizes – except perhaps the poor sage-like Drew, who gets nothing except the last word.
Patrick McDonald
BIG DREAMS COME TRUE FOR CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Budding artist Fidak’s big dream came true when her design won the poster and program competition for next year’s DreamBIG Children’s Festival.
Fidak, aged 10, is in Year Five at Blair Athol North B-6 School, and used paint and coloured markers to create her artwork, titled Funky Emotions.
“Thinking like quiet bubbles and through painting funky emotions I made funky bubbles to remind people to be funny and funky, and not to be sad,” she said.
DreamBIG, which was originally known as Come Out, will release its 2025 schools program on Tuesday to mark the event’s 50th anniversary.
From May 7 to 17, thousands of students from across the state will unite at the Adelaide
Festival Centre, city locations, regional venues and schools to be entertained by more
than 300 artists in 51 events and workshops.
DreamBIG creative producer Georgi Paech said its popular opening parade would return on May 7 at the Festival Centre, or teachers could choose to host their own parades at their schools.
“At DreamBIG, we believe that the arts nurture the values and skills that young people need to thrive,” Ms Paech said.
“It is through this lens that we’ve put together our 50th anniversary program, which reflects on the festival’s legacy, while contemplating how it might evolve in the future.”
More than 2.5 million children have participated in the festival since its inception in 1974.
DreamBIG 2025 highlights include:
Fancy Long Legs – A glittery musical adventure, based on the picture book by tinsel and craft icon Rachel Burke.
Glow & Tell – Imagined worlds brought to life through the magic of light, by SA’s Patch Theatre.
The Princess, The Pea (and The Brave Escapee) – A reimagining of the fairytale, featuring live music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Tin Can Radio – A creative workshop exploring the world of broadcasting via a
pop-up radio station on Festival Plaza.
PLAYWRIGHT DAVID WILLIAMSON CRUISES BACK TO PLAYHOUSE
Fifty years – and two retirements – after he first wrote a work for State Theatre Company to open the Playhouse, Australia’s leading playwright David Williamson has returned to the Adelaide venue with a brand new comedy.
Williamson, now 82, was commissioned to write his drama The Department for the company’s debut season at the Playhouse in 1974.
“This was where theatre was really being done at its best at that time,” he said.
“That was a golden period for Australian theatre and this was at the forefront, so it’s terrific to be back here.”
Williamson was hot off the success of early 1970s plays including The Coming of Stork, The Removalists and Don’s Party, all of which were later made into hit films.
His new play The Puzzle, starring former Packed to the Rafters actor Erik Thomson, began previews on Friday before its world premiere on Tuesday, and runs until October 12.
In the comedy, Thompson plays an uptight father who naively books a holiday to reconnect with his adult daughter on a cruise for “swinging” couples.
“There’s generally a big table with a communal, 1000-piece puzzle,” Williamson said.
“People come from all over the ship and put bits in, and start talking to each other. It’s a good starting point.”
The setting was inspired by cruise holidays Williamson and his wife Kristin have undertaken in recent years.
“I’m a lazy tourist … I hate going through airports and checking out of the hotel after two days,” he said.
The Puzzle is one of three new works by Williamson to premiere around the country this year, despite him having twice announced his “retirement” from scriptwriting in 2005 and again in 2020.
Surgery and advances in medication have helped him overcome the heart problems which led to his temporarily stopping work.
“It is an addiction. When you put those lines on a page … and an audience is responding, that’s the kick. It’s hard to give it up.”
FEAST FESTIVAL TRANSFORMS ITS ACT WITH NEW HUB
Drag superstar Spankie Jackzon and shows by queer comedians Scout Boxall and Frankie McNair are among highlights of November’s Feast Festival program, which was released at SkyCity on Thursday.
More than 900 artists, performers, volunteers and production crew will come together under the LGBTQIA+ festival’s theme of Transformation to produce 82 Feast events from November 9-24.
“We celebrate queer stories because everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and loved,” said Feast chief executive Tish Naughton.
McNair’s show An Intimate Evening with Tabitha Booth follows a veteran diva’s planned comeback after a mystery hiatus and a lot of credit card debt, while Boxall’s stand-up act Get Into It covers everything from lockdown drills to Eurovision.
Winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under season two, Spankie Jackzon will perform her new show Just the Tip at newly renovated cinema The Piccadilly in North Adelaide.
The Piccadilly will become the Feast Hub, hosting more than 20 events from comedy and spoken word to live music and film on November 22-24.
Picnic in the Park will again open the festival on November 9 at a new location in Botanic Park.
Full program and bookings at feast.org.au
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