This Month
The night Eurovision finally came to Australia
From Moldova’s Epic Sax Guy to a rapturous homecoming for Dami Im, this touring version of the song contest was great daggy fun.
Jesus Christ Superstar goes Judas Priest in hard rocking return
The generation who grew up with John Farnham as Jesus in the 1992 staging of Lloyd-Webber’s first might be surprised at its heavy metal makeover just opened in Sydney.
Polka-dotted pumpkin could be NGV’s most expensive piece of art
The Smorgon family operates Australia’s biggest glasshouse, so their financing of the five-metre sculpture by 95-year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, worth over $10 million, makes sense.
National Gallery handed $15m in biggest-ever donation
Kerry Stokes’ $15 million donation is about one-quarter of what the Canberra institution needs to raise for a new sculpture garden.
Thom Yorke keeps his Radiohead at stunning solo show
The night was long on classics, mixed with mostly engaging newer songs, and free of political intrusion.
October
500 years on, the wives of Henry VIII sing their story
SIX is a ‘rock Tudor’ musical that ‘she-makes’ 16th century history for the TikTok generation.
Yentl drags success from antisemitic time
The play about an Orthodox Jewish girl who dresses as a man to study the Torah has extended its Sydney season, despite only 20 per cent of ticket buyers being Gentiles.
First woman tipped to run Art Gallery of NSW
The long-time lieutenant of departing director Michael Brand is widely regarded as a worthy successor.
How to enjoy Halloween without the landfill guilt
Much of the $450m Australians are forecast to spend on Halloween this year ends up at the tip. Here are some tips to stop that happening.
Diary alert: Shows to catch in November
My Brilliant Career becomes a musical, a guest guitarist turns the ACO into house-music hedonists, and a pioneer of abstract art looks back.
Why this Young Rich Lister swears by a daily ice bath and sauna
Sabri Suby’s nightly sauna and ice bath routine might sound like an ordeal, but he calls it “forced meditation”.
This musical will make you rethink social media
Dear Evan Hansen was conceived early in the Facebook age, and this story of a socially anxious teen has an eye for the pitfalls but also the potential of global connection.
Meet the gelato king who won’t melt for private equity
The man who’s come up with most of Gelato Messina’s 5000 limited-edition specials – if not the biggest-selling flavour – is in no hurry to cede control.
Olivia Rodrigo review: pop icon remains charmingly human
The 21-year-old Californian might be a former Disney star, but at the first of four Sydney shows she related and connected with the messy awkwardness of her young female fans.
$330 Oasis tickets fair, dynamic pricing a good thing: Live Nation chair
After selling 270,000 Oasis tickets in less than 36 hours, thousands of which cost over $800, Michael Coppel says it’s clear people value live experiences.
Young Rich Lister matches major labels with $10m for local music
Jaddan Comerford’s cash injection into Australian music is of a scale rarely seen in the streaming era.
Dettol baths and cockroaches: Archie Moore invites you home
The Queenslander won art’s Olympics this year with a big statement work, but has followed it with an intimate recreation of the house he grew up in.
Sacked orchestra chief may have to pay pianist $18k
Jayson Gillham is going after the Melbourne Symphony’s former managing director, and current COO, as part of his discrimination suit against the orchestra.
Mary Shelley would approve of this Frankenstein show
The monster loses his Hollywood green skin and goes back to his roots in a new production from Shake & Stir Theatre.
Meet the farmer billionaire who wants you to do nothing about climate
Johnny Kahlbetzer knows humans won’t change anything just for the planet’s sake, so he’s obsessed with backing technology that’s not only greener, but better and cheaper.