This Month
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.
- Michael Bailey
- Opinion
- Opinion
Quincy Jones shows why AI will never beat human brilliance
No algorithm will ever have the real life story that is embedded in the work of a great and original artist.
- Dave Lee
Only 27 men can be in Verdi’s exclusive fan club
Gaining a coveted membership requires a proven passion for the Italian composer, and an existing member to die. You also have to be male.
- Elisabetta Povoledo
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.
- Michael Bailey
October
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.
- Michael Bailey
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.
- Michael Bailey
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.
- Michael Bailey
$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.
- Michael Bailey
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.
- Michael Bailey
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.
- Michael Bailey
Melbourne Symphony sued in battle of ‘brand v human rights’
Jayson Gillham’s suit against the MSO shapes as a test of anti-discrimination laws against the rise of “morals clauses” in employment contracts, says a leading workplace lawyer.
- Michael Bailey
September
Seven must-see shows this October
From a Bette Davis cabaret, to Celine Dion on the Titanic and a takeover in the Adelaide Botanic Garden, there are plenty of reasons to leave the house this month.
- Michael Bailey
The 10 most culturally powerful people in Australia in 2024
What does it mean to be Australian right now? These 10 people made the biggest mark on our national culture this year.
- Michael Bailey
The Gaza conflict ripped through the arts and ripped it apart
The conflict in Gaza hangs heavily over theatres and galleries, as animosities lead to a wave of resignations, donor withdrawals and boycotts.
- Matthew Drummond
Teenagers slam dancing to 1990s heroes Spiderbait? It happened here
The rock veterans from Finley, NSW still play like a band thirty years their junior - and attracted many fans that age to the Enmore Theatre on Saturday night.
- Michael Bailey
Melbourne Symphony review after Gaza furore to cost $700k
Peter Garrett’s probe into the decision-making around a pianist’s onstage remarks on the Gaza war is set to cost some 7 per cent of the orchestra’s annual box office.
- Michael Bailey
Awkward season launch for Opera Australia as musicals muscle in
A record four musicals are programmed for OA’s 2025 season, highlighting tensions between art and commerce that saw artistic director Jo Davies leave in August.
- Michael Bailey
‘I was levitating’: Why Brett Clegg paid for Sydney Dance Company work
The public relations mogul’s love affair with dance began when he sent an unsolicited novella to a British electro musician in 2011.
- Michael Bailey
- Exclusive
- New music
Why Missy Higgins stopped therapy to make an album
Two decades on from the multi-platinum The Sound Of White, Missy Higgins is looking inward again – only this time it’s to cope with being a newly single mother of two.
- Alexander Gow
If you’re leaving Disneyland while it’s light, you’re doing it wrong
The world’s best-known theme park inspires awe and delight during the day, but after dark Walt’s $280 billion vision truly comes to life.
- Lucy Dean