The best of what’s on in Sydney

AFTER a year of disruption and cancellations in the entertainment industry, art, film, music and theatre is back in a big way in 2021. Here are Sydney’s best events from January to March.

Australian Chamber Orchestra Musicians L to R: Satu Vanska, Elizabeth Woolnough and Helena Rathbone dressed in fashions from susatainable Fashion house, Good Day Girl. Picture: John Appleyard

AFTER a year of disruption and cancellations in the entertainment industry, art, film, music and theatre is back in a big way in 2021.

Here are Sydney’s best events from January to March.

Sydney Festival

The Sydney Festival will start the new year with a bang, transforming the city with theatre, dance, music, circus, visual arts and big ideas. 2021 will see one of the city’s largest annual cultural celebrations return with over 140 events across running from Jan 6-26.

The 2021 program offers an entirely “Australian made” program and will kick start the Australian arts sector by injecting more than $6 million into the pockets of the very best Australian talent.

“Over 1000 artists, companies and venues have come together in a rare sign of solidarity to produce and promote an All Australian Made program that will showcase our country’s creative, cultural and artistic excellence,” says , artistic director Wesley Enoch.

The festival is set to embrace the outdoors like never before, with a spectacular new 32 metre Covid-safe pop-up stage at Barangaroo Reserve which is set to outdo both the Capitol and the Sydney Lyric in size.

The Headland stage will play host to circus show, The Pulse, Gravity & Other Myths featuring 30 acrobats and a 30-strong choir; Bangarra Dance Theatre will present Spirit: A Retrospective 2021, while electro-pop icon Paul Mac and a choir of Sydney’s finest singers will pay homage to musical legend George Michael in the celebratory The Rise and Fall of Saint George. All shows over 16 nights will be just $25 a ticket.

The festival’s headline events also include: Sunshine Super Girl – the theatrical celebration Evonne Goolagong’s life story which will see Sydney Town Hall transformed into a tennis court; and The Last Season, a provoking new work of dance theatre by Force Majeure that explores human survival and environmental destruction. Inspired by Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, The Last Season features stage icons Pamela Rabe, Olwen Fouéré and

Paul Capsis alongside a cast of 15 young performers.

Until Jan 26, over 140 events, various dates, locations, more info: sydneyfestival.org.au

Bangarra Dance Theatre members Gusta Mara, Ryan Pearson, Beau Dean Riley Smith, Rika Hamaguchi, Nicola Sabatino and Lillian Banks with Sydney Festival Director Wesley Enoch at Barangaroo Reserve in Sydney. Bangarra is appearing on an outdoor stage at the Barangaroo headland, for the Sydney Festival in January. Britta Campion / The Australian

Moonlight cinema

The bean beds have been fluffed, the lawns have been manicured and the silver screens have been lit up for another season of the Moonlight Cinema in Centennial Park.

With COVID-19 measures set up to ensure peace of mind and comfort, movie-lovers can return to Sydney’s original outdoor cinema with confidence to enjoy their favourite movies while kicking back in the outdoors and relish the summer sunsets.

Celebrating 25 years of movies under the stars, no Sydney summer is complete without

For the Ultimate Moonlight Experience for two, snuggle up and enjoy the movie in your very own premium double bean bed with food & beverage served straight to you before the film.

Until April 4, Centennial Parklands, $20-$210, tickets: moonlight.com.au

Pictured at the Belvedere Ampitheatre in Centennial Park in Sydney is Nicola Whiteside and Matt Chard. The very popular Moonlight Cinema has been given the green light to go ahead in summer with social distancing measures. Picture: Richard Dobson

Mov’in boat

Gather your date, your family or your mates and jump on board to watch your favourite movie in a boat. Yes, a boat.

From the same group that brought Sydney the Mov’in Bed and Mov’in Car drive-in cinema experiences, Mov’in Boat now gives movie-lovers the opportunity to watch in a new floating cinema in Darling Harbour.

There are four different ways to enjoy the experience. Jump in one of the 40 rowboats (If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even arrive earlier to have a paddle around Darling Harbour prior to your movie!) Enjoy a movie on their 1000 sqm floating platform and watch your movie while lying on one of our outdoor summer beds.

If you have your own boat, make your way down to Darling Harbour and enjoy a screening from your yacht. Or enjoy a premium experience complete with VIP spot, private table, umbrellas, butler service, queen day bed, complimentary soft drinks and popcorn in the Aquaelit The Star VIP area.

Event founder Vincent Hernandez promises the sound will rival that of a cinema experience.

“Cockle Bay has about 300 speakers all around the bay that are already existing, so we’ll be tapping into that. We’ll also have big speakers in front of the screen, on the floating pontoons and at the back and side. It should be a really immersive sound experience.”

Tickets available until Feb 2021, Darling Harbour, $49.90-$149.90

This summer catch a new release or an iconic blockbuster on sparkling Cockle Bay at Mov’in Boat’s outdoor floating cinema.

Opera Australia

Opera Australia returned to the Joan Sutherland Theatre stage earlier this month for the first time after a hiatus of more than nine months. A three-month COVID-safe season that includes two productions never before performed by the Company has seen Australia’s largest performing arts company emerge from the COVID-19 crisis as a more flexible organisation.

Opening on January 5 with a performance of LEHÁR: The Merry Widow, Opera Australia’s Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini says the organisation will present a season that will have broad appeal while working within the confines of the COVID-safe restrictions.

“First-timers will love Lehàr’s fabulous operetta The Merry Widow (until Jan 16) and Puccini’s Tosca (February 22 – March 13),” he said. “Aficionados who love grand opera of the highest order will be swept away by Verdi’s Ernani (February 2 – 13), and for good measure we’ve thrown in an operatic curve ball with Bartòk’s Bluebeard’s Castle (March 1 - 10).

Terracini said he was particularly thrilled to be bringing Ernani to Australia.

“It’s the second co-production we’ve done with Teatro alla Scala after the tremendous success of Attila earlier this year. We’ve managed to secure some of the world’s best singers to play alongside two of Australia’s finest, Diego Torre and Natalie Aroyan. It was the most popular of Verdi’s early works so it’s way overdue for its Opera House premiere.”

Program runs until March 10, Sydney Opera House, bookings: 9318 8200 or opera.org.au

Soprano Julie Lea Goodwin (centre) will perform in T he Merry Widow. Picture: Nikki Short

Australian Chamber Orchestra

The Australian Chamber Orchestra is kicking off 2021 with its most ambitious season to date including a hybrid of live and digital concerts called ACO StudioCasts to welcome a new musical era.

The bold season features seven live concert programs, opening in Sydney in February, alongside eight 50-minute concert films premiering on a new streaming platform.

Richard Tognetti, Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, said this season will be one of the ACO’s most groundbreaking yet, particularly given it has emerged out of one of the most challenging years it has ever faced.

“2021 will see us presenting two seasons in one and giving people more music than ever before,” he said. “After almost a decade of film-making, a season of concert films feels like a natural evolution for the Orchestra. As Australia’s most travelled orchestra, we are committed to bringing transformative musical experiences to all audiences across the world and ACO StudioCasts does just that in true ACO style.”

The season opens in Sydney in February with Tabula Rasa (8-14 February), by one of the most performed and influential living composers Arvo Pärt. It was the first concert in the ACO’s 2020 program to be cancelled due to Covid-19. In the second program, Beethoven & Bridgetower (18 – 28 March), Artistic Director Richard Tognetti will perform Beethoven’s arguably most loved and performed violin Sonata The Kreutzer, in a dramatic collaboration with Belvoir St Theatre. The first national tour of the season, Schubert’s Quintet will open from 6 May.

Tabula Rasa, 8-14 February, $49-$149, StudioCasts digital subscription from $199, aco.com.au

The ACO will kick off its 2021 season on 8 February. Picture: Stephen Ward

Ensemble Theatre

The north shore’s Ensemble Theatre in Kirribilli has kicked off the 2021 with the premiere of Kenny (running until 27 February). Based on the popular film by Clayton and Shane Jacobson, a brand new adaptation by the talented Steve Rodgers gives the eternally optimistic plumber a new lease of life on stage.

A knight in shining overalls, Kenny is proud of his work, despite his Dad’s harsh judgements and the ignorant

members of the public who take him for granted. In this classic riff on decency, Kenny’s off-beat humour and wide-eyed wonder at life’s possibilities are an inspirational reminder that all that glitters is not necessarily gold.

Outdated follows in March (5 March - 17 April) a funny, bittersweet comedy delving into the trials and tribulations

of middle age dating, followed by Honour, (23 April - 5 June) which sees Joanna Murray- Smith subtly crack open the complexities of a modern relationship from every angle, laying bare our capacity to love, hurt and deceive those around us.

Kenny, Until February 27, bookings: 8918 3400 or ensemble.com.au

Kenny will be performed by Ben Wood at the Ensemble Theatre.

Brandenburg Orchestra

Bold, dynamic and undeniably glamorous - the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra will open their 2021 season in full flight in February with Handel’s Rome (24 February - 5 March).

Featuring an expanded orchestra and the full Brandenburg Choir, all roads lead to Rome as the orchestra and choir be transport you to the streets of the religious and artistic powerhouse of Baroque Europe where a young musician from Halle met minds with La Città Eterna’s musicians.

Higher Angels (21 April - 5 May) will follow. Hold onto your heart as Sara Macliver and Russell Harcourt take the stage with a sublime program of arias and duets by Bach, Handel, Monteverdi, Porpora and Vivaldi.

City Recital Hall, Angel Place, tickets on sale 9 February at brandenburg.com.au

Shaun Lee-Chen with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra

Sydney Theatre Company

After more than two decades of hilarious irreverence and a little COVID-related hiccup, comedy powerhouse The Wharf Revue, is back to say goodbye.

The STC is saying good night and good luck to the comedy juggernaut that has “been keeping the bastards honest since 2000” with one last hurrah.

No one is safe and no topic too taboo in this night of sketches, songs and side-splitting satire that runs until 20 March.

Playing Beattie Bow (until 1 May), an unmissable Sydney story steeped in the history of The Rocks and overflowing with adventure, sparkling humour and a little magic and Appropriate (15 March - 10 April) a dark comedy looks at the US South’s buried history through the wildly entertaining tale of one dysfunctional family will also play during March.

Until 20 March, $49-$99, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, sydneytheatre.com.au

The Wharf Revue starring Jonathan Biggins and Amanda Bishop. Picture: Brett Boardman

Mardi Gras

Australia’s beloved celebration of pride and diversity, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, will become the first internationally significant event to be staged since the spread of COVID-19, taking place on Saturday 6 March, 2021.

The 2021 Parade will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where a capacity of 46,000 audience members will watch on as community groups unite in an extravagant show of pride and passion.

Parade partner SBS will broadcast the entire event live, so revellers from across Australia can tune-in to be a part of the celebrations from the comfort of their homes.

Saturday 6 March, $15-$20, Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) + broadcast on SBS, www.mardigras.org.au.

All the colour from Sydney Mardi Gras 2020.

Hamilton

Possibly one of the most highly anticipated musicals to ever hit Sydney, Hamilton, the Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Pulitzer Prize winning musical will open at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in March. After taking the world by storm when it hit Broadway in 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s critically acclaimed musical tells “the story of America then, told by America now” and has been hailed by critics as “a reinvention of the musical”.

Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created “a revolutionary moment in theatre – a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education”.

$70-$250, 17 March - 5 September, Lyric Theatre, The Star, tickets: ticketmaster.com.au

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is heading to Sydney. Picture: Getty

The National: New Australian Art

A major exhibition partnership curated across three major Sydney venues, The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), The National 2021 will showcase 39 new and commissioned works by leading contemporary Australian artists from across the country.

The National 2021 is the third edition of the six-year initiative presented in 2017, 2019, and 2021, exploring the latest ideas and forms in contemporary Australian art.

Through ambitious new and commissioned projects, the 39 artists, collectives and collaboratives featured across three venues respond to the times in which they live, presenting observations that are provocative, political and poetic.

Free entry, 26 March - 5 September, AGNSW, Carriageworks, MCA, more information: the-national.com.au

Mehwish Iqbal for The National 2021.