The Sydney Theatre Company has opened The Wharf 2 Gallery at its refurbished Pier 4 home. First up is an exhibition of new works from 16 of Australia’s foremost graffiti artists that will demonstrate many of the different techniques used in this art form. It’s a measure of the strength of graff that, in spite of overwhelming public distaste, its number of practitioners seems to be growing since its first spray-painted appearance over 20 years ago.
Blow Up
March 9, 2010 - Comments Off
The use of air in design, architecture, fashion and art is the focus of this exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum in east Berlin. On show are inflatables of every description, from blow up furniture and bouncy castles to air bags, fashion accessories, ‘wearable sculptures’ and dozens of works of art. Dresses created by Japanese fashion designers Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake are among the most fascinating exhibits.
Malone Dies
March 8, 2010 - Comments Off
Beckett’s ‘Malone Dies’ makes a return to Andrew’s Lane Studio in the hands of the talented Gare St Lazare Players. The second part of a three-part trilogy, ‘Malone Dies’ tells of an old man as he lies dying in an unnamed room. His narration provides a surreal journey through the haunted landscape of memory and imagination. This is a one-man show, performed by Conor Lovett who adapted the novel with director Judy Hegarty and it makes for a compelling piece of theatre.
St Germain
March 4, 2010 - Comments Off
All those Talkin’ Loud types may have moved on to Bossa Nova or two step, but over in France Ludovic Navarre is staying close to the traditions of his American label, Blue Note. Having laid out a dance-floor jazz manifesto on ‘Boulevard’, he reconstituted himself as St Germain and brought out ‘Tourist’, with its infectious ‘Rose Rouge’ that has got audiences shuffling their feet and grinding their hips, eschewing of more traditional forms of jazz appreciation such as the knowing nod.
La Buca di Bacco
March 2, 2010 - Comments Off
Situated in a stunning art nouveau building, this restaurant is worth visiting for the tiled walls and stained glass alone. One wall is virtually a giant wine rack and hundreds of wines from all over the world are available by the glass or bottle. To go with the wine, there’s an enormous spread of antipasti and a good selection of pasta dishes. All this and beautiful young Italian waiters…
Hanna Schygulla
February 17, 2010 - Comments Off
Hanna Schygulla, muse to Rainer Werner Fassbinder and diva of new German cinema, returns to Rome in the guise of cabaret artist to consolidate the success of last season’s university concert. This time her repertoire is strictly Bertolt Brecht, performing classics from ‘The Threepenny Opera’ (expect a rousing Pirate Jenny), ‘Happy End’ (with the driving, haunting ‘Surabaya Johnny’) and the later ‘Kuhle Wampe’. Music is, of course, by Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler, while Matthieu Gonet provides piano accompaniment.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
February 8, 2010 - Comments Off
In the Madrid Players’ English-language pantomime, Snow White wins a talent contest organised by the wicked Queen’s press agent Dame Donna Deluxe. The Queen, informed by her mirror, is enraged and contracts Hollywood wannabe Gladiator and his sidekick Tigger to kill her. The comic duo cannot carry out the dastardly deed and let Snow White and Dame Donna free in the Forbidden Forest where they end up involved in a version of Big Brother in the dwarves’ house. Dodgy jokes, Star Wars and Harry Potter references abound in this laugh-a-minute show.
