Performing Arts
The Butch is Back: brutally funny Reuben Kaye returns to MELT
Kicking 2020 to the kerb, MELT Festival returns with the obscenely intelligent, beautifully filthy, and rib-crackingly funny Reuben Kaye. Reuben returns after 10 years touring abroad. Yes indeed. The Butch is Back! The multi-award-winning comedian, singer, and self-proclaimed part-time hood ornament returns with a new show, a new band, and new looks to die for. …
Comic crooner Bob Downe brings retro Vegas club show to Brisbane
Australia’s Prince of Polyester Bob Downe is bringing his retro crooner nightclub show Viva Bob Vegas to Brisbane. Punters can sing along to Bob’s new Vegas-style lounge act in an evening of comedy and classic hits featuring the performer and his live band. If you can’t go to Vegas, let Vegas come to you this …
The Kite String Tangle and ADC take you on a visceral trip in ‘Aftermath’
Aftermath opens into a haunting world of disquiet. Then, the Australasian Dance Collective and Brisbane music producer The Kite String Tangle hurtle the audience through a landscape of fragmented memories and imperfect recollection to a high-octane climax. Visceral physicality and a stirring soundscape collide in a bold new full-length work at Brisbane Powerhouse this February. …
Spanish gay rom-com Smiley makes Brisbane stage debut
Spanish gay romantic comedy Smiley will transport audiences to Barcelona during its Australian debut in Brisbane this week. The new local adaptation keeps the Spanish setting and follows Alex (Sergio Torres, above left) and Bruno (Matt Young) who only have one thing in common – they’re both gay men. However an invisible thread of destiny …
Hugh Sheridan stage show postponed after trans casting backlash
A Sydney production of cult queer classic Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring Hugh Sheridan is on hold after backlash over the actor’s casting in the role. Sheridan was to play the lead role of Hedwig in the rock musical. The character is a queer punk musician who undergoes a botched gender reassignment operation in …
Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince retold in glorious watercolour
In February 2020, the Australian Ballet premiered Graeme Murphy’s interpretation of Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince. Theatre legend Kim Carpenter adapted the story with Graeme Murphy and designed the costumes and sets. Following an acclaimed opening at Brisbane’s QPAC, pandemic restrictions forced the cancellation of the Melbourne and Sydney seasons. Before the cancellation, Kim Carpenter …
Jack Lister’s ‘Still Life’ for Australasian Dance Collective
Jack Lister recently joined the Australasian Dance Collective from the Queensland Ballet. A Brisbane local, Jack joined as both dancer and choreographer. Still Life, his latest work, premieres in the Australian Dance Collective’s THREE at QPAC in April. Established in 1984 as Expressions Dance Company, this leading Queensland contemporary dance company entered 2020 as the …
Dahlia Dyer: Everything from Princess Diana to BDSM
Dahlia Dyer is one of Brisbane’s youngest drag queens but don’t let her age fool you. This queen is one for the ages. Playing with makeup from a young age, Dahlia knew she was destined to be a fierce performer with a stunning mug to boot. She’s a self-confessed “black widow domme” who isn’t afraid …
Standing ovation for dance against homophobia
The studio audience for France has Incredible Talent! awarded a standing ovation to dancers Guillaume and Arthur for their dance against homophobia this week. During the last round of auditions, Arthur from Quebec and Guillaume from France, presented a routine displaying their full range of talents as acrobats and dancers. The pair, a couple for …
Matrix: 20 dancers, 2 countries, 1 universal language of dance
Internationally renowned Chinese dance company BeijingDance/LDTX is coming to Brisbane to perform Matrix, a cultural collaboration with Expressions Dance Company (EDC). Prior to the season at QPAC, EDC spent five weeks in Beijing creating the double bill. During that time, they developed new works from Australian multi-award-winning choreographer, Stephanie Lake, and Chinese choreographer, MA Bo. …