See & Do
★★★½
Sydney live reviews
The flawed Australian play that’s still worthy of being revived
The success of Mr Bailey’s Minder at Ensemble Theatre rests on the chemistry between actors playing the elderly Leo and his carer Therese.
- by John Shand
Latest
‘Most potent use of language’: Why poetry is having a comeback
Jazz Money is one of the headliners for a month-long celebration of the best in Australian verse, as an official poet laureate looms on the horizon.
- by Lenny Ann Low
From Miley to Garland: New show explores what makes a diva
Bernadette Robinson channels 10 powerhouse female performers, including Miley Cyrus and Judy Garland, in her new show Divas.
- by Cameron Bayley
From a Ratatouille musical and Kevin Rudd duet to the stage
Gabbi Bolt first found fame with her song for the unofficial Ratatouille musical and TikToks about Australian politics. Now she’s taking on a new challenge.
- by Hannah Story
Latest reviews
Melbourne live reviews
Star-studded play fails to deliver in haunted house thriller
This wrap of shows around Melbourne includes 2:22 A Ghost Story at Her Majesty’s Theatre, jazz group Trichotomy, Caroline Lee in offbeat monodrama June, Paco Pena’s Flamenco in Concert, and Werribee Park Mansion’s long-running production of What Was That?
- by Cameron Woodhead, Sonia Nair and Jessica Nicholas
Opinion
Cinema
Left-wing propaganda or anti-feminist? What Barbie is really trying to say
Yes, Barbie the movie has heard of feminism. (And thinks it sounds awesome!) But how patriarchy-toppling is it really?
- by Diana Reid
Above and beyond: the dance company that operates like a sports team
Choreographer Antony Hamilton says the latest Chunky Move work is the hardest many of the company’s dancers have ever experienced.
- by John Bailey
The cello metalhead behind the soundtrack of your favourite films and games
You’ll hear classically trained Tina Guo on films such as Dune and Top Gun: Maverick, and she’s played with Adele and Stevie Wonder, but it wasn’t until after she joined a circus that her parents accepted her musical path.
- by Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
The 12 best books to read in August
From a young Rupert Murdoch to talking organs - here’s what to read this month.
- by Jason Steger
Latest reviews
Sydney live reviews
Sweeney Todd is the perfect show to get your loved ones into musicals
A wrap of the best live shows in Sydney, from theatre shows The Turn of the Screw, Fade, Tim and Sweeney Todd to Eagles of Death Metal and Jeonghwan Kim.
- by John Shand, James Jennings, Harriet Cunningham, Cassie Tongue and Peter McCallum
The surreal deal: Art inspired by the unspeakable
From Del Kathryn Barton and Patricia Piccinini, there are many Australian artists who have been influenced by Surrealism.
- by John McDonald