Australia - Brisbane Theatre Newsroom Page 21

Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, amongst a plethora of other awards, Next to Normal is the story of Diana Goodman, who lives with bipolar disorder and delusion episodes following the traumatic death of her infant son seventeen years ago and her illnesses' ramifications within her family. Amongst depression, the show tackles a number of serious issues such as drug abuse, modern psychiatry, suicide, and most importantly, what it means to be human; what it means to feel grief, pain, hurt and, on the contrary, to feel loved. It's a musical which deals which intertwines the past, present and future with the human condition in the most insightful, emotionally crippling yet beautiful way and so that it comes with no surprise that many more theatre companies are including in their seasons.

JADE New World Collective, the newest ensemble in residence at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), will reveal a sonic palette of ancient and contemporary sounds at their premiere concert in the Cremorne Theatre today 26 February 2019.

Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) will host the second annual BrisAsia Symposium 2019, which will explore the theme Belonging with an exciting, diverse line-up of artists and speakers including celebrity cook, writer and television presenter Adam Liaw, in the Cremorne Theatre on Friday 1 March 2019.

Following its world premiere at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC's) 2018 Out of the Box Festival for children eight years and under, Duck returns to the Cremorne Theatre for a quacking season from 4 to 8 June 2019.

If productions could be labelled as over-achievers, then this show would definitely sit right on top of that category for all the best reasons. For two hours, I was gasping for air as I couldn't stop laughing. I feel sorry for the patrons sitting around me, as I'm sure their ears will be ringing for quite some time of my high-pitched laughter. After receiving a large donation from the uncle of a pompous actor Max, The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society return to Brisbane's shores with Peter Pan Goes Wrong and to say that it is hilarious is an understatement.

Join Australian music royalty Vika and Linda Bull in Songs of Hope and Healing, on Monday 18 March 2019 in Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC) Concert Hall.

Only one week to go until Andy and Terry return to Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) to face their biggest challenge yet in the stage adaptation of The 91-Storey Treehouse, on at the Playhouse from 23 to 27 January 2019.

The world masters of magic have returned to Brisbane with their spectacular production, The Illusionists: Direct From Broadway materialising in the Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) for a strictly limited season from tonight until 19 January 2019.

The applause and standing ovations are set to continue for the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) International Series with the announcement today that the mighty Bolshoi Ballet will return exclusively to Queensland for the Series in 2019.

Only one week to go until Andy and Terry return to Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) to face their biggest challenge yet in the stage adaptation of The 91-Storey Treehouse, on at the Playhouse from 23 to 27 January 2019.

The world masters of magic have returned to Brisbane with their spectacular production, The Illusionists: Direct From Broadway materialising in the Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) for a strictly limited season from tonight until 19 January 2019.

Experience the incomparable Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis as they make their highly-anticipated return to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC) Concert Hall for two spectacular shows - Jazz Ambassadors on Monday 4 March and Monk, Miles & More on Wednesday 6 March 2019.

JADE New World Collective, the newest ensemble in residence at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), will reveal a sonic palette of ancient and contemporary sounds at their premiere concert in the Cremorne Theatre on Tuesday 26 February 2019.

Tyrone and Lesley are two theatrical gentlemen with ukulele's that carry wit and joy. Using the ukulele and sound bass, which is played close to the heart, the duo captivated the audience through their nonsensical lyrics and infectious rhythms. The pair met in 2000 and have released four albums and have played in various venues including Sydney Opera House and many, many festivals including our own Brisbane Festival.

When I was a young teenager, I used to frequently walk past a band that were busking in Queen Street Mall (in front of Strand Bags) and stopping to listen to their music. Their music was funky, it was full of the most incredible harmonies, high energy and toe-tapping beats that made you want to let your inner (and maybe in some cases outer) dance-tress out. And their Woodford set was no different. People were dancing in front of the stage, in their seats and in whatever place they could find. What made us dance was their infectious love on stage for what the band members were doing; their love for what they were playing and their love for each other and it showed in how much fun they were having. The Fergies are five siblings, singing in five part harmony, playing an electrified set filled with from guitars, piano, drums to tambourines of original songs that they wrote off of both their albums. And they have the best time and so will you. Stella Donnelly's roots are in Perth, but you couldn't tell from the way she handles the Brisbane crowd. She played music from her first EP Thrush Metal last year, as well as other originals she wrote during her time on and off tour with Alex the Astronaut, a crowd favourite being 'Boys Will Be Boys'. What I loved about Stella's set is that each of her songs had a story, from strange family members to the grey area of sexual assault and that she shared those stories to us before she played the tune. But I couldn't describe Stella's voice, even if I tried to. You get lost in her voice the way you get lost in her stories. You fall headfirst into its velvet-like quality and once you fall, you don't want to get back up again. Which is why you go to the merch stand after her performance has finished and buy her CD... Australian rock band The Cat Empire didn't fail to disappoint. The fusion of funk, ska, jazz and rock with Latin influences makes you dance the night away and shake at least one part of your body. Felix Riebel and Harry James Angus's voices fill up the entire amphitheatre as the band jam at the back. They played music from all of their albums, including tracks never heard before from their upcoming album to be released in February. I can't list one crowd favourite as they were all crowd favourites, and if that doesn't measure the sheer brilliance of a band then I don't know what does. I remember turning to my friend in the crowd and said 'I love it when a band is a band' and I don't think there's a better way to describe Cat Empire then that. The versatility and skill of the band is extraordinary; the instruments compliment each other so beautifully and each band member is as important as the one on either side of them. No instrument gets left behind of unnoticed; each band member has not just one, but many moments to shine. They played music from all of their albums, including tracks never heard before from their upcoming album to be released in February. I can't list one crowd favourite as they were all crowd favourites, and if that doesn't measure the sheer brilliance of a band then I don't know what does. For upcoming show times and performances please visit: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com .

Adult casting has been announced for the 10th Anniversary Australian Tour of Billy Elliot the Musical which opens at Sydney Lyric Theatre in October 2019 followed by seasons in Melbourne at the Regent Theatre from February 2020, Crown Theatre Perth from June 2020, QPAC's Lyric Theatre in Brisbane from July 2020 and the Festival Theatre at Adelaide Festival Centre from September 2020.

Upbeat Arts Queensland (formerly the School of Hard Knocks) will present their fifth annual Brisbane concert at The Edge Auditorium, State Library of Queensland at 7pm today 14 December 2018.

As something that started out as producer Alex Woodard's annual weird (and kinky) Christmas tradition, A Very Naughty Christmas The Second Coming is truly a sight to behold. Written by Matthew Semple and Emily Kristopher and directed by Dan Venz, Understudy Production's newest Christmas rave celebrates all that is fun, dirty and sexy about the festive season, really stripping it down for its audience. I don't think that I will be able to think of Santa in the same way ever again.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of giving Paige Rattray, the current associate director at Sydney Theatre Company and director of the bad-ass production of Hedda at Queensland Theatre, ring on the phone to interview her about her craftsmanship and creative visions behind her latest work. And here is what she had to say:

Upbeat Arts Queensland (formerly the School of Hard Knocks) will present their fifth annual Brisbane concert at The Edge Auditorium, State Library of Queensland at 7pm on Friday 14 December 2018.

The Producers of the West End hit comedy Peter Pan Goes Wrong, which is currently playing in New Zealand to rave reviews and packed houses, have today announced that they have managed to squeeze in a season in Brisbane from 30 January to 3 February when this hilarious masterpiece stumbles its way around Australia from December until March next year. The show will be performed at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. Tickets for the Brisbane season go on sale this Friday 16 November.