Category: CITIES

All about Negroni Week and the 100th birthday of the Negroni

Negroni cocktail Campari

Not only is it Negroni Week from 24-30 June, but we’re also celebrating the 100th birthday of the cocktail, so if every you were going to get on board, now’s the time. It’s the one period of the year where bars, restaurants and retailers around the world, dedicate themselves to celebrating the red cocktail, with Campari at the heart, over the common goal of raising money for charitable initiatives. And this year is even more special, as 2019 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Negroni: #N100. The week of celebration’s been around since 2013 with around 100 participating bars in Australia with a total of $585,000 for charitable causes in 2018 being raised around the world. On 24th June, festivities will commence in Florence, the birthplace of the Negroni, triggering a series of charity events due to take place around the world to honour Count Camillo Negroni, the man who inspired the cocktail. International bartenders will gather from around the world to prepare their interpretations and twists on The Negroni in Florence. Australian bars will be pumping out contemporary interpretations of the Negroni created by Australian artists like Jamie Preisz (winner of the 2018 Archibald Packing Room Prize and 2018 People’s Choice Prospect Portrait Prize). His Negroni masterpiece “Gliding Bloom Drift” will go into a sweepstake prize draw with all proceeds being donated to the ReachOut.com organisation. Here’s a list of bars to go that are joining in the party. Sydney: maybe sammy, big poppas, bulletin place, burrow bar, continental cbd, door knock, earl’s juke… Read More

HOBART: Dark Mofo’s Siloam – The end of the world and the giant iron arsehole

Dark Mofo Hobart Divine Comedy 2

Boys in high-vis have been digging through bedrock. When once we had to turn around and walk where we had been, we can now circumnavigate MONA. An endless loop. No more getting stuck at the entrance to Pharos and Faro.  Through the tunnels we find Confessional, by Oliver Beer. The Ammonoidea shaped construction of a noise dampened chamber, leading to the giant iron asshole flatulating ambience at MONA’s surface. Using a gramophone effect, patrons in the bowels of MONA can confess whatever they wish to be heard by whoever is near.  One level above Confessional is Ai WeiWei’s White House. The fixing free construction coming together like a giant lego set to show the skeleton of a Qing Dynasty home. Absolutely gorgeous. A hot red tunnel ascends from White House. Leading to your very own Virgil, your very own Beatrice. Ready to literally strap you into a harness to experience one of the circles of hell. Inferno for the everyman. For the everyman. A blueprint of a good life; in allegory and analogy. Dante’s, Divine Comedy. Not talking down to the people, talking to the people. Guiding. The Divine Comedy by Alfredo Jaar is the installation for the everyman. When words and science fail the everyman, when the everyman is failed by an ill-intended, overgrown system. Art could fill that void, to bluntly educate by “Look at this. Not good”. The Divine Comedy is an emotive hand-hold through a not too distant future. An experience where you can literally feel the heat and pressure of an Inferno from above and hear the rushing of water beneath your… Read More

MELBOURNE: Chicago is coming to stage in Australia

Chicago Melbourne

So, Chicago’s back in town and turning it out with big dancing name Jason Donovan as Billy Flynn. He’ll take on the role of the cunning and charismatic lawyer, making Donovan’s first time in such a role on stage, alongside Australian products Natalie Bassingthwaighte and singer Casey Donovan as everyone’s favourite Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, famous for her song ‘When you’re good to mama’. The Kander & Ebb musical has been seen by over 31 million people worldwide in 36 countries and is the winner of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy Award. Chicago continues to play on Broadway and around the world in multiple languages and is the longest running American musical in Broadway and West End history. Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer Billy Flynn to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids. It’s a sensation of a story that’ll be a sensation on stage. For more info and to get your own tickets, check out the Chicago website.

LONDON: Frantic Assembly celebrates turning 25 with a year of projects

Frantic Assembly

They’ve just been announced as one of this year’s partners for the fifth running of the National Theatre’s River Stage, but that’s not all Frantic Assembly have up their sleeve in 2019. They’re a theatre company, known for their fearlessness and ambition; a set of skills that has them game enough to announce a years’ worth of work for them to look forward to. And that’s just the start. They’ve got a new website coming in July, heading theatre arena at Latitude Festival with a new show, Sometimes Thinking – celebration of the hours invested in daydreaming and fantasising about the people we could have been, the things we should have said, and who we might yet become – which will be performed at Latitude, 19-20 July. Not to mention, thought the full line up of what’s on offer for River Stage is yet to be announced, it’ll include a combo of works like Sometimes Thinking, the Frantic Megamix (a performance celebrating 25 years of Frantic Assembly) a movement demonstration from A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Frantic Family workshops, a return of the Fatherland Chorus of Others and special performances from our Ignition Graduates such as DJ sets from Lewis Griffiths and Stefan Janik. Oh, and they’ve also formed a new creative think-tank, The Assembly, consisting of an evolving group of artists, creative practitioners and advisors invited by the Artistic Director, who will meet quarterly to discuss the vision and ambition of the company. For more on what’s to come from… Read More

From Sydney to London: Where to celebrate World Gin Day

Gin Lane light bulb moment cocktail

Gin is as trendy as anything right now and its popularity definitely isn’t limited to Australia or the UK, but damn when it comes to celebrating it, both countries have it down-packed. Between Sydney and London, there’s enough on to keep your whistle whet, so head along and give any one of their gin concoctions a go. London If you’re not tracking down where’s good to do for a tipple of The Botanist gin, then you’re doing something wrong. Find out about their London-exclusive map to goodness they’ve created, here. They’ll also be mixing up drinks at Belgravia, Opium, The Blind Pig, The Shrub and Shutter, The Little Yellow Door, Le Pont de la Tour and Jin Bo Law Skybar for guests. Bluebird Chelsea are celebrating World Gin Day on the 8th June with a Fever-Tree Perfect Serves Menu. The Chelsea landmark have collaborated with Fever-Tree to create a menu with summery flavours and a quintessentially British garden on the sun-soaked terrace. The menu features an array of G&Ts including Perfectly Pink G&T made with Pink Pepper Ginand Aromatic Tonic garnished with lemon and lavender. Mr Fogg’s is putting on a gin spectacular for all to witness in the Parlour, as they attempt London’s first 4 metre gin pour, from the top windows of Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour on Saturday 8 June. The Little Yellow Door is Notting Hill is throwing the ultimate house party, complete with a chlorophyll-based brunch cocktail. Called ‘The Hangover’, this body purifying breakfast tipple packs one hell of a punch with more health benefits than drinks can shake a stick at…. Read More

London’s National Theatre is back with River Stage for 5th year running

River Stage National Theatre people smiling

The free summer festival, hosted by the National Theatre on London’s thriving Southbank is back again. Complete with a full line-up of performances that span the gamut of drag, cabaret, acrobatics, singing and dancing, it’s an event, inclusive of all, that really puts the National Theatre and London arts on the map. The whole festival is about celebrating the best of British and International culture, drag artists and London’s green and blue spaces, including the River Thames. River Stage is on around the city, but has partnered with The Glory (gay bar 5-7 July), Shubbak Festival (Arabic entertainment spread, 12-14 July), National Park City Festival (19-21 July), Frantic Assembly (26-28 July) and the National Theatre itself (2-4 August).   Subbak Festival Shubbak Festival will be bringing an international focus to the festival with Bricklab’s ‘Geographical Child’s Play’. Bricklab, the designers of the first Saudi pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale have created a new pop-up sculpture especially for Shubbak: 22 brightly coloured units equalling in number the 22 states of the Arab League. National Park City Festival To celebrate London becoming the world’s first National Park City, the Mayor of London’s National Park City Festival features a huge array of acts to celebrate everything green and wild about the city, including family favourites The Gruffalo and living costumes walkabout, the Grass Men, plus two large-scale outdoor dance theatre spectacles: the Urban Astronaut and BLOCK, which explore themes of air pollution and the challenges of living in an urban jungle. Frantic Assembly Frantic Assembly are celebrating their 25 anniversary this year, will offer the chance for everyone… Read More

Rivareno Gelato Sydney: Sugar hits done right

Rivareno Gelato Sydney 1

Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean you can’t continue to enjoy frosty favourites like gelato. And it’s even better on hot Belgian waffles or freshly made crepes, which are now on offer as part of Rivareno’s winter menu. The crepes and waffles are served with either gianduia sauce (a chocolate-hazelnut sauce similar to Nutella), or with an organic Canadian maple syrup, topped with Rivareno’s freshly made gelato. Take it to the next level with some freshly whipped cream, if you dare! Rivareno’s has also introduced nine delicious vegan sorbets as part of the new winter menu including extra bitter cioccolato, pistachio, almond, authentic Italian gianduia, kiwi and coconut, plus more! If you’re after something really satisfying and indulgently rich to keep you warm, there’s also Rivareno’s signature rich Italian style hot chocolate, made with Valrhona single origin Grand Cru ‘Manjari’ chocolate. Be warned though, the hot chocolate is super thick, so you’ll want to enjoy it at a nice, slow pace. Rivareno have two stores in Sydney, one in Darlinghurst at 280 Crown Street and the other located at Barangaroo, 33 Barangaroo Avenue.

Opera Australia is going fully digital for their premieres

Opera-Aida-2

It was back in 2018 that Opera Australia first introduced their new digital screens in Aida. They fly around the stage, producing incredible images of stage props, striking colours and engaging projections that singers, the choir and stage actors move around seamlessly like they’re barely there. Here’s a refresher: Pegged as the opera of the future, Opera Australia is bringing them back again, only this time, instead of limiting it to one production, they’re turning them out for all of them. They’re the first company in the world to present a fully digital season of three brand new productions when it opens its Sydney Winter Season on 28 June 2019 in Sydney. Starring at the world renowned Sydney Opera House, Madama Butterfly – perfectly timed too, given its last production by Moffat Oxenbould wound-up last year – Anna Bolena and Whiteley will benefit for the digital treatment, no doubt wowing everyone who’s there to see it. They work thanks to fourteen, 7-metre high suspended LED screens that are choreographed to move seamlessly around the stage, creating a visual landscape that needs to be seen to be believed, and taking opera to a whole new level. See more and get tickets to the productions at the Opera Australia website.

LONDON: Immigration and Modern Britain – The Kaleidoscope exhibition at Somerset House

Somerset House Kaleidoscope

There’s a new exhibition that puts Britain’s relationship with the rest of the world and its nationalities on the map, so to speak. It’s going down at Somerset House, right in the heart of London and it’s called Kaleidoscope; exploring the identity of immigration in modern Britain. The exhibition will contain stills and video, showcasing the works of ten photographers born or based in Britain, many with family origins abroad including Hong Kong, India, Jamaica and Russia. It’ll explore what it means and how it feels to live as an immigrant, or a descendent of immigrants, in Britain today. It all stems from personal experiences to evoke some sort of emotion in visitors to the exhibition and tell the story of a nation’s wide and varied multiculturalism. Think stories of the struggles of asylum seekers and stories of second and third generation immigrants in forms that are as moving as they are engaging, all presented in the striking environs of Somerset House. See the Kaleidoscope exhibition from 12 June to 8 September 2019 on Sat – Tues, 10.00 – 18.00, Wed – Fri, 11.00 – 20.00, except for 11 – 21 July and 8 – 21 August, when daily opening hours are 10.00 – 18.00. Get tickets from the Somerset House website.

What to see at Somerset House London: Get Up, Stand Up Now

Somerset House Get Up

Celebrating generations of Black Creative Pioneers, the new exhibition at Somerset House, right in the heart of London, will put on a showcase of art, film and photography. There’ll be 100 artists represented, whose work will be presented to articulate and address the black experience and sensibility from the post-war era to the present day. The whole collection will showcase works and new commissions alongside items from personal archives, much of which has never been seen before. The whole thing has been curated by acclaimed artist Zak Ové, who’s invited each artist to exhibit on account of their significant contribution to shaping the cultural landscape.  You’ll see works from the likes of Zak and Horace Ove, Armet Francis, Charlie Phillips, Sonia Boyce and Steve McQueen and many more. See more of what’s on at the Somerset House website.