Reviews

Nature and Indigenous spirits are powerfully invoked in this Bangarra dance retrospective staged for the Sydney Festival so rightly on the Headland in the Barangaroo Reserve. 

Against Jacob Nash’s beautiful forest and landscape backdrops, etched against blazes of colour, 20 dancers perform snippets from nine works. The vast headland stage is flanked by side screens offering closeup views of the dancers – and the intensity on their faces.

Sydney’s Hayes Theatre, now seven years old, is a leader in innovative, small-scale musical theatre in Australia. But like many theatres, this little powerhouse has been out of action during the pandemic, its intimate space now a particular challenge. So, for its 2021 return, it’s transferred to a larger space — and is back with a bang.

Dangerous Game is an espionage and spy themed cabaret for Ace’s Cabaret and Fringe World, featuring vocalist Catherine Clarnette and eight fabulous musicians.

James Bond would feel very at home Downstairs at the Maj, which has a lovely touch of Bond-like sophistication with its cabaret setting. Catherine Clarnette looks every bit the Bond-girl in her copper-pink sparked evening gown - in front of the beautifully attired band.

Sylvia Cornes could well be crowned Perth’s Queen of the bio-cabaret. While cabarets based on the work of famous singers are plentiful, few give you such an insight into the performers’ lives in the way that Sylvia brings her subjects to life.