The Phantom of the Opera is finally coming to the Opera House,Parramatta has a yearbook to peruse (see details below),and you can warm up with gigs from Gang of Youths and Arlo Parks. Keep reading for highlights of what’s on in Sydney over the next month.
HallyuPopFest
Qudos Bank Arena|August 13 - August 14|
The international K-pop music festival is finally coming down under,filling the Qudos Bank Arena with 10 big-name Korean music stars,including Astro,Kep1er,Oneus and SF9. With a major concert featuring multiple bands,a marketplace and meet and greet,there’s something for every K-pop fan.
ORACLE – the myth
Sydney Opera House|August 3 - August 14|
Exploring the mythologies,stories and traditions that have brought humans together over millennia,ORACLE – the myth combines cabaret,circus,ballet,dance and singing to create a mesmerising performance.
Geoffrey Robertson QC – Hypothetical
International Convention Centre|August 4|
The stage is set for human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson QC’s return to his hypothetical panel where he’ll interrogate a variety of high-profile panellists from government,culture,media and more about scenarios that explores big issues in Australia. It’s a revival of the high-ratingHypotheticalsseries that aired on television in the 1980s.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Simone Young
Sydney Opera House|August 26 - August 27|
What do you get when you combine the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with Belvoir St Theatre,the music of composer Felix Mendelssohn,and Shakespeare? Well,something like this performance.
Phantom of the Opera
Sydney Opera House|August 19 - October 16|
Being performed for the first time ever at the Sydney Opera House,Phantom of the Operais one of the world’s most successful musicals. We’re ready for the great big chandelier to hang from the Opera House’s ceiling.
Fangirls
Sydney Opera House|July 28 - September 4|
This musical,hot off the heels of a stellar season at the Belvoir Theatre,follows 14-year-old Edna,who has fallen in love with Harry,the singer of a certain globally acclaimed boy band,as she tries everything to get tickets to their Australian show. It’s more than just a funny story,though:Fangirlsreflects on the all-too-often misunderstood themes of power and passion in the teenage years.
Jekyll and Hyde:The Musical
Hayes Theatre|July 29 - August 27|
Who doesn’t love a good psychological thriller set to pop rock music? That’s the promise ofJekyll and Hydeas it plays at the Hayes Theatre this August. It’s not to be confused withStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,the stage show based on the same story.
Mary Poppins
Sydney Lyric Theatre|May 15 - September 25|
This supercalifragilistic show hasn’t been in Sydney in over 10 years,which means there’s a whole generation of people ready to take their spoonful of you’ll find. (And if the price is a bit steep,you can have a go at.)
Jagged Little Pill
Theatre Royal|July 9 - August 22|
The jukebox musical is having its second outing in Sydney,after its initial success in the US (including winning a Grammy for best musical theatre album). Featuring a cast led by Natalie Bassingthwaighte as a drug-addicted mother,the musical is separate to Morissette’s initial album.
Being Together:Parramatta Yearbook
Centenary Square,Parramatta|August 1 - October 3|
Renowned photographic artist Cherine Fahd spent 2021 taking school photo-style portraits of the people and moments that make up the City of Parramatta. The result is a stunning “yearbook” featuring diverse communities living through unprecedented urban development and cultural change. It’s a large-scale photographic installation run by the Museum of Contemporary Art and Parramatta Artists’ Studios.
Daniel Boyd:Treasure Island
Art Gallery of NSW|June - January|
More than 80 works by Daniel Boyd, make an appearance in this free exhibition at the Art Gallery. With a renowned style,the Aboriginal and Pacific Islander artist,now based in Marrickville,reflects on colonial history and the nature of resistance.
Archibald,Wynne and Sulman Prizes
Art Gallery of NSW|May 14 - August 28|
See the finalists of some of the country’s most significant art awards. The Archibald Prize is,the Wynne Prize for the best Australian landscape painting and the Sulman Prize for the best subject painting,genre painting or mural project. Visit the exhibition before the end of the month to vote for your favourite portrait.
Gang of Youths
Qudos Bank Arena|August 6|
If you need any evidence that indie pop rock group Gang of Youths has made it big,look no further than the venue for their one-night-only concert. Off the back of the release of their third studio album,Angel in Realtime,the group is set to perform at Qudos Bank Arena as they tour around the country.
Arlo Parks
Enmore Theatre|August 13|
In her first tour in Australia,21-year-old British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks is touring the country after releasing herCollapsed in Sunbeamsalbum last year. It was a feature album on Triple J.
Whitefella Yella Tree
Griffin Theatre Company|August 12 - September 17|
for watching this show? “Bring tissues. Lots and lots of tissues,” says Griffin Theatre artistic director Declan Greene. It’s the story of teenage boys Ty and Neddy,one River Mob and the other Mountain Mob,“on the brink of a world that is about to change forever”. The land they stand on is about to be named Australia. Palawa man Dylan Van Den Berg has written a heartbreaking queer story about love,colonisation and Country.
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Sydney Theatre Company|August 5 - September 3|
The mystery story so good it’s being played in two different versions across the city,this performance of the classic Gothic tale is set to use live video and cinematic elements to bring to life the story of lawyer Gabriel Utterson’s investigation into friend Dr Jekyll. It’s from the team that delivered critically acclaimed,so we’re expecting big things.
The One
Ensemble Theatre|July 22 - August 27|
Delving into the complexities of Eurasian identities in Australia,this new family comedy follows lead Mel (Angie Diaz) as she attempts to,well,survive (if not thrive).
Top Coat
Sydney Theatre Company|June 25 - August 6|
Michelle Law’s comedy about a manicure gone wrong turns into the story of a body swap between a Chinese-Australian manicurist and a high-flying TV exec. It’s an irreverent satire of Australia’s media landscape,and audiences can be guaranteed to laugh – and think.
A cultural guide to going out and loving your city..