By Rama Gaind.
Cupid’s Ko Garden is a magical marine world at Tumbalong Park until 29 January.
At the start of another new year, one of the more popular events worth visiting is the Sydney Festival which has returned with a full program of more than 100 unique events. In its 46th year, the 2023 program is making the most of this summer festival which is a bold, cultural celebration that enlivens and transforms Sydney with quality art and big ideas.
The festival party is well and truly underway in week three. The stages, clubs, parks and hidden spots are packed with a smorgasboard of cultural delights and tasty shows to enjoy.
The festival includes 50 free events across 55 venues and ends on 29 January 2023.
The sparkling program has seen the streets, theatres, concert halls and open spaces being animated by vibrant experiences of art, in all its forms. Take the time to enjoy the incredible homegrown and international talent.
According to the Artistic Director Olivia Ansell, there is nowhere better than Sydney to experience an exhilarating summer of art.
“Made possible by over 1,000 local and international artists and the rich diversity of stories and cultures shared. Please join us this January for a blockbuster line up – from proud First Nation stories, groundbreaking international collaborations, a dedicated contemporary music club through to underbelly immersive experiences that invite you to rediscover this city differently.”
There’s a lot to see and do, along with visiting some iconic tourist spots, but here’s a small selection of program highlights.
Sara Baras: Alma is performed at the Sydney Opera House on 27 and 28 January.
Described as a sublimely surreal spectacle, Room is playing at the Roslyn Packer Theatre until 25 January. A sprawling, magical, restless collision of dance, mime, acrobatics, music and jaw-dropping stage effects created from the surreal mind of James Thierrée.
The no-clues title of Thierrée’s latest work of surreal theatrical imagination barely scratches the surface of what you will see. It’s the most ambitious work yet from the Swiss-born auteur and his Compagnie du Hanneton. In this room, the ceiling spins, mannequins come to life, bodies and instruments become one. The walls sing, the room howls with laughter … then disappears into the distance. Thierrée is no stranger to Sydney Festival, and previous shows such as Au Revoir Parapluie and Tabac Rouge have always been among the summer’s most-talked about productions.
Program highlights
Until 22 January: the Riverside Theatres is where the wildly versatile Jacob Rajan (The Jungle and the Sea) transports you to the vibrant chaos of Mumbai for a multi-character one-man show. See Happy Meal at the Eternity Playhouse. Set in the awkward online worlds of your Millennial youth, this is a warm, witty and nostalgic story of two young people transitioning from teens to adults, from MSN to Tik Tok, from cis to trans – and falling in love along the way.
Werk It at the Seymour Centre is an acrobatic comedy show like never before, featuring pumping ‘90s classics and more dazzling spandex and hi-vis than you an imagine. It’s a workout for your laughter muscles you won’t soon forget.
One of the greatest flamenco dancers of her generation, Sara Baras returns to Australia to present ‘Alma’ at the Sydney Opera House on 27 and 28 January.
Described as a sublimely surreal spectacle, Room is playing at the Roslyn Packer Theatre until 25 January.
Alma is an ensemble showcase in which flamenco embraces bolero, leading onto siguiriya, soleá, caña, rumba and buleria. If you don’t know what those words mean, it won’t matter. Baras’s unbridled energy and ferocious technique will tell you everything you need to know about the dance culture which bursts from the very soul of Spain.
Cupid’s Ko Garden is a wonderland of sound and splash at Tumbalong Park,
11 Harbour Street, until 29 January. A magical marine world awaits in the garden, a six-metre-tall immersive water-play installation splashing summer fun on all within reach. Within the world’s first inflatable fountain, passersby are serenaded by submerged sounds and spritzed by the cheeky cherub Cupid and his ten friendly koi fish squirting choreographed water jets.
Wander and play amid brightly coloured fish and terrazzo ponds under the watchful gaze of Cupid’s motion-tracking LED eyes. At night, a wonderland of light and colour bathes viewers in a kaleidoscopic glow. It’s a free, family-friendly and multi-sensory playground of gushing bubblers and trickling soundtracks, inviting joy, a bit of silliness, and a lot of splash. Here’s public art at its playful best.
FACT BOX
Sydney Festival
Ends on 29 January 2023
www.sydneyfestival.org.au
