ADELAIDE THE LIST
SUMMER FESTIVALS
2024
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ANNA PIPER SCOTT GINGZILLA GRAND THEFT THEATRE LAURIE ANDERSON LIMBO: THE RETURN LIZZY HOO MEL MCGLENSEY THE PROMISE TIME MACHINE WRITERS’ WEEK YOAH
BEND THE KNEE FOR
THEATRE & DANCE
COMEDY
VISUAL ART & LITERATURE
KIDS
MUSIC
OUT OF TOWN GUIDE CITY GUIDE
FREE
CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
M
Y
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2 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
ADEL AIDE SUMMER FESTIVAL GUIDE 2024
CONTENTS
FEATURES
Dream Land Profiling First Nations voices
6
Kween Kong Long may she reign
9
Time Machine Radical choreography
12
CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
PICTURE: JR BERLINER ENSEMBLE
Gingzilla Return of the red
19
Yoah Leading-edge circus thrills
20
COMEDY
Mel McGlensey Making motorboating fun
26
Lizzy Hoo Ex talking
28
KIDS
Floods of Fire/Create4Adelaide Democratising curation
33
Jon & Jero Choose your own adventure
34
MUSIC
Tune in Music from around the festivals
38
Rob Snarski & Lindy Morrison Legends who lunch
40
THEATRE & DANCE
A Tale Of Two Operas Groundbreaking international productions
43
Jungle Book Reimagined Not just for kids
47
VISUAL ART & LITERATURE
43
Laurie Anderson Future-focused
50
Writers’ Week All the highlights
52
HOT SHOTS
Immersive wonders
61
THE THREEPENNY OPERA
OUT OF TOWN GUIDE
Published in January 2024 by List Publishing Ltd 2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh EH8 9SU Tel: 0131 623 3040 list.co.uk jo@list.co.uk
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CITY GUIDE
Eat
63
Drink
68
e m o c l e W PICTURE: FABRICE MABILLOT
Welcome to our second Adelaide Summer Festival Guide: it’s such a pleasure to be here. We’ve been an integral part of the Edinburgh Festivals for almost 40 years and it’s an absolute honour to continue to support Adelaide’s summer festival programme with our award-winning coverage. As we’ve been putting together this guide, almost every single person we’ve spoken to has told us how special the festivals held every summer in Adelaide are to them: it’s a spiritual home for thousands of creatives where everyone is welcome. It’s changed lives, changed careers and it’s certainly changed things for us here at The List. Our whole team respectfully join the creators and curators of Adelaide’s festivals to recognise we meet on the traditional Country of the Kaurna people. We acknowledge and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land and particularly thank the First Nations artists and activists who have been so generous with their time and expertise as we’ve worked on this guide. What’s to come inside? We hear how Adelaide Festival is putting First Nations voices first, chat to cover star Kween Kong about who she’d share some Margaritas with, and discuss Gingzilla’s fave festival day. Mel McGlensey talks motorboating, Dutch composer Wende is inspired by the female experience and we take a deep dive into some world-class opera. All that, plus more recommendations than you can shake a stick at, a handy round-up of where to eat and drink across the CBD and, new for this year, a guide to some of the world-beating wine country that’s just a hop, skip and jump away from the city. So what are you waiting for? Your Adelaide experience awaits. Let us help you make it a great one.
Jo Laidlaw EDITOR
FESTIVAL DATES FOR YOUR DIARY ADELAIDE FRINGE 16 February—17 March adelaidefringe.com.au ADELAIDE FESTIVAL 1–7 March adelaidefestival.com.au WRITERS’ WEEK 2–7 March adelaidefestival.com.au/writers-week WOMADELAIDE 8–11 March womadelaide.com.au
CONTRIBUTORS CEO
Writers
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AKRAM KHAN’S
OPENING EVENT
STEPHEN PAGE’S
Baleen Moondjan
Jungle Book reimagined
A visually spectacular new work of storytelling, dance and live music at sunset on Glenelg Beach.
28 Feb – 2 Mar / Glenelg Beach
15 – 16 Mar / Festival Theatre
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE � AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVE
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE � AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVE
Time Machine ELIZABETH STREB & STREB EXTREME ACTION
Antigone in the Amazon MILO RAU � NTGENT & MST
14 – 17 Mar / Her Majesty’s Theatre
15 – 17 Mar / Dunstan Playhouse
64 EVENTS | 23 EXCLUSIVES | 16 WORLD PREMIERES TICKETS ON SALE NOW adelaidefestival.com.au
1 � 17 MAR 2024
FIRST NATIONS
PICTURE: TJ GARVIE
DREAM LAND 6 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
For full listings, go to list.co.uk/adelaide-festival
3 To See
First Nations
PICTURE: DANIEL BOUD
or theatre-maker Jacob Boehme, a Narungga/Kaurna man whose ancestral lands lie along Yorke Peninsula, the work of learning his nation’s stories is never complete. Boehme’s latest piece, Guurunda, premieres at Adelaide Festival this year, and brings together stories from Narungga Country in a vast, multi-disciplinary work. But Boehme himself didn’t know all Guurunda’s stories until five years ago. ‘There is one story we tell in this work, which is the creation of our dingo, and I didn’t know that until about 2017,’ Boehme says over Zoom from his home in Melbourne. At a barbecue to celebrate his cousin’s birthday, he got chatting about a conversation he’d had with a songman from north of Queensland. ‘He had said to me that they have a dingo song, where their song is the resting song of the dingo (where it dies). But the songman told me that the dingo songline starts from where my country is. I had never in my whole life heard anyone in the family talk about any kind of dingo songline we have as Narungga people.’ He mentioned this to his cousin, Uncle Eddie. ‘And Eddie, straight off the bat, says, “Yeah. We call him Warrugadli; he’s the roaming dog. That storyline goes all the way up the east coast.” Next thing you know I was back in country over on Yorke Peninsula being shown all the spots where the dingo travels.’ Boehme says it is ‘a beautiful thing’ to still be learning his nation’s stories, but it’s also a symptom of the colonisation that drove the stories underground in the first place. Guurunda is the first opportunity he has had, as a First Nations artist, to present a work of Narungga storytelling on this scale. ‘This is the first time we’re taking our stories on a main stage and sharing it with broader audiences.’ It has been an enormous undertaking, with a cast that includes a family choir of 30 Narungga people, as well as dancers from various First Nations. Landscape is at the heart of the piece, which is central to Narungga identity. ‘When we’re singing and dancing stories, then you only need to look down to the furthest southern point and you can see Bulgawan [the wicked old woman] in the cliffs. The same when you look at the story of the bat, Madjidju: he’s a rock formation that is also down in the south. Then there’s Nhandhu, the red kangaroo, who is our law man who features heavily in our stories.’ Guurunda is just one production created and led by First Nations artists across Adelaide’s festivals this year. One of the performances Boehme is looking forward to seeing is Blue, a solo play about loss and growing up, written by Kamilaroi man Thomas Weatherall and performed by Wiradjuri man Callan Purcell. Elsewhere, Australian Dance Theatre’s ambitious new production Marrow explores Australian history and the national conscience: it’s choreographed by artistic director Daniel Riley, a Wiradjuri man and the only First Nations artist to helm the company. At Adelaide Fringe, there are cultural tours of the city’s Botanic Garden hosted by First Nations leaders, rap and rock celebrations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Zenadth Kes Meriba Wed (‘Our Songs’), and the return of Aboriginal Comedy Allstars, featuring Sean Choolburra and 2022 Deadly Funny winner, Janty Blair. For any festival-goer wanting to immerse themselves in Ngarrindjeri Country and culture, the Dupang Pangari festival is unmissable. The three-day festival-within-afestival is led by senior Ngarrindjeri elder Major Moogy Sumner and, as with Guurunda, the art and ceremony that will be explored is deeply rooted in the landscape. ‘Dupang Pangari is a healing spirit,’ says Sumner. ‘When people come there, they come to see the ceremonies, to learn about the land, the stories, the spirit of this land, but they also learn about how we use it for healing: dance, talking about creation, stories about the stars. That’s what Dupang Pangari means.’ It will take place on the banks of the Coorong (Kurangk in its original Ngarrindjeri name), the neck of water at the mouth of the Murray River which, in Ngarrindjeri stories, was created by blending several bodies of water into the river mouth. It’s a medicinal river: Sumner remembers as a child being taken to have sores on his skin bathed away. ‘There’s guardianship there,’ he says. ‘There’s healing.’ The festival will open with a dance ceremony from multiple Ngarrindjeri groups, as well as storytelling, basket weaving, woodcarving and, if the wind is gentle, boomerang throwing (although Sumner admits ‘that could be a bit dicey’). For Sumner, the Fringe presents an opportunity to share his culture with visitors from outside Australia. ‘People come here from all over the world,’ he says. ‘If you put all the Aboriginal cultures at the Fringe, that saves them travelling all over Australia. They’re here, they see them, and they learn.’
FIRST NATIONS
F
Australia’s First Nations Peoples have held, cherished and passed down the country’s stories for millennia. Lucy Ribchester discovers this year’s Adelaide festivals are bursting with First Nations theatre, music, dance and storytelling
BALEEN MOONDJAN Combining dance, storytelling and song, this world premiere takes the form of a contemporary ceremony. Set in the open-air on Glenelg’s stunning beach, it tells the Ngugi/Nunukul/ Moondjan story of the relationship between humans and whales. Glenelg (Pathawilyangga) Beach, 28 February–2 March. DUSTY FEET MOB A community of young Aboriginal dancers drawn from different First Nations tell stories of the Stolen Generation to help heal past trauma. Joyous and touching, with empathy and connection at its core. Adelaide College Of The Arts, 5–9 March. CLUB CULTURE A one-night-only event turning preconceptions of contemporary First Nations culture on their head. Including art workshops and live performances from hip hop funk group Sonz Of Serpent and dreamy-voiced Katie Aspel. Gluttony, 16 February. Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 7
8 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
adelaidefringe.com.au
KWEEN KONG
KWEEN
Our cover star Kween Kong has had a stellar few years, including being a runner-up on Drag Race Down Under and serving as an Adelaide Fringe Ambassador in 2023. She joins Jo Laidlaw to talk about her latest show, Black Puddin >>
OF ALL SHE SURVEYS
Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 9
10 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
>> KWEEN KONG
Tell me about Black Puddin. What’s it about? I was in a show called Smashed back in 2020. It got a review which was great overall, but some of the language was problematic: they used food to reference the cast and called Kween Kong the ‘black pudding’ of the production. I found that a really odd choice of language. And also, no one really eats black pudding in Australia. Lots of things then happened, but I put my response into this show. Black Puddin is a dystopian world of apologist addicts, people who are always apologising for things that don’t need to be apologised for. In this brand-new version, it’s drag and dine, so you’ll also eat a lot of beautiful food and have lots of beautiful cocktails, mostly Margaritas because I’m a Margarita slut. Talk to me about the dining; what are your food influences? Tell you what, in the Pacific we’re big feeders and we love to share everything, especially food. I think my best memories of growing up and the thing that Kween loves most is being in the kitchen with my aunties, with my mum; cuppa tea, cake, everything. But we eat a lot of bad food. We are definitely not shy of the calorie. If you were to have your own table at Black Puddin and could invite any four people in the world to be your dinner guests, who would you have? I have to say Whitney Houston, because we share the same birthday and also the same vocal range (we don’t, but I feel like we do). So definitely Auntie Whitney. And Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner (a huge inspiration) and Beyoncé. The diva table, then? Diva table! What would you wear and what’s on the menu? I’m very extra, but I’d probably pare it back so I don’t show any of those divas up. I’d wear a Polynesian dress. I’d look like a deity from Samoa. I love Pacific food and I eat a lot of it, but the menu at Black Puddin is all Mexican, because I love a taco. Anything spicy. You’re on the road a lot. How does that affect the way you eat? Because we travel a lot, being able to sit down and have dinner at home is a luxury. Even if it’s only for a day or two, if I’m home we always have dinner with my family. Otherwise, I’m on the road eating takeout, or at nice restaurants where I drink copious amounts of liquor and put my kidney and liver through the blender. But you’re dancing, you have a fantastic split, so there must be some nutrition going in there? Gravity: 102 kg hitting the ground. I give those hamstrings no choice. Bam. What’s your guilty pleasure? I never allow myself enough time to crave something. If I want a Tim Tam, I go get a Tim Tam. If I want ice-cream, I go for ice-cream. So my guilty pleasure would be broccoli; that’s a once-in-a-blue-moon food. I eat all the bad food and pair it with ‘I deserve it, I’ve been working really hard. Really, really hard. Three whole minutes on stage. That warrants two Big Macs and an extra cheeseburger.’ Yet you’re glowing. Botox and KFC grease. If you were to sum up Black Puddin in three words, what would they be? You. Could. Never. We’re showcasing excellence. The attitude is that ‘you could never do this’, because attitude isn’t just about performing on stage; it’s from lived experience. So, I want the performers to command the space and say to the audience ‘you could never do this’. Black Puddin, Mamacita, 16–18 February, 8pm; 22–25 February, 29 February–3 March, 7–10, 14–17 March, 6.30pm. Kween Kong also appears in B.A.B.z, Wonderland Festival Hub, 16–18 February, times vary; and Poppin Out Festival, Adelaide Gaol, 24 February, 1pm.
Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 11
PICTURE: CHRISTOPHER DUGGAN
TIME MACHINE
PICTURE: RALPH ALSWANG
Action stations PICTURE: RALPH ALSWANG
PICTURE: JAMIE KRAUS
Radical choreographer Elizabeth Streb’s Time Machine reflects her long career as well as breaking new ground, discovers Claire Sawers
‘W
hen I’m auditioning performers, I’m looking for beautiful movers. I want a wild animal. I’m looking for someone extraordinary. They’ve got to be so thirsty to get into that zone that no one’s been to before. There has to be a willingness to put your body through enormous training.’ Elizabeth Streb, American ‘radical choreographer’, knows what she’s talking about: her relationship with movement and dance began over 40 years ago. Childhood obsessions with baseball, skiing and motorbikes evolved into a lifelong exploration of the physical limitations of the body, beginning with dance training in New York. ‘I wouldn’t describe myself as a dance lover. But I wanted to follow a dream of inventing action,’ she explains over Zoom from the Williamsburg studio of SLAM (Streb Lab For Action Mechanics), a busy community space she opened in 2003. She calls it an ‘action factory’, a ‘laboratory for artistic experimentation’; her skilled performers train here alongside kids learning trapeze and acrobatics. A quick Google around Streb’s astonishing career throws up a YouTube clip of her contorting with frenzied precision around a box barely bigger than her body (1985’s Little Ease, inspired by a medieval torture device). The routine will feature in Time Machine, her exhilarating show receiving its Australian premiere at Adelaide
12 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
Festival. In fact, Time Machine winds the clock all the way back to 1977, when Streb was squatting in a Soho loft, experimenting with long poles and planks of wood to develop her extreme style of acrobat arts. For example, Add is a piece she originally danced very close to the ground, throwing herself gracefully around the mat, using her wrists, elbows and knees as powerful hinges, while Buster reflects her love of slapstick movies. Time Machine follows her career to California, where she studied with visionary contemporary dancer Merce Cunningham and became influenced by the experimental rhythms of John Cage: 7 minutes 43 seconds is a solo inspired by Cage. The opening daredevil dance, Tip, features eight people on a giant semi-circle, a half wheel that they must balance upon as it rocks onstage. Instead of performing, these days Streb invents machines for her company of ‘action heroes’. Her choreography is a celebration of physics, ultra-precise timing and huge technical control from the performers. ‘I don’t like to call it circus. Yes, we use ropes and trapeze and trampolines, and there is for sure an element of danger, absolutely. It’s about challenging bodies, pushing potential, creating new skills. It’s entering into a whole new forcefield.’ Time Machine, Her Majesty’s Theatre, 14–17 March, times vary.
"A marvellous revelation" The Age
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Sunday 3 - Saturday 9 March 7.30 & 9.00pm (60 minutes) Cnr Rundle St & East Terrace
BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW adelaidefringe.com.au or scan the QR code
MASTER ILLUSIONIST & 2019, 2020SELLOUT SENSATION RETURNS
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Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 13
a city wide game of art & wit
ADELAIDE L i m i n a l Feb 23March 16 AdelaideFringe.com.au
14 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
ADORE HÄNDEL’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK A time-travelling pansexual songbird, Adore’s little black book includes past lovers, paramores and partners aplenty, backed up with enough operatic chops to make the whole evening go with a trill. Dom Polski Centre, 4–10 March.
GERALDINE QUINN: BROAD Melbourne-based musician and comedian Geraldine Quinn channels the brassy, classy, sassy middle-aged divas of yore to arrive at her yarn-spinning, drink-swilling, song-belting stage persona. It all lets loose in her latest show, BROAD, a hit at the 2023 Melbourne Comedy Festival. Gluttony, 16–25 February.
HANS: DISCO SPEKTAKULÄR Dig that umlaut. Lederhosen and accordion at the ready for the return of the Madonna-loving, Berlin-based booty-shaker Hans, whose creator Matt Gilbertson really has made it through the wilderness following surgery for spinal injuries suffered after falling offstage. Gluttony, 27 February, 1–3, 5, 8–10 March.
LEATHER LUNGS: SHUT UP AND SING! The clue is in the name. This bearded lady is a previous winner of the Best Cabaret Weekly Award at the Fringe thanks to her four-octave range. Creator Jason Chasland, self-styled ‘master of falsetto and stiletto’, takes on ABBA, Elvis and Queen without breaking sweat. Gluttony, 27 February–17 March.
MESSY FRIENDS Gendermess Productions present a visually audacious cabaret quite unlike any other: think Sesame Street meets Guillermo Del Toro with some high kicks, teasing strips and imaginative group and individual choreography, all in service to a DayGlo celebration of freakiness. Gluttony, 5–17 March.
CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
CABARET
Let me entertain you
Adelaide Fringe brings a wild and wonderful kaleidoscope of colour and talent to town. Fiona Shepherd waves her magic wand over the programme, bringing you the best of cabaret, circus and magic
MICHAEL GRIFFITHS: IT’S A SIN Local lad Michael Griffiths has interpreted the songs of Annie Lennox, Madonna and Kylie Minogue in his previous shows. Now he takes on the formidable catalogue of queer pop trailblazers Pet Shop Boys, accompanied by Julian Ferraretto on violin and Dylan Paul on double bass. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 5–17 March.
REUBEN KAYE: APOCALIPSTIK Cabaret star/comedian/singer/writer Kaye is back, with a scandalous story of a scoundrel uncle, spanning continents, generations and politics. It’s a brand-new show, and it’s safe to assume that chaos, colour and utter filth will ensue. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 5–17 March.
From top: Geraldine Quinn, Leather Lungs, Messy Friends
>> #SINCE1994 CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
This trail-blazing female-led ensemble from Taiwan have created a challenging piece of work exploring the complexities of modern society. Thought-provoking and stereotype-defying, it’s also a heart-stoppingly beautiful piece of powerful entertainment with universal themes. Fool’s Paradise, 5–17 March.
360 ALLSTARS This global smash combines breakdancing, basketball and BMX biking skillsw (and that’s just the Bs) in a hi-octane, street-smart, maximalist extravaganza which brings together artists and athletes in celebration of rotation. Prepare to have your head turned. Gluttony, 17 February–17 March. PICTURE: HOW CHEN
AFRIQUE EN CIRQUE Yamoussa Bangoura’s ravishing show inspired by life in his native Guinea has been transporting audiences for the past five years and now makes its Adelaide debut. The dancing and playing, encompassing traditional and contemporary West African music, is exquisite but the acrobatics are the star attraction. Gluttony, 15–25 February.
CIRQUE ALFONSE: ANIMAL Acclaimed Quebecois company Cirque Alfonse bring their latest concept to Adelaide. Animal is a bonkers barnyard frolic featuring high-stakes circus, comedy and choreography set to an irresistible live band soundtrack. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 16 February–17 March.
DUO Stripped-back, simple and spellbinding: this fusion of dance and circus is subtle and emotional magic. The story of a relationship, played out without words, features performances loaded with vulnerability. Adelaide College Of The Arts, 28 February–9 March, 13–16 March.
OAT MILK & HONEY In contrast to the pizazz of many circus shows, this Edinburgh Fringe hit features one dancer/acrobat and one musician in serene synergy. Oat Milk & Honey Honey’s holistic partnership presents elegant, purposeful movement and empathetic storytelling on the themes of anxiety and creative paralysis. Good for the soul, this one. Gluttony, 16–25 February.
YUCK CIRCUS This all-female West Aussie circus troupe are not afraid to let it all hang out in a playful punk, gender non-conforming display of flexibility, strength and, yes, occasional grace, which has already scooped Best Circus Awards at the Sydney and Melbourne Fringes. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 16 February–3 March.
PICTURE: JACK FENBY
From top: #Since1994, 360 All Stars, Oat Milk & Honey
16 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
CIRCUS
PICTURE: DG IMAGERY
CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
MAGIC
BEN HART: HEX Following shows inspired by traditional Indian magic and forensic science, this English magician and special effects designer turns his attention to witchcraft and the occult for the Australian premiere of his latest slice of theatrical voodoo. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 20 February–17 March.
CHARLIE CAPER: MAGICAL
This gentleman magician won Sweden’s Got Talent and this returning show of greatest hits has consistently gained fivestar plaudits. Expect street magic, dapper style, family-friendly antics and his trademark self-built robot assistants. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 16 February–17 March.
DIARY OF A MAGICIAN Blink and you’ll miss the world premiere of this Taiwanese show in which magician Mu-Syuan Chang turns sleight of hand into classy choreography with his mystical narrative spin on Chinese poetry and modern magic. The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall, 27–29 Feb, 2 March.
From top: Matt Hale, Charlie Caper, Kevin Quantam
HYPNOTIST MATT HALE: TOP FUN! 80’S SPECTACULAR REMIX All ages are welcome at Matt Hale’s retro fiesta of mesmerism, though participants are strictly over-18. This show involves (possibly) daft dancing, rock poses and high kicks and Britishborn (now Aussie-based) Hale is mindful of making himself look as silly as any of his stage subjects. Gluttony, 5–17 March.
KEVIN QUANTUM: AND FOR MY NEXT TRICK This Penn and Teller-trained Scottish scientist-turned-magician has been described as a ‘sexy Doctor Who’. He’s certainly a Guinness World Record breaker, having hosted the world’s biggest magic lesson in Edinburgh in 2012. As for his next trick? Well, that would be telling/guessing . . . Gluttony, 16 February–3 March.
MARTIN BROCK: BELIEVABLE This Danish magician is known for his clever close-up magic, levitating roses and audio-visual illusions, all with a humorous twist. Believable is his new show, making its South Australian debut at the Fringe. The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall, 19–22, 27, 29 February, 2, 4–9, 12 & 13, 15 & 16 March. Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 17
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22 FEBRUARY – 17 MARCH
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WONDER
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WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY – MONDAY 11 MARCH
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18+ – VARIETY – CIRCUS – CABARET – MAGIC
SIDESHOW BAR, FOOD TRUCKS & GOOD TIMES 18 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
Arts South Australia
So Gingzilla’s an early riser? Oh I’m definitely a morning girl, even though I work nights. Depending on how hard I go out the night before, I’ll be getting up to go to brunch. I’ll start with a gorgeous coffee (a mocha, yes please and thank you) and a little croissant, just to wake up the palate. Then I’d have something with poached eggs, covered with some kind of a drizzle, and crisp crunchy salad with lots of bread and hand-churned butter. One hesitates to ask, but is exercise on the agenda during festival time? What are you talking about? I do enough on stage! Actually I will be swimming; I do swim. I stay with my beautiful friend Jody who just moved near this incredible pool. It’s about ten minutes away from the main area of Adelaide and is surrounded by gum trees: it’s magical. Do you have a pre-show ritual? My friends like to make fun of me and call me American Psycho because I listen to classical music and stare at myself in the mirror. I love it, it’s so calming. I love classical piano. I put on a classical piano playlist for about an hour and a half and just fade away. What about after a show? How do you relax? Because The Light Warrior is going to be so vocally challenging, I have to be quite good. I’ll jump into a bath every night with some candles, a gorgeous cup of tea and a little bit of chocolate. You sound like you’ve got life sorted! I do, darling. Here’s a quote for you: to master the art of living, it has to come from the heart. Finally I just wanted to ask what other Adelaide shows are on your hitlist this year? Reuben Kaye is obviously an icon. I love what she’s doing. She’s such a freaking iconic, queer, inspiring voice of reason and humour and comedy. Also Tara Boom’s on the line-up at Popcorn. She’s one of my favourite clowns of all time. She’s so joyous and so free and so extravagant. Gingzilla & The Light Warrior, Wonderland Festival Hub, 13–16 March; Popcorn Underground, Wonderland Festival Hub, 21–25 February, 28 February–3 March, 6–11 March, times vary.
CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
It’s been a while since you were in Adelaide. What are you most looking forward to? The food! Adelaide is the food capital of Australia, darling. The wine and all the cheeses: yes please. I’m hoping my favourite brunch place is still open.
Painting the town red
Gingzilla returns to Adelaide in two new shows: Gingzilla & The Light Warrior, a behind-the-lashes look at her life through a fusion of gospel, jazz and rock music; and Popcorn Underground, a debauched and decadent cabaret night. She tells Lucy Ribchester about her perfect Adelaide festivals day
Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 19
FRINGE: CIRCUS CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
YOAH
Circus has long been an important element of Adelaide’s Fringe, and this year is no exception. From the neon streets of Osaka and Tokyo, it’s no surprise that YOAH, a contemporary Japanese take on the artform, is sleek and leading-edge. Brimming with digital displays of electronic raindrops, swirling white vortexes and glowing green lasers, it’s as much a light and music show as a dazzling display of acrobatics and dance. The brainchild of Cirquework, a circus group created by young artists from across Japan, the backdrop is a void of black rather than the traditional stripes of the circus tent: all the better to watch physics-defying diablos and riots of glowing juggling balls leaving light trails in the dark. A thumping techno heartbeat from live drums, synths and keyboards keeps the tension taut as a tightrope, with music that uses traditional Japanese drumming alongside electronica to create a soundtrack with one foot in old-world Edo and the other in techno-forward new Japan. Expect aerial artists twisting and turning in satin streams, as delicate as ballet dancers, while trapeze acts swing through the air (best watched tentatively through covered eyes). Forget the popcorn and the ringmaster; in fact, forget everything you know about the big top. YOAH feels a world away from traditional circus, yet still takes those essential elements of tension and drama, wonder and amazement, twisting them like so many contortionists into something sophisticated and wonderous. (Suzy Pope) n Gluttony, 16 February–10 March, 6.30pm.
FRINGE: CIRCUS/CABARET
LIMBO: THE RETURN
The ground-breaking LIMBO premiered at the Adelaide Fringe in 2013, delivering a wild mix of burlesque, cabaret and circus through sword-swallowing, contortion and acrobatics, all to a sleazy backdrop of live harmonica and tuba. Over ten years later, LIMBO: The Return promises gravity-defying pole acrobatics, beatboxing clowns, sizzling cabaret music and plenty of fire to heat up the Spiegeltent. ‘Audiences will be whisked away to a sinister netherworld of gut-churning contortion, breathtaking acrobatics and jaw-dropping stunts,’ promises Scott Maidment, the show’s creative director. ‘This high-powered extravaganza will leave you gasping for breath, dancing in the aisles, and shedding a tear.’ With a cast stuffed with former Cirque du Soleil acrobats and Broadway dancers, it’s sure to be a wild, genre-busting ride. Composer Sxip Shirey leads the live acoustic-electro band, featuring a cacophony of Ukrainian jaw harps, siren whistles, megaphones and industrial flutes that combine to create a sultry soundtrack that lilts hypnotically throughout the performance. With contortionists and clowns leaving you nibbling at your nails, live music that does it’s best to steal the show, and LIMBO’s trademark anarchic approach, this world premiere is set to be as joyously erratic as its pedigree suggests. (Suzy Pope) n The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 16 February–17 March, 8.30pm (also 10.30pm on Fri & Sat).
20 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
HIGH PONY PICTURE: STEFANIE RUMMEL
Parody pop duo Mel & Sam are back in Adelaide with another hour of chaotic musical sketches and the dirtiest (synth) lines. High concept, high art, high pony. Gluttony, 5–17 March.
CABARET, CIRCUS & MAGIC
HIGHLIGHTS
MEDUSA’S GUIDE TO MODERN DATING After a hit run at last year’s Fringe, Medusa is back to take her power and retell her story. Feminist, fun cabaret with a little bit of heartbreak thrown in: she’s a gorgon, but not as you know it. The Warehouse Theatre, Unley, 28 & 29 February, 7 & 8 March.
PICTURE: CHLOE MCTIER
CHANSONS: PIAF, BREL & ME
PICTURE: ROB BLACKBURN
If you like your ‘ooh’ with a little bit of ‘la la’, Stefanie Rummel’s elegant French-inspired cabaret show brings the work of Brel and Piaf to life with more than a little bit of je ne sais quoi. The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall, 16–25 February.
ROUGE PICTURE: LUCINDA GOODWIN
This grown-up circus makes a triumphant return to Adelaide with their blend of acro, opera and burlesque. There’s also Rouge Goes Rogue, their latenight party show, if you want to turn the dial up even further. Gluttony, 16 & 17, 23 & 24 February, 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 15 & 16 March.
TEN THOUSAND HOURS Spend ten thousand hours learning something and you’ll master it, they say. Eight acrobats put that theory to the test with a love letter to the human body and everything it can achieve. Gluttony, 16–25 February.
GALAH GALAH When you’re nicknamed for a noisy bird, how do you live up to expectations? A cabaret for high-achiever-perfectionistanxious-older-sister types and the people who pretend they’re irritated by them (while secretly envying their superior skill sets). The Courtyard Of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 2 & 3, 5–10, 16 & 17 March.
APRICITY Stunning skills celebrating the power of human connection, with a production that aims to break the bounds of circus and the limits of the human body. Fool’s Paradise, 27 February–3 March.
Full listings details at list.co.uk/adelaide-festival Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 21
Tarnnyangga Vicria Square
27 Feb - 3 March Time: 6:00pm
I am the Boss
5 - 17 Mah Time: 6:00pm
5-17 March Time: 7:30pm 22 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
Elf Lyons
Andy Balloch’s solo character-based show has won a clutch of awards. He’s also written for the likes of Reuben Kaye, so you know you’re in safe comedy hands when he brings the likes of clingy Nazis and desperate real estate agents to the stage. n The Majestic, 4–17 March.
RENDAN GOH
Chinese comedian Goh is desperate to both find romance and crack Australia’s comedy scene. In People Like Us, he shares experiences of coming out as a gay man in Malaysia and the challenges of trying to live authentically. n Rhino Room, 16 & 17 February; My Lover Cindi, 18, 20 & 21 February.
C D
OMPLETELY IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE
A fast-paced improv show: the audience suggests a title and Soothsayers will create an entire play, as if it came from the pen of the Bard himself. Silly yet skilled fun which could potentially turn you onto Shakespeare too. n Dom Polski Centre, 4–17 March.
ANIELLE WALKER
You may recognise Walker from Taskmaster Australia (she won) or music quiz show Spicks And Specks. The Lady Upstairs takes a nosy peek inside the previous Melbourne International Comedy Festival prizewinner’s darkly funny mind. n The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 11–17 March.
COMEDY
M I THE DRAMA?
COMEDY
A B
A IS FOR AMUSING
Want a laugh but literally don’t know where to start? Claire Sawers brings you our A–Z rundown of the most chucklesome acts at this year’s Fringe
E F
LF LYONS
UK comedian Lyons took inspiration for her show Raven from the macabre work of Stephen King. Expect a loopy blend of Hammer horror, clowning and physical comedy. n The Courtyard Of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 5–17 March.
ASHION 4 PASSION
They’re back, and they’re hotter than ever (probably thanks to all those man-made fibres). The underdogs of Australian TV (yeah, those ones, the white privileged ones) have resorted to sketch comedy and sweatshop chic. After all, life is better when you’re a trendsetter. n Gluttony, 16–25 February.
G H
RACE JARVIS
This Melbourne-based comedian brings Oh! The Horrors! to Adelaide, a whimsical show about her attempts to establish her independence. Sydney Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Fringe audiences have already given her the thumbs up. n Gluttony, 16–25 February.
ANNAH CAMILLERI
After success at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fringe and last year’s Adelaide Fringe, this Melbourne comedian has honed her show Lolly Bag to perfection, with newly fleshed out characters and sketches. n The Courtyard Of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 27 February–3 March.
>> Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 23
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I J K L M N O P Q
COMEDY
NGROWN
Hopefully not all about things that can go wrong with toenails, this is the solo debut from the absurd brain of Melbourne’s Matt Jenner. Recommended for fans of the brilliant Maria Bamford, this show was nominated for best comedy at Melbourne Fringe. Secret Basement @ WEA, 26 February–3 March.
EZ & JACE
Will a final night on the town make or break our heroes? What does it really mean to love your bro? Lads On Tour is a sortof homage to toxic masculinity that’s full of heart and asks important questions about growing up bogan and queer. Gluttony, 5–9 March.
ATE SMURTHWAITE
Fire Snake is this comedian slash activist’s look into the grim world of disaster capitalism. Come watch an ex-maths tutor being sarcastic in a hi-vis vest and snakeskin top. Laugh Lounge, 28 February–3 March.
OU WALL
Queer Aussie comedian Zoë Coombs Marr directs another queer Aussie comedian, Lou Wall, in musical comedy The Bisexual’s Lament. Expect keyboard ditties and PowerPoint presentations on some LGBT burning issues. Rhino Room, 5–10 March.
AN WITH A FORK IN A WORLD FULL OF SOUP
With a promise of ‘laughter pies’ and an ‘umami odyssey’, Sam Simmons (presenter of the Niche As Quiche podcast) brings his brand of comedy surrealism to The Garden. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 16 February–17 March.
EPTUNE HENRIKSEN
You’ll spot this queer actor/director/comedian in both the comedy and theatre sections of the Fringe programme. Being A Woman For Money delves into gender, capitalism and desirability. After all, sex sells, but gender sells out. Secret Basement @ WEA, 4–10 March.
UT OF BODY EXPERIENCE
Is anyone really having a good time? Writer/comedian and advocate for those with invisible disabilities, Ashley Apap brings the world premiere of her show to Adelaide, investigating existential angst and lava lamps, among other things. Secret Basement @ WEA, 5, 7, 9 March.
AUL SAVAGE
In a Fringe with (surprisingly) more than one spider-shagging title, Paul Savage has come all the way from London to share this story of falling in love with an Aussie woman in Actually, I Did Come Here to F**k Spiders. Gluttony, 27 February–3 March.
UIRKY BEST FRIEND
24 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
PICTURE: MARK GAMBINO
Not everyone has Main Character Energy, as queer Australian/Sri Lankan film and TV actor Nicole Gulasekharam explores in this one-person romcom show about the power of female friendship. The Majestic, 1–3 March.
R S T U V W X Y Z
OHAN HARRY
TEPHEN K AMOS
COMEDY
First this Adelaide comedian made a podcast, then he made a comedy show about the making of said podcast. Come and find out more about one man’s early midlife crisis in Attitude Consultant. The Gilbert Street Hotel, 4, 11 March.
Fresh from singing and dancing as Dr Doolittle in My Fair Lady in London’s West End, stand-up veteran Amos’ brand new show Oxymoron looks back over his past few slightly bizarre years. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 16 February–3 March.
AKASHI WAKASUGI
From top left, clockwise: Lou Wall, Vida Slayman, William Boyd, Ingrown, Completely Improvised Shakespeare
This Japanese-born stand-up was once called ‘Australia’s politest comedian’ in a review. Japanese Aussie explores his transition from Asia to Australia, where he’s been based for five years now. Hotel Richmond, 1 & 2, 8 & 9 March.
RVI MAJUMDAR
Life has dealt this Melbourne comedian a few sick burns. In Burnt, she’d like to share a few of them, from family favouritism to high-school horrors. Rhino Room, 5–10 March.
IDA SLAYMAN IS A MOTHERCHUCKER
This self-titled motherchucker makes her children cringe when she poses naked, but they’re missing the point. Which is liberation, retaining identity during motherhood and generally being a badass. Rhino Room, 5–10 March
ILLIAM BOYD
The character comedian and clown William Boyd wants to revisit all his favourite childhood games, from Pictionary to Simon Says, via Pass The Parcel and Marco Polo. The People’s Champion lets him do just that. Secret Basement @ WEA, 11–17 March.
EXTRA CURRICULAR
Former teachers turned cabaret duo Libby and Matt take you on a tour of staff meetings, parent/teacher sessions and sports day in the professional development session you never knew you needed. Prompt Creative Centre, 22–25 February, 29 February–3 March.
OZI
Comedian Yozi had clearly never visited Finland when he named his show No Babies In The Sauna. This solo sketch comedy takes you to some absurd places as he examines rules and rule breaking. My Lover Cindi, 5–9, 14–16 March.
AN ROWE & MYF WARHURST
Radio and TV presenters Myf Warhurst and Zan Rowe take their popular podcast Bang On out on the road, with a live version of their chat show featuring music, art, life
and stuff. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 24 & 25 February.
For full listings details, go to list.co.uk/adelaide-festival
Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 25
COMEDY
Mel McGlensey talks to Jo Laidlaw about changing direction and navigating her own comedy course
M
el McGlensey is the proud possessor of many slashes: starting off as a headline writer, she moved into journalism before making the jump to improvised comedy (you can catch her in Completely Improvised Shakespeare this Fringe too). Her solo political satire show The Briefing debuted in 2023, and she’s also found time to helm an award-winning short film. But on her way to the Edinburgh Fringe last year, she spent time at world-renowned clown school École Philippe Gaulier and something shifted. ‘I was spit-balling in the living room with some clowns and we came up with this bit that I coined MOTORBOAT. I brought it to Edinburgh, did a few line-ups and guest spots, and it went so well that I thought, “you know what, there’s a full hour in this”,’ says McGlensey. ‘I essentially went from serious political satire to silly sexy clown shit in a very short period.’ Close perusal of almost any major comedy festival programme suggests clown-based comedy is on the rise, but why is that? ‘It’s the future of comedy. Comedy, like everything, follows trends and patterns; everything is a reaction to the thing that came before. Political satire has been unpopular for a while, right? Because it’s so tied to real life and people are looking for the surreal, the strange, the bizarre. Clown embodies that.’ On a personal level, McGlensey sees clowning as a natural progression. ‘I started off in improv and I’m always chasing that next high; clown is as extreme as it gets in comedy. Very often, I’m a talking head, my comedy is cerebral and I spit out jokes, but that loses its delight. I felt like I was making comedy with only one of my tools and ignoring this other tool, which is my entire body.
But then, as a woman on stage, there’s a reason why I’ve been ignoring everything from the neck down. I thought I had to exist in a certain way to be taken seriously.’ So what’s MOTORBOAT about? ‘My boobs are the central focus of the show. It started when I was talking to a friend about weird body talents (everyone has one) and mine is that I can motorboat myself.’ McGlensey says it felt ‘so funny and almost reductive’ that embracing her physicality meant embracing who she was on the inside. ‘So maybe I will jiggle around, and maybe that’s funny, and maybe that’s OK. It’s just a show about a little motorboat: part woman, part boat, part clown and she goes on a journey to restart her motor and exist without Captain Daddy. It’s very silly. And a little bit sexy. The boobs are the stars of the show. I’m just around.’ MOTORBOAT, Secret Basement @WEA, 19 February–3 March, 9pm; The Courtyard Of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 5–10 March, 9.30pm.
ROCK THE BOAT 26 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
5-10 MARCH 6:30PM THE YURT
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Unmasking the Unseen With Jacqueline Verrall
A night of connecting with spirits, unlocking tarot secrets and how to hexing your ex! Friday 16th to Sunday 18th February @10.40pm
Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 27
COMEDY
FRINGE: COMEDY
LIZZY HOO
Lizzy Hoo has successfully managed to reach the ‘looking back and laughing’ stage of the biggest breakup she’s ever had, and now she’s ready to talk about it. Named after Eve’s early 2000s pop hit of the same name, the show explores turning 40 at the same time as going through a weighty split. Both experiences forced Hoo to consider previously unexplored realms of adult life, like living on her own for the first time, or how to go about sharing custody of the dog with an ex. Rejoining the dating pool after an extended period of absence forced Hoo into a fair deal of soul searching, allowing the comic to reflect on her childhood and her relationships with her family, teeing up Hoo’s That Girl? to be one of her most introspective shows yet. The aim of the show is not to make you cry, however. ‘There’s certain parts that I’m probably not telling because they’re maybe a bit too sad,’ says Hoo when discussing what her Fringe crowds should expect. ‘I want people to laugh. It’s really important to me that people leave feeling better.’ With a vast range of TV appearances on the likes of Network 10’s Have You Been Paying Attention? and ABC’s Question Everything, Hoo has spent the years since her 2017 debut productively, ensuring she’ll be one of the most sought-after tickets at this year’s Fringe. (Danny Munro) The Howling Owl, 20–24 February, 7.30pm.
PICTURE: ALEXIS D LEA
FRINGE: COMEDY
ANNA PIPER SCOTT
The queer comedian that straight people didn’t know they needed (and fresh from a five-star Edinburgh Fringe run of previous show Such An Inspiration), Anna Piper Scott’s latest offering provides delectably gauche, honest humour that won’t make anyone feel left out. ‘I get a lot of straight people coming to my shows and I’ll ask the audience “Who here is straight?”, and they always sound so sad, apologetic and scared,’ the Melbourne Fringe’s Best Emerging Writer explains. ‘Queer culture kind of pulls away from straight people, so I want straight people to come and feel queer, even if they’re not.’ The pace of None Of That Queer Stuff mirrors Piper Scott’s ADHD: it’s a whirlwind hour that darts from one topic to another at an unrelenting pace, touching on everything from Pirates Of The Caribbean to polyamory. Don’t expect to leave humming a political party tune though. ‘No one should be using me as the face of their political movement,’ she laughs. Rather, Piper Scott aims simply to provide a space so straight people who think they’re missing out on all the fun can hear first-hand what that queer stuff is really all about. (Danny Munro) Gluttony, 27 February–10 March, 6.45pm.
28 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
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COMEDY
COMEDY JOSH GLANC Somewhere between Tom Selleck and Jordan Firstman, this moustachioed Australian funnyman brings his oddball show Collections 2024 fresh from a soldout Edinburgh run. Silliness abounds. The Courtyard of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 5–10 March.
HIGHLIGHTS
BRUCE: MISADVENTURES FROM A LAP AROUND AUSTRALIA Because gap years are completely, totally wasted on the young . . . Find out what happened when Tom W Clarke packed up his family’s Melbourne life to take a lap around the country. The Lost Dice, 16–25 February.
DEAD TO ME: A COMEDY GHOST TOUR Gory stories about being ghosted in the street (literally) and dates returning from the dead feature in this walking tour with terrifying tales. Inspired by Matt Bell’s single life. Tour starts corner of Rundle Street & East Terrace, 3–9 March.
JON WALPOLE Can Jon Walpole become a reallife man-sized Butterfly? Sadly not, so a metaphor will have to do in this combo of sketches, clowning, improv and musical comedy. Secret Basement @ WEA, 4–10 March.
FOOL’S PARADISE A change of comedy pace: gentle physical theatre and well-observed clowning combine in a delicately funny show. Britt Plummer is a gorgeous performer and the laughs come from a shared recognition of the human condition. The Courtyard Of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 23 February–3 March.
JOHN ROBERTSON Trapped in a retro video game with a sadistic boss? If that doesn’t sound just like Monday morning then The Dark Room, a nerd-focused live-action comedy improv romp, might just put the battery in your controller. Gluttony, 16 February–17 March.
30 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
DEAF BRIDGES 2022 RAW Comedy finalist Ben Richardson bridges the gap between deaf and hearing worlds with stories about his life growing up as a CODA (Child Of A Deaf Adult). With sweary signs. Lady Daly Hotel, Hindmarsh, 1, 3 March.
Full listings details at list.co.uk/adelaide-festival
7:50pm 4-10 March
LEE MARTIN FOR Sell Out Show 2017 - 2019
WINNER! Bank SA BEST MAGIC SHOW ADELAIDE FRINGE 2023
BEN HART ADELAIDE ADVERTISER
GLAM ADELAIDE
BROADWAY BABY
WORLD MAGIC REVIEW
PRESENTS
“NOT TO BE MISSED” Guardian
ͼͼͼͼ
THE AWARDWINNING LIVEACTION VIDEOGAME
“A Rocky Horror for gamers... I howled” Telegraph London
and
“Theres no one else we’d rather watch on stage” PENN & TELLER
Hex
16th Feb - 17th Mar “The The finest sleight of hand you’ll ever witness” MIX 102.3 M
20 FEB - 17 MAR 2024 9.15PM
THE FACTORY
FIND OUT MORE AT ADELAIDEFRINGE.COM.AU Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 31
Fun for all
the family!
‘FANTASTIC’ WHATSONSTAGE
Returning to Adelaide Fringe after last year’s sold out debut...
4
2 0 2 r a M 7 1 17 Feb-
“Monty Python for Kids!” Children's Theatre Review
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Electric Fields
KIDS
PICTURE: ENZO FRISINI
FIRED UP C
This year’s Adelaide Festival is bookended by two major collaborative projects which place young people’s voices front and centre of the climate crisis message, finds Rachel Cronin
reation and re-creation stories can be found across all cultures and religions: the world’s creator realises they’ve made a mistake and must cleanse the land to start over. Airan Berg, artistic director of Floods Of Fire sees clear parallels between these stories and the current state of the planet. ‘Going from the starting point of creation stories that involve a lot of water and fire and floods,’ he explains, ‘we very quickly arrived at today’s reality of climate change.’ Floods Of Fire is an immense, country-wide project aiming to raise climate change awareness through collaborative music, workshops and theatre over the final weekend of the Festival. Commissioned by Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the two-day festivalwithin-a-festival is made up of three performances, the first two taking over the campus at the University Of Adelaide (which is celebrating its 150th anniversary). In Our Voices, Our Dreams, a range of youth groups, school children and theatre students will perform short pieces of theatre all over the university grounds. This first chapter will also feature climate activism workshops, educational talks from island communities and a theatre piece from Extinction Rebellion. The second part of this colossal community-led project includes a performance from Our Citizens’ Orchestra, shepherded by UK composer Tim Steiner. The ‘anyonecan-join’ orchestra includes over 400 people from widespread communities using primarily Indigenous Australian and non-western instruments. The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra is then joined by electronic duo Electric Fields for the final event, including the
performance of a specially commissioned new song. Although tackling serious political topics, Floods Of Fire is a positive initiative. The project has established what Berg calls ‘unexpected alliances’ between scientists, youth groups, students and First Nations communities, united in a common goal. ‘It’s something that connects us all,’ explains the director, ‘because the fire doesn’t care if we are rich or poor, if we are white or black, if we are Jewish or Buddhists or Christians or Muslims.’ Create4Adelaide is another extensive collaborative project featured in this year’s Festival. While Floods Of Fire uses music and theatre to raise awareness, this arts project exhibits climate-focused artwork by hundreds of young people from across the country. Together, both events cocoon the Festival programme in an artistic call to action, uniting many voices, but with young people at the core. Berg believes we all have the power to make a positive impact to save ourselves and nature from floods and fires. ‘If everybody did a good deed every day for the planet or if everybody went out and spent two minutes to understand the power and beauty of nature, then we wouldn’t want to destroy it,’ he insists. Floods Of Fire, University Of Adelaide, 16 March, 2pm & 7.30pm; Adelaide Festival Centre, 17 March, 7.30pm. Create4Adelaide, Bicentennial Conservatory, Adelaide Botanic Garden, 29 February–17 March, daily from 10am. Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 33
KIDS
FRINGE: KIDS
3 TO SEE
Environmental messaging is a big theme for kids and families at this year’s Fringe, but how to make tidying up after yourself fun? Try Trash Test Dummies Circus (The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 16 February–17 March). From the comical goons who brought you Splash Test Dummies, a trio of bendy binmen (as slick as their stage is messy) showcase their precisiondrilled slapstick, acrobatic and juggling skills to hyped-up effect while throwing some trash-y cultural references into their wheelie bins to keep the grown-ups on side too. And how to make science fun? By blowing stuff up, of course. That might appear to be the premise of the Fringe World award-winning Kaboom! (Gluttony, 17 February–17 March) but this mad scientist extravaganza from ‘world’s stupidest genius’ and Adelaide debutante Magnus Danger Magnus is essentially a spectacular science lesson which encourages kids to push that button, pull that lever and satisfy their curiosity. South Australian company The PaperBoats celebrate the power of art and creation in their latest family show Seven Little Wonders (Goodwood Theatre And Studios, 22–24 February). Created for 3–8 year olds by veteran theatre-maker Dave Brown, the tale of StarMan Sam’s quest to make his way home is inspired by the seven colours of the rainbow and seven notes in the musical scale. Live music, video projections and interactive lighting all come together to create a symphony of sound and sparkle. (Fiona Shepherd) For full listings details, go to list.co.uk/adelaide-festival
FRINGE: KIDS
JON & JERO
Despite only becoming a double act in 2022, Jon & Jero (aka Jon Walpole and Jeromaia Detto) have considerable experience entertaining kids. So when it came to creating Stuff!, a choose-yourown adventure which sees two brothers travel the globe to find their stolen belongings, the interactive format was crucial. ‘It meant we were performing with the kids, not at them,’ says Walpole. Scripted, but with plenty of space for ad-libs, there are multiple moments when the audience is asked to choose the clue or path Jon & Jero should follow; the kids are in control, not the other way around. ‘It means that the show is theirs, and we get to have fun seeing all the different combinations each day,’ adds Detto. Not that children are easy audiences. As Walpole suggests, ‘adults will still applaud and politely laugh along even if they don’t like it. Kids are the opposite. A simple fart joke might very well have them in huge laughing fits, but if they don’t like how you’ve done it, they aren’t afraid of letting you know.’ Detto agrees: ‘Absolutely, they have no problem yelling out whatever thoughts pop into their heads, but we love that. Kids are the best hecklers in the business.’ (Jay Richardson) Gluttony, 17 & 18, 24 & 25 February, 2 & 3 March, 2.30pm.
34 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
KIDS
HIGHLIGHTS
There’s always chaos in the kitchen when Signor Baffo’s in charge. The wee dude has been touring the UK for a decade and makes his Australian debut this year, answering that all-important question: how do you make a sausage roll? n Gluttony, 17 & 18, 24 & 25 February, 2 & 3, 9–11, 16 & 17 March.
KIDS
JESSTAR PUPPET SHOW
SIGNOR BAFFO
This firm family fave invites you to travel through space and time in a race to find the fastest, bestest puppet in all the world. Will friendship prevail? You betcha. n INC Café, 25 February, 2 & 7 March.
YOU ARE A DOUGHNUT Take a trip around your digestive system with biology teachers Oesoph A. Gus and Dewey Dean in a family friendly, doughnutbased metaphor of a show that’s a hole lotta fun. nGluttony, 17 February—17 March.
PREHYSTERICAL CIRCUS
I AM THE BOSS
Circus meets The Flintstones in this Neanderthalic romp. Acro skills, slapstick comedy and lots of laughs ensue, with enough tongue-in-cheek humour to keep the grown-ups happy too. n Fool’s Paradise, 17 & 18, 24 & 25 February, 2 & 3, 9–11, 15–17 March.
PICTURE: NAOMI REED
CHILDREN ARE STINKY
THE FART AND THE FURIOUS They’re saving the world one toot at a time, and who can resist a tagline like that? (Not us, clearly.) Visit a world where farts will save the day, with lots of silliness included. It’s a gas! n The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 24 & 25 February, 2 & 3 March.
Three ordinary people become gravity-defying heroes in this captivating show where mime and acrobatics combine, with a refreshing lack of glitz placing the focus squarely on the performers. n Fool’s Paradise, 5–17 March.
At least, according to Sam and Josie they are. But can they prove it? With circus and plenty of laughs along the way, this quest to prove the wee ones need a wash has sold out across the world. n The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 15–17 March.
Full listings details at list.co.uk/adelaide-festival Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 35
fringe
P
laybill, the monthly theatre magazine distributed across America known internationally as a symbol of the arts, is thrilled to bring you the Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition–a sustainable and modern cruise ship–as the inaugural Playbill FringeShip for the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The beautiful and recently renovated ship will be our floating hotel, docked in the buzzing port district of Leith. Playbill FringeShip will have direct transportation to and from the festival, as well as bringing the life and vibrancy of Edinburgh Festival Fringe on board. Along with ultra-comfortable lodging in an array of accommodations on board, all guests of the Playbill FringeShip will enjoy a number of amenities on and off the ship, including:
36 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day in our many restaurants and lounges, paired with a drink package of your choice • Exciting Fringe entertainment within the FringeShip’s state-of-the-art theatre and cabaret lounge, for onboard guests only • Roundtrip coach service from Leith to the centre of Edinburgh • Wellness centre, gym, two swimming pools, and a top deck open-air lounge with a pizza parlour Make your stay at Fringe easy and comfortable–join us on the Playbill FringeShip!
fringe Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 37
MUSIC PICTURE: PRUDENCE UPTON
From top: Angélique Kidjo, Night Songs, The Grigoryan Brothers, There Will Come Soft Rain
PICTURE: WILK PICTURE: ANDY HATTON
38 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festivals Guide 2023
Away with
A
the birds
PICTURE: FABRICE MABILOT
From choral to classical, jazz to funk, world music to local heroes, Greg Thomas finds no shortage of great music to help you spread your wings this festival season
delaide Festival’s music programme starts your day strong with Daylight Express, a series of short lunchtime concerts featuring musicians from around the world. The programme includes Dancing With The Birds, a suite of classical pieces inspired by Adelaide’s native winged fauna, and the Ensemble Offspring’s Songbirds, a celebration of Australian birdsong through chamber music. Elsewhere on the timetable you’ll find an oud virtuoso, classical Indian violin, and more. Continuing the ornithological theme, Adelaide Chamber Singers present There Will Come Soft Rain, a sequence of choral works emulating birdsong, while Ensemble Offspring return with Night Songs, an audiovisual response to the song of the pied butcher bird with contemporary instrumentation. Night owls and jazz birds also have plenty to look forward to. Band Of Brothers are a classical-jazz fusion supergroup with Russian and Egyptian heritage, featuring the Grigoryan and Tawadros brothers. Angélique Kidjo’s unique style crosspollinates the traditions of her Benin childhood with R&B, funk and jazz. Or if you like your jazz with existentialism (and why not?), try Nothing: Chamber Landscapes, a concert series from Richard Tognetti, exploring the concept of nothingness. For contemporary classical aficionados, the much-garlanded Goldner String Quartet present a selection of the best string ensemble pieces from the first three decades of this century. Performances include Compassion and Ngapa William Cooper, a duo of song cycles inspired by Hebrew and Arabic history from composer Nigel Westlake and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson also makes his Australian debut with a rendition of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. WOMADelaide is back with a bang too: the four-day celebration of world music includes contributors from over 25 countries, including Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal, activist and legend of Brazilian music Gilberto Gil, and Jamaican reggae icon Ziggy Marley. If you like your sounds offbeat, let the Fringe expand your universe. A strong First Nations showing is a highlight, with performers such as Pitjantjatjara singer-songwriter Frank Yamma and events like Dupang Pangari, a camping festival and corroboree from Ngarrindjeri ambassador Uncle Moogy. If you like your music retro, The Beatles Dub Club brings a range of weird and wonderful covers of the Fab Four, fresh from a smash appearance at Glastonbury. 27 Club features the music and stories of Joplin, Cobain et al; The 60 Four: Living In The ‘70s is a one-off weekender featuring 60 minutes of non-stop hits; and In Pursuit Of Repetitive Beats is an interactive VR spectacular putting you in the shoes of rave culture’s pioneers. Whatever sounds help you soar, you’ll find them right here. For full listings details, go to list.co.uk/adelaide-festival
EPIC STORYTELLING. LEGENDARY FIGHTS.
“A KNOCKOUT SPECTACLE” THE TELEGRAPH
UMBRELLA REVOLUTION
THE GARDEN OF UNEARTHLY DELIGHTS
BROADWAY BABY
9:30PM | 16 FEB - 10 MAR 6:50PM | 12 - 17 MAR
THEaTrE mAtTeRs
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Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 39
FRINGE: MUSIC
ROB SNARSKI & LINDY MORRISON
MUSIC
Currently writing and recording their second mini-album together, The Blackeyed Susans’ frontman Rob Snarski and The Go-Betweens’ legendary drummer Lindy Morrison arrive at Adelaide Fringe still finetuning the combative dynamic of their collaboration. As a younger man, Snarski counted The Go-Betweens among his favourite Australian bands. But his decision to work with Morrison was bittersweet from the start. Snarski had been playing with an old friend of Morrison’s (Peter Milton Walsh of The Apartments) when he recalls ‘she approached him in tears, saying she’d never see me perform again because my songs were too sad and mournful.’ He adds: ‘Admittedly, she’d been out at a long, liquid lunch. The next time I performed, she said she was thinking of coming along . . . I suggested she bring a snare and brushes and sit in and see if she felt differently about the songs through playing them.’ They subsequently formed indie ‘supergroup’ SnarskiCircusLindyBand, releasing debut EP Someone Said That Someone Said in 2023. Snarski admits the pair tend to argue a lot: ‘We’re still negotiating how to discuss a situation without raising our voices, things often escalate.’ Nevertheless, Morrison remains ‘the most entertaining’ person he’s ever toured with. ‘There are no boundaries with Lindy, none, so she will say exactly what she is thinking. [She’s] often very funny and quite unexpected: at times, dare I say, shocking. She’s tenacious, driven, opinionated, clever and sometimes difficult but that’s okay: I understand she cares about this musical project of ours. She wants SCLB to be the best it can be.’ (Jay Richardson) n Tin Shed At The Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton, 10 March, 3.30pm & 6pm.
FESTIVAL: MUSIC
THE PROMISE
‘For a very long time, I’ve had an obsession with storytelling,’ says Dutch singer and composer Wende. ‘A song for me is a miniature story, and I’m always looking for people to work with to bring those stories to life.’ These twin loves of narrative and collaboration led Wende to connect with a group of writers at England’s Royal Court Theatre, including EV Crowe, Debris Stevenson, Stef Smith, Somalia Nonyé Seaton and Sabrina Mahfouz. Together with Chloe Lamford and Imogen Knight, they have crafted The Promise, an innovative contemporary song cycle exploring motherhood and women’s identity, featuring music from Wende and Isobel Waller-Bridge. How did themes of female experience become so central? ‘Songs are like little rituals,’ Wende offers. ‘They keep communities together and keep everybody connected. I thought it was important to represent a wider range of themes than traditional song cycles allow, to build shared understanding and compassion.’ The creation process has been a lesson in understanding too. ‘It gave me such a great insight into how to write different melodies to suit different methods of storytelling. And it deepened my knowledge of the English language, how rich and nuanced and funny and emotionally expressive it is.’ (Greg Thomas) n Adelaide Festival Centre, 7–10 March, times vary. PICTURE: FABIAN CALIS
40 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
MUSIC
STORIES THAT MUST BE HEARD
HIGHLIGHTS K MAK AT THE PLANETARIUM
MUSIC
Australian composer Chloé Charody presents two new works: a violin sonata and a song cycle for soprano, blending opera, classical music and circus into a new and unique genre. n The Parks Theatre, Angle Park, 29 February.
This multimedia performance fuses cello, violin, beats and vocals with fulldome projections. Explore the cosmos, accompanied by K Mak’s cinematic music in this other-worldly event. n Adelaide Planetarium, Mawson Lakes, 16–18 February.
This inspired collab between DJ Groove Terminator and Soweto Gospel Choir journeys from disco through pop to the present day to explore the history of house music. Dancing will happen. n Gluttony, 16–18, 20, 22–25 February, 5, 7–11, 15–17 March.
This world premiere brings together Cree Nation artist Thelma Ceechoo with Nhunggabarra/Kooma man Glenn Skuthorpe and Mapuché Chilean/Australian singer LENI to blend global stories of First Peoples culture through music. n Various venues, 9–11, 14–16 March.
NIGHT OWL SHOWS
PICTURE: JACK FENBY
FIRST NATIONS VOICES
PICTURE: PETER FRANKLAND
HISTORY OF HOUSE
WOMADELAIDE Adelaide’s iconic world music festival returns once more, with a dizzying line-up of some of the planet’s best musicians. Highlights include Arooj Aftab, Yussef Dayes, Ziggy Marley and Pongo. n Adelaide Botanic Park/Tainmuntilla, 8–11 March.
ADELAIDE BLUES MUSIC FESTIVAL
Sometimes you just want to shake your thing and have a good time. With 13 shows from Dolly Parton to Blondie via Fleetwood Mac, Night Owl’s modern take on the tribute show has you covered. n Various venues and times, for full listings see list.co.uk/adelaide-festival
With an all-Australian, all-blues line-up, this home-grown event features an afternoon of live music in laid-back surroundings, in collaboration with Adelaide Roots And Blues Association. n Wonderland Festival Hub, 17 February.
Full listings details at list.co.uk/adelaide-festival Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 41
Gie’s Peace (Give us Peace) Songs and Stories of Women’s Peace Activism
From Scotland’s Morna Burdon
The Warehouse Theatre 5061 24 Feb – 10 Mar
9 Performances
mornaburdon.com/gies-peace “ Moving and Powerful” NorthWestEndUK
inspired by the life of
Nina Simone written and performed by
Apphia Campbell
HHHHH ‘Nothing short of sensational’ Broadway Baby
HHHH
‘Moving portrayal’ London Times
11, 12, 14 Mar 7pm 15, 16 Mar 8pm 17 Mar 3pm & 7pm AC Arts Main Theatre Light Square
S E A B R I GH T H
bitcomv.com @bitcomv
42 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
FRI 16 FEB – SUN 10 MAR, 7PM
ADELAIDE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS LIGHT SQUARE
THEATRE & DANCE
Shake it up
THEATRE & DANCE
PICTURE: MICHAEL COOPER
PICTURE: MORITZ HAASE
The Threepenny Opera and (right) The Nightingale And Other Fables
Neil Cooper explores two trailblazing opera premieres bringing a touch of the maverick to Adelaide audiences
T
here’s a radical spirit which spans the centuries in this year’s Adelaide Festival opera programme. On the one hand, Igor Stravinsky’s The Nightingale And Other Fables is reinvigorated in a new production by Canadian auteur Robert Lepage. On the other, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera is brought to vigorous new life by former Adelaide Festival director Barrie Kosky. Just as Stravinsky, Weill and Brecht broke moulds and pushed boundaries in their respective eras, Lepage and Kosky have produced a succession of major works that apply their own contemporary visions to productions drawn from the classical canon. Lepage’s take on The Nightingale is an international coproduction between his own Ex Machina company with Opéra National de Lyon, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Canadian Opera Company and Dutch National Opera. In tune with this internationalist approach, Lepage is working with Argentinean conductor Alejo Pérez, American puppet designer Michael Curry, and Canadian set designer Carl Fillion. A cast of 17 international singers, puppeteers and acrobats will join Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and State Opera South Australia for the show. Meanwhile, Kosky’s German production sees him working with the Berliner Ensemble, the company co-founded by Brecht in 1949 with actor Helene Weigel in then East Berlin. The company
eventually took up residence in Theatre am Schiffbauerdamm, where The Threepenny Opera (his and Weill’s own reworking of John Gay’s 19th-century romp, The Beggar’s Opera) premiered in 1928. For incoming festival artistic director Ruth Mackenzie, both productions are key markers of her first programme. That both productions cut through the sacred cow status of the original works to reinvigorate them, while remaining true to their source, was part of the appeal. ‘It was difficult for us to know whether to call Barrie’s production an opera or a theatre piece,’ Mackenzie says of the festival’s attempt to define the indefinable, ‘but the truth is, in Barrie’s hands, it is both, as well as being an anti-opera, which is what Brecht and Weill believed. It’s technically brilliant (Barrie always is), theatrically and musically brilliant; sexy, funny, political.’ As for The Nightingale, in Mackenzie’s view it is ‘one of Robert Lepage’s best productions, ever. He’s done a marvellous job . . . this is the ideal opera for anyone who doesn’t normally think that opera is for them. It is a joyous, delightful, magical, theatrical and musical experience. Of course, for those who do love opera, it’s Igor Stravinsky’s first, and it’s rarely performed. You won’t see a better production in your life.’ The Nightingale And Other Fables, Adelaide Festival Centre, 1, 3, 5 & 6 March, times vary; The Threepenny Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 43
Jesstar Puppet Show
25th Feb, March 2nd & 7th 2024
Adventures of the Kingdom. Story Telling, Playful, playful & funny.
storytelling
Fam
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P
THEATRE & DANCE
Memory lane Appropriation isn’t always a bad word: Isy Santini discovers how indie theatre company Pony Cam’s recreation of shared moments conjures up a funny, daring and irreverent original experience
‘O
other shows playing at Adelaide. ‘It’s a way to contextualise the work within the Festival,’ says company member Hugo Williams. ‘People are seeing these shows; they’re making these memories right now.’ In Grand Theft Theatre, audiences are asked to share their favourite performances and to reflect on them. In this way, perfect strangers can find connection in communal recollection. ‘Maybe one of them saw it in Russia in the 90s and maybe one of them saw it recently in Melbourne, and now they both get to have a conversation about that,’ explains Weintraub. Grand Theft Theatre encourages shared remembering, but not always agreement. ‘With that subjectivity comes the fierce passion of “I remember it this way”’ says Campbell. ‘We had one scenario where Dom was performing a part of his memory and an audience member told us “no it didn’t happen like that! I saw the show back in 2009 and it actually happened like this.”’ Weintraub concludes: ‘The memories are messy, the attempt to articulate is messy, the way that things get put together is messy. Part of the appeal is the energetic mess of it.’ PICTURES: WILD HARDT
ur work always investigates joy, and how joy can allow for non-traditional audiences to experience theatre,’ says Dominic Weintraub, one of the five members of theatre company Pony Cam. The Melbourne company’s latest creation, made with collaborator David Williams, is Grand Theft Theatre, a recreation of theatrical moments that have impacted the members of the company throughout their lives. ‘We really tap into the collective memory of everyone’s experiences at the theatre. You’re going into one show, but really going into hundreds of shows in one night,’ explains Ava Campbell, another Pony Cam member. ‘The revival of memory takes many different forms,’ adds Weintraub. ‘Sometimes it’s us talking, sometimes it’s a dance with choreography taken from 40 or 50 different shows, sometimes we re-perform entire scenes.’ Consequently, Grand Theft Theatre is something of a Franken-show, featuring many forms. ‘There’s a space shared by all of these shows: that is the effect they create, whether it was an indie show that you saw in the back of some place you’ll never go again or a huge production in your city’s arts centre,’ adds Pony Cam’s William Strom. For this production, Pony Cam also hope to recreate some of the
Grand Theft Theatre, Latvian Hall ‘Talava’, 3 & 4, 9–11 March, times vary.
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PICTURE: LATE CUT MEDIA
FRINGE: THEATRE
HELIOS
THEATRE & DANCE
‘We owe Adelaide a lot,’ says Alex Wright, as Phil Grainger nods his agreement. ‘It’s amazing to arrive somewhere and feel welcome. It makes sense to keep coming back.’ And, with four different shows being presented this Fringe, it’s clear that Adelaide has become almost a second home for the childhood pals who bonded over music in rural North Yorkshire in the UK. Despite continuing to pursue separate projects, they’ve been making work together since 2016: this is the fifth go-around for their show Orpheus. So what was the impetus behind newest work Helios, which will receive its South Australian premiere in February? ‘The root of everything we’ve done is the words and music of Orpheus. Helios doesn’t have much to say in Orpheus’ story; this is us redressing the balance.’ It’s true that the Greek myths continue to inspire theatre-makers and audiences all over the world. ‘The reason these stories are still told is that they must speak to the human condition, to our personhood,’ says Wright. Where Wright and Grainger differ is their approach. Rarely performing in theatres, they are modern-day versions of travelling troubadours creating theatre in the simplest ways possible. ‘We join communities where they choose to gather, we don’t expect people to get into their cars and drive to the theatre,’ says Wright. ‘What we make is way less complicated than a lot of theatre: I’m talking, Phil’s singing. Imagination is individual.’ And the music? ‘Music does things to people,’ grins Grainger. ‘That’s how we speak to the gods.’ (Jo Laidlaw) n Helios, The Courtyard Of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 16–22 February, 5–17 March, 8pm; The Gods The Gods The Gods, The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 26 February–3 March, 9.30pm; Orpheus, The Courtyard Of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 23–25 February, 3.30pm, 27 February–3 March, 6.30pm; Wright&Grainger: Say It, Play It, Treasury 1860, 24 & 25 February, 7pm.
PICTURE: CAMILLA GREENWELL
FESTIVAL: DANCE
JUNGLE BOOK REIMAGINED
In the ongoing climate crisis, it’s often the youngest voices that ring out most eloquently, passionately and urgently. So it’s no grand jeté for the Akram Khan Dance Company to reinterpret Rudyard Kipling’s beloved children’s stories of survival, adaptation and adoption to amplify their message of respect for the creatures we share our world with. Jungle Book reimagined is a climate change parable for those who will inherit the earth. In Tarij Jordan’s script, Mowgli is a young migrant, driven from her home due to catastrophic flooding, and pitched into an urban jungle; a deserted city which has been colonised by oppressed animals adapting to a man-made environment. Using graceful pack movement and props, ten dancers conjure favourite characters (Baloo is an escaped dancing bear, the python Kaa is conjured from cardboard boxes). Voiceover and digital animation provide narrative support and a specially commissioned score by composer and regular Khan collaborator Jocelyn Pook conjures a wistful atmosphere. For Khan, we are guests on this earth. ‘We have forgotten our connection to our planet,’ he says. ‘We all inhabit it, we all take from it, and we all build on it, but we have forgotten to return our respect for it.’ (Fiona Shepherd) n Adelaide Festival Centre, 15 & 16 March, 7pm (also 1pm, 16 March).
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THEATRE & DANCE
THEATRE & DANCE MATADOR | INTIMO Apparently, hell hath no fury like a matador scorned. A fusion of dance, burlesque and circus, this newly updated, large-scale show has wowed audiences around the world with its sexy mix of music and movement. Gluttony, 16 February–17 March.
HIGHLIGHTS
I WISH I WAS MICK JAGGER Born in the same town, went to the same school. But it’s safe to say, Mick’s done a little bit better than Alan . . . A story of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll (sorta), as well as getting no satisfaction. Goodwood Theatre And Studios, Goodwood, 7 & 8, 12–14 March.
PICTURE: DANIEL BOUD
BLOOD OF THE LAMB When her plane is diverted to Dallas, will Nessa be able to escape a bewildering world of changing laws and beliefs? A searing reminder that the socalled civilised world really ain’t that civilised underneath. The Courtyard Of Curiosities At The Migration Museum, 20 February–17 March.
PRIVATE VIEW
SHHH! Based on the true stories of four generations of women, with all the gory details and cabbage-leaf pads present and correct. Shhh! blends physical theatre with storytelling and live music. The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall, 16–25 February.
Restless Dance Theatre explore a world of secret desires and dreams in this emotional piece that reveals dancers lost in their own private worlds. Music composed by Carla Lippis. Odeon Theatre, Norwood, 29 February–2 March, 5–9 March.
Theatrical and powerful, forget everything you think you know about Irish dance. An all-female cast brings ancient folklore to life in this epic and brand-new production. Arts Theatre, 25 February – 2 March.
Full listings details at list.co.uk/adelaide-festival 48 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
Ben and George are splitting up. They know who’s getting the house, but who gets to keep the pals? And what about the pub quiz? This light-hearted comedy explores how relationships are formed and dissolved. Dom Polski Centre, 11–17 March.
PICTURE: MATT BYRNE
TARA: TUATHA DÉ DANANN
DINK (DOUBLE INCOME NO KIDS)
THEATRE & DANCE
SKIN HUNGER THE PORTABLE DOROTHY PARKER
A solo jaunt through grief, god and ’gasms, this is one for anyone who has ever lost themselves, or someone else. Exploring themes of grief, faith and sexuality, expect laughter and maybe the odd tear or two along the way. The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall, 16–25 February.
Dot’s on the warpath; elegantly, of course. As Dorothy Parker sorts through her work, she reminisces about her life and loves, reflecting on what she’s achieved. Holden Street Theatres, Hindmarsh, 13 February–17 March.
MYTHOS: RAGNAROK PICTURE: DANIEL BOUD
Viking mythology told through the medium of wrestling? Sign us up! This international sensation brings ancient stories to life through a combination of comedy, chaos and combat. Uniquely bonkers. The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, 16 February–17 March.
THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE
THE NEW ABNORMAL
This powerful story about the strength of family love sees Bob and Fran’s four children struggle for their own identity while pushing the family apart. Andrew Bovell’s script is tightly controlled. The Parks Theatre, Angle Park, 2, 7 & 8, 16 March.
Sweating out another lockdown in a tiny apartment, friction rises from this cosy new togetherness. The pandemic is back, apparently; this time it’s three-ply and personal. Goodwood Theatre And Studios, Goodwood, 16 & 17, 22–27 February.
TWO OF THEM Two business people travel through the paintings of Chris Orchard: one looking for his boss, the other seeking spirituality. A rare adaption of visual art for the stage, with projections by award-winning animator James Calvert. MOD. At UniSA, 20, 22–24, 29 February, 1 & 2, 4, 7–9 March.
RICH MIX Adelaide College Of The Arts’ excellent dance programme includes this showcase of all-new work by local, national and international dance-makers, aiming to highlight groundbreaking choreography and fresh talent. Adelaide College Of The Arts, 22–24 February.
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VISUAL ART, LITERATURE & SPOKEN WORD
E
Laurie Anderson has always sounded like the future so it should come as no surprise that she’s all in for artificial intelligence, says Neil Cooper
ver since she scored a global hit in 1981 with ‘O Superman’, New York-based artist Laurie Anderson has been at the leading edge of melding music, words and performances with the latest technology. I’ll Be Your Mirror, her latest hi-tech exhibition, embraces artificial intelligence (AI). Real-life Anderson won’t be physically present, but AI Anderson very much will be, through technology that’s absorbed everything she’s ever said to create a writing machine made from her specific speech patterns. Activated by viewers feeding in short phrases, new works are then created in Anderson’s voice and style. As The Velvet Underground-referencing title suggests, I’ll Be Your Mirror includes an AI Lou Reed, using the words of the late lyrical auteur who was Anderson’s partner for 21 years. It was developed with Professor Thomas Hajdu, chair of creative technologies and chief innovator at the University Of Adelaide, and Professor Anton van den Hegel, founding director of the Australian Institute For Machine Learning. Anderson’s tenure as the world’s first AI Artist In Residence at the University Of Adelaide’s Sia Furler Institute presented a golden opportunity. ‘Laurie and I have known each other for a really long time, and she has a massive history in innovation in art,’ Professor Hajdu says. ‘Her approach to working with technology and art is based on curiosity, and moving into the spaces of unknowingness, and I just thought this would be a great opportunity for us to do some stuff together.’ The first result of the collaboration was Scroll (2021), which will also be shown. Scroll’s first appearance at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC predates the current chatter about AI. ‘When we started, people didn’t know what we were talking about,’ says Anderson. ‘Of course, now that I’m “doing” AI, I’m always asked to comment, but this has been around forever. It’s just that now
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”
Words are the most powerful thing in the world
we have a name like “chat”; but this is nothing to panic about, right?’ Anderson points to 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which the AI computer HAL 9000 rebels against the human inhabitants of the spaceship he’s piloting, and to Czech writer Karel Čapek’s 1920 play, Rossum’s Universal Robots. ‘The lines in that play, concerning the worries about robots taking over the world, could have been said yesterday,’ she points out. ‘I mean, of course any machine can blow up the world. That’s what machines do. We built them to do that, and when we give them a little more agency, they will do it. Probably by some mistake, but I don’t think it’s something that we have to worry about on a daily basis.’ I’ll Be Your Mirror’s audiences have embraced the possibilities. ‘People’s minds are just blown,’ Anderson observes, ‘because they say to somebody in the audience, “give me seven words, and we’re going to see what this does”. And it does this really kind of beautiful, weird meditation on those words. I don’t think it matters to people whether it was written by AI or not. What matters is that it is beautiful, mysterious, funny, or whatever else it can be.’ ‘Language is contagious,’ Anderson continues. ‘When William Burroughs said language is a virus, he didn’t understand just how quickly this could spread . . . words are the most powerful thing in the world, much more than weapons. If you can find the right words to say what it is that you want to say, it will change the world for sure. The words of Gandhi, the words of Jesus, the words of Plato; those are mind-bending idea words that free people.’ I’ll Be Your Mirror, State Library Of South Australia, 27 February–17 March; In Conversation With Laurie Anderson (live stream), The University Of Adelaide, 6 March.
Adelaide Biennial, Art Gallery Of South Australia, 1 March–2 June, daily 10am–5pm.
Heather B Swann, ‘Place For Sea Dreamers’ (2022 Biennial)
VISUAL ART, LITERATURE & SPOKEN WORD
s the longest running and pre-eminent survey of contemporary Australian art, the Adelaide Biennial has always attempted to showcase the most interesting work of a particular moment, with a themed approach giving the event a loose-knit narrative going beyond individual artists. By naming this 18th edition Inner Sanctum, curator José Da Silva is suggesting a meditation of sorts on where we are now. ‘Inner Sanctum came from a simple proposition of wanting to think about what the human condition might be like in 2023 and 2024,’ Da Silva says. ‘How might we think about the human condition after having lived through three or four years of covid and all the experiences of lockdown, and how that might have affected the way we think about our lives, our homes and our communities?’ Da Silva continues: ‘It became clear to me very early in the thinking about this show that there was a way of grouping certain ideas and certain artists together in distinct ways, and that you might invite an audience to take a particular journey. That might be akin to reading a great novel, or thinking about the exhibition experience not simply as things in different rooms, but as a kind of guided journey through the museum.’ Inner Sanctum features 24 artists spread out over five specific sections, beginning with George Cooley’s paintings that make up opening section The Inland Sea. This leads onto A Clearing, A Periphery; The River Path; and A Quiet Spot; before ending with the evocatively titled The Writing Of Love And Finding It. ‘The five parts play out physically in the way that you move through the space,’ says Da Silva. ‘Whilst they’re not linked in with cliffhangers, there is a sense you’re experiencing certain ideas in a concentrated way.’ Around 70% of the Biennial is made up of new commissions, with poetry at its heart. This includes Faith, a major new work by Kate Llewellyn, presented in a choral setting by Adelaide Chamber Singers. ‘I knew from the onset that poetry had something to offer in this context,’ says Da Silva. ‘I want the Biennial to have a diversity of art forms in it, so you’re pulling together this constellation to try and find who are the right people to be together in this moment.’
ALL TOGETHER NOW
A
Adelaide Biennial’s latest edition aims to take audiences on a journey through the human condition. Curator José Da Silva tells Neil Cooper how poetry has inspired this year’s event
VISUAL ART, LITERATURE & SPOKEN WORD
PICTURE: ANDREW BEVERIDGE
FESTIVAL
WRITERS’ WEEK
Curated by Louise Adler, Writers’ Week 2024 returns with an impressive international line-up of star names and a particular focus on South Asian writers. World-famous classicist Dame Mary Beard kicks things off, in conversation with Julia Baird as part of The Grande Dames Of Letters. The event also features award-winning Irish novelist Anne Enright and Jane Smiley, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award For Literature from PEN Center USA. Pulitzer Prize-winning Elizabeth Strout will also be in attendance for this gathering of literary royalty. For fans of a friendly debate, The Rest Is Politics features Alistair Campbell joined by his podcast partner and former Tory cabinet minister Rory Stewart (via live stream). Former UK Labour communications director Campbell will discuss leadership and liars with his friendly foe, which will no doubt spark some lively discourse (if not downright disagreement). The conversation will be marshalled by Sarah Ferguson, multi-award-winning host of ABC’s 7.30 programme. Also for politics and news lovers is Breakfast With Papers, where Tory Shepherd of The Guardian and Radio National’s Jonathan Green are joined by guests to mull over current events each morning during Writers’ Week. Returning spoken-word evening Hear Me Roar! platforms some of the country’s strongest voices in contemporary poetry, while elsewhere the festival’s starry line-up includes Édouard Louis, Richard Ford, Ted Chiang and Yanis Varoufakis. (Rachel Cronin) n Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden, 2–7 March. For full listings, go to list. co.uk/adelaide-festival
FRINGE: SPOKEN WORD
LYDIA LUNCH & JOSEPH KECKLER
For punk provocateur, No Wave music legend, avant-garde artist, actor and self-empowerment speaker Lydia Lunch, there is nothing more powerful than spoken word poetry. Having badgered and cajoled Rowland S Howard and Nick Cave early in The Birthday Party’s career (and becoming part of spin-off group Honeymoon In Red), the ageless US rabble-rouser and restless collaborator is relishing her return to Australia. ‘It’s interesting,’ she reflects. ‘I’ve curated so many shows, put together so many salons and brought a lot of people to the spoken word stage for the first time. And it’s usually rock musicians that are most intimidated by it,’ she smiles mischievously. ‘And I’m like, “what’s your problem? You’re an exhibitionist over here, you’re shy over there? You’ve got the mic.” The words cannot be hidden behind the music. It’s absolutely the most important thing to do.’ Performing Tales Of Lust & Madness (‘stories of obsession, depression, darkness, life, death’), Lunch will be sharing the stage with absurdist operatic balladeer Joseph Keckler, and promises a velvet hammer technique. ‘He’s velvety, then I come in like a hammer. We’re very different in delivery and style but conceptually, aesthetically, perversely and humorously, we’re a unique and utterly compatible combination.’ (Jay Richardson) n The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall, 14 March, 7.15pm.
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ADELAIDE FRINGE
WOMADELAIDE
ADELAIDE WRITERS’ WEEK
ADELAIDE FESTIVAL
LIST.CO.UK/ ADELAIDEFESTIVAL
F E S T I VA L L I S T I N G S REVIEWS N E W S & F E AT U R E S CITY GUIDE OUT OF TOWN GUIDE Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 53
VISUAL ART, LITERATURE & SPOKEN WORD VISUAL ART, LITERATURE & SPOKEN WORD
HIGHLIGHTS
GONDWANA VR: THE EXHIBITION SLEEP’S HILL TUNNEL Explore a forgotten railway tunnel to discover 350 metres of stunning light projections, tracking its fascinating history from steam train route to mushroom farm. A truly unusual perspective. n The Tunnels, 16 February–17 March.
PICTURE: MICHAEL KLUVANEK, 2022 BIENNIAL
Immerse yourself in a multi-sensory installation that contracts 100 years of climate data into one single day, while interacting with the Daintree Rainforest. Powerful, innovative and important. n South Australian Museum, until 17 March.
FLUKEY LUKEY Combining spoken-word poetry with stand-up and motivational speaking, Luke Mann explores his balance problems and how to balance his life, following a lifethreatening brain injury. n Gallery At The Gov, Hindmarsh, 7, 16 March.
THE PALMER SCULPTURE BIENNIAL
YOUNG READERS’ DAY
The Biennial returns this year with dozens of sculptures set in 400 acres of stunning landscape, 76 km east of Adelaide. Forget everything you know about art in galleries; this is art in real life. n Palmer Sculpture Landscape, Palmer, 16 March–14 April (weekends & Wednesday afternoons).
A day to celebrate young booklovers and the people who write for them, featuring an all-star line-up of the biggest names in children’s literature. Story Trove are also on hand to help young people bring stories to life through play. n Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden, 3 March.
PICTURE: SHANE REID
YUCKY This thought-provoking exhibition explores the personal and political complexities that exist as part of disabled people’s experiences, from the perspective of those who are disabled, chronically ill or neurodivergent. n Adelaide Contemporary Experimental, 17 February–4 May.
FANDANGO When does fandom tip into obsession? Nine performers talk about their one true love, whether it’s skateboarding, stars or song lyrics. Pam Makin and Tracey O’Callaghan host this spoken word extravaganza. n MixedCreative, Port Adelaide, 1 March.
Full listings details at list.co.uk/adelaide-festival 54 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
HOT SHOTS
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PICTURE: CHLOE ELIZABETH
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hot shots
Natural Wonders The Botanic Garden becomes an outdoor gallery under the stars, with magical trails of stories, light and music, including work from Ngarrindjeri woman Nicole Gollan, Dan Archer and Andrej Boleslavský. Adelaide Botanic Garden, 23 February–17 March. The Inflatable Church Love always wins at The Inflatable Church: book one of their wedding parties and they’ll marry you to anyone or anything. Daft fun. The Inflatable Church, Light Square, 16–18, 23–25 February, 1–3, 8–10, 15–17 March. Electric Dreams The great hall at Freemasons Hall transforms into a 360° dome experience, with performances and events including The Dark Side Of The Moon set to views of the solar system, and Coral–Rekindling Venus, a hypnotic journey through our oceans. Freemasons Hall, 17 February–17 March.
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Barristers Block
South Australia is home to an unbeatable feast of food and wine, from vineyards and cellar doors, to quaint restaurants in the great outdoors. Katie Spain explores the world-class wine regions less than an hour from the centre of Adelaide
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OUT OF TOWN GUIDE
ADELAIDE HILLS
Twenty minutes from the CBD, this leafy landscape is known for its biodiverse landscape, creating a coolclimate wine region with everything going for it. There’s a strong sense of community, with gorgeous towns and farmers’ markets to explore; the German settlement of Hahndorf is particularly popular, especially on weekends when it heaves with visitors hungry for bratwurst and beer. The heavenly produce translates to heavenly dining too; everything from the fancy to Italian-inspired to great pub food done right.
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CELLAR DOOR HIGHLIGHTS Ashton Hills Vineyard
126 Tregarthen Road, Ashton ashtonhills.com.au
As cute as a button, this corrugated iron-clad cellar door is known for outstanding pinot noir and riesling. Barristers Block
141 Onkaparinga Valley Road, Woodside barristersblock.com.au
Ponies, geese, deer and a labrador greet visitors at this pretty Woodside spot where there’s even a sandpit to keep the kids entertained. CRFT Wines
45 Rangeview Drive, Carey Gully crftwines.com.au
What a view! From the moment the car rolls down the tree and vine-lined drive, it feels like you’re in the Swiss Alps, with a tasting space overlooking a lake with fancy treehouse vibes. Mordrelle Wines
River Road, Hahndorf mordrellewines.com.au
Martin Moran makes some of the best sparkling wine in the country and cooks a mean barbecue from this family-run appointment only tasting space and winery.
A small, unpretentious and utterly charming tasting room with backyard shed vibes. A glass of their grüner veltliner in the terrace bar is bliss.
industry pioneer Brian Croser in a beautiful spot.
Expect to be served by the family members who make the good stuff. The chardonnay is exemplary in this modern cellar door overlooking farmland and towering gum trees.
Tilbrook Estate
260 Mappinga Road, Oakbank murdochhill.com.au
Nepenthe Wines
93 Jones Road, Balhannah nepenthe.com.au
Driven by sustainability, this newly renovated winery has a VIP tasting room, dining space and vistas just begging for photos. Their Sundays On The Hill events add to the fun.
sidewood.com.au
Just 25 minutes away from the CBD, Sundays are particularly fun here thanks to their free Sunday Sessions, with live music. It’s kidfriendly, too.
A warm, inviting boutique cellar door and vineyard near the historic German-heritage village of Hahndorf. Try a ChocoVino experience, pairing chocolate and wine.
Tapanappa
15 Spring Gully Road, Piccadilly tapanappa.com.au
K1 Wines By Geoff Hardy Mordrelle Wines
James and Annabelle Tilbrook are eco-warriors of wine and their net zero carbon cellar door is a beacon of positivity after the 2019 bushfire ripped through their property. 59 Grants Gully Road, Chandlers Hill watkins.wine
6 River Road, Hahndorf
38 Pain Road, Hahndorf hahndorfhillwinery.com.au
1856 Lobethal Road, Lobethal tilbrookestate.com.au
Watkins Wine
Sidewood Estate
Hahndorf Hill
159 Tynan Road, Kuitpo winesbygeoffhardy.com.au
Murdoch Hill
One for wine history nerds: the winery’s driveway passes the famous Tiers Vineyard, planted in 1979 by
This hilltop winery is run by a dynamic trio of lovely siblings who love what they do. You can feel it in the rustic surrounds, the fun food and the laid-back events they host. (Thursday night trivia is a hoot.)
GETTING THERE A TrailHopper bus is the simplest, most cost-effective way to get to the Hills. It collects guests from the city’s Stamford Plaza Hotel, or you can catch the bus in Hahndorf (trailhopper.com.au). Taxis/Uber can be difficult to find in the Hills, so plan ahead. Other tours are available.
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an 1853 farm shed atop a ridge, with spectacular wines and equally spectacular views over the Onkaparinga River National Park.
BAROSSA
Just 40 minutes south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale is a creative, progressive place with ocean views, a Mediterranean climate and 30 kilometres of coastline. The harvest is in full swing during festival season, so visitors can catch all the grape picking and winemaking action, and the sheer number of cellar doors is dizzying. The SummerVines festival (19–28 January) showcases the region’s bright, contemporary wines, vibrant food culture and laid-back coastal lifestyle.
SOMOS Wines
333 Foggo Road, McLaren Flat somoswines.com
ADELAIDE CBD
Expect small batch, lo-fi wines (the weird and wonderful kind) at this tasting space run by winemakers Ben Caldwell and Mauricio Ruiz Cantu. Visitors can BYO food.
ADELAIDE HILLS
Yangarra Estate
809 McLaren Flat Road, Kangarilla yangarra.com
CELLAR DOOR HIGHLIGHTS Battle Of Bosworth
Yangarra Estate Vineyard’s impressive new space offers tasting experiences and certified organic and biodynamically farmed vineyard views.
MCLAREN VALE
Gaffney Road, Willunga battleofbosworth.com.au
Simply oozing character. Joch and Louise Bosworth pour their certified organic wines in a beautiful old 1850s chaff shed. It’s intimate, genuine and proudly organic. Berg Herring
Lot 21 Sellicks Beach Road, Sellicks Beach bergherringwines.com.au
A beautifully restored church with meticulously tended lawns looking out over Sellicks Beach. It’s the perfect spot to grab a picnic rug and enjoy some tasty alternative varieties. D’Arenberg
OUT OF TOWN GUIDE
MCLAREN VALE
GETTING THERE apples, pears, stone fruit and cherries as well as grapes on this working farm. Rusty old farm relics hang on the walls and curious farm animals drop by to say hello. Oliver’s Taranga
246 Seaview Road, McLaren Vale oliverstaranga.com
A 182-year relationship with the land is the heartbeat of this estategrown wine brand and family, where Corrina Wright tells her family story through wine.
Samson Tall
219 Strout Road, McLaren Vale samsontall.com.au
A heavenly hideaway, with a tasting space set in in a little renovated church with cemetery views. Ask winemaker Paul Wilson for Samson Tall’s story: he’s buried here. Samuel’s Gorge
193, Lot 10 Chaffeys Road, McLaren Vale gorge.com.au
It doesn’t get more evocative than
McLaren Vale is a 40-minute drive from Adelaide. It’s possible to get taxis/Uber but be prepared to wait. The Route 31 Coastal Drive hugs the coastline from O’Sullivan Beach to Sellicks Beach (mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast.com. au). Metro rail services operate between Adelaide and Seaford and there are bus services between Adelaide and the area’s townships (adelaidemetro.com.au). Plenty of tours are also available.
58 Osborn Road, McLaren Vale darenberg.com.au
A trip to the Vale isn’t complete without visiting the giant Rubik’s Cube-inspired structure here, with a museum featuring a multi-milliondollar Salvador Dalí exhibition. Gemtree
167 Elliot Road, McLaren Flat gemtreewines.com
There’s a lot to love about this biodynamic wine producer. Join Ngarrindjeri elder Mark Koolmatrie on a stroll through the Gemtree Eco Trail to hear ancient stories of his people and land. Ivybrook Farm
34 Thomas Road, Maslin Beach ivybrook.com.au
This boutique family winery makes savoury, minimal-intervention wines. Expect to see family members pouring Nick Hunt’s creations in a lovingly restored barn: wholesome. McCarthy’s Orchard
207 Sand Road, McLaren Vale mccarthysorchard.com.au
Lisa and Mark McCarthy grow
D’Arenburg Cube
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Seppeltsfield
Tomfoolery
OUT OF TOWN GUIDE
517 Stockwell Road, Light Pass tomfoolerywines.com.au
This sweet, cottage-like cellar door and the wines on pour are the work of exciting winemakers Sarah and Ben ‘Chippy’ Chipman. Whistler Wines
241 Seppeltsfield Road, Stone Well whistlerwines.com.au
Welcome to the Pfeiffer family’s little oasis. A shady lawn area and nature play equipment beg to be explored, or laze with a glass of the good stuff while indulging in some kangaroo spotting. Yalumba
40 Eden Valley Road, Angaston yalumba.com
As Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, there are many stories to hear and plenty to do, including picnics and a tour of the cooperage, where the barrels are made.
GETTING THERE
BAROSSA There’s nowhere quite like the Barossa. It’s a rich tapestry of culture, food, wine, characters, traditions and architecture, and it’s all just 70 kilometres north-east of Adelaide. Made up of two distinct regions, Barossa Valley and Eden Valley, you can watch blacksmiths at work, see coopers craft barrels in front of your eyes, or browse art galleries, gift stores and popular wine bars and restaurants. A full belly is encouraged too, with plenty of dining options to explore.
CELLAR DOOR HIGHLIGHTS Artisans Of The Barossa
16–26 Vine Vale Road, Tanunda artisansofbarossa.com
Eight small but delightful wine producers are showcased at this new space and the restaurant is top notch, too. Bethany Wines
378 Bethany Road, Tanunda bethany.com.au
A stunning place for a tasting flight and history lesson. The Heysen
Yalumba
Trail weaves its way through this family-run property, past creeks and buildings that whisper tales of yore. David Franz
94 Stelzer Road, Stonewell david-franz.com
Often named best small cellar door in the region, a gorgeous spread of small-batch, lovingly made wines is accompanied by Barossa-made snacks for you to build your own platter. Henschke
1428 Keyneton Road, Keyneton
henschke.com.au
It takes around an hour to drive to Barossa Valley from Adelaide. Taxis must be pre-booked and local taxis operate once you’re in the area. The Metro train runs from Adelaide to Gawler Central, you can then pick up a bus to Nuriootpa via Lyndoch and Tanunda (adelaidemetro.com. au). Tour operators include the TrailHopper Bus (trailhopper.com. au). If you’re feeling fancy you can see the region in a hot-air balloon.
THIRSTY FOR MORE?
The Henschke family has made wine in the Eden Valley for more than 150 years and you can taste all that history in this sleek new cellar door. Farmers at heart, they’re committed to an organic, biodynamic approach. Pindarie Wines
946 Rosedale Road, Gomersal pindarie.com.au
Children and adults climb the mountain of hay bales on the cellar door’s lawn and the lunch offering is great (especially the sausage rolls). It feels like you’re dining in a farm’s backyard. Seppeltsfield
730 Seppeltsfield Road, Seppeltsfield seppeltsfield.com.au
You could easily spend a day at this palm-tree dotted estate. There’s a winery and award-winning restaurant as well as artist studios, galleries and gift stores. 60 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
Langhorne Creek is an often overlooked, but utterly charming, wine region. Just 65 km from the CBD, it has the kind of rural charm that feels like a warm hug and a small but beguiling list of cellar doors. langhornecreek.com
THE d’ARENBERG CUBE
SINGAPORE CIRCUS RESTAURANT
d’ARRY’S VERANDAH RESTAURANT
SALVADOR DALÍ EXHIBITION
Open daily. Check website for times.
Open for lunch daily. Check website for times.
Open for lunch daily from 12pm.
Open daily. Check website for times.
More than a cellar door. Experience hosted masterclasses, explore the contemporary art museum, or play winemaker for the day, blending and bottling your own wine.
A melting pot of South-East Asian inspired cuisine. Channeling the vibrant, bold and exciting flavours found at the junctions of colliding cultures. A loud, comfortable and inviting collection of dishes suitable for a shared experience.
Housed in our restored 19th century homestead, d’Arry’s draws inspiration from local and seasonal produce with an abundance of creative flavour combinations. Enjoy the à la carte menu or indulge in a degustation with optional wine pairing.
Salvador Dalí is regarded as a titan of modern art and one of the most important artists of the 20th century. This multi-million dollar exhibition of Salvador Dalí bronze sculptures and graphic artworks is on loan from the Dalí Universe in Switzerland.
@darenbergwine • @darrysverandah • @darenberg_singaporecircus 58 osborn rd, mclaren vale • t. 08 8329 4888 • wine@darenberg.com.au
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ADELAIDE FRINGE
WOMADELAIDE
ADELAIDE WRITERS’ WEEK
ADELAIDE FESTIVAL
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F E S T I VA L L I S T I N G S REVIEWS N E W S & F E AT U R E S CITY GUIDE OUT OF TOWN GUIDE 62 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
EAT A Prayer For The Wild At Heart
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44 Hurtle Square aprayerforthewildatheart.com.au
A big round of applause for this cute as a button restaurant, evocatively named after a line from Shakespeare’s Richard III. A Prayer For The Wild At Heart is the sibling to founder Emily Raven’s My Kingdom For A Horse, famed for its stellar brunch options. French vibes continue with head chef Stéphane Brizard serving the flavours of his homeland across breakfast, lunch and dinner. Happy hour (3–6pm, Fri–Sun) is a highlight. Adelaide Central Market
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44–60 Gouger Street adelaidecentralmarket.com.au (08) 8203 7494
For fresh produce, there’s no place more exciting than the historic CBD market. Many of the 70-plus stalls are owned by multi-generational traders, and there are a smattering of dining options in the mix. Must-visits include Lucia’s Pizza And Spaghetti Bar (the first pizza bar in Adelaide) for the late Lucia Rosella’s legendary spaghetti bolognese; SunMi Sushi for buchimgae (Korean pancakes) made by store owner and former Olympic volleyballer Sunmi Kim; and authentic Malaysian flavours, including the signature Sarawak laksa, at Asian Gourmet. Marino’s Porchetta e Cannoli Bar is a great option if you need to grab and run, or take a seat at new seafood stall SiSea for a bowl of Eyre Peninsula wok-fried mussels. People watching doesn’t get any better. Adelaide Pho
CITY GUIDE
Adelaide’s CBD offers a smorgasbord of dining and drinking options, from grab-and-go snacks (when your show schedule is jam-packed), to hot new bars and restaurants worth booking ahead. Katie Spain shares her top tips for eating and drinking around the city’s square mile
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199 Waymouth Street facebook.com/adelaidepho (08) 8212 0997
A great pho is worth searching out: this little gem has long provided quality, affordable Vietnamese soup to devoted locals. Lieu Tran and her family spent more than a decade labouring over the perfect broth, which arrives with a healthy serving of mint, coriander, Thai basil and condiments. The humble, old-school space is located at the relatively quiet end of Waymouth Street. Africola
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4 East Terrace africola.com.au (08) 8223 3885
Some of the most famous folk in the world have eaten at this fun restaurant, from Katy Perry to Foo Fighters. It’s no surprise: everything about Africola demands a voracious approach to life. The menu is African-inspired (but not exclusively; there’s always room to Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 63
CITY GUIDE
Garçon Bleu
play). It opened in 2014 and still merits its place in the line-up of inspired dining spots. New takeaway lunch joint Africola Canteen (The Parade, Norwood) is worth a gander, too. Chianti
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160 Hutt Street chianti.au (08) 8232 7955
An oldie but a goodie. Chianti owners Maria and Frank Favaro have clocked up three decades (and counting) of devoted regulars. Warm, Italian charm (and food) is their secret: this is fine dining with a jovial undercurrent where even newcomers are welcomed as old pals. Below the bustling restaurant, there’s an impressive cellar of old and new wine. The generosity here is genuine; a percentage of tips are donated to charity. East Taste Cafe
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119 Gouger Street (08) 8231 0268
Gouger Street is full of restaurants dotted with lazy Susans begging to be piled high with BYO wine and authentic Asian dishes. East Taste is particularly popular due to its tendency to remain open into the wee hours. Order the BBC (broad beans, bean curd and Chinese chutney) and make the most of the $9 per bottle corkage charge. Fino Vino
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82 Flinders Street finovino.net.au (08) 8232 7919
Fugazzi
108 Currie Street sofiteladelaide.com.au (08) 8432 1900
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Hotel restaurants can be hit and miss but as far as atmosphere goes, this spot gets two thumbs up. Look up as you enter Sofitel’s foyer; the Bordeauxinspired art installation flows like a Garonne River of red wine. There’s more French influence to be found on level nine, where the Garçon Bleu team serves modern French fare with a touch of drama. Kick things off at the bar with a glass of bubbles and crisp whitebait, before taking a seat with a bird’s-eye view of the city.
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Gondola Gondola
1 Peel Street gondolagondola.com.au (08) 8123 3877
Good things come to those who wait. Walk-ins are permitted at this South-East Asian restaurant, where Japanese, Thai, Singaporean and Vietnamese beer, Asian whiskies, and South Australian wines help pass the wait time. It’s worth it, if only for the papaya salad and salt and pepper eggplant. If you’ve got time, their ‘feed me’ option (minimum of four people) is a hit. Long share-tables and cracking cocktails make for a social outing.
PICTURE: JULIAN CEBO
For what is arguably the best value meal in town, go no further than Fino Vino: the express menu includes three plates and a glass of wine for around $55 per person. The feel-good factor at this top-notch Italian haunt is palpable. Exuberant co-owners Sharon Romeo and chef David Swain put their heart and soul into service, from pickled vegetables made using a recipe concocted by Romeo’s late father to the famous crema catalana.
Garçon Bleu
Conviviality is audible in this rustic city haunt, with a greeting like a welcoming hug from a friend. Happy staff wave from the kitchen, over a herringbone-tiled bar topped with tempting jars of pickled produce. Dishes are full of life, vibrant with fresh produce. In the atrium space, a tree stretches its boughs above dining tables; Mother Nature’s very own centrepiece. It’s a beautiful, unpretentious place and the quiet side-street location brings a moment of festival-season calm. 12
11 Ebenezer Place heyjupiter.com.au 0416 050 721
This is as close as you’ll get to a Parisian café in Adelaide. When French restaurateur Christophe Zauner and his partner Jacqui Lodge opened their small East End brasserie in 2002, the aim was to bring French joie de vivre to Australia. The petite bistro serves hit after French hit; from breakfast (available late on weekends), to snacks (freshly shucked oysters served with a glass of Louis Roederer champagne), lunch and dinner. C’est délicieux.
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72–74 Halifax Street herringbonerestaurant.com.au 0428 926 9770
Hey Jupiter
27 Leigh Street (08) 7089 0350 fugazzi.com.au
If you’re after a sleek, sexy, New York-Italian diner-style atmosphere, this is the ticket. The front bar is full of dark leather and rich red tones, while marble tables and timber booths dot the main dining space where co-owners Laura and Max Sharad’s Italian heritage permeates the menu. It’s one for a festival season date-night or negroni-fuelled catch-up with pals. And, unlike many restaurants, Fugazzi is open seven days a week.
Herringbone
House Of George
30 Vardon Avenue houseofgeorgeadl.com 0434 812 023
Fino Vino
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They say a change is as good as a holiday. When East End Greek restaurant Yiasou George reopened as House Of George in mid2023, new head chef Sav Sexton
NORTH TERRACE
BENT STREET FROME STREET
HYDE STREE
WEYMOUTH ST
WYATT STREET
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TRY LIMITED EDITION HENDRICK’S GIN COCKTAILS AT THESE TOP ADELAIDE BARS This Adelaide Fringe, escape the heat and quench those thirsty tastebuds with a journey of exploratory delight around some of Adelaide’s top cocktail bars, with the Hendrick’s Curious Gin Trail! Dates: 16 Feb–17 Mar 2024 Starting point: Any of the venues on the trail
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MAYBE MAE
MALT & JUNIPER
PROOF
HAINS & CO
Basement, 15 Peel Street (Downstairs hidden door entrance) Opens: 5PM, Tuesday–Sunday
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MEMPHIS SLIM HOUSE OF BLUES
Basement Level, 22 Gilbert Place (Under Shotgun Willies) Opens: 7PM, Tuesday–Thursday & Sunday, 5PM, Friday & Saturday
18 Peel Street Opens: 4PM, Monday–Saturday
9A Anster Street Opens: 3PM, Monday–Friday, 5PM, Saturday
23 Gilbert Place Opens: 4PM, daily
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ROXIE’S GARDEN
THE HOWLING OWL
CLUB CURIOUS
188 Grenfell Street Opens: 7.30AM, Monday–Friday, 12PM, Saturday–Sunday
10 Vaughan Place Opens: 12PM, Monday–Saturday
Gluttony at Rymill Park/ Murlawirrapurka Free entry with a Gluttony show ticket
Opens: 9PM, Tuesday–Thursday, 10PM, Friday–Saturday Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024 | THE LIST 65
Breakfast & Lunch: Monday-Sunday Dinner: Wednesday-Sunday
Reservations: www.aprayerforthewildatheart.com.au
44 Hurtle Square, Adelaide
191 Wright St: Mon-Fri 7-4, Sat-Sun 8-4
11 Waymouth St: Mon-Fri 7-4
Bookings: www.mykingdomforahorse.com.au 66 THE LIST | Adelaide Summer Festival Guide 2024
14 Kafe Suka Suka 358 King William Street instagram.com/sukasuka_adelaide 0413 761 622
Another new kid on the block, this time with an Indonesian-fusion focus. It’s small, pleasantly casual and a big hitter for breakfast or brunch with an Indo twist. Egg noodle dishes alongside poached eggs with a curry twist? Rendang benedict, anyone? If nothing else, make time to drop in for a pandanmisu or a tiramisu latte: what a treat. Kiin
73 Angas Street kiinrestaurant.com.au (08) 8448 1221
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If you haven’t tried Kiin’s red curry cheeseburger, you simply haven’t lived. The punchy little handful is an example of chef Ben Bertei’s fresh take on modern Asian dining. Kiin (Thai for ‘eat’) opened in December 2022 and the slick, warehouse-style space welcomes all forms of dining: bar-style seating with a kitchen view, quick lunches,
or long, lazy feasts. On the dessert front, the Thai-ra-misu provides a quirky finale. La Trattoria
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346 King William Street (08) 8212 3327
latrattoria.com.au Prepare yourself for chaos. This expansive, frantic, delightfully popular pizza joint has been an Adelaide icon since opening in 1975. The food is Italian; pizza, pasta, minestrone, stracciatella, and scaloppina cacciatora served by wait staff who’ve been here so long they’re part of the furniture. Add affordable house wine (by the carafe, of course) and you’ve got a rollicking good time. Longplay Bistro
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131 Pirie Street longplaybistro.com.au
As dream teams go, the crew behind Clever Little Tailor, Pink Moon Saloon and Brighter Later gin have the magic touch. Their latest hospitality adventure is a bistro serving a small but endearing mix of European classics (given a modern twist by former Summertown Aristologist chefs Calum Horn and Jude Hughes) and an epic global wine and spirit list. A carefully curated vinyl soundtrack adds to the laid-back vibe. Atmosphere is everything here. Osteria Oggi
76 Pirie Street osteriaoggi.com.au (08) 8359 2525
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The perfect bowl of pasta does exist: you’ll find it at Osteria Oggi where the focus on house-made pasta is unwavering. It’s a vibrant place, where things hit full swing with the arrival of dishes such as campanelle (laden with smoked eel, peas, chilli, lemon and chervil) and wood-grilled sirloin. The awardwinning interior and fast-paced service creates a buzz. Oggi opens until late, seven days a week. Paper Tiger
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285 Rundle Street papertiger.com.au 0429 455 357
Imagine the scene: your diary is jampacked with show-hopping and you want to schedule a quick bite with friends. Paper Tiger (by Malaysianborn Benjamin Liew) serves everything from dumplings to DIY crispy pork belly bao, to a variety of noodles and salads. It’s not exactly cheap but it is extremely cheerful and, as far as location goes, it’s a Rundle Street winner, especially once the DJ decks and dancefloor fire up. Peel Street
9 Peel Street peelst.com.au (08) 8231 8887
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One word: fresh. Towering plates of fresh ingredients attract a steady flow of regulars to this buzzing CBD favourite and the hum of anticipation fills the (always busy) space. Generosity of size and
spirit permeate the restaurant and endearingly honest staff talk you through the options scrawled on two large blackboards. Each dish heaves with herbs, South-East Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours and there’s fun to be had identifying them. Peter Rabbit Cafe
CITY GUIDE
(previously from award-winning neighbourhood bar Good Gilbert) hit the tools. The menu is packed with Euro-infused goodies and fun shareable dishes (think oysters with ouzo mignonette and whole baby snapper swimming in caper butter). Vegan options are impressive, too. Sitting outside lands you so close to the festival action that you’re basically a performer.
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234–244 Hindley Street peterabbit.com.au
Got a hankering for a Bloody Mary? This Hindley Street café delivers enchanted garden party vibes in the city’s West End: it’s like entering a hidden grotto (there’s even a vintage caravan). It’s a great option for a CBD breakfast, with pastries and full-blown meals. Soi 38
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74 Pirie Street soi38.com.au (08) 8223 5472
A certain kind of magic happens when Terry Intarakhamhaeng hits the kitchen. Soi 38’s co-owner and executive chef champions regional Thai flavours, with an emphasis on dishes that capture Thailand’s lesser-known regions, history and ethnic minority groups. Located in the old Pirie Street Subway, the warm hospitality is typical of the lovely family that runs it. Possibly one of the most underrated restaurants in Adelaide.
Soi 38
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DRINK
Apoteca
CITY GUIDE
2KW Bar & Restaurant 1 2 King William Street 2kwbar.com.au (08) 8212 5511 Sip in the sun with a rooftop view over Government House at this upmarket heavyweight. The outdoor bar and booths are popular with the young things of Adelaide, while the indoors restaurant is a place to settle in. Either way, the booze is great, with a decent spread of unique cocktails, local treasures and international gems from the cellar. If you’re the type to dress up and strike a pose, you’re in for a treat.
Ancient World
116a Hindley Street facebook.com/ AncientWorldAdelaide
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Seek and ye shall find. As a supporter of local artists, self-confessed weird eggs and musicians, Ancient World has provided a platform and hideaway for over a decade. It’s a rough-around-the-edges place to let your hair down and your quirks and personality shine. The underground grotto (and above ground courtyard) is tucked away on a West End backstreet (a stone’s throw from Hindley Street) and the creative vibes are intoxicating.
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118 Hindley Street apoteca.com.au (08) 8212 9099
An oldie but a goodie, especially if you enjoy stepping back in time. The hustle and chaotic bustle of Hindley Street surrounds this special bar and restaurant but once inside, you’re engulfed in 1920s-era splendour and apothecary-style décor (look up: the chandeliers are sublime). It’s fitting then, that champagne and fine wine rules the drinks menu. A treasured spot for cabaret stars, dandies and burlesque queens, best book ahead if you want to eat downstairs. Baddog
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63 Hyde Street instagram.com/baddog_bar
Baddog is pretty much as clandestine as it gets in this city. If the small light in front of this bluesy bar is on, consider it open. Owner Zac Markov has a thing for top shelf spirits and the care he takes to meticulously prep drinks is testament to that. Pass the time by exploring the dark space, its booths, and the bar stacked with whisky, gin and other tempting things. The Bibliotheca Bar And Book Exchange 1/27 Gresham Street bibliotheca.com.au 0400 066 650
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Apoteca
A European-style bar full of books and lovely literary vibes: what’s not to love? For fans of words (and well-crafted cocktails), this is a dream come true. Bibliotheca is a great place for solo imbibing too, because there’s always a book for company. Curl up in an armchair or take a perch while you page-flick and snack on nuts and bolts (the old-school cereal snack), grilled camembert and toasties. Cry Baby
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11 Solomon Street crybabybar.com.au
When it’s late and you simply must throw shapes, Cry Baby is hot stuff. Here, the entire venue is pretty much a dancefloor filled by nostalgic tunes from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s: think You’re The Voice by John Farnham. Even the bar staff stop to dance during certain bangers. After a few shots, every surface is fair game, the floor is sticky, and the crowd is a heaving mess of fun. Best of all, it’s open seven days a week, from 4pm–2am. Sorry boss, we’re calling in sick tomorrow. East End Cellars
25 Vardon Avenue eastendcellars.com.au (08) 8232 5300
East End Cellars
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Calling all wine aficionados and the downright curious, this legitimately wonderful wine bar has more than 10,000 bottles on show (in bar and bottle shop format) ranging from obscure drops from faraway lands, to difficult-to-find local unicorns. The cheese platter is arguably the best in town and the onsite restaurant channels European influence. The best seats in the house are the window perches, or
kerbside when the street closes to traffic and hits full swing. The Exeter Hotel
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246 Rundle Street theexeter.com.au (08) 8223 2623
This grungy, old watering hole has channelled authenticity since 1851. You can’t miss the iconic green tiles that cling to the exterior, much like the regulars who gather around the pub’s mosaic-topped kerbside tables. It’s unpretentious and welcoming; you’re as likely to see rock stars here as you are thespians, tradies, business folk and Fringe performers. A great beer garden, crisp Coopers Ale, reasonably priced wine, affordable pub meals (and equally iconic loodoor art) round off the experience. Raise a glass of Krug to the arts while you’re here (yes, you can get it by the bottle). No pokies: phew. Hellbound
Downstairs, 201 Rundle Street hellboundwinebar.com 0420 322 715
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The words ‘go to hell’ took on new meaning when co-owners and beverage aficionados Mark ‘Reggie’ Reginato and winemaker Louis Schofield opened Hellbound in 2018. The space, a former office, needed a lot of work; they did it all themselves and now the underground lair is home to an ever-changing and impressive list of red burgundy, champagne, Italian reds, and plenty of local alternative varieties and producers. There’s also a selection of beer, aperitifs, gin, vodka, tequila and mezcal, grappa, moonshine, bourbon, whisky, brandy, cognac, armagnac, calvados, and eau de vie. It’s a party, alright.
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CITY GUIDE
PICTURE: JACK FENBY
local wine, faraway liquid gems, spirits, thoughtfully made cocktails and fancy toasties prepped on the sandwich press behind the bar. The rooftop terrace is a jewel. Shotgun Willies / Memphis 17 Slim’s House Of Blues 22 Gilbert Place shotgunwillies.com.au, memphisslims.com.au
LOC
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Jennie Wine Bar
turned-bar attracts a devoted and wine savvy crowd. LOC stands for ‘left of centre’ which gives some insight into the kind of minimal intervention wines in the glass. Owner Olivia Moore is a muchloved Brit-turned-local who calls upon an exciting line-up of chefs to man the small kitchen on a rotating basis. Fresh, fun and all heart, with a Hindmarsh Square view.
7 Peel Street jenniewinebar.com.au
A refreshingly welcoming exploration of the global world of wine. Jennie is run by five pals who called their bar after the name given to a 500ml bottle of wine. Part bar, part online bottle shop, it embraces a thoughtfully curated wine offering with informative staff who love to share the stories behind the producers and the places where the grapes were grown. A genuinely nice place to be. 11
La Buvette Drinkery
A stellar global wine list and a slick interior make this a classy place to imbibe and dine before or after a performance. Head chef Clinton Lam has a thing for Asian and European fare so expect substantial contemporary dishes and snacks that straddle both. Vardon Avenue tends to explode during festival season so it’s a great pit-stop, or place to settle in and watch the action unfold. Grab a window seat if you can.
27 Gresham Street labuvettedrinkery.com.au
Escape the daily grind with a trip to France: this lush family-run Euro star is tucked away down a CBD side street and serves bistro-style treats such as escargot alongside French aperitifs, stellar cocktails, and local natural and organic wines. Whether you’re indoors, where the light is delightfully dim, or on the sidewalk, it oozes authenticity and feels like a true neighbourhood bar.
My Lover Cindi
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LOC
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Mother Vine
22–26 Vardon Avenue mothervine.com.au (08) 8227 2273
Unit 2, 192 Pirie Street mylovercindi.net
6 Hindmarsh Square locdotcom.au
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If only more late-night venues had the same level of focus on the LGBTQI+ community and accessibility as My
This small-but-beautiful independent online bottle shop-
Lover Cindi. This is a bar in which to dance and celebrate diversity. There’s an ever-evolving schedule of queer and community events held here, as well as Fringe performances, so check social media for updates. Drag, burlesque, DJs . . . it’s pure queer utopia. Great non-alcoholic options too. 15
The Olivia Hotel
170 Hutt Street theoliviahotel.com.au
This pub-meets-wine bar with courtyard is all charm. An unassuming stained-glass front door leads to a character-packed space full of vintage furniture and collectables. Candles flicker as the light dips, dripping wax across surfaces topped with wine bottles of the exciting/emerging producer kind. It’s the kind of place where Friday knock-offs include a DJ, the weekly quiz night attracts a devoted crowd, and the occasional guest winemaker makes an appearance to pour their goods and chew the fat in an intimate setting. 16
Proof
9a Anster Street proof-bar.com
This was one of the small bars that forged the way for Adelaide’s tiny but top-quality laneway scene. The split-level space serves great
A double whammy of personalitypacked venues. On the ground floor, Shotgun Willie’s is all boot-scooting, Wild West-vibing shenanigans. One moment you’re watching Brokeback Mountain on the television screen in the far corner of the bar, the next you’re swilling beer while singing along to live acts, the likes of which you see on TV series Yellowstone. Hidden below, on the basement level, is Memphis Slim’s House Of Blues; a whisky-slinging, live blues band-hosting gem of a hideaway. It’s one of the best live music venues in Adelaide and is still (largely) a wellkept secret. Shhh. 18
Sugar
Unit 1, 274 Rundle Street instagram.com/sugar.adl
When cult nightclub favourite Sugar reopened in collaboration with Gonzo Group in December, fans of electronic music breathed a sigh of relief. Sugar has long been a place to hide from the world, high above Rundle Street, accessed by a stairway to heaven of sorts. Expect international and local artists (with artistic direction and DJ-curation by legendary founding owner Driller Jet Armstrong) and a pink-centric interior designed by AACTA awardwinning costume designer Mariot Kerr. There’s also a decent focus on local producers behind the bar.
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