Polite Society’s Social Diary - May

If we had unlimited time and money, we would spend this month camped out with our Polite Society duvets at the Opera House, living in a perfect bubble of gigs and movies. As part of Vivid festival, Vivid LIVE takes up residence with music and events spanning everything from contemporary surf-rock favourites King Stingray through to seminal house DJ Jeff Mills and The KLF, alongside screenings of classic music films like Human Traffic, Absolute Beginners and 24-Hour Party People. Basically, if you were alive in the 90s – or are riding the revival – these are must-have tickets.

But no fear: more traditional tastes are also catered for. The Australian Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by the late, great John Cranko, brings the romance, while Your Song: The Music of Elton John features all the hits performed by an array of music-theatre heavyweights, perfect for Mother’s Day. Sydney Opera House; throughout May

Meanwhile, in Melbourne, Rising Festival is also shaking a leg with the inaugural Australian Dance Biennale. It’s everything you’d expect from Rising: masked performers dressed as dolls (Voyage Into Infinity), a dark dance work about two lost sheep (The Shepherds) and a visceral paean to the ageing female body (Exposure). But there’s also a packed schedule of fun dance classes – including breakdance, salsa and K-pop – at Land of 1000 Dances, held in the historic Flinders Street Station Ballroom, built in 1910 and usually closed to the foot-tapping public. Rising and the Australian Dance Biennale, May 27-June 8, various venues

Opera Australia turns 70 this year and it has come a long way since staging its first performances of Mozart under the catchy moniker The Elizabethan Theatre Trust Opera Company. That said, the company’s Melbourne run this month leans heavily on the classics, starting with a ‘new’ production of everyone’s favourite, La Traviata, followed by a Gilbert & Sullivan celebration and Encore! Songs from the Musicals. The highlight, though, has got to be the 70^th Anniversary Gala, with its promise of famous opera highlights led by renowned Italian conductor Giampaolo Bisanti. Melbourne’s Regent Theatre; from May 8

Australian artist eX de Medici worked as a tattooist for 12 years, a practice reflected in the punk aesthetic of her work, which often depicts weapons and bombs wrapped in a profusion of flowers and leaves. A 2023 exhibition at GOMA showcased her intricate large-scale watercolours; now, a show of new works, Original Sin, further explores the unsettling interplay between power, violence and nature. She has made several trips to Iran in recent years, and a Persian influence, alongside Chinese characters and symbolism in some paintings, renders these new pieces particularly powerful. Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney; May 28-June 20

Who will win the Archibald Prize? Will it be Loribelle Spirovski’s confident finger-painting of Silverchair front man Daniel Johns, or Julia Dover’s striking image of Bondi hero Ahmed al-Ahmed, or any of the other 57 finalists in this most prestigious prize? All will be revealed on May 8, at a ceremony breathlessly reported by the major news outlets, giving levels of publicity worth even more than the tidy $100,000 prize. One of life’s great joys is touring the exhibition with friends or family and arguing about favourites; for what it’s worth, we’d love Stieg Persson’s portrait of Virginia Trioli on our wall. Art Gallery of NSW; May 9-August 16

Described as “alarmingly timely”, Retrograde stars Donné Ngabo as a young Sidney Poitier, 10 years before he became the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Poitier has been summoned to a meeting with television executives to discuss what he believes is a career-defining opportunity, but matters take a sinister turn when it becomes clear that the price of signing a contract is political and racial betrayal. Celebrated in the West End last year, this is the play’s Australian premiere – don’t miss it. Centre Melbourne; May 16-June 27