Polite Society Social Diary - January
Fling yourself into new-year fun with high art and high drama at the tennis.
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It’s one of the classical repertoire’s most recognisable refrains – Fi-ga-ro! Figaro! Figaro! – and this month you can hear it sung beautifully in Opera Australia’s Barber of Seville. Rising star Samuel Dale Johnson plays the canny neighbourhood barber determined to help wealthy Count Almaviva and young, witty Rosina marry, even against the wishes of Rosina’s belligerent uncle. Rossini’s masterpiece, written in just 13 days, is regarded as one of the greatest comic operas; if that weren’t enough of an enticement, the stage’s centrepiece is a life-sized dolls house. January 18-February 28, Sydney Opera House
Speaking of centrestage (or centre court), the Australian Open is in full swing, with controversial top seed Jannik Sinner leading the men's singles draw but plenty of likely-looking challengers. We’ll be gripped by the tennis, obviously, but taking regular refreshments at Garden Square, where 21 restaurants are offering 15 different cuisines, ranging from French, courtesy of Entrecote, to penne and Italian dolce from Piccolo Panini bar. January 6-26, Melbourne Park
(AP Photo/ Vincent Thian)
If your tastes tend to theatre rather than tennis (although we’d argue there’s art to both), the Sydney Festival takes over the city this month. With over 130 events all over Sydney, including 19 world premieres and 18 new Australian commissions, there’s plenty to choose from – everything from Sydney Symphony Under The Stars (January 18), featuring Egyptian-Australian oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros AM performing a selection of his finest works, to First Nations drag performer Miss Ellaneous singing Tina Turner’s greatest hits. The selection of free events includes 12 nights of music at Moonshine Bar, Walsh Bay; watch out for visual artist Telly Tuita’s totems and installations all over the festival precinct. Sydney, various venues, January 4-26
At the intersection of escape rooms and… bars comes this new and very Melbourne experience: Mystery Basement Bar Hop. Buy your ticket to meet at 4pm on Thursday to Saturday nights in the CBD, where you’ll be asked to solve a series of puzzles to find three hidden basement bars; your reward is a cocktail, snack and caché among your less cognoscenti friends. Melbourne, various venues, January 23-April 26
Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen might well be the best title we’ve come across (and we very much relate to the sentiment). It’s a one-man show starring Tony and Olivier-nominated actor Samuel Barnett, who plays a permanently single, professionally neurotic comedian who finally meets his Mr Right and then does everything wrong. But Mr Right may not be exactly that, either – some would say he rarely is. The Guardian called Feeling Afraid remarkable when it debuted at the Edinburgh Festival – worth booking. Arts Centre Melbourne, January 14-February 1
Designed for the social media generation, Flickerfest offers the chance to see thought-provoking, moving and funny films that are guaranteed not to stretch the concentration. The annual short film festival, now in its 34th year, features local and international movies, covering a huge array of subjects. Our advice? Pick a night to attend and settle in to enjoy whatever lucky dip of movies is showing. Oh, and it’s held at Bondi Pavilion, which we always love. Sydney, January 17-26
Book now: Pre-sale to the All About Women Festival on March 8-9 starts on January 16, with a stellar line up of talks on everything from trad wives (with US writer Megan Agnew) to ‘the baby boycott’… Tickets to the Melbourne Comedy Festival this March are now on sale, with a great selection of performers at one of our favourite venues (complete with a newly refurbished café), the Malthouse, as well as other great venues around the CBD.
