March events in Sydney

The genre-defying, multi-award-winning, smash-hit Broadway sensation, Hadestown has finally made its way down to Sydneytown – and it’s unlike any musical you’ve ever seen or heard. With industrial steampunk aesthetics, a soulful jazz-folk fusion, and even a comment on our dying world, this is a brave new world for musical theatre. The Down Under debut of Hadestown opened at the Theatre Royal Sydney to a ready-made fanbase. There’s a lot of hype surrounding this show – the Broadway production picked up eight Tony Awards (including Best Musical for 2019) and still plays to packed houses today, and there’s also the highly successful West End production and the North American tour.  An incisive adaptation of the age-old myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Hadestown is the brainchild of indie-folk musician Anaïs Mitchell (with very clear influences from Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, who appeared on the 2010 studio album). It started its life as a song cycle, and then a studio album, and now it’s a fully-formed stage musical with a dedicated international following. Hadestown is a spectacular challenge to what we think a musical is and can be Like many fans, I discovered Hadestown via the studio album and the Broadway recording. With such a strong, atmospheric tone, the music doesn’t even need visuals to shine – featuring everything from chugging vocal sounds, deep growling singing, floating falsettos, muted trombones, a train whistle, and heavy acoustic guitars. Hadestown is the...

If you’re of a certain age, you have history (HIStory, perhaps?) with Michael Jackson. I remember getting ‘Thriller’ on cassette as a kid. ‘Dangerous’ was one of the first CDs I ever owned. I remember seeing the extended music video for ‘Thriller’ on VHS, which came packaged with a behind-the-scenes documentary. One woman, cornered for a quick vox pop at one of the filming locations, asserted that she loved Jackson because he was “down to earth”, which is darkly hilarious in hindsight.  Down to earth? The press called him “wacko Jacko” – we all did. He slept in a hyperbaric chamber. He owned the Elephant Man’s skeleton. His skin kept getting paler, his nose thinner. What a weird guy! Was any of it true? Hard to say. Even today, when a careless tweet is like a drop of blood in a shark tank to fans and journos alike, the media furor around Michael Jackson stands as one of the most frenetic in living memory, eclipsing the likes of Beatlemania. Jackson wasn’t bigger than God, he was God to a lot of people – the King of Pop, the first Black artist to smash through the MTV colour barrier, an artist, an icon, a living legend. Then came the allegations of child sexual abuse, which first began in August 1993, and continue to this day. For those who were still on the fence, the documentary Leaving Neverland, released in 2019, saw many more fans abandon Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50. And so, it makes sense that MJ the Musical would set Jackson’s relationship with the...

These days, it seems the best thing that a musical can be is non-traditional. Countless new productions have landed on our stages in recent years, proclaiming that their show is “like nothing we’ve ever seen before”. And while it is exciting to see new works that push the form into genre-defying territory (the brilliant Hadestown is testament to this) as well as productions that put a new twist on well-trodden territory (like The Hayes’ reinvention of The Pirates of Penzance), it’s a refreshing change to see the complete opposite: a proper classic musical theatre spectacle, that remains authentic to the source material. Opera Australia’s fresh production of Guys & Dolls – the latest outdoor spectacle in the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour series – gives us just that, with the picturesque backdrop of the Sydney skyline, to boot.  Recommended: get ready with our guide to going to Guys & Dolls on Sydney Harbour The New York imagined by Damon Runyon, whose short stories served as inspiration for Guys & Dolls, is a place of heightened realism, populated by comical gangsters with absurd names like Harry the Horse and a thirst for illegal gambling. Director Shaun Rennie (Jesus Christ Superstar) stays true to this world, while also injecting some fresh touches. Brian Thomson’s heightened stage design perfectly compliments this – oversized set pieces, such as a giant yellow taxi, make the most of the unique outdoor setting and the enormous floating stage.  The production’s stars...

With its rich cultural make-up and diverse array of delicious cuisines, it’s already pretty hard to leave Liverpool on an empty stomach. Now, for five weekends across March and April, the Most Blessed Nights markets will make you even more spoilt for choice.  This street food fest is taking over Macquarie Mall from Thursdays to Sundays, starting at 6pm each evening. There’ll be lights, there’ll be family fun, and of course, there will be some fan-favourite local food offerings.  There will be camel burgers, chargrilled plates, falafels galore, moreish kebabs, spiced skewers, cheesy tacos and more. A range of cuisines will be served up by Yummy Time Dumpling and Pec African Kitchen to the Fijian Taste of Paradise and Indian skewers.  The markets run until midnight each night, so you’ve got plenty of time to grab dessert, too. Look forward to fresh chocolate-covered strawberries, fluffy hot loukoumades (fried doughnut balls), cookie crossaints, lady fingers and frozen treats, plus you can’t go past some gorgeously crunchy knafeh (a stretchy cheesy sugar-soaked pastry).  The Most Blessed Nights Street Food Market is on Thursday to Sunday from 6pm until March 23, and returns again from April 17 to 20. For the full list of market stallholders across the event and more information, head here.

Ah, the Titanic. An unsinkable cultural icon, the “Ship of Dreams” has appeared in almost as many movies and stage productions as the songs of Canada’s queen of the power ballad, Céline Dion. It’s even got a two-and-a-half-hour (surprisingly serious) movie musical adaptation based on Maury Yeston’s Titanic: the Musical. Although, none can hold a candle to the cultural impact of James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster – you know, the one with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. So, with nostalgia being such hot property right now, it was only a matter of time before we got the camp-as-hell musical fantasia made-for-and-by-the-gays that is Titanique. Created by Marla Mindelle (who originated the role of Céline Dion – well, as imagined in this show), Constantine Rousouli (who originated the role of Jack) and director Tye Blue (whose countless industry credits include working on the casting team of RuPaul’s Drag Race), Titanique is revisionist history at its best. Loaded with Céline Dion’s greatest bangers, it casts Queen Dion herself (played so wonderfully by cabaret legend Marney McQueen here in Aus) as the narrator of the tragic tale, who continuously places herself at the center of the action – quite literally – much to Jack and Rose’s repeated dismay. It brings the campness of the film to the front, with Stephen Anderson (Mary Poppins) playing Rose’s awful mother Ruth (complete with a bird’s nest headpiece), and Abu Kebe (Choirboy) playing a brilliant, tear-jerking drag parody...

It’s imperative that you do not eat before you visit the Carriageworks Farmers Markets. You’ll want to save maximum belly space for your personal version of The Bachelorette where you decide who gets your dollars and what delicious produce gets to come home with you. Maybe you like something soupy and savoury first thing? In that case head to Bar Pho for a traditional Vietnamese start to the day. On the veggie train? Hit up Keppos St Kitchen for a falafel breakfast, or head to Food Farm for a classic bacon and egg roll.Once the hounds of your hunger have been quieted it’s time to prepare for your next meal, or seven. Stock up on artisan cheese from Leaning Oak, smoked salmon from Brilliant Foods and Sydney’s favourite sourdough from AP Bakery and brunch is sorted. You can spend a whole lot of money if you want to here, but equally you could just grab a kombucha on tap from Herbs of Life and find a chair for some of the best dog-watching in the city.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel tips and city insights, straight to your inbox. Hungry for more? Look at our list of the best markets in Sydney – produce or otherwise. 

Arguably, Ensemble Theatre’s production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie deserves a better audience than it got on opening night.  At a key point in the play, well-meaning faded golden boy Jim O’Connor (Tom Rodgers) accidentally breaks a tiny glass unicorn, part of the titular collection of knick-knacks that shy, anxious Laura Wingfield (Bridie McKim) is obsessed with.  It’s a moment laden with meaning and pathos. Laura – who was left with a limp by a childhood illness, and is so shy and awkward that she dropped out of secretary school rather than face day after day of simply sitting in class with other people – is finally, tentatively, making a connection with Jim, her high school crush. Unbeknownst to her, the future of her family depends on this connection. The meeting has been engineered by her younger brother, Tom (Danny Ball), and mother, Amanda (Blazey Best). Marrying off Laura will free Tom, who works in a shoe warehouse to support the family, to run off and find the adventure he craves in the merchant marines. It will also elevate Amanda from the crushing poverty she’s endured since her estranged husband, whose faded photo dominates the stark set, ran off years ago.  But Laura is far too fragile for such a burden – she’s as delicate as the glass unicorn that Jim so carelessly crushes. And the quiet, crystal moment in the aftermath of that tiny, terrible accident was itself shattered when some halfwit in the first few rows stage-whispered, clear as a bell...

We’re big fans of Newcastle at Time Out. Located a little over two hours north of Sydney, the seaside city boasts pumping surf and pristine ocean pools – including the largest in the Southern Hemisphere –  and a vibrant township, minus the traffic. The region is the birthplace of some seriously talented chefs (hello, Josh Niland and Brett Graham), and boasts a cracking food and wine scene. It’s also home to Newcastle Food Month – a month-long celebration of the best things in life: great food, booze and your people. The good news? Newcastle Food Month is returning for its fifth year, with the festival kicking off April 1. If it’s been a while between visits – or if you’re due for a weekend getaway – Newy this April is where it's at. This year’s festival will feature more than 80 local venues – including Time Out favourites Arno Deli, Humbug, Flotilla, Frenchie and Alfie’s Italian – spanning newcomers like old-school cocktail bar Roxanne and old faithfuls like on-the-water Scratchleys. More than 70 feature events will come to life throughout April, from fun-loving street parties to boozy long lunches, as well as 50 plate dates. Not sure what we’re on about? Plate date is where Newcastle’s cafés, restaurants and bars put their best foot forward, offering brekkie, lunch or dinner and a drink for $30. It’s a fab way to tick off the places on your hit list, and revisit the OGs, all while doing a food tour of Newcastle. And if you don't feel like cooking for the month (and doing...

What if we told you that every month or so, a women-only strip club pops up in Sydney. Well, that’s exactly what we’re telling you. Now, listen up. Strip Her: The Pop Up is a sensual show with a twist. Instead of going to see a strip show as a voyeur, everyone that rocks up to this event will actually become the show instead. Before you worry, there’s absolutely nothing sleazy or sordid about this, and it’s designed with utmost inclusivity at heart, meaning that regardless of your sexual orientation, you’re welcome to come through and get down in a supportive space that’s built on powering up your individual sensuality.  This is all the brainchild of Caitlin Erica, a stripper, birth doula and teacher who works to help women let go of internalised shame and step into their full "divine feminine power" in safe spaces that entirely support them. The night will flow along these exact lines, with participants invited to express their sensuality for nobody except themselves.  This show is a bit of a revolutionary concept, with the stage open to any woman willing to strip down in a free-flowing dance that’s premised on you having as much fun as possible. The event creators seem very keen on labelling this as a ‘safe space’, which we reckon is a green flag for something that obviously has the potential to be pretty scary for those who aren’t used to it.  Want to know more? We chatted to Caitlin Erica about sex, stripping, what made her start 'Strip Her' and her hottest things to...

Every Saturday, more than 100 stalls line the grounds of Paddington Uniting Church and the neighbouring public school selling Australian-made fashion, handmade crockery and metal costume jewellery. The market has been operating on the same day since 1973, and the all-weather event is a profitable fundraiser for the church. Many of the stallholders return week on week, like the elderly Japanese couple selling Bonsai trees and the Spanish shoemakers selling espadrilles. It’s predominantly an art, clothing and design market – and alongside the kitsch bric-à-brac and Australiana-print tea towels you’ll find straw hats from local milliners and soft Tunisian-made ‘Turkish’ towels from young Eastern Suburb entrepreneurs. Antique, vinyl and vintage stalls are few and far between, but leather satchels, beach photography prints and patterned baby rompers are two a penny. On a hot day locals gather at the shaded tables and stools by the snack stalls. Turkish women hand roll yufka dough at the gözleme tent and vegetables are blitzed in a blender at the fresh juice stand. Chin’s Laksa stall, proudly MSG and gluten free, is a popular choice – as are the vegan cookies and sourdough scones on offer at the bakery stalls. It has a bohemian flair compared to its Oxford Street location and customers joyfully take up fortune readings, as well as reiki and Japanese massage. It’s an oddball mix, but one that works strangely well in an area known for its designer boutiques and gentrified pubs....