The champagne is back on ice and Sydney is invited to indulge as the five-star BLANC DE BLANC returns by popular demand, opening 28 October 2026 at one of Sydney’s hottest destinations for live entertainment, The Grand Electric, Surry Hills.
Celebrating 10 years since BLANC DE BLANC first burst onto the stage at the Sydney Opera House in 2016, this dazzling new season brings together the very best in its most ambitious Sydney staging yet.
A heady cocktail of high-energy performances from world-class acrobats, dancers and aerialists, cheeky comedy, cabaret, burlesque and vintage glamour, BLANC DE BLANC has seduced audiences from London’s West End to Las Vegas with its intoxicating blend of high-energy entertainment and sophisticated mischief.
Producer Jess Copas said, “This remount will be one of our most ambitious stagings of the production yet and will herald many new theatrical surprises and will bring back some beloved classics including a rather infamous hot-tub scene!”
The all-new cast includes your charismatic host, Alex Makardish (USA) direct from extended seasons in London and Melbourne alongside world champion contortionist Misha Makarov. Joining them are award-winning aerialists − Duo Coco & Marie, Marie Lebot (France) and Corentin Lemaitre Auger (Canada). This will be the first time all four performers have appeared on a Sydney stage.
Previous Sydney seasons have won over audiences and critics alike:
“Awe-inspiring and fun.” Megaphone Oz
“A scintillating night of entertainment.” Scenestr
“A deliciously hedonistic evening of escapism.” Broadway World
“Delightfully decadent” Theatre People
“Spectacular” The AU Review
“Flawless, and it’s a toast to the boundless creativity and joy that cabaret brings” Stage Whispers
Provocative, playful and deliciously decadent, BLANC DE BLANC is an invitation to leave everyday at the door, pop the cork and surrender to a night of champagne-fuelled revelry.
Venue: The Grand Electric, 199 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills Season: From 28 October 2026 Showtimes: Wed to Fri 7pm; Sat 4pm & 7pm; Sun 5pm Tickets: From $75 to $449 for a Möet Chandon Champagne table for two Bookings: https://blancdeblancshow.com/sydney
Following its wildly successful Melbourne debut last year, opera’s greatest late-night party Opera Up Late will return to the Regent Theatre for one mischievous night only, on 15 November.
Outrageous, opera-loving host Reuben Kaye will once again shock and delight audiences with his riotous celebration of all things operatic, with added musical theatre classics and a few pop hits sprinkled in, this is a night at the opera like none other.
Joining the fun are some of Opera Australia’s finest singers, including Australia’s most highly awarded soprano Emma Matthews, with Ruth Strutt, Daniel Macey and Anthony Mackey, who all make a welcome return to the glittered Opera Up Late stage.
This year the operatic cabaret will borrow its set from Opera Australia’s new production of La Bohème and will feature an all-new repertoire of wicked jokes, fabulous costumes and a brand new take on some of opera’s most iconic arias, but in the queerest, campest way possible.
Award-winning director Shaun Rennie has praised the talented host and cast who make this concert an ongoing and joyful celebration of opera, queerness and camp.
“Opera Up Late began as a one-off concert in 2023 for World Pride and has grown into an ongoing celebration of all things opera, camp and naughty unapologetic joy!
“Built on the extraordinary talent, creativity and infectious energy of Reuben Kaye as host alongside so many gifted performers from Opera Australia, it is a total joy to create every year.
“I’d encourage everyone to join us at the Regent Theatre in November for a guaranteed night of belly laughs and divas!” Rennie said.
In all its sparkling glory Opera Up Late will be an unforgettable night out, the perfect opportunity for audiences to dress to impress, laugh out loud and celebrate everything fabulous about opera.
Performance information
Music Director/Pianist: Shanon D Whitelock
Director: Shaun Rennie
Host: Reuben Kaye
Cast: Emma Matthews, Ruth Strutt, Daniel Macey, Anthony Mackey
Featured Dancers and Choreographers: Nicholas Jachno, Tiggy Treloar
Time: 9:00pm
Date: 15 November
Running time: Approximately 75 minutes with no interval.
This production may contain adult themes, coarse language, drug references, nudity, and sexual content.
Bookings Adult tickets from $79 (fees may apply) Opera Australia Box Office (03) 9685 3700 www.opera.org.au
The five-star circus cabaret sensation from Strut & Fret, the creators of Blanc de Blanc Encore and Late Night Vice, arrives in Melbourne for the first time, following a huge national tour.
Melbourne, get ready to surrender to the spectacular.
Following critically acclaimed seasons across Australia and a swag of five-star reviews, La Ronde will make its highly anticipated Melbourne debut at Spiegel Haus Melbourne from Wednesday 21 October, bringing its intoxicating blend of world-class circus, cabaret, comedy, live music, glamour and jaw-dropping physical artistry to the heart of the CBD. The Melbourne season follows hot on the heels of an extended 260-show residency in Sydney where La Ronde has racked up more than 1600 five-star audience reviews.
From the internationally renowned creators of Blanc de Blanc Encore and Late Night Vice, La Ronde brings together some of the world’s most extraordinary circus performers for one whirlwind night of spectacle, seduction and skill.
Inside the velvet-draped Spiegeltent, audiences are invited into a world where glittering bodies spin overhead, gravity is defied and the impossible becomes reality.
“Saucy, sensational and undeniably sexy.” ★★★★★ The Advertiser
“All-killer no-filler.” ★★★★★ THE LIST
“Glitz, glamour and incredible displays of talent.” ★★★★★ The AU Review
“If you only see one show (at Adelaide Fringe), make it La Ronde.” ★★★★★ Time Out
Featuring an international cast of elite performers, La Ronde is a high-energy collision of circus, cabaret, comedy and live music, with breathtaking aerial acts, feats of strength, acrobatics, comedy and artistry performed up close and personal in the intimate surrounds of the Spiegeltent.
Among them:
– Acrobat and cabaret artist – Adam Malone (Australia)
– Fire-loving provocateur – Danik Abishe (Australia)
– Guerilla Comedy artist – David Erikson (Sweden)
– Pyramid trapeze aerialist – Diana Bondarenko (Ukraine)
– Singer and dancer – Dorival Junco (Cuba)
– Flying pole virtuoso – Sergiy Mishchurenko (Ukraine)
– Hair-hanging sensation – Zoe Kelly (New Zealand)
Strut & Fret and La Ronde Producer, Jess Copas hinted at what to expect:
“Every act in La Ronde pushes the boundaries of what the human body can do, combining extraordinary technique with humour, sensuality, danger and a healthy dose of irreverence. And with the action taking place on and around a central stage (hence the name La Ronde/The Round), the show feels very intimate as the performers are never far away.”
The result is a night of circus, cabaret and pure physical artistry that is as glamorous as it is outrageous.
Spiegel Haus Melbourne Creative Director Chris Mitchell said Melbourne audiences were in for something unlike anything they had experienced at the venue before.
“La Ronde is everything we love about live entertainment. It is bold, glamorous, cheeky, surprising and incredibly skilful, with some of the world’s most extraordinary performers bringing the stage to life right in front of the audience.
“We have watched La Ronde build an incredible following around Australia and we can’t wait for Melbourne audiences to experience it for themselves.”
REVIEWS: A SPECTACLE THAT HAS AUDIENCES TALKING
After receiving 11 five-star reviews in its debut season at Adelaide Fringe 2025, the production has continued to attract critical acclaim.
The accolades have continued, with Australian arts and entertainment publications embracing the production’s extraordinary combination of physical artistry, glamour and sheer spectacle.
“Breathtaking and wonderous” – ★★★★★ The Au Review
“La Ronde is truly the best show we’ve seen yet.” – ★★★★★ About Adelaide
“A collection of the planet’s most exhilarating variety artists.” – ★★★★★ Hi Fi Way
“A thrilling cocktail of tease and astonishment that excites and amazes beyond imagination.” – Broadway World
“Leave(s) the audience in awe with their mastery of physicality and creativity.” – Australian Arts Review
“A captivating and dazzling theatrical experience” – Theatre Travels
“Extravagant… stunning… magnificent… fun” – ★★★★★ PLAY & GO
“‘timeless artistry”’ – ★★★★★ ENTERTAINMENT NOW
“Wow. Just wow!”– ★★★★★ KIDS IN ADELAIDE
“Not to be missed!” – ★★★★★ MY ADELAIDE TRIBE
“Outstanding.” – ★★★★★ THE ADELAIDE REVIEW TEAM
“it’s easy to forget they’re mere mortals.” – ★★★★★ FIFTY+SA
Strictly for audiences aged 18+, La Ronde contains mild nudity, strobe lighting and theatrical haze.
Season opens: La Ronde opens at Spiegel Haus Melbourne on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 7:00pm. Media Night: Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 7:00pm Venue: Spiegel Haus Melbourne, 217 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne CBD Season: 21 October 2026 to 31 January 2027 – Wed-Sun Tickets: spiegelhausmelb.com | From $69:00 + booking fee Duration: 90 minutes including interval
Hayes Theatre Co today announced its 2027 season, the company’s biggest yet, expanding beyond its Potts Point home with work presented at larger Sydney venues under the banner Hayes in New Places while continuing an expansive program at the Hayes Theatre. Artistic Directors Richard Carroll and Victoria Falconer, in their final year as ADs, will lead a season of new work, reimaginings, classics and major theatrical events.
Leading the season is Steven Kramer’s Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical, starring Joel Granger, returning to Sydney for an expanded staging at Carriageworks from 8 July to 8 August ahead of a national tour culminating at Melbourne Theatre Company. Phar Lap previously received rave reviews, sold-out seasons and awards; the 2027 staging is on a larger scale.
The Foundry Theatre will be transformed into an underground bar in October for Mack The Knife, a major new work by Richard Carroll, Victoria Falconer and Jordan Shea that re-imagines The Threepenny Opera. Beginning as an immersive promenade experience, it evolves into a rock-cabaret musical shaped by the audience each night.
At the Hayes Theatre in Potts Point, the season of eight productions spans cabaret, comedy, opera, contemporary musical theatre and drama. The year opens with Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door, a new cabaret-concert directed by Hayden Tonazzi with arrangements and musical direction by Steven Kramer (three-week season from 13 January). February and March feature Claudia Barrie’s Lucky Stiff, followed by the return of House of Rot after its sell-out at the 2026 Winter Cabaret Festival. May presents the Australian premiere of the folk epic Swept Away (directed by Drew Livingston), followed in July by Jacinta John’s production of Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal.
In August Matthew Barclay presents a technicolour reimagining of Mozart’s Così fan tutte or The School for Lovers. September brings Cameron Mitchell directing and choreographing the sci-fi satire Be More Chill, and the season closes with Flowers for Mrs Harris starring Rachael Beck and directed by Julia Robertson.
Hayes will again present two major festivals: the Festival of New Work returns for its fourth year extended to three weeks, and the Winter Cabaret Festival returns in June rebranded as Flare. Regular Hayes events include three Neglected Musicals (1776 in March, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in May and Dames at Sea in October), Theys at the Hayes and Victoria Falconer’s Parlour Night for Mardi Gras 2027, plus returning favourites Musical Bang Bang, Home Grown, An Evening With and Carols by Cabaret. Subscriptions are on sale from Monday 14 September, with single tickets on sale at various times in coming months. Phar Lap single tickets are available now from https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/phar-lap-2027-carriageworks/.
With its most expansive program yet, Hayes Theatre Co’s 2027 season is presented as an invitation to discover music theatre in new places, in new forms and at every scale while continuing to champion artists, audiences and Australian work.
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