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
Opera Australia has today announced the cast of The Trumpet of the Swan, a family friendly, live storytelling concert that will premiere at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre from 20 to 22 November 2026.
Helpmann Award-winning actor Bert Labonté, as Sam the Storyteller, will guide audiences through this enchanting musical journey, adapted from E. B. White’s (Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little) charming children’s classic for the stage by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden, The Colour Purple), and with music by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade).
Joining La Bonté onstage, playing Father Swan will be versatile actor and performer Ben Mingay who wowed Melbourne audiences earlier this year in OA’s Gilbert & Sullivan celebration concert, and powerhouse vocalist Marney McQueen, most recently known for her portrayal of Celine Dion in Titanique, as Mother Swan.
Completing the cast will be accomplished screen and stage actor Grant Piro, and local Melbourne based artists, Scout Hook and Arjun Tiwari, who will bring Louis’s world to life through movement and imagination.
Directed by the award-winning Tyran Parke, who is currently Head of Musical Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts, the concert will be led by Australian-based British conductor Chad Kelly, and acclaimed Melbourne-born choreographer Freya List will add another dimension of storytelling to the performance.
Featuring a soaring score performed live, onstage by Orchestra Victoria, The Trumpet of the Swan tells the story of Louis, a swan born without a voice, as he learns to express himself through music and find his place in the world.
A hit at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, this beloved tale of friendship and self-discovery comes to life as a magical concert experience and a delightful introduction to live orchestral music for all ages.
Creatives
Conductor: Chad Kelly
Book: Marsha Norman
From the novel by: E.B. White
Music: Jason Robert Brown
Director: Tyran Parke
Choreographer: Freya List
Performance information
7:00pm 20 November
12:00pm 21 & 22 November
3:00pm 21 November
Running time
Approximately 80 minutes, no interval.
Performed in English.
Cast
Sam the Storyteller: Bert Labonte
Father Swan and others: Ben Mingay
Mother Swan and others: Marney McQueen
Louis’s thoughts, voice of Louis and others: Grant Piro
Serena, Sam’s Love and others: Scout Hook
Louis, Sam’s friend, the Swan: Arjun Tiwari
Orchestra Victoria
Bookings
Child tickets from $55 (+ booking fee)
Adult tickets from $79 (+ booking fee)
Family 4+ Offer $55 per ticket (+ booking fee)
A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra
Based on the Book by E.B. White
Book by Marsha Norman, Music by Jason Robert Brown
This adaptation of E.B White’s “Trumpet of the Swan” was commissioned by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was first produced at the Kennedy Center in December 2008.
By arrangement with ORiGiN Theatrical on behalf of Theatrical Rights Worldwide, New York.
Spread the word on your favourite platform!
Subscribe to What's The Show
Reviews, show news and what is on, straight to your inbox.
