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Every Villain Has A Story: Enchanted Encounters Reimagines Opera Through Immersive Performance

14/08/2026 Breaking News

This October, Enchanted Encounters invites Perth audiences to step into a world where opera, theatre and storytelling collide in Villains – an immersive concert experience celebrating music of the world’s most famous villains. Presented in the atmospheric Liberty Theatre, Villains explores the stories behind iconic characters through a powerful program of opera, music theatre and folk song. Featuring music by Puccini, Alan Menken, Schubert and more, the production blends exceptional live vocals with theatrical staging, inviting audiences to experience familiar characters from an entirely new perspective. Villains transforms the concert experience into an intimate theatrical journey. Rich lighting, immersive design and cinematic storytelling create an environment where audiences are drawn into the emotional complexity of characters often misunderstood.

Created by Noah Humich, Enchanted Encounters was created to make classical music more accessible and relevant to a new generation of classical music lovers. “We’re so excited to bring Enchanted back to Liberty Theatre this October. This year we return to our roots, exploring the spooky and the evil unlike any other event in Perth” – Noah Humich, Artistic Director & Creative Producer

Featuring performances by some of Perth’s leading established and emerging vocalists, Villains showcases the talents of Brigitte Heuser, Brett Peart, Noah Humich, Sam Claxton, Charis Postmus, Nathan Breeze, Shoreina Pereira and Bridget Hutchinson (piano). Designed specifically for audiences discovering the genre for the first time, Villains offers an accessible and visually captivating evening where classical music meets contemporary storytelling.

Villains is an immersive concert experience exploring some of musical theatre and opera’s most iconic antagonists, featuring music from Les Misérables, Hansel & Gretel, Samson & Delilah and Little Shop of Horrors.

Enchanted Encounters: Villains
Liberty Theatre, Perth
Thursday 1st October – Saturday 3rd October 2026, 7:30pm – 9pm
Tickets https://events.humanitix.com/enchanted-encounters-villains

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Sydney Lyric Transforms Into Wonderland For The Exclusive Season Of Cirque Alice

14/08/2026 Breaking News

”Breathtaking. Captivating. Spectacular. A wondrous evening filled to overflowing with incredible memories that will last a lifetime!” – Arts Review

Venture down the rabbit hole for the exclusive 2026 Sydney season of Cirque Alice, an epic new show from the creators of Cirque Du Soleil’s Mad Apple and the international smash hits The Illusionists, Le Noir, Circus 1903 and Now You See Me Live, that will transform Sydney Lyric Theatre from 25 September to 11 October. Tickets are on sale from 10am today at ticketmaster.com.au

Produced by Tim Lawson and Simon Painter, Cirque Alice reimagines Lewis Carroll’s classic adventure and bring to life everyone’s favourite characters with extraordinary acts from some of the greatest performers around the globe.

Lawson and Painter have created a unique circus show that celebrates one of the most recognisable fantasy worlds of all time, with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a ‘curiouser and curiouser’ source of inspiration for all ages.

Staged check mate (c) Base Entertainment Asia.jpg

Creative Producer Simon Painter said he was incredibly excited to bring Cirque Alice to Sydney. “The tales of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland provide the perfect backdrop to create a magical narrative about a cirque show. Filled with some of the most eccentric and larger-than-life characters and creations, the original stories have provided such amazing inspiration for this groundbreaking new production,” Painter said.

Producer Tim Lawson added, “This is the perfect show for everyone – whether you’re on a date night or you want to bring the whole family along – do not miss this performance of jaw dropping acts set around one of the world’s most magical stories.”

Cirque Alice will entice audiences down the rabbit hole, with an awe-inspiring set and an enthralling soundtrack featuring newly arranged contemporary renditions of some of the world’s favourite classical hits. The show will feature a line-up of the greatest acrobatic performers from around the globe, mesmerising aerialists, mind-bending contortionists, exquisite puppetry and dancers, special musical guest, comedic artists and more.

Immerse yourself and get lost in Cirque Alice, a captivating two-hour show for all ages. cirquealice.com

CIRQUE ALICE
Venue: Sydney Lyric Theatre
Season: 25 September – 11 October
Performance Times: Wed – Sat 7pm, Sun 6pm, Matinees Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sun 1pm
Prices: From $69 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 795 267

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Tony & Gaga: An Opulent Big Band Experience Arrives in Melbourne

13/08/2026 Davros Dark🥈🦉

Feature-Tony & Gaga: An Opulent Big Band Experience

Big Band brilliance meets Hollywood glamour! BBD Entertainment presents a lavish evening of classic standards, live orchestral sweep and the kind of vocal interplay that made Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s collaboration so beloved. Two Melbourne dates this spring offer audiences the chance to hear the Great American Songbook delivered with warmth, wit and a 20 piece band.

Tony & Gaga: An Opulent Big Band Experience pairs powerhouse vocalist Sarah C with style icon Dom Bagnato for a show built around the songs that defined an era of sophisticated pop. Sarah C, known to Australian audiences from Dancing With The Stars and X Factor, brings vocal depth and presence to every standard, while Bagnato adds charm and stage charisma to match. Together, they recreate the chemistry that made Bennett and Gaga’s duet albums so appealing.

Behind them stands the Mojo Orchestra, a 20 piece ensemble delivering the lush arrangements these songs demand. Strings, brass and rhythm section fill the room with the kind of live orchestral sound that streaming cannot replicate. The setlist draws from the Great American Songbook, the body of classic standards that both Bennett and Gaga championed throughout their celebrated partnership.

The production plays two Melbourne venues this spring. Frankston Arts Centre hosts the first show on Saturday 5 September at 7.30pm, offering a seated theatre setting for audiences in the southern suburbs. A month later, on Friday 9 October at 7.30pm, the show moves to Birds Basement, the intimate jazz room beneath the city where the orchestra and vocalists will be close enough to touch.

Each venue offers a different way into the material. Frankston’s theatre brings scale and sweep; Birds Basement brings proximity and atmosphere. Both promise an evening of polished vocals, a full live band and songs that have never really gone out of style.

Tickets for both performances are on sale now. For an evening of classic standards, vocal chemistry and a 20 piece orchestra in full flight, book your seats at Sarah C Shows.

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Iota Joins Cast Of Leonard Cohen Anniversary Spectacular – Melbourne 26/9 | Perth 10/10

13/08/2026 Breaking News

Leonard Cohen Lives On!

It’s 10 years since the iconic poet-composer-musician Leonard Cohen left this world, but his work looms as large as ever. Marking the anniversary, Australia’s triple ARIA Award-winning Monsieur Camembert brings their spectacular and acclaimed production COHEN NOIR to Melbourne and Perth, honouring one of the world’s greatest songwriters through a richly textured evening of music, poetry and storytelling.

Joining an all-star cast of singers and musicians for both performances is multi award winning performer, IOTA. He is flanked by Diana Rouvas, Lyn Bowtell, Susie Bishop, Timothy James Bowen (Melbourne), Berlin-based Australian violin virtuoso Daniel Weltlinger and the remarkable Bukhu, whose haunting Mongolian throat singing and horse-hair fiddle add another unforgettable voice to this rich musical landscape.

Plus the formidable choral backing of a superb community choir in each city: Glee West in Melbourne and Swan Harmony Singers in Perth.

Some songs become part of who we are. They accompany us through life’s different seasons, revealing new meanings as we change. Leonard Cohen’s songs are among those rare companions, filled with beauty, longing, tenderness and extraordinary insight into what it means to be human. Created and performed by Australia’s triple ARIA Award-winning Monsieur Camembert, COHEN NOIR is a rare invitation into that remarkable world.

Over the past 20 years, COHEN NOIR has evolved into one of Australia’s most acclaimed live music experiences, earning standing ovations and sold-out performances at the Sydney Opera House, State Theatre, City Recital Hall and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Audiences return not simply to hear these timeless songs again, but to discover something new within them.

Tickets and information: www.cohen-noir.com

“Cohen Noir is brilliant… a confronting, mortifying, exultant celebration of the business of being human.” – John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald

An exceptional ensemble of musicians and guest artists explores Cohen’s songs, poetry and prose with imagination, sensitivity and masterful musicianship. Drawing on jazz, tango, Latin, folk, klezmer and cinematic orchestration, the music reveals new colours and perspectives while remaining faithful to the emotional heart of the songs.

Cohen’s own recorded voice, poetry and humour weave gently through the performance, drawing audiences into the world behind the songs and revealing the wisdom, humanity and quiet grace that resonate so deeply.

“Spirited, musically assured, eclectic and downright fun.” – Doug Spencer, ABC Radio National

More than a tribute concert, COHEN NOIR invites audiences to encounter Leonard Cohen’s work anew, discovering fresh colours, deeper meanings and the timeless humanity that continues to resonate a decade after his passing.

“Monsieur Camembert does justice to the emotional, lyrical and melodic intent of the songs while adding a new dimension.” – Tony Hillier, The Weekend Australian

Tickets and information: www.cohen-noir.com

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