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Mike Yardley: Aussie summer hits

Author
Mike Yardley,
Publish Date
Sun, 12 Nov 2017, 2:19PM

Mike Yardley: Aussie summer hits

Author
Mike Yardley,
Publish Date
Sun, 12 Nov 2017, 2:19PM

Are you planning a splash with Australia over the summer holidays? Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane roll out a wealth of eye-catching seasonal exhibitions and world-class entertainment, to add even more spark to your summer holiday sizzle. Here’s a selection of some of this summer’s signature crowd-pullers, well worth working into an Aussie city-break.

Wallace & Gromit and Friends: The Magic Of Aardman. (On until January 2018) Animation enthusiasts will adore this exciting exhibition in Melbourne at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Celebrating 40 years of one of the world’s most successful animation studios, Wallace & Gromit and Friends: the magic of Aardman, showcases the journey of Aardman’s characters – from concept drawings and storyboards, to the handmade puppets and sets.

URBNSURF Melbourne. Heading to Melbourne Airport in early 2018? If so, check out Australia’s first surf park, geared around providing both amateur surfers and expert wave riders a year-round way to catch a wave or two. Using cutting edge wave generation technology, URBNSURF Melbourne features LED lagoon lighting for day and night surfing, a fully-equipped pro-shop for board and gear hire, licensed café, and training programs for all ages. Yes, at the airport. How very Changi.

Dream Lover - The Bobby Darin Musical, Melbourne. 27 Dec 2017 - 18 Feb 2018. Dream Lover reveals the extraordinary story of legendary singer, songwriter and actor Bobby Darin. Starring David Campbell and directed by Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical), the show presents great hits from the 50's and 60's including Mack The Knife, Beyond the Sea and the multi-million-seller Dream Lover.

This musical captures the glamour and passion of the big band era, the Rat Pack in Vegas and the Golden Age of Hollywood – a time of trail-blazing stars, knock-out fashions and life-changing events. Featuring a sensational cast with over 40 on stage including an 18-piece big band, Dream Lover - The Bobby Darin Musical is a big show with a big score and a big heart. After its world premiere in Sydney, the show will be Melbourne’s summer musical, staged at the Arts Centre Melbourne from December until mid February. https://dreamlover.com.au/

Muriel's Wedding The Musical by Sydney Theatre Company. Now on until January 27, 2018. Muriel Heslop is back! In this highly-anticipated world premiere, the iconic Australian film has just become a laugh-out-loud musical. Stuck in a dead-end life in Porpoise Spit, Muriel dreams of the perfect wedding – the white dress, the church, the attention. Unfortunately, there’s one thing missing. A groom.

Following her dreams to Sydney, Muriel ends up with everything she ever wanted – a man, a fortune and a million Twitter followers. That’s when things start to go really wrong. With original music by award-winning singer-songwriters Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall, a big cast and a live band, this musical is being billed as Sydney’s theatre event of the year. https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/

Rembrandt and the Dutch golden age: masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum.  Sydney. Nov 11- Feb 18, 2018. Outstanding works of art by the great Dutch masters including Rembrandt and Vermeer come to Sydney this summer. Rembrandt and the Dutch golden age presents a richly unfolding panorama of Dutch society during the 17th century—an era of unparalleled wealth, power and cultural confidence. During the Dutch golden age the art of painting flourished like never before.

Artists sensitively observed the beauty of the visible world, transforming it, with great skill, into vivid and compelling paintings. Their subjects ranged from intense portraits and dramatic seascapes, to tranquil scenes of domestic life and careful studies of fruit and flowers. Drawn from the Rijksmuseum, the renowned national collection of the Netherlands, this exhibition includes a rare painting by Johannes Vermeer, and a room dedicated to one of the greatest minds in the history of art, Rembrandt van Rijn. www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/rembrandt/

Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum. Queensland Museum, Brisbane. The exhibition features more than 120 artefacts, interactive games and displays revealing who gladiators were, where they lived and how they trained. View archaeological treasures, including actual pieces of the Colosseum, elaborately decorated bronze gladiator helmets and original arms and armour preserved in the ashes of Pompeii.

Learn the story of these armed athletes who fought to entertain and inspire the people of Ancient Rome. The exhibition explores four themes: Origin and development of gladiatorial games; Gladiators; the Colosseum and the amphitheatre of the Roman Empire; and One day in the Arena. It first opened in June and will run until mid January.  www.gladiators.qm.qld.gov.au

Mamma Mia: The Musical, Brisbane. 26 December 2017 - 4 February 2018. Hitting the Lyric Theatre at QPAC just after Christmas, this global phenomenon will celebrate love, laughter and friendship on stage in Brisbane. Set on a Greek island paradise and inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s classic songs, writer Catherine Johnson’s heart-warming tale tells us of a young bride-to-be, on the eve of her wedding, who wants to discover the identity of her father. More than 60 million people all around the world have fallen in love with the story and the music that make Mamma Mia the ultimate feel-good musical. www.mammamiathemusical.com.au/

Also in Brisbane, Aladdin the Musical. Breathtaking sets, mind-blowing special effects, over 300 lavish costumes and a fabulous cast. From the producers of The Lion King and Mary Poppins, the beloved story of Aladdin comes to life in this spectacular new musical, which has taken Sydney and Melbourne by storn and will be on stage in Brisbane from Feb 28 to May 6, 2018. http://liveshows.disney.com.au/aladdin-the-musical

Finally, how’s the serenity? Let’s go to Bonnie Doon! How's the serenity?" Discover it for yourself! The very holiday-home in The Castle, where the Kerrigan family stayed in Bonnie Doon, is on accommodation-booking website Airbnb. Guests are promised "the opportunity to go back in time and capture memories you'll want to keep and 'take straight to the pool room.” People have been travelling from all over the world to stay at the movie-made-famous holiday home, which has been available as a rental for six months, two hours northeast of Melbourne.

No need to tell them they are dreaming — at $200 per night, fans of the show can literally walk in the footsteps of the Kerrigan family. You can go boating in Lake Eildon and cast a line out in search of trout, redfin or carp. There’s even a “pool room” for extra guests. And the owners have  displayed items you'd expect Darryl and Steve Kerrigan to peruse in the Trading Post, including jousting sticks and punching bag for Con. Possibly the only holiday rental in the world where high voltage power lines add to its character, it’s just the vibe of the thing. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/5389205

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