Sydney Festival is in its third and final week. There are a number of shows across the city. Below, we tell you which shows have a French/francophone bent that we suggest you get along to see.
8-27 January (except Mondays)
A nod to the once glamorous Parisian neighbourhood of Pigalle, you’ll be entertained by music, muscles, burlesque, circus and discotheque with a 70s soundtrack.
Marcia Hines leads the cast which features cabaret legend iOTA, British Burlesque star Kitty BangBang and Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Waangenga Blanco.
Tickets cost between $63 and $86 plus booking fee. There’s also a reduced price for the under 30s for Tuesday to Thursday shows – tickets are $39 plus booking fee.
Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
12-22 January
A play from Canada’s 2b theatre company, which explores identity and citizenship. It is inspired by the story of Hannah Moscovitch, the playwright’s own great-grandparents who emigrated to Canada. It’s no ordinary play though with a heavy music focus provided by songs written by director Christian Barry and performer and musician Ben Caplan who played at Sydney Festival in 2014.
Read our interview with Ben Caplan here.
Tickets cost $60 to $66 plus booking fee however if you’re under 30 there are $39 tickets available for performances Tuesday through to Thursday.
Mulatu Astatke & The Black Jesus Experience
22 January
Ethiopia’s grandfather of jazz, Mulatu Astatke is joined by Melbourne 8 piece The Black Jesus Experience in this one-off Sydney Festival show.
Mulatu Astatke’s career has spanned five decades and the 74 year old shows no sign of slowing down as he switches between vibraphone, vintage keyboards, congas and timbales, laying down laid-back, joyous improvised grooves.
Mulatu Astatke’s distinct sound is its own breed of rhythm and groove which featured in the soundtrack for Jim Jarmusch’s “Broken Flowers”.
This event is currently sold out and the waitlist is full but if you find a way to get your hands on a ticket: go!
23 – 27 January
Cabaret sensation Le Gateau Chocolat’s international smash-hit is a joyous and moving celebration of the musical heroes, moments and relationships that shaped his life and inspired his dreams.
The beautiful, bearded baritone delivers show-stopping renditions of Whitney Houston, David Bowie, Pavarotti, Madonna and Meat Loaf between stories about growing up gay in Nigeria, being bullied, religion, finding love and losing a loved one.
Live from a teenage bedroom furnished with pop-star posters, hairbrush microphone and wind machine, Le Gateau moves between his public and private personas, charting how the universality of music – pop, opera and rock – connects with a British-born Nigerian boy’s own objects of worship.
There will be performances every night from 23 to 27 January. Tickets cost between $60 and $70 plus booking fees. There are also $39 plus booking fees for under 30s.
Which shows are you going to see at Sydney Festival?
