Sydney theatre company shows
Sydney Theatre Company presents M rock By Jez Butterworth Rock 'n' roll 'n' revenge Jez Butterworth's brutally funny journey through the seedy, amphetamine-fuelled London rock scene of the 1950s follows a gang of would-be power-players who, seduced by the promise of fame and fortune, battle for control of hot teen singing idol, Silver Johnny. In the hands of director Iain Sinclair (Our Town, Blood Wedding) Mojo is a tightly-wound thriller which examines with grim humour the dark underside of the halcyon days of rock 'n' roll. A sensational collision of Tarantino-esque shock and Jacobean revenge, the story starts with the discovery of a jealous nightclub owner's body sawn in half... and then things start to get sticky. Alternately hilarious and terrifying, and featuring live music, this is the play that won Butterworth an Olivier Award and kickstarted a new wave of British crime genre pieces including Guy Ritchie's popular flick Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Jeremy Davidson, lead vocalist of local blues-rock outfit The Snowdroppers, makes his stage debut as Silver Johnny, surrounded by a testosterone-fuelled cast of snappily-dressed, menacing 50s teddy boys and rockers led by Eamon Farren and Josh McConville. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins (including interval) Warning: strong language and adult themes Please note that the Vivid Festival will impact all people travelling to The Wharf from 23 May - 9 June. Find out more here Sydney Theatre Company and Australian Theatre for Young People present M rock By Lachlan Philpott The generation gap just got tighter M.Rock is a magical new play, based on a true story, about the enduring joys of music, dancing and self-discovery. Lachlan Philpott is one of the country's hottest writers, rocketing into the Sydney theatre landscape with the success of Silent Disco for atyp and Griffin Theatre Company in 2011. In his distinctive language, Philpott charts the fortunes of 18-year-old Tracy and her grandmother Mabel. Tracy has just finished school, she's bought a round-the-world ticket and is flying away to soak up experience. By contrast, Mabel is stable. She plays piano for The Players, knits for the African appeal and looks after Hilda's cat. When Tracy misses her plane home, Mabel sets off on a quest to find her granddaughter. But what she finds is her inner DJ. A co-production with atyp and directed by Fraser Corfield, M.Rock features Valerie Bader (Australia Day) as the intrepid septuagenarian, as well as a live DJ pumping the energy of the dancefloor into the veins of the theatre. Enjoy a delightfully fresh, inter-generational theatre experience that challenges taboos and assumptions about age. Duration: 1 hour 30 mins (no interval) Warning: contains swearing and mild adult themes. Recommended for ages 14+. Contains occasional strong lighting and haze effects M.Rock was developed with the assistance of Playwriting Australia. Sydney Theatre Company and Commonwealth Bank present a Sydney Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre Company production The effect By Lucy Prebble All the symptoms of real love Connie is a psychology student. Tristan is a charming drifter. Both have signed up to a clinical trial for a new antidepressant super-drug. Sealed off from the outside world, the attraction between Connie and Tristan turns into deeper feelings as their doses get stronger. They've been warned of side effects - can they trust their feelings, or is this just a chemical romance? As the trial's overseeing physician and her superior contend with the illicit relationship of their charges, they become increasingly conflicted about the ethical implications of their work. It's soon clear they have a past beyond the laboratory, and neither is objective about the complex issues that surround them. The Effect premiered to great acclaim at London's National Theatre in late 2012 winning the UK Critic's Circle Award for Best New Play for young playwright Lucy Prebble, author of the West End hit Enron and TV's Secret Diary of a Call Girl. In her smash hit new work, Prebble deftly explores questions of sanity, the ethical minefield of neuroscience and the limits of medicine in today's pill-popping culture. Sarah Goodes directs a superb cast featuring rising stars Anna McGahan (House Husbands and Underbelly: Razor) and Mark Leonard Winter (The Healing), alongside STC favourite and AFI Award-winner Angie Milliken and esteemed Queensland Theatre Company veteran Eugene Gilfedder. With warmth, humour and intelligence, this timely and provocative play is guaranteed to keep you debating long after the lights come up. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins (including interval) Warning: strong language, nudity and sexual references Sydney Theatre Company and UBS present Macbeth By William Shakespeare 'What bloody man is that?' A dark prophecy triggers Shakespeare's gory tragedy that charts the rise, rise and fall of a political couple whose wayward moral compass takes them in a deadly direction. Fasten your seat belts for another towering performance from Hugo Weaving as he wrestles with one of Shakespeare's most complex protagonists. A man whose opportunism o'er-shadows his humanity, whose ambition destroys its prize. Continuing his keen-eyed interpretation of classic texts, director Kip Williams (Under Milk Wood, Romeo and Juliet) delivers a sharp reworking on a reinvented stage. In Alice Babidge's extraordinary design, the vast Sydney Theatre will be turned inside out into a dark, intimate venue with a strictly limited capacity, promising a haunting new experience. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins (including interval) Important: Please note that due to the unique design and limited capacity of Macbeth, late comers will not be able to enter the theatre after the show has commenced. To avoid disappointment, we encourage ticket holders to allow a little extra leeway for any potential hold ups when planning your evening. For more information about planning your visit and getting to Sydney Theatre, please see here. Sydney Theatre Company and Colonial First State Global Asset Management present Children of the sun By Maxim Gorky In a new version by Andrew Upton Love and other chemical reactions Following on from his adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, Andrew Upton's new adaptation of Maxim Gorky's Children of the Sun takes a fresh, colloquial look at the human condition. In a rambling mansion in provincial Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, a sister, a brother, their partners and admirers pursue their intimate intrigues oblivious to bigger new realities brewing at their door. A family born to privilege but bound for dysfunction. Protasov might be the man of the house, but, even when he lifts his eyes from his chemistry set, he is blind to his wife's infidelities, his friend's advances and his sister's quiet despair. In something of a casting coup, three of our most treasured actresses - Justine Clarke (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), Jacqueline McKenzie (Sex with Strangers) and Helen Thomson (Mrs Warren's Profession) - form a formidable trio around our hero, as outside the propulsive energy of revolution reaches a crescendo. Both a sparkling comedy and a thoughtful exploration of the larger issues of privilege, progress and being caught at the wrong end of history, Children of the Sun captures the atmosphere of upheaval of its era - with more than a fleeting resonance to our own troubled times. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins (including interval)