Things to do in Sydney today

Nine years on from its Broadway debut, audiences still can’t get enough of Hamilton. While theatre lovers anxiously await Sydney’s exclusive return season of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, we also have the chance to go back to where it all began. The hit hip-hop musical’s multi-Tony-Award-winning predecessor, In the Heights, has landed at the Sydney Opera House to heat things up this winter. First hitting the Broadway stage in 2008 (before it inspired the 2021 feature film), this rags-to-riches story returns to the Harbour City with gusto for the first time since 2019. A fiery fusion of poetry and passion, In the Heights is an idyllic love letter to the riches of community, cariños and carnaval! The story is simple enough: Usnavi (Ryan Gonzalez, they/them - Zombie! The Musical), a bodega owner living in the largely Latin-American neighbourhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, dreams of returning to his homeland and pines for the strong and beautiful Vanessa (Olivia Vásquez, she/her). Amongst the struggles of the day-to-day – the rising threat of gentrification, the cost of living, tighter immigration laws, and heat-induced blackouts – the news of a winning lottery ticket could change everything for the local community, catalysing dreams about what a future beyond the Heights might look like.  The only thing hotter than the Fourth of July is this show and its suave cast. Sydney’s winter chill is soon forgotten at the entrance of the Drama Theatr

The title of Martyna Majok’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play immediately evokes thoughts of skyrocketing rental prices, the grocery duopoly, and the decline in bulk-billing GPs. While Cost of Living does touch on pressing issues like these, it also delves deeper – exploring not only the economic costs, but also the emotional and social toll of navigating a world that places numerous barriers around the fundamental human right to receive care. Vulnerable, honest, and often heartwarmingly funny – the Australian production of this celebrated Broadway show (a co-pro from Sydney Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre) not only proves that inclusive storytelling is possible, but also that it can be profoundly impactful when disabled people are given the opportunity to participate in the telling of their stories. Centering around two characters living with visible disabilities (one present since birth, and the other acquired later in life) receiving care, Cost of Living explores disability as a multidimensional experience. Co-directors Priscilla Jackman (RBG: Of Many, One) and Dan Daw (The Dan Daw Show) – who also features in the cast – treat the characters with a sense of dignity and nuance that is all-too-rarely afforded to people with physical differences.  First, we meet Eddie (Philip Quast - Do not go gentle…) – an ex-truck driver whose many years on the road and in lonely motels across the United States have left him feeling uneasy about being alone with his thoughts. His attempts

To revive and reimagine a classic novel is no easy feat. It takes a particular skill to balance traditional concepts in a contemporary context – and when the novel in question is as enduringly popular as Little Women, the stakes are even higher.  Broadway’s 2005 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 coming-of-age classic has arrived for a highly-anticipated season at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre Company under the eye of director and choreographer Amy Campbell (A Chorus Line, Once). Little Women has been churned through countless adaptations (most recently, Greta Gerwig’s 2019 film). The question is – is this musical (with book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Jason Howland) able to capture the charming essence of the original text? And has the local team been able to tap into that spirit of sisterhood love, while also embracing a modern perspective? In some ways, the answer is yes, but the balance is off. ...under Campbell’s direction, Little Women is a uniquely innovative musical that will surprise you until the very end Tanwee Shrestha’s set design is thoroughly minimalist, the stage is almost bare except for some strategic arrangements of stretch cords (2 kilometres in total!). While this modern design is an unconventional choice, it beautifully enables the finely crafted execution of every emotion, thought and action as the performers weave, crawl, and bounce through the cords. It’s a fantastic use of the space, inviting the audience into the March sisters

Bankstown’s Olympic Parade and Griffith Park are gearing up to turn into a foodie’s dream for the annual Bankstown Bites celebration this July.  The family-friendly affair plays host to more than 30 food stalls, live music and interactive cooking demos and workshops. This year’s theme is ‘Taste the World’, which only feels appropriate for the melting pot of flavours and cultures in Bankstown. Start the day's events with a bang by watching headline chef, Anna Polyviou, cooking up a storm for not one, but two demonstrations. She’ll be gracing the main stage whipping up a cheese and charcuterie baguette and banoffee pie, then later you can join her and her special guest, mama Polyviou, for a Greek Cypriot masterclass on spanakopita (a crisp cheese and spinach pastry), keftedes (spiced meatballs) and loukoumades (fluffy donut balls). Bankstown holds a special place in the Family Food Fight TV show host’s heart. “This area is unique because it offers authentic dishes made by people who have carried their culinary heritage with them,” Polyviou said. There’ll also be other demonstrations not to miss like the Italian cooking workshops on napolitana sauce, pasta, bruschetta and tiramisu. Workshops are limited to 12 spaces so make sure you book in for this hands-on experience. Here at Time Out, we’re also excited to bring you Bites Food Tours as part of the festival. These famed food tours will stop in at various authentic eateries around the city, and highlights include Spice it Up, T

Our favourite places from our childhoods, just like the movies or books that we loved when we were little, often aren’t the same when we return to them. Sometimes it’s the place that has changed – but most of the time, we are what’s different. We might be more grown up, more sensitive, perhaps we are more at home in the qualities that set us apart from others – but all the while, we’re still searching for that inner little kid who just loved something wholeheartedly. For E, that thing is swimming.  Mununjali Yugambeh poet Ellen van Neerven’s debut work for the stage, swim, follows our protagonist (played by Baad Yawuru actor Dani Sib) as they return to the public pool after a long time away. The change room, the act of undressing, and the journey to the water are all obstacles that E must navigate – and as a genderfluid Blak person, the simple practice of going for a swim is a fraught, anxiety-inducing experience.  With its meditative visuals and some shining moments, it is well worth diving in... E’s story is delivered through repetitive, rhythmic phrases. It’s a slow, meditative form of speaking that is most effective when accompanied by bursts of theatrical imagery. Samuel James’ vivid video design brings an otherworldly tone to Romanie Harper’s set design – a large cross-section of a pale tiled pool, much like the council pool you’d find down the road in most small Aussie towns. The action takes place above and below the water, linked by a metal ladder. Alongside Brendon