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Tegan’s City of Love – MICF Review

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Tegan Higginbotham is celebrating a very special year this year. It’s her 10 consecutive year in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, it’s the year she turned to 28, and this was finally the  year she achieved all her childhood dreams!

Opening her show with old home movies  of herself running amok at 2 years at 9 months , we instantly fell in love with Tegan and her self-depricating humour. Moving through her teenage years, we were treated to hilarious stories of foibles and follies, from her teenage, Dear Dolly diaries filled with amateur poetry through to amusing and somewhat violent sketches including a Mr Squiggle lookalike being burnt at the cross, for which even Tegan couldn’t explain.

Taking inspiration from the City of Love itself; Paris, Tegan’s show was a filled with a series of hiccups she faced as she tried to chase her childhood dreams: a) Fall in love in Paris b) Become an action movie star; and c) Be magic.

Like an episode of This is Your Life, Tegan treated us to all sorts of ancedotes and objects of her past along with some hilarious photos! The standout and most hilarious being a Tegan Higginbottham calender filled with all things Tegan, in the hopes that casting agents would call her up to be the next big action hero star. Replicating magazine covers and movie posters, we couldn’t understand why Hollywood wouldn’t want to make a film called Tegan Actually (yep, this is a play on Love Actually).

Overall, Tegan’s candid City of Love show was a barrel of laughs that anyone who has childhood dreams (and yes that’s pretty much everyone) can relate to.  Her warm, personable and slightly cheeky show is a must for anyone who knows the struggles of embarassing  life fails. A show perfectly summed up by “You can’t always get the crossiant but if you try sometimes you baguette  what you need.”

Rating: ★★★★

When: Until 3 April

Where: Greek Centre, Aphrodite’s Room

Visit the website here.

Dog Lovers, this show is for you!

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What better way to spend your weekend than going to the Dog Lovers Show? Last year it was voted Best Australian Show in 2015 and they are sure to set the records again this year! This family friendly show will have you up close and personal with the cutest pooches, big and small.  Please take note that you CANNOT bring your own pet along. However, there are 500 beautiful dogs that you’ll be able to pet at the show, along with 200+ exhibitors to keep you busy.

Here are some highlights that we’ve picked out:

Royal Canine Arena

Love Bondi Vet? Well, here is your chance to see Dr. Chris Brown and watch incredibly talented dogs compete for the Dog High Jump! On top of that, you will get to meet Dr. Anthony Bennett and Dr. James Carroll from Village Vets.

KONG Celebrity Vet Stage

Want to learn more about dogs to be an even better Dog Lover? At KONG Celebrity Vet Stage is where you get free talks, educational programs and tips from the experts.

Chews Seminar Theatre

Another educational program at the show where you get to learn from dog experts! We know you want to learn how to help your dog be healthier, happier and most importantly have a longer living life.

Pat-A-Pooch

Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Don’t you worry, the show has got you covered. Enjoy meeting, patting and connecting with the dogs at the Dog Lovers Show and bring more joy into your life!

Perfect Match

Unsure what type of dog breed is most suitable for you? Thinking about rescuing? Looking for a new puppy? Not a problem. Find your Perfect Match at the Dog Lovers Show.

Ask-A-Trainer

Having a difficult time training your dog? Learn methods from the experts and create more amazing memories with your fur-baby!

Free Doggy Face Painting

Get your face paint with one of Melbourne’s leading face paining companies, Crystal Faces at the Dog Lovers Show.

Build it 4 Kids

Do your children love LEGO®? They will love the unique opportunity to learn how to build their own LEGO® Dog!

All you need to do now is to purchase your tickets and everything you get to see and do are FREE! Better yet, win a double pass to the show by filling in the form below and telling us what is your favourite type of pooch? We have two to giveaway (valued at $60 each).

This competition is now closed

Terms & conditions here.

When: 29 April – 1 May

Where: Royal Exhibition Building

Visit the website here.

 

Velvet

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After dazzling audiences around the globe, VELVET arrives at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival! Continuing to defy expectations with an electrifying trip to a world of glamour & abandon. A raucous & seductive fusion of disco, dance, burlesque & circus. It shocks, surprises & scintillates at every turn. It’s a party, it’s dangerous, it’s a showcase fuelled by an exhilarating disco soundtrack that never lets up from the opening moments.

Channeling the Studio 54 nightclub vibe, this circus/cabaret show is one not to be missed.

When: Until 17 April

Where: Merlyn Theatre, The Coopers Malthouse

Visit the website here.

Quiz in My Pants: Hardcore Trivia – MICF Review

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Everyone loves a little bit of a Trivia night. It brings out the best and worst of people. Mate against mate, even date against date – unleashing the competitive streak in all of us.

So when invited along to check out ‘Quiz in My Pants’ as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, we jumped at the chance to put our mad trivia skills to the test.  

This was not your traditional pub trivia, and certainly not a show for the prudish (or under 18), but it was light, sparkly and had just the right amount of audience interaction, helped along by it’s later time slot by which point many audience members had had a chance to have a wine or two and loosen up.

 On entry groups are given their quiz answer sheet and team name – we’re talking clever pun names like ‘Shaving Ryan’s Privates’ and ‘Inspect Her Gadget’, and that set the scene for the rest of the show as Quiz Mistress ‘Quizzie’ and her sidekick ‘Rusty’ (Cassie Vagliviello and Brendan Ewing) take the audience through four rounds of light, but X-rated, sex-themed trivia and some sexy singing.

 I’ll be honest though, losing by one point nearly killed us….

The costumes, designed by burlesque costumer Cherie Hewson, were super fun and a little bit naughty, a perfect accompaniment to the whole show package.

 A perfect night out with girlfriends (the competitive ones), or a late night kick-on with friends (the competitive ones), or anyone you know who loves trivia and doesn’t mind checking out a Cosmopolitan sealed section or two…. and is competitive.

When: Part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival until 3 April, 2016 at the adults only time-slot of 10pm.

Where: Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place

Visit the website here.

Matilda The Musical

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Matilda The Musical has arrived in Melbourne! Following rave reviews in Sydney, London’s West End and Broadway, is a multi-award winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by the genius of Roald Dahl. Based on his 1998 children’s novel, the story follows five year-old Matilda Wormwood (Ingrid Torelli), a child prodigy who armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Co-written by  Australia’s own Tim Minchin, the show is currently playing at the Princess Theatre.

When: From March 13

Where: Princess Theatre, 163 Spring St

Visit the website here.

200 Years of Australian Fashion at NGV

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Walk through the history of Australian Fashion at the NGV’s latest exhibition: 200 Years of Australian Fashion. Featuring over 120 works from more than ninety designers, this is the first major survey of Australian fashion to be undertaken in this country.

From the early dressmaking establishments of Brisbane to the mid-century salons of Collins Street, to the contemporary studios by Bondi’s beaches, 200 Years of Australian Fashion traverses over two centuries of fashion design in Australia.

Take a walk through four galleries featuring the best of the best Australian fashion design including Dion Lee, Ellery, Romance Was Born and Toni Maticevski alongside key designs from the past 200 years, including exquisite examples of historic design.

When: 5 March – 31 July 2016

Where: Ian Potter Centre, National Gallery of Victoria

Visit the website here.

Want to find out more about what’s happening in Melbourne? Sign up to the We Know Melbourne mailing list here to stay in the loop.

Get Messy at House of Crabs

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Tucked away under the Newmarket Hotel, House of Crabs St Kilda is a blink and you almost miss it, hidden gem in the southside.

Originally from Sydney, the crab shack’s rockabilly pub style vibe with band on stage is a stark contrast to the more modern, clean, upmarket restaurant upstairs. The menu is a mix of Southen-style seafood “boils” in delicious sauces (think crabs, mussels and prawns) alongside meats such as chicken and ribs on the grill, and side snacks to go with it.

To wash down your seafood feast, there’s also the most delicious and mouthwatering traditional cocktails you can get your hands on. We tried the lageritas, peach cobblers and Alabama Slammas and we can guarantee you that they’re some of the most interesting cocktails we’ve tried in Melbourne.

And in case you were wondering, if it’s a go-to date venue –  The answer is yes! To soak up that crab splatter, you’ll get a bib (and gloves) to wear, which is a grade A talking point for when things get awkward on a first date, or good for a laugh if you’re having your weekly date night with your long term bae. Leave your white shirt (or dress) at home because things will get messy. (Nb. Cutlery is provided but you’ll want to gig in with your hands and crab crackers, it’s the only way to dine).

We Know Melbourne tip: Order the lobster fries – with bacon, cheese, lobster gravy. No regrets!

Where: Basement, 34 Inkerman St, St Kilda

When: Tues to Thurs 4pm – 10pm, Fri to Sat 4pm – Late

Visit the website here.

Spanish Film Festival

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The Spanish Film Festival is fast approaching and this year’s program will bring a wealth of emotions with dramas, romances, thrillers and major box-office hit comedies from across Spain. (We also have 10 double passes to give away – see below!)

The festival will open with the sequel to last year’s opener and box office smash Spanish Affair 2, adding more laughs and new twists to the relationship saga. Audiences enjoying the opening night film and party will find out what made the sequel – which again teams director Emilio Martínez Lázaro and with stars Clara Lago and Dani Rovira – the highest-grossing film of 2015 at Spanish theatres.

Other highlights include:

Closing Night Event: Embrace of the Serpent

Surrender to a breathtaking cinematic odyssey through the Amazon on Closing Night with drink in hand and Ciro Guerra’s multi awardwinning, Oscar-nominated Embrace of the Serpent. The film follows the quests of two European explorers in search of a rare flower alleged to have healing properties – not to be missed on the big screen.

Nothing in Return Q & A

Nothing in Return is the, first feature film by actor and director Daniel Guzman. The film is a coming of age tale of 16-year-old Darío, struggling with his parents’ divorce, decides to run away with his neighbour Luismi. Together with Luismi, these two individuals will become Darío’s family for the summer. But underneath all the happy times, lurks some serious lessons set to change the course of Darío’s life. NOTHING IN RETURN will be followed by a 30 min Q&A with award-winning director Daniel Guzmán

Isla Bonita

Fer is invited to sun- kissed Menorca for the summer by his friend Miguel Ángel, played by Spanish ad exec and writer Miguel Ángel Furones and there he meets Nuria, an anti-establishment sculptress (artist Nuria Román), and her daughter Olivia (actress Olivia Delcán). Living with different acquaintances and new friends will bring Fer a new perspective on life and love, and a connection with a majestic environment that will awaken his senses.

Ma Ma

In one of Penélope Cruz’s finest-ever performances, the beloved actress powerfully depicts a woman experiencing major life challenges with an indefatigable dignity, persevering in the only way she knows how. Magda (Cruz) is separated from her husband and is entirely dedicated to young son Dani (Teo Planell), her pride and joy. Her world is upended when she is diagnosed with breast cancer, but she refuses to be defined by it. During her treatment she meets soccer scout Arturo (Luis Tosar), who is contending with changes and loss of his own. A relationship develops between the two, and as they support one another through hardships and treatment, their love gives life to – and joy in – events that are both unexpected and illuminating.

Truman

This will be the Australian premiere of Spanish director Cesc Gay’s TRUMAN. Cleaning up at the Gaudí Awards in Barcelona, the film picked up six awards including Best Director, Best Actor and Best Film. The wise, wistful and well- observed film about two friends enjoying a reunion in the shadow of darker circumstances reunites the director with stars Ricardo Darín and Javier Cámara. TRUMAN has screened at the Toronto, San Sebastian and Pusan Film Festivals to great acclaim and is nominated for six Goya Awards, including Best Film, Director and Actor.

When: Wed 13 April – Sun 1 May

Where: PALACE CINEMA COMO, KINO CINEMAS & PALACE WESTGARTH

Visit the website here. 

As an exclusive for our We Know Melbourne readers, we have 10 double passes to give away. To enter, fill in the form below. Competition closes 4 April, 2016.

This competition is now closed.

Terms and conditions here. 


Want to find out more about what’s happening in Melbourne? Sign up to the We Know Melbourne mailing list here to stay in the loop.

Art Party for Teens

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The NGV International are throwing a special under 18’s Art Party these school holidays! After last year’s success, this year’s event will once again  be filled with  music, a silent disco, food, fashion, art-making  workshops plus exclusive access to the popular  Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei  exhibition.

Entertainment will come from Melbourne chanteuse Ella Thompson, who will take to the stage in the Great Hall, performing songs from her highly-praised debut solo album Janus, released in 2015. Thompson fronts the band Dorsal Fins and is half of the electronic duo GL, in addition to her solo work. Music blog Purple Sneakers has called her, “one of the most exciting acts in Australia at the moment”.

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Acclaimed local artist Esther Olsson, known for her vibrant abstract paintings incorporating hip-hop iconography and everyday objects,  will be leading the art workshops, where teens will be able to add and interact with a series of colourful artworks created especially for Art Party.  

Guests can also enjoy a contemporary dance performance by Left Leg Studio, a boutique training studio specialising in jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet and musical theatre performance. And back by popular demand, the silent disco will see party goers moving to tunes piped through individual sets of headphones. Dancing beats come from Guy Roseby, aka Gee, who regularly deejays at Melbourne venues Boney, Section 8, Ferdydurke, The Lounge and Atticus Finch.

Teens, grab some friends and get ready for big night out!

Nb. Art Party is an alcohol free event and valid secondary student ID will be required for entry.

When: 5:30-9:30pm, Thursday, 7 April 

Where: NGV International, St Kilda Road

Visit the website here.

Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany (Review)

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Going into this show, we wondered how heavy the content would be as the storyline centered entirely around a young German / American girl and her traumatic experience in Hitler’s Germany, during World War II.

We needn’t have worried. 

Before the performance began, a gentleman came out and addressed the audience… “despite the serious nature of this piece, it’s important to know that some parts will, in fact be lighthearted in nature – and we encourage you to laugh, it’s actually ok.”

This announcement set the tone perfectly for what we found to be an entertaining, fast-paced and emotional account of the true story of Eleanor Ramrath Garner between the age of 9 to 16, when her family, filled with promises of a more secure future, packed up and left America for Berlin in 1939.

No sooner than they had boarded their ship – than war was declared and they were trapped in Germany – thus setting the tone for this incredible tale of strength, survival, and optimism during one of the most harrowing times in world history.

elEleanor’s Story is a one-woman show adapted for the stage and performed by Ingrid Garner, Eleanor’s granddaughter from the book of the same name. Having grown up hearing her Grandmother Eleanor’s stories of the war – Ingrid chose this tale to be her playwriting debut, and executes this riveting hour-long performance with passion, emotion and humor.

All the stories in this piece are true and are at times humorous, nail-bitingly thrilling and other times sad. A must see, particularly for those with an interest in modern and World War II history – an account from the eyes of a young girl who lived it, and survived. 

When: Until 20 March 2016

Where: Chapel off Chapel (12, Lt Chapel Street, Prahran)

Visit the website here.