All posts tagged: lifestyle

At Arm’s Length – MICF Review

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Walking into the intimate La Mama Courthouse in Carlton, the first thing that greeted us was clothes… piles and piles of clothes, strewn about the stage floor, across the seats, in the aisles – designed to realistically bring you into the home of Elsa, Ollie and Clare – three very different twenty-something housemates, who, along with the fourth character Tommy, are the stars of this light-hearted, but complex show. Kitted out with the quintessential uni student necessities like an ironing board table, Mi Goreng noodles and alcohol – the audience actually feel as though they a part of the character’s lives as they move through the ‘complexities of #adulting’. A fabulous mix of dialogue, dance and audience interaction, the content of this show struck a chord with everyone in the audience. The topics covered are highly relevant to the daily lives of average modern punter, whether it’s complicated relationships, ideals, goals or just trying to find out who they are. At Arm’s Length is performed by Victoria Bennet, Patrick Durnan Silva, Jacqui Essing and Riley …

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 …

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 …

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) …

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.

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 …

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”. 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 …

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 …

Jurassic World Exhibition

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Go back in time to when dinosaurs still ruled the land at the Jurassic World Exhibition. The exhibition will immerse audiences of all ages in scenes inspired by the giant blockbuster, Jurassic World.  The world premiere event will open on 19 March 2016 and runs for a limited time only, before travelling on to the rest of the world. “Created in close collaboration with renowned paleontologist Jack Horner, the Exhibition is infused with interactive educational elements—drawn from the real-world science of dinosaur DNA that allowed Jurassic World to come to life. Visitors of all ages can now learn all about these incredible prehistoric creatures.” Whether you’re a T-rex lover, or more  of a Jurassic World geek, there’s something for everyone! Purchase a VIP pass and travel to Isla Nublar as a VIP guest and explore Jurassic World. Come face-to-face with a Pachyrhinosaurus; visit The Hammond Creation Lab; stare in wonder at a towering Brachiosaurus; get a rare up-close look at the most vicious dinosaur of them all, Tyrannosaurus rex; and learn all about top-secret projects …

The F-Word

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Celebrating International Women’s Day in true form, The F-word kicked off with a panel of inspiring high-profile feminist: Jane Gilmore – editor of Women’s Agenda, Melba Marginson – Executive Director of the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition, Clementine Ford – a freelance writer, broadcaster and public speaker, well-known for her public opinion pieces on feminism, pop culture and social issues, and actor / writer Tammy Anderson. Each woman represented a distinctly different take on what their view of feminism was, which resonated with much of audience on an individual level and the Q&A that followed allowed us to gain a little deeper insight into the mind of these proud, passionate women. The show was a sell-out, Howler – a great location for this panel / performance was packed to the rafters with about 95% ladies – with a few supportive men dotted throughout. At the conclusion of the panel session, Melbourne Playback Theatre took centre stage for their improvisational piece – performed by an entirely female ensemble of actors and musicians for a powerful out of the box piece …