
A brand new museum for the performing arts is coming to Melbourne, showcasing rare objects
Located at Arts Centre Melbourne's beloved Hamer Hall, overlooking the Yarra River, AMPA promises to immerse visitors in Australia's glittering performing arts legacy. From circus spectacles and operatic grandeur to theatrical masterpieces and pop culture throwbacks, the museum will showcase over 850,000 treasured items from the nation's largest performing arts collection.
Visitors and Victorians alike will get the chance to marvel at extraordinary items, including Dame Edna Everage's ostentatious 'Scream Dress', Dame Nellie Melba's exquisite silk stage cloak, and Bon Scott's leather jacket. Additionally, memorable props and sets from legendary Australian productions such as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll will also be on display.
AMPA will launch in phases, initially unveiling almost 500 square metres of exhibition space in December 2025, with a future expansion planned to reach approximately 800 square metres. The museum will blend exclusive pieces from its permanent collection with internationally acclaimed touring exhibitions, enhancing Melbourne's standing as a cultural powerhouse.
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Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
80s singer blasts AI ad that claimed he had 'troubles with erectile dysfunction'
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Scotsman
12 hours ago
- Scotsman
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Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... THEATRE Chopin's Nocturne ★★★★ Summerhall (Venue 27) until 25 August As a teenager, Australian comedian Aidan Jones was a talented pianist. He failed to get into music school, though, so – after spending some time concentrating on MDMA, he jokes – he turned to stand-up. During lockdown, however, he returned to the piano, and particularly to Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat Major. Look it up: you will recognise it. Chopin's Nocturne | Darren Keane It is his love of that famous, beautiful piece – and of the reclusive Polish composer that created it – that powers this charming hour of comedy and classical piano. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At its heart is a music lesson. Jones sits down at an upright piano and entertainingly takes us through the Nocturne, note by note, section by section. The tension of a diminished chord is likened to the anxiety of seeing a drunk man on a train. The sadness of a minor cadence is like being denied a cookie. A major resolve is like coming home. Around this, Jones weaves autobiographical anecdotes, stories about Chopin, and plenty of daft humour. There is a good gag comparing smoking meth to test cricket, a remarkable tale about Chopin's contemporary Hector Berlioz going back on a plan to murder his ex-girlfriend, and a lot of revealing insights into the Polish composer's life and work. 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Hi Mum! explores this through estranged sisters brought together in a funeral home viewing room, their mother lying in a shroud before them. Over 45 minutes, they confront unspoken emotions, grapple with letting go, and reconnect under the shadow of past pain. The cause of their fractured relationship stems from their mother's behaviour - although what she actually did to them is left deliberately vague. While this adds a layer of mystery, it also makes it harder to fully connect emotionally. Still, the differing ways each sister processes grief and the past are compelling to watch. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What Tamara Al-Bassam's script and the performances do effectively is reveal a lingering bond beneath the bickering. There's a shared history and pain that neither can fully articulate, but it's felt. For such heavy subject matter, the piece avoids becoming overly sombre with the inclusion of light and comic moments. While the tonal shifts from sadness to humour to tension can feel jarring, they mirror the emotional turbulence of loss. Performers Mhairi Gilmour and Kirsty Young navigate these changes well. Some of the most poignant moments come from the sisters' tender, intimate interactions with the beautifully hand-carved wooden figure representing their mother. These moments powerfully represent connection and loss. SUZANNE O'BRIEN THEATRE My Marlene ★★ Checkpoint at Assembly Checkpoint (322) until 17 August There's a certain sleight of hand required to stage a biography of Marlene Dietrich. The actress was forged in the studio lights of Hollywood and the smoke-filled cabarets of Weimar Berlin. But this brisk whistle-stop show doesn't peep behind the curtain at the women underneath. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The setting, with its cabaret tables and low lighting, promises sensual intimacy. Tjaša Ferme flirts with her audience, conscripting us into Dietrich's world as 'soldiers' performing for us as wartime entertainment. Brisk brush strokes paint images of her early life, move to Berlin, rise as an actress, before moving to Hollywood with a string of affairs along the way, notably with Joseph von Sternberg whose camera turned her into one of the first stars of the silver screen. But references to exile from Germany, bisexuality, and to her relationship with stardom, are leave a tantalisingly two-dimensional image. Ferme's musical interludes are strong: smoky Weimar jazz slides into Wagner as the shadow of Nazism lengthens. Yet the spell falters in the audience participation, where awkwardly read telegrams stall the momentum. It's an elegant sketch, but a sketch all the same. The woman who once made the world swoon remains, here, an untouchable silhouette in a tailored suit. ALEXANDER COHEN THEATRE Good Morning and Goodbye ★★★ theSpace @ Niddry Street (venue 9) until 19 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There's a quiet beauty in the everyday. Particularly morning routines like opening the curtains, watering plants, and sipping hot coffee. This gentle, considered piece from Taiwan captures the comfort of being at home, shut away from both torrential rain and outside pressures. Though listed as Theatre, this would be better described as more of a dance piece. Over 30 minutes, we follow a woman's morning routine told entirely through movement and gesture. She does yoga, showers, drinks coffee, and puts on makeup. After each cycle, she's interrupted by a glimpse into another part of her life, and the next routine subtly shifts to reflect it. Lala Sue's movements are fluid and deliberate, and there's a particularly joyful sequence where she dances with her plant, which she clearly and dearly adores. 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Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
90s soap bombshell hasn't aged a day as she returns to show TWENTY years after quitting
She's hardly changed since her debut at the age of 19 in 1993 TIMELESS BEAUTY 90s soap bombshell hasn't aged a day as she returns to show TWENTY years after quitting A 90s soap bombshell hasn't aged a day as she returned to the the show she was on, twenty years after quitting. The 52-year-old actress is best known for playing Annalise Hartman on the Aussie soap Neighbours 1993 and 1996. Advertisement 4 A 90s soap bombshell hasn't aged a day as she returned to the the show she was on, twenty years after quitting Credit: X 4 The 52-year-old actress is best known for playing Annalise Hartman Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Kimberley Davies starred in Neighbours for three years in the 90s and went on to become a huge sex symbol from that time. The star appeared on various magazines including Loaded, FHM and Maxim. And it looks like the star has barely aged, as she reprised her role as devious Annalise. She's hardly changed since her debut at the age of 19 in 1993. Advertisement In fact, Kimberley looks as glamorous as ever in a short clip shared on her social media. The actress tells fans: 'You might remember me as Annalise Hartman. 'So being definitely brought up a lot of memories, makes me feel really old, I must say. 'But so great to see some familiar faces and everyone's just so lovely and in a way even though I feel old it's kind of like I never left.' Advertisement The star also teased what Neighbours fans might be able to expect from her character on the show, continuing: 'Last time I was here, Annalise was doing docos and she was making a documentary about the history of Ramsay Street, but she's back this time with a different job shall we say... and [she has] a couple of new conflicts due to the new job. Neighbours star hits back after being labelled a nepo-baby - can you guess her 90s rock legend dad? 'And she has a lot going on in her life... so she's got some stories to tell.' 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Jason Donovan After his stint as Scott, singer and actor Jason became an international popstar and had his pick acting of roles. He moved to the U.K., married, had children and has since starred in over a dozen West End show, most notably Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat. Alan Dale New Zealand born actor Alan was one of Neighbours 12 original cast members having made his debut as Jim Robinson on the soap's first episode on 18 March 1985. As the head of the Robinson clan, widower Jim lived at Number 26 Ramsay Street with his children Paul, Julie, Scott and Lucy, and was a real anchor in the community. He stayed with the show for eight years, before his character was killed off in dramatic scenes aired in 1993 but which still reverberate through the soap to this day. Margot Robbie Way before she was Barbie or Harley Quinn, Margot was best known as Ramsay Street resident Donna Freedman. Her notable storylines included her marriage to Ringo Brown and becoming a young widow following his tragic death. After three years she bid farewell to the soap and Australia with a plan to make a name for herself in Hollywood which she did when she bagged the role of Naomi Lapaglia opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. Jesse Spencer Jesse rocked up on Ramsay street in 1994 with the rest of the Kennedy clan. He stayed for five years, literally growing up in front of the camera, but in 2000 felt it was time to spread his wings and head for Hollywood. It was certainly a smart move as he went on to bag leading roles in popular shows like House and Chicago Fire. Russell Crowe New Zealand-native Russell had a brief arc on Neighbours, appearing in four episodes of the soap 1987 as Kenny Larkin, the former cellmate of Street resident Henry Ramsay. The role obviously got him noticed though because he quickly went on to become a fully-fledged Hollywood A-lister, winning the Best Actor Oscar for his standout performance as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator. Kimberley has also taken part in reality shows such as Celebrity Circus, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Dancing with the Stars. She was last on our screens when she took part in Neighbours' 20th anniversary special in 2005. She didn't appeared in the Neighbours 2022 finale which saw some of the show's biggest characters return to Ramsay Street. Advertisement Kimberley was apparently asked by producers, but she declined, according to Private Sydney. But now she's firmly back on the soap, and fans are delighted. The star is married to her husband Jason Harvey. The pair, who tied the knot in 1997, share three kids - Isabella, Josh and Ashton. Advertisement 4 The star appeared on various magazines including Loaded, FHM and Maxim Credit: Rex Features