This weekend’s entertainment line-up includes veteran rocker Rod Stewart, Australian folk-rock group Augie March, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Last Night of the Proms, and singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd with his new group The United Nations.

There’s a street party in Port Adelaide, a Hairy Mclary fun day at the State Library, and a new exhibition of Indigenous wood carving at the SA Museum, with demonstrations on the front lawns. At the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Dunstan Playhouse, Miriam Margolyes is wowing audiences with her one-woman show The Importance of Being Miriam.

Rod Stewart

Fans of Rod Stewart can expect to hear all his hits – from “Maggie May” to “Do You Think I’m Sexy” – at his Sunday night concert at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Titled The Hits, the show is part of a national tour and follows the release in mid-2013 of Stewart’s first album in 12 years. Support act is Australian singer-songwriter James Reyne, who will be singing songs from Australian Crawl and his solo career.

Last Night of the Proms – ASO

“Embracing the spirit of the famed BBC Proms, this rousing program promises to please monarchists and republicans alike,” states the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Last Night of the Proms, tonight and Saturday night at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Festival Theatre, will include songs such as “Rule Britannia”, “God Save the Queen” and “Jerusalem”, with conductor Guy Noble, soprano Greta Bradman and the Adelaide Philharmonia Chorus.

Augie March

After a six-year break, Australian folk-rock group Augie March are playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre tonight (Friday) as part of a series of one-night-only concerts around the country featuring songs from throughout their 17-year career. The band recently recorded their fifth studio album, Havens Dumb, with both the shows and the new release receiving positive reviews.

The Importance of Being Miriam

The irrepressible Miriam Margolyes, last seen here in the Australian play Neighbourhood Watch, is back with this new one-woman show in which she reflects on the influences that have shaped her acting career and her love of literary giants. Accompanied by pianist John Martin, Margolyes also portrays favourite characters ranging from literature. The result is brilliant, says InDaily’s reviewer – “a charismatic masterclass in communicating human experience”. The Importance of Being Miram is at the Dunstan Playhouse until April 2.

Port Day at Port Adelaide

Beginning at midday on Saturday, this community street party in Port Adelaide will feature waterside activities (including kayaking), cooking demonstrations by Rosa Matto, the Wild at Hart Markets, giant chess, a jumping castle, and cruises in the inner harbour. Port Day will also feature a free screening of Pirates of the Caribbean in the Flour Shed at 5.30pm (BYO chair or beanbag).

Xavier Rudd & The United Nations

With a new band (The United Nations) and a new album (Nanna) released this month, Xavier Rudd is back on the road and playing an 18+ gig tonight (Friday) at HQ in Adelaide. Nanna is described by Rudd as his dream project, featuring musicians from a diverse range of places and cultures playing instruments including guitar, bass, percussion, horns, flute and sax.

Trent Parke: The Black Rose

This Art Gallery of South Australia exhibition of works by Trent Parke features hundreds of photographs, largely black and white and mostly shot on film, as well as moving-image works, text and books exploring themes such as pain, loss, birth, death and memory. The Adelaide-based Magnum photographer will be talking about his work with the exhibition’s curators and guest speakers at a free event at the gallery’s Radford Auditorium on Saturday afternoon (bookings essential). The Black Rose continues until May 12. Read Parke’s interview with InDaily here.

Hairy Maclary Fun Day

The State Library is hosting a day of family activities on Sunday to celebrate the opening of the Lynley Dodd retrospective exhibition. The Hairy Maclary creator will be on hand to sign books, plus there will be performances by Peter Combe and the Amazing Drumming Monkeys, face painting, giant games, balloon making and story time. The day begins at 11am, with the full program online. The retrospective continues until June 14.

Openair Cinema

This weekend’s sessions at Ben & Jerry’s Openair Cinema in Glenelg include sci-fi film Jupiter Ascending  tonight (Friday) and a family fun day sing-along with the popular animated children’s movie Frozen (Saturday). The music line-up includes Mr John, James Abberley and Winston Reed. Also coming up is an April Fool’s Day screening of the James Franco/Seth Rogan action comedy The Interview. The Openair Cinema continues at the Brian Nadilo Reserve until April 12.

Punuku Tjukurpa – SA Museum

This touring exhibition opening tonight at the South Australian Museum features artworks and objects made by three generations of Anangu artists for whom the tradition of wood carving (Punu) has been handed down. Punuku Tjukurpa includes 88 carved objects, sculptural works, and audio and video footage. Between 11am and 1pm on Saturday, artists from Maraku Arts will be demonstrating carving techniques and sharing traditional songs on the lawns in front of the museum. The exhibition continues until May 17.

Ivy Ingkatji, Piti, c 1995, Itara: River Red Gum, 710 x 290mm.

Indoor Fireworks – Blackwood Players

The Blackwood Players open their 2015 season tonight with this “comedy of manners, cushions and cups of tea”. Indoor Fireworks, by Arthur Macrae, begins with a divorced writer inviting a reporter to her country home to write an article on her life – but chaos follows with the appearance of her brother, interfering mother and a cast of other “late arrivals”. It is being presented at the Blackwood Memorial Hall until April 11.

Relatively Speaking – Therry Dramatic Society

This comedy by British playwright Alan Ayckbourne involves multiple incidents of mistaken identity. Click here for InDaily’s review. Relatively Speaking is being presented by the Therry Dramatic Society at the Arts Theatre until March 28.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night – Independent Theatre

American playwright Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night – described as an “autobiographical play of old sorrows, written in tears and blood” – is the Independent Theatre’s first production of 2015. Click here for InDaily’s review. The play is being presented at The Goodwood Institute until March 28.

do it (adelaide)

Twelve South Australian artists were assigned a particular instruction to produce an artwork for this exhibition at Samstag Museum. do it, based on a concept that began in Paris in 1993, features work in different mediums, with several instructions for museum visitors to interact with and an accompanying archive explaining the history of what is described as an “ever-evolving global art phenomenon”. The exhibition runs until April 25.

On screen

See InDaily’s reviews of the latest films screening in Adelaide:

Shaun the Sheep
Infinitely Polar Bear
Chappie
Insurgent
3 Hearts – French Film Festival
Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Project Almanac