What’s on: The good, the Bard and the bloody

Our pick of events over the weekend and week ahead, including after-hours art and music at the gallery, the Korean Film Festival, a Vitals art hothouse in Port Adelaide, live gigs, Romeo and Juliet, and fresh twists on Macbeth and Dracula.

Aug 22, 2017, updated Sep 04, 2017

Zkye will perform at the Art Gallery of SA's First Fridays tonight.

First Fridays – Art Gallery of SA

The Australian Art Revival is the theme of the Art Gallery of SA’s monthly after-hours event tonight. It will launch the reopening of Gallery 6, with assistant director Lisa Slade discussing the big moments that shaped Australian art in the second half of the 20th century. There will be live music by the Zephyr Quartet and South Australian songstress Zkye. Details here.

Vitalstatistix’s Adhocracy – Waterside

Artists from around Australia will converge on Vitalstatistix’s home at Waterside, Port Adelaide, this weekend for its annual Adhocracy hothouse, a program supporting the creative development of new experimental and multi-disciplinary arts projects. There will be artist talks and work-in-progress showings including dance, theatre, video and installation. The program runs from today until Sunday and can be downloaded here.

Macbeth – Dunstan Playhouse

Dale March, Miranda Daughtry and Elena Carapetis in Macbeth. Photo: Chris Herzfeld

State Theatre Company’s adaptation of Macbeth is clever and powerful, allowing nothing to distract from the raw brutality of the Shakespearean tale of unchecked ambition, moral corruption and murder, writes InDaily reviewer Rachael Mead. The company’s Ensemble has transported the play to a contemporary urban setting for the new production, which is at the Dunstan Playhouse until September 16.

Placebo – Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Alt-rock band Placebo are celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the release of their platinum-selling debut album – featuring the hit “Every You Every Me” – with a tour that touches down at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre next Wednesday (September 6). They’re supported by UK band Deaf Havana, and tickets are still available.

Beep – Space Theatre

Fresh from touring its award-winning show Grug overseas, Windmill Theatre Company is presenting its new children’s show at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Space Theatre. Beep, suitable for ages one to seven, is a playful and interactive production which celebrates friendship through “puppetry, whimsical staging and lots of laughs”. Performances continue until September 3. Read InDaily’s review here.

Korean Film Festival – GU Film House

This showcase of Korean cinema, screening over three days from today at the GU Film House in Hindley Street, features a diverse line-up of films ranging from blockbusters to art-house movies, thrillers to rom-coms. See the full schedule here.

Romeo and Juliet – Town Hall

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and State Theatre Company SA join forces for this show – described as “a fantasy of words and music” – inspired by Shakespeare’s classic tale of star-crossed lovers. Conducted by Nicholas Carter and presented with a cast of actors, Romeo and Juliet will include music by Sergei Prokofiev, Hector Berlioz, Leonard Bernstein and Nino Rota. There are two performances at the Town Hall, next Thursday and Friday (September 7 and 8).

Our Boys – Arts Theatre

The Adelaide Repertory Theatre’s latest show centres on a group of young soldiers recovering in a military hospital in 1984 from injuries received in the line of duty. Their comical daily routine is challenged by the arrival of a young officer, with friendships threatened by an act of betrayal. Our Boys is playing at the Arts Theatre in Angas Street this weekend and next weekend (September 6-9), with proceeds from tonight’s performance benefitting the charity Soldier On.

Dracula – Space Theatre

Shaken & stirred’s Dracula. Photo: Dylan Evans

Bram Stoker’s gothic tale is given a new twist in this adaptation by theatre company shaken & stirred. The production sees Dracula “hosting” a young lawyer in his castle deep within the Carpathian mountains, then travelling to London on a quest for “seduction, true love and above all – blood”. Recommended for ages 15 plus, Dracula opens at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Space Theatre next Thursday, with the season continuing until September 16.

An Evening with Christopher Cross – The Gov

American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross – you might remember him from ’80s hits such as “Sailing” and “Run Like the Wind” – is in Australia with his first headline tour of the country in 20 years. Cross, who released his most recent album Secret Ladder in 2014, will play a two-set gig at the Governor Hindmarsh on Tuesday (September 5).

Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year  – SA Museum

A stunning selection of images capturing the beauty of the natural world is on display at the South Australian Museum until September 24 in the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition. Justin Gilligan from New South Wales won the 2017 competition with an underwater photo capturing the moment a Maori octopus selected its prey from a crowd of spider crabs. The exhibition will continue until September 24. See the work of a selection of finalists’ work here.