Five To Book: What To See at Adelaide Festival 2023

We all know the drill. Between Fringe, Womadelaide and Adelaide Festival all vying for our attention at the same time, there’s only so much room in the schedule – and only so many funds in the bank account – come March. So it’s best to be fully prepared when booking tickets. If you’re yet to sift through this year’s Adelaide Festival program, we’re here to help.

The final program by co-directors Rachel Healy and Neil Armfield opens this week with 52 events – across theatre, music, opera, dance and visual art – running over 17 days and nights. Incoming director Ruth Mackenzie, who officially takes the reins next year, has called it “the first festival back to full-strength after the pandemic”.

“I see my role as enthusiastic spruiker for the program initiated by Neil and Rachel,” Mackenzie said in a statement. “The international quality of their festivals more than doubled audiences over the past six years and it leaves our new team well placed to continue their legacy.”

This year’s international highlight is the highly anticipated headliner A Little Life – a powerhouse performance of the bestselling novel that tracks the deeply intertwined lives of four friends over a period of more than 30 years. Its season is already sold out, but there’s plenty more in the program worth checking out.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
One of the most anticipated shows in the program is Sydney Theatre Company’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – by the award-winning creative team that made The Picture of Dorian Gray a national sensation. Their latest production is another vivid adaptation of a gothic classic, following London lawyer Gabriel Utterson as he attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding his friend Jekyll and the shadowy new presence in his life, Mr Hyde. Like The Picture of Dorian Gray, this show blends live performance and cutting-edge video technology (pre-recorded and in real-time) to take a classic story to new heights of theatrical and cinematic design.

Jurrungu Ngan-ga (Straight Talk)
Marrugeku’s deeply affecting and urgent work Jurrungu Ngan-ga (Straight Talk), which was seen at Rising Festival 2022, reflects on the overrepresentation of First Nations people in custody, and the indefinite detention of asylum seekers. The show takes inspiration from the words and experiences of Yawuru leader Patrick Dodson, Kurdish-Iranian writer and former Manus Island detainee Behrouz Boochani, and Iranian-Australian scholar-activist Omid Tofighian. Blending movement, music, soundscape, spoken word and projection, the arresting, intercultural work observes the impact of government-sanctioned brutality.

Dogs of Europe
Every member of Belarus Free Theatre – the company behind this dystopian play, adapted from a novel by Alhierd Bacharevic – lives in political exile after being forced to flee their homeland for safety. The timely production earned a spot in the program after actor Cate Blanchett (who called it “immensely powerful”) tipped off co-artistic director Neil Armfield. The story moves from 2019 to 2049, when Russia has taken over several countries to form a new European super-state under the control of a brutal regime. It’s been called a mix of art and activism, observing the spread of authoritarianism – and how oppression isn’t only carried out by those in charge.

Tracker
This deeply personal dance work is one of the first from Australian Dance Theatre’s new choreographer and Wiradjuri man Daniel Riley, and inspired by the story of his great-great-uncle, who was a tracker for the NSW Police Force. After working on Wiradjuri country for 40 years, he was sent back to a mission – without any form of pension. “He used his cultural knowledge of the land, but they paid him very little for it,” Riley told Broadsheet last year. “It’s a story of cultural resilience, and [of] how incredible icons like him lived and worked in that period, and walked in both worlds.” An entirely First Nations creative team and cast is behind the production, which will be performed in the round, incorporating dance, text, music and art.

Music highlights
The contemporary music program includes performances by folk-pop balladeer Julia Jacklin, lo-fi rock trio Camp Cope (in one of their final ever shows) and global superstar Lorde, as well as a free opening night concert from Spinifex Gum – a collaboration between the Cat Empire’s Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill and Marliya (a Cairns-based choir of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women). Anyone who’s seen Spinifex Gum perform previously at Adelaide Festival or Womadelaide knows how powerful and uplifting their shows are. This time around they’ll be joined by Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and singer-songwriter Emma Donovan in a fully orchestrated show that’s part-protest and part-celebration.

Adelaide Festival runs from March 3 to 19. Tickets are availble online.

adelaidefestival.com.au