The must-see cultural events of 2017

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This was published 7 years ago

The must-see cultural events of 2017

By Katrina Lobley
The Cementa extravaganza uses Kandos and surrounds as a giant art canvas.

The Cementa extravaganza uses Kandos and surrounds as a giant art canvas.

1 MURIEL'S WEDDING THE MUSICAL

It's the musical Australia didn't know it was waiting for. PJ Hogan, who penned and directed the beloved 1994 film about wedding-tragic Muriel Heslop from Porpoise Spit, will also write the musical premiering in late 2017 (November 6-December 30) as part of the Sydney Theatre Company's season. Sing along to Abba songs as well as original music from Kate Miller-Heidke and husband Keir Nuttall. Tickets go on sale on October 19. See sydneytheatre.com.au

2 RODIN CENTENARY

My Fair Lady with Anna O'Byrne and Mark Vincent.

My Fair Lady with Anna O'Byrne and Mark Vincent.Credit: Jeff Busby

Curators love an anniversary so prepare for a Rodin rush in 2017. Auguste Rodin, considered a father of modern sculpture for revolutionary pieces such as The Thinker and The Kiss, died in 1917. Paris' Grand Palais, an art nouveau exhibition hall a few blocks from the Louvre, will celebrate his genius with an exhibition co-organised with the Musee Rodin (March 20-July 31, grandpalais.fr). The Art Gallery of South Australia will also pay homage with Versus Rodin: Bodies across Space and Time (March 4-July 2, artgallery.sa.gov.au). The gallery will pit its Rodins (it boasts the southern hemisphere's largest collection) against works by contemporary artists such as Antony Gormley, who have been influenced by the master.

3 GRAND DESIGNS

A sesquicentenary is prompting New York's Museum of Modern Art to showcase the brilliance of 1867-born American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (whose spiralling Guggenheim Museum is considered among the city's most iconic buildings). Pore over 450 artefacts, including drawings, models, films, furniture, photographs and scrapbooks, drawn from Columbia University's Wright archive as well as MOMA and other collections. Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive runs from June 12-October 1. See moma.org

PJ Hogan (left) and the STC's interim artistic director, Kip Williams, will work together on Muriel's Wedding The Musical.

PJ Hogan (left) and the STC's interim artistic director, Kip Williams, will work together on Muriel's Wedding The Musical. Credit: Steven Siewert

4 THE BOOK OF MORMON

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Melbourne's Princess Theatre has snagged the Australian debut of the hit musical from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The show, which follows two young Mormon missionaries sent to Africa to spread the word, pushes the boundaries of good taste but that didn't stop New York Times chief theatre critic Ben Brantley from praising it as the "best new musical (so far, anyway) of the 21st century". January performances have sold out; look at February onwards. See bookofmormonmusical.com.au

5 EXHIBITION STREAK

The Boss is back: Bruce Springsteen.

The Boss is back: Bruce Springsteen.

After a five-year run at London's The O2 arena, the British Music Experience exhibition is permanently relocating to Liverpool, opening in the former first-class passenger lounge of the historic Cunard building on February 11. With more than 600 artefacts and 90 hours of digital content, the attraction explores music's influence on Brit culture over the past 70 years (britishmusicexperience.com). Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image will make you rethink the very concept of an exhibition when it presents the first Australian solo show of French artist Philippe Parreno (December 6-March 13, acmi.net.au).

6 ART IN ODD PLACES

Kandos, a former cement-works town in the NSW central west, is fast gaining a reputation as a contemporary art destination thanks to the biennial Cementa extravaganza that uses the town and surrounds as a gigantic canvas for a range of art forms (Cementa17, April 6-9, cementa.com.au). Other spots set to be transformed by art are Denmark's Aarhus and Cyprus' Paphos – both 2017 European Capitals of Culture (aarhus2017.dk, pafos2017.eu).

7 MODERNIST TRIO

After the raging success of this year's Frida Kahlo exhibition (extended to October 23, includes Diego Rivera), the Art Gallery of NSW is showcasing more strong women artists next year. Making Modernism (July 1-October 2) features about 30 works each from American Georgia O'Keeffe and Australians Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith (agnsw.com.au).

8 MY FAIR LADY MOVES

After the Dame Julie Andrews-directed production of My Fair Lady wraps at the Sydney Opera House on November 4, it heads interstate. Leading lady Anna O'Byrne will remain in the role of Eliza Doolittle when the musical opens at Brisbane's Lyric Theatre on March 12 and at Melbourne's Regent Theatre on May 11. Dame Julie created the original role on Broadway and in London of the Cockney flower girl who undergoes a compelling transformation. See myfairladymusical.com.au

9 THE BOSS IS BACK

Tickets for Bruce Springsteen's 2017 Australian tour went on general sale on September 23. It's not a cheap night out – it costs almost $255 for a front standing ticket at Melbourne's AAMI Park on February 2 and Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on February 7 – but The Boss is known for epic live shows that can run to four hours. If you miss out on first-release tickets, don't despair – there seems to be enough space in Springsteen's month-long Australasian tour for more dates to be announced. See frontiertouring.com

10 EXPLORING NEW TALENTS

Two-time Archibald Prize-winner Sydney artist Del Kathryn Barton will unveil her directorial debut at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Her short film RED, starring Cate Blanchett, is "inspired by the mating rituals of the female Australian redback spider" (January 26-April 30, artgallery.sa.gov.au). Musician Bob Dylan will also reveal a new side when his first permanent public sculpture opens in the US later this year. Visitors to MGM National Harbor resort casino, 17 kilometres from Washington DC, can stroll through Portal – a fanciful gate Dylan welded from farm equipment, tools and other metal objects. See mgmnationalharbor.com

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